Alpha Darrell’s Redemption: Fated to the Betrayed Alpha

His mate’s betrayal

THREE

Darrell’s POV

“Where’s Kimberly?” I ask again, a raging urgency in my voice this time, and when loud barks of laughter ring through the air, a fresh wave of anger engulfs me, seeping through the pores of my body, and I let out a loud growl, spots flashing in my fiery eyes. I’m too weakened by the effect of the wolf’s bane, but I manage to half-shift with my claws extending out of my fingers, my fangs shooting out of my mouth, and the hairs of my body prickling out as a new surge of energy engulfs me.

“Attack him!” Randall orders as he notices my semi-shift, and with my newfound strength, I pounce on the wolf warriors from behind me who lurch at me, tearing apart as many as I can with my claws, and blood spurts from different angles, splashing on my face, cries, growls, and heavy thuds following, but I’m too enraged to care. My wolf is in charge now, and every iota of reasoning or compassion has been thrown out the window. Rage fuels an innate desire in me to kill, and I let it consume me, biting, clawing at, and ripping apart every wolf warrior my hands find.

“What are you doing? Get him!” Randall snarls again, terror written all over his face, which suddenly pales from my outburst. Some of the wolf warriors are moving backward, terrified of me, as they watch me yank many more wolves into pieces.

Yes. They should be terrified. Each one of them.

“Alpha R-Raul. W-What are we going to do? H-He’s gone f-feral,” I hear Randal splutter some feet behind me, and after I dig my claws into another wolf warrior who screams in pain, I turn to face Raul and Randall, hauling the lifeless wolf warrior’s body at them, and I watch as Randall shrieks, sweat trickling down his face from his forehead. Raul, on the other hand, is still composed, and the damn smirk is still on his face, but not for too long, because I’ll make sure he regrets ever messing with me.

I hold another wolf warrior by the neck and watch as he struggles to breathe when I hold him up till his feet are raised high from the floor, his hands clutching at his throat. “Where. Is. Kimberly?” I ask again, my voice sinister this time, and from the look on Randall’s face, I’m certain he’s about to pee in his pants, or maybe he’s already peeing.

He glances at Raul, probably seeking some succor, but Raul just watches me, his eyes almost unreadable, even as I throw off the wolf warrior in my hand, who’s now limp.

“W-What are you doing standing there? Fire at him! Now!” Randall orders with bulging eyes that look like they could pop out of their sockets.

Then, I turn to find some of Raul’s men aiming their arrows at me with trembling fingers.

“Come on! Do it!” I snarl, but they continue fidgeting.

“Shoot!” Randall orders again, but before any of them can have the effrontery to shoot, many arrows begin shooting in the air from behind me, taking down many of Raul’s men, and the swing of blades and slashes follows. Then, the galloping of horses, before Miguel’s bloody and sweaty face comes into view, and I gasp when I find Kimberly in his arms, looking pale.

“Kimberly!”

“She’s safe. I managed to save her from her carriage. She was already being taken captive.” Kimberly slowly opens her eyes, and my heart almost constricts within me as I stare at my Luna, whose clothes are covered in grime and blood.

“Kimberly,” I reach for her face with my bloody hands, checking her body for any injuries at all, and when I find none, I still ask, “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” Then I place my hand on her belly. “And the baby?”

She just nods her answer, probably too terrified to speak. Then in a weak voice, she answers. “I’m fine. The baby is good too.” Then, as I pull her down from the horse, Raul’s voice rings through the air.

“If this isn’t the perfect reunion. I should give you the luxury of that before ending your life now. Shouldn’t I, brother?” Raul says, resting a hand lazily on his hip. “But the thing is, as much as I want to be generous, time is something I have no luxury for.”

Then, with a snap of his fingers, the high gates open, and my eyes widen in terror as I watch many more men of Raul march forward. Randall even appears shocked, just like me. Raul probably didn’t involve him in this particular plan. Little wonder why he didn’t flinch after I became feral.

Many more wolf warriors come out of my gates. They must have entered through the secret door of the palace. I grit my teeth in anger as I watch them file in rows and columns. I look behind to find that a few of my men from the battleground are still alive, but they’re no match compared to this new army.

Kimberly gasps, clutching at her belly, and I pull her behind me. “What are we going to do? They’re gonna kill us.” I hear raw panic in her voice, and I swallow, my eyes darting around.

“I’ll handle them, Alpha Darrell. You should take the Luna to the safe house. You need to protect your baby,” Miguel says, but I immediately protest.

“I can’t just leave you here with all these rogues. They’ll kill you! And what does that make me, if I run off like a scared cat? I’m the alpha of the Onyx Moon Pack!” I say in a raspy voice, and when Kimberly screams from behind me, I turn to find her clutching at her belly, gasping.

Then my voice trails lower, and I find that her clothes are wet with fresh blood.

“Darrell. I-I think it’s time,” she manages to whisper, and her voice quakes immediately, tears spilling from her eyelids, and I seethe in anger.

“Please, Alpha Darrell, take your Luna Kimberly away to safety. She needs you—” A loud gasp from him cuts him off, and I look down to see that a heavy rod has been pushed into him from behind, in the middle of our discussion.

My eyes widen as Randall pushes the iron bar more into him, and Miguel holds it.

“Now, Alpha Darrel! Please go!” Miguel screams, wincing in pain, and I watch as Randall pushes the rod out of him, an action that causes Miguel to fall to his knees.

Miguel’s eyes are bloody yet pleading as he urges me to leave with unsaid words, and gritting my teeth, I whip Kimberly in my hands, mounting on my horse. For the kingdom, I need to save the baby. I need to protect my heir and my Luna. I take one glance at Miguel, whom Randall stabs continuously the second my horse begins to gallop, and I growl in pain as I watch life go out of him.

“Follow him!” I hear Raul order, and blades begin to swing in the air again. Arrows follow, but I duck each one of them.

“I’m going to protect you and my son, Kimberly. Trust me, okay?” I whisper to my Luna, but when I glance back, I find that Raul is also following us with his horse. His men catch up with us, and I continue fighting on the moving horse with my sword. One of them tries to reach for Kimberly to pull her from me, but I manage to throw a pocket knife at him, and he falls with a thud. At the same time, Raul catches up with me, and I ride even faster, moving through the woods and dodging arrows, many of which get stuck in trees.

Kimberly is still bleeding, and she groans in pain. I’m not even sure what to do because I have no experience with midwife duties. The safe house is still far from here also.

“I’m losing a lot of blood, Darrell.” Her voice is a weak whisper, which makes my senses more alert. I can’t let anything happen to my Luna and son. There has to be some way out of this.

“What if you surrender?” She asks, maintaining that weak whisper.

I nod my head frantically. “Never! Alpha Quentin raised no weakling! I’d rather die than bow before my half-brother! I won’t let Miguel’s sacrifice go to waste!” I spit, going faster and taking a detour. I only stop when I reach a cliff. My horse neighs, and I balance it back on its foot, turning to face Raul and his men headlong.

I mount down from my horse, positioning Kimberly properly on the horse. “Do you think you can manage while I take care of these rogues?” She nods slightly, her eyes still misty, and I touch her body gently, wishing I could press my forehead against hers.

“Just hang on there,” I say to Kimberly before turning to face Raul.

“What now? Tired of running like a coward?” Raul sniggers, and I grit my teeth, anger soaring in me. His men are lined up beside and behind me, and much to my surprise, there are not many of them; only about twenty of them. If I weren’t so wounded, I’d take them down in one go. But now, I’m not so sure, although I’m willing to try—for my Luna and my heir.

“Darrell…” Raul drags my name out on his lips. “You know, if you’d surrendered early enough, I might have spared your dog. He wouldn’t have had to die such a painful death. What was his name again? Angel?” He mocks, and I clench my fist on my sword, my pulse speeding as my blood boils. “But you know what? I’m a man of many graces and mercy. If you surrender right now, I might be gracious enough to let you live. Maybe even kind enough to give you a place in my pack. What do you say, brother?”

I spit, scowling at him before drawing out my sword to him. “Before I do that, I’ll swallow death first. If you’ve got the balls, you’ll face me man to man without having to send your d**k-riding men like a f*****g p***y!”

“Fierce much, huh? I’ll see what will become of your tongue when I’m done with you, Alpha Darrell,” he says with a sardonic smile, stressing the word “alpha” with a tone heavy with sarcasm. “The night is still very new. Brace yourself.”

Then, I let my mind wander to all the anguish and pain I felt in the last hour, which culminates in the death of my gamma, Miguel, propelling my wolf to connect with my emotions. I clench my teeth as spots flash before my eyes, the intensity of the fire in them causing a snarl to erupt from my throat, and a millisecond later, I shift into my wolf.

I become even more feral than before, pouncing on all of Raul’s men one after the other, throwing them off their horses, and tearing them into shreds.

“Darrell!” The sound of my name passes in a blur, and I continue ripping the hearts of the men apart till I’m down to the last one. Raul’s eyes widen, and I growl, ready to tear him apart. He snarls also, trying to shift into his wolf, but before he can succeed, the sound of my name becomes clearer, and I recognize it as Kimberly’s.

But the desire for Raul’s blood feels stronger than the mate bond pulling me and propelling me to stop.

I ignore her, and just as I’m about to attack Raul, I feel the sharp edge of a sword push into my belly from behind, and I turn, ready to rip apart my attacker. But my eyes widen in utter terror, spots flashing in them, at the figure in front of me, who has a sword deep in my belly with two hands.

Kimberly. My mate.