Gerald, the terrible
1106 Words
GERALD
“Sire, we don’t have to go,” Bane said, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
I shot him a sharp glare. This would not be the first time I ignored my beta.
“My brother, that insolent, lazy little s**t, boasted to my face that he is now a king, and you think I shouldn’t see it for myself? What rubbish are you spewing?” I snapped, fastening my bow.
“My apologies, sire.” Bane inclined his head, his expression unreadable. I ignored him, brushing down my coat before stepping toward the car that awaited me. Whether he followed or not was his problem.
It baffled me—the extent to which my brother would go to prove a point. The second son of my father. The spoiled brat of the family. The ostracized member of our pack.
And now he called himself a king?
When we arrived, the sheer number of people at the venue shocked me. Even Bane, who rarely reacted to anything, shared my disbelief. Something isn’t right here.
The moment I stepped through the doors, my name was announced. Conversations died. People parted, whispering behind their hands.
Bane’s scowl deepened, but I would be damned if I attended any event without my title. I was my father’s first son. The ruthless Alpha. The cruel beast. I had earned that name, and I wasn’t dropping it anytime soon.
I searched for my brother but found him wanting. Bane spoke again—something he thought was important—but I was already walking away.
“I don’t think we should go looking for him, sire,” he cautioned.
I ignored him.
Nobody made Gerald the Terrible wait.
I pushed deeper into the crowd, ignoring the gasps and murmurs that trailed behind me. My brother had to answer for this. How had he become Alpha to the very pack that hunted our family like dogs? What had he done?
The deeper I went, the more unnatural everything felt. And then—
A scent.
A scent that stopped me in my tracks.
It started as a faint chill, curling around my skin. But then it pulled—no, dragged—me forward.
I had never felt so warm before. So instantly calm. It was addictive.
Atax, my wolf, stirred violently.
His voice rang in my head, urgent and ecstatic.
Mate!
What?
I blinked, the intoxicating scent clouding my thoughts. No. That’s impossible.
And then I heard it.
A voice.
Frantic. Pleading.
“Help! Please!”
My breath hitched.
I was not a savior. People knew me to be cruel. I had never lifted a hand for anyone unless it benefited me.
So why—why did her voice send my heart into a frenzy?
Why was I suddenly running?
A snarl tore from my lips as my search became feral.
Then—
“Leave me alone! No!”
The desperation in her cry sent ice through my veins.
I roared, barging into a dimly lit chamber.
The sight before me made my blood boil.
Joel stood over a bound woman, one hand gripping her jaw while the other held a glowing bottle.
I recognized it instantly. Nightshade Decan. A slow-acting poison.
“Gerald!” Joel stepped back, fear flashing in his eyes.
But I wasn’t looking at him anymore.
My gaze locked onto her.
Tear-streaked cheeks. Wrists bound so tightly they bled. The scent of pain and fear clinging to her like a second skin.
My wolf roared, shaking my bones.
Something snapped inside me.
Joel’s voice shook. “What are you doing?”
His fear only fueled my rage.
“She’s my wife. We were taking something for the night,” he tried to explain.
Lies.
Joel had never needed anything for the night.
My body was already changing. Black veins crawled beneath my skin, my pulse hammering as a familiar taste of blood coated my tongue. No. Not now. Not this.
Joel saw it too. He staggered back, gripping the vial tighter.
“She’s my wife,” he said quickly. “We were just—”
More Lies!
My eyes flickered to the glowing bottle. And then—before I could react—Joel tilted his head back and downed a dark potion.
Nightmare Mangrove.
A forbidden concoction. A potion no werewolf should ever consume. Only witches—forbidden witches—could create them. And the process was nothing short of dark.
Joel’s eyes turned black.
“This is my kingdom,” he rasped. “My territory. My wife. You have to leave. Now.”
But I couldn’t leave.
Not when my mate—my mate—was bleeding at his hands.
Joel, the fool, made the mistake of attacking me.
I struck first.
With a single motion, I grabbed him and flung him through the window.
Glass shattered. The shards rained down, slicing through the air.
A strangled gasp.
I turned just in time to see a shard embed itself into her leg.
The moment her blood spilled, my fury vanished.
I was moving before I even thought about it.
She swayed, the pain overtaking her. I caught her mid-fall.
And then—my body vibrated.
A force stronger than anything I had felt in fifty years snapped into place.
MATE.
Atax howled in triumph.
I stared at her—this broken, bleeding girl—and the realization sent shockwaves through me.
I opened my mouth to speak, to demand who did this to her—
Then my gaze fell on her foot.
A red blister.
A curse mark.
It was worse than it looked.
A name burned on my tongue. A name I hated.
“Vanessa.”
The moment I said it, she stepped into the room.
Dark hair. Dark eyes. A sickeningly familiar smirk.
The woman who killed my father.
The shapeshifter who murdered my fiancée and wore her skin.
The witch who cursed me.
“We meet again,” she said smoothly.
I hissed, my muscles tensing.
“If you know what’s good for you,” she continued, “you’ll drop that girl. Nadia belongs to us.”
My wolf snarled, and the black veins on my arms deepened. My mouth filled with the coppery taste of blood.
I was close. Too close. Too close to losing control.
And I was ready to risk it all.
For her.
Vanessa took a step forward—
Then collapsed.
I blinked in surprise as Bane emerged from the shadows, a pan in hand.
I had no time to waste.
I jumped through the broken window, Nadia in my arms.
Bane followed.
And just like that—
I hijacked my brother’s bride.
- Writer
