Chapter 5
1663 Words
The mansion loomed like a forgotten relic on the edge of the horizon, separated from the rest of the pack lands by a forest of shadowed pines and a winding road. Even from this distance, the Alpha King’s residence radiated both majesty and menace. I stood stiffly by the front door, my hand gripping the door frame.
With my heart racing and trembling, I turned around, to see Liam, Jayden’s cousin standing behind me.
He stepped close with his usual easy grin. His golden-brown curls bounced with every movement, and the familiar warmth in his blue eyes made me relax slightly.
I sighed in relief, for whatever reason, I was grateful it wasn't Jayden.
“You planning on sneaking out again?” he teased, hands in the pockets of his hoodie.
I didn’t answer, only offered a weak shrug.
Liam leaned against the wall.
“Look, I get it. This place… it’s not the friendliest. But you’re not a prisoner.”
I scoffed under my breath. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“Tell you what. I’ll give you a proper tour. No guards. No staring wolves. Just me, a car, and a playlist of 2000s rock I bet you hate.”
Something about his voice was disarming. So was the offer. Curiosity itched at me again—the part of me that refused to sit quietly anymore.
“Fine,” I said, running up the stairs to grab a jacket. “But no Nickelback.”
Liam threw his head back in mock agony. “You wound me, woman.”
A few seconds later, I was back downstairs with a jacket on.
"Ready?"
"Mhmm"
We drove past the patrol grounds, the training fields, and the healer’s quarters, everything hidden behind thick trees and steel-reinforced fences. Liam pointed things out—where he trained, where the younger wolves sparred, where the pack held bonfires during full moons.
“This,” he said as we turned toward the courtyard, “is the heartbeat of the warriors’ wing.”
I stepped out of the car and inhaled deeply. The air smelled like pine, sweat, and iron.
Then, a ripple of tension rolled through the space.
I turned confused looking from Liam to where the commotion was coming from.
The courtyard filled rapidly as warriors moved with purpose, surrounding two guards dragging a man between them—a bloody, half-conscious rogue.
My pulse spiked and my heart pounded so hard, that I could hear it.
“Who is that?” I asked, backing instinctively toward Liam.
“Spy,” Liam muttered. “Probably from Nathan’s pack.”
My breath caught in her throat.
Before I could speak again, a new presence descended like a dark storm.
Jayden.
His aura moved ahead of him—crushing, cold, and absolute. He stepped into the courtyard dressed in black, the long coat around his shoulders billowing like a predator’s wings. The talking stopped. Warriors lowered their heads in submission.
Only the rogue whimpered.
I ducked behind a stone pillar, just enough to see. I had no idea why I felt the urge to hide, but the pictures of his snuffing the life out of me were still fresh in my memory.
Jayden stopped inches from the trembling man. With unreadable facial expressions. I'm
“Who sent you?” he asked, his tone surprisingly calm.
The rogue spat blood. “No one. I—I was lost…” he stuttered.
Liam whispered beside me, “He’s lying.”
Jayden didn’t speak for a moment. He just looked down at the rogue, his expression unreadable. Then—
His bones cracked.
My hand flew to my mouth as his transformation erupted like a storm. Fur burst across his limbs. His body grew taller, broader—claws sliding free like blades. His eyes gleamed—one molten silver, the other bleeding red.
His wolf was more like a Lycan. I have never seen him transform before.
He was magnificent. But was horrifying at the same time, I lacked words to explain what his wolf looked like, but he was far bigger than any wolf alive.
The rogue screamed. Wetting himself in fear, I could smell his fear, the stench hung in the air.
It ended in a wet crunch.
Jayden didn’t hesitate. His clawed hand punched through the rogue’s chest, ripping out his still-beating heart. Blood sprayed across the stones as the beast crushed them to a pulp.
Gasps rang out in the audience.
I stumbled backward, dizzy. My back hit the cold wall, and my knees nearly gave way.
Jayden stood over the corpse, naked, panting, chest heaving—his claws dripping with gore. His torn clothes on the floor, And then—
He turned. His mismatched gaze locked directly onto mine.
I froze. One of the guards looked my way but quickly returned his eyes to the ground.
Jayden’s lip curled, not quite a snarl, but close.
Then he turned away and strode off, shifting back to his wolf, as he walked, leaving bloody paw prints behind.
* * *
The silence in my room was unbearable. I sat on the edge of the bed, arms wrapped around myself. I hadn't gotten over the gory scene from this evening.
My mind played the scene over and over. The crunch of bones. The man’s scream. The heart in Jayden’s hand. The small smirk on his face, when he shifted back to his normal self.
He wasn’t just dangerous.
He was death incarnate.
And I was his fated mate. It made my skin crawl and my blood boil in disgust.
A soft knock on the door, made me jump, clutching my chest as my heart raced.
The door creaked open, revealing Jayden, now dressed in dark slacks and a black shirt. No blood. No fury. Just a tray of food in his hands.
“I brought dinner,” he said quietly, placing the tray on the desk. The scent of roasted meat and buttered vegetables hovered in the air.
I froze, I didn’t say a word, just staring at him, ready to run at any minute.
He sat in the chair across from me, watching. The silence stretched between us until I whispered, “You killed him.”
He didn’t flinch but answered. “Yes.”
“In front of everyone.”
Jayden tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing. “Would you have preferred I did it behind closed doors?”
“I would have preferred you didn’t rip his heart out, that was the height of cruelty” I snapped without realizing it.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “He was a threat.”
“He was begging.” I fired back. Right now every shred of fear was gone.
Jayden rose slowly, walking to the window. “You’ve lived a sheltered life, Kelani. Even in pain, you still believe people are mostly good.”
I understood what he was trying to do here, making it seem like I didn't know how the world works. If only he knew the cruelty I had endured all my these years.
“Don’t talk to me like I’m naive,” I said, voice trembling with anger. “I saw what you did. That wasn’t justice. That was rage.”
His shoulders tensed. For a moment, I thought he might yell. Instead, he turned around, eyes stormy.
“I warned you,” he said, voice low and dangerous. “I am not a kind man. I’m not the hero in your visions. I’ve done worse than you can imagine.”
“Then tell me,” she said, standing. “Tell me what you are.”
“I’m the thing that keeps monsters at bay,” he smirked mischievously.
“You are the monster,” I whispered. Wondering why he didn't realize it just yet.
His jaw clenched. “So run.”
“What?”
“Run, Kelani,” he growled.
“Try again. Sneak out, disappear. Go back to Nathan. Or Russo. Or wherever you think is safer. But if you stay here… don’t pretend I’m something I’m not.”
My heart pounded. “Why do you keep me here, then? Why bring me back?”
He stared at her, the torment flickering in his mismatched eyes. “Because… you calm the storm. Even when you hate me.”
I couldn’t breathe. The fury in me was now tangled with confusion.
“Liam said I wasn’t a prisoner,” I said bitterly. “But this doesn’t feel like freedom.”
Jayden stepped closer, the air between us taut. “You’re not a prisoner, Kelani. You’re my mate. But if you truly want to leave…”
He stopped inches from her.
“…then I’ll help you run. Just say the word.”
I looked up at him, trembling. I opened my mouth to say the magic words—
But a voice crackled over the intercom outside the room.
“My King,” a soldier barked, “We found another mark—same sigil as before. It’s Kamryn.”
Jayden’s eyes darkened instantly. All softness drained away.
He turned to me, jaw set. “Stay in your room.”
Then he was gone, without sparing me a look.
I stared after him, heart pounding harder now—not with fear, but dread.
Kamryn, The Witch. I have heard tales of her, but why is he looking for her?
The images of him killing the rogue flashed through my mind but I quickly snapped out of it.
As I tried to calm my nerves, the mirror on the vanity flickered.
I turned sharply. My reflection stared back at me, but something was off.
The eyes in the glass glowed like violet flames. I was still to wrap my head around what was happening. When the reflection smiled, but I didn’t.
I was shocked.
A voice echoed softly from the mirror, but it wasn't mine, and neither was it human.
“You can’t run from blood, little witch…”
- Writer
