Captured by the Alpha King

16: Tyrone

I took a deep, shuddering breath as I pulled out my phone with a shaky hand. My last hope rested on the unlikeliest of allies - Aurora, Onyx's sister. We had a complicated history, but she was possibly the only one strong enough to stand against the coven.

As the phone rang, dread coiled in my gut. Her melodic voice answered, tinged with curiosity and caution. I spilled out the story in a rush, my words urgent and raw.

"Aurora, you have to help me. They've taken Onyx, dragged him back to their lair like a lamb to slaughter. We have to get him out before..." I choked on the words, unable to utter the horrific possibilities.

Silence. Then a soft sigh, laced with resignation. "Tyrone, I...I can't. I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous now. With the pups on the way, I can't take that risk."

I snarled in frustration, fist clenched white-knuckled around the phone. "You know what they'll do to him! He'll be tortured, bled dry, or worse. He's your brother, doesn't that mean anything?"

"He was my brother. Was. You don't understand..." Her voice faltered, but her resolve was firm. "Maybe try my mom... I'll text you her number..."

The rejection stung like silver through my heart. Onyx's life presumeably hung by a thread, and my pleas fell on deaf ears. As the call ended, I roared into the lonely night, cursing the moon that glinted cold and indifferent above me. Abandoned, afraid, I had never felt more alone.

I paced the forest floor, my footfalls cracking sticks and crunching leaves, the sounds echoing in the stillness. There had to be another way. I refused to leave Onyx at their mercy.

An idea crept into my mind, dark and dangerous. I fought against it, but it hooked deep. Magic always came with a price, but I was desperate enough to pay it.

I found Rowan by the creek's edge, her willowy form luminous in the moonlight. She turned, eyes widening as I asked her to tap into her magic to help us.

"I'm so sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

I stepped closer, my eyes boring into hers. "I think you can. I know what you are, Rowan. You have power, magic. Help me save him."

She recoiled. "It's not that simple. The forces I work with, they-"

"Please!" I grabbed her shoulders, desperation bleeding through. "He's going to die if we don't do something. He's your mate!"

She searched my face. I held her gaze unwaveringly. Finally, she nodded.

"There are rituals, entities I can appeal to. But magic like this, it always comes with a price." Her voice held a note of warning. "And I don't really know what I'm doing... anything can go wrong..."

"I'll pay it," I said without hesitation. For Onyx, any price was worth it. My brother from another mother.

Rowan took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Then let us begin."

The air grew heavy, charged with power. I shivered but did not back down. We had a friend to save, no matter the cost.

Rowan began chanting in a language I did not recognize, her voice taking on an eerie, haunting quality. The words seemed to reverberate through my very bones, setting my teeth on edge.

The wind picked up, whipping through the trees violently. Dark clouds rolled in, blotting out the moon and stars. As Rowan chanted louder, more insistently, a crack of thunder boomed overhead.

I gasped as ghostly, spectral shapes began materializing around us. Misshapen, otherworldly creatures with glowing eyes and gnarled limbs. They flickered in and out of existence, summoned by Rowan's incantations.

A particularly large specter with curling ram's horns loomed over me. I stood, paralyzed, as it leaned closer, studying me with malevolent curiosity. Its breath was frigid, smelling of earth and decay.

"We have answered your call," it rasped in a voice like splintering ice. "Now, mortal, state your desire so we may begin our transaction."

I found my voice again. "I need you to help me save my mate from the Elden vampires."

The specter smiled, revealing rows of jagged teeth. "It shall be done. But our services do not come freely."

I set my jaw, resolute. "Name your price."

The specter's icy blue eyes gleamed. "Oh, the debt will come due in time, mortal. For now, gather your allies. We leave swiftly."

I nodded. The specters began to vanish as Rowan ended her chant. She gave me a grave look. "Remember, magic like this always comes with a cost."

The spectral alliance led us on a perilous journey through the shadowy borderlands surrounding the Elden Coven's territory. Jagged mountains loomed against the bleak night sky, and a bone-chilling mist clung to us, obscuring our path.

I glanced back at Rowan and the others, their faces etched with determination despite the supernatural chill permeating the air. We had all sacrificed much to come this far. Failure was not an option.

The specters flitted in and out of view, scouting ahead and reporting back in their eerie, splintering voices. More than once they stopped us from wandering straight into a vampire patrol or a cursed ravine.

As we ascended higher into the mountains, the temperature plummeted. Icy winds howled through the passes, biting through our cloaks. My breath came in frozen puffs and my limbs ached from exertion.

Still, we pressed on. The specters led us through secret mountain paths known only to them, circumventing the most dangerous areas. But we could not avoid conflict entirely.

Halfway through a narrow pass, a shrieking harpy dove from the cliffs above, talons extended. I drew my sword just in time to deflect its attack. My allies leapt to assist, magic and arrows flying until the creature retreated, screaming its hatred.

We paused to catch our breath. I met Rowan's eyes, seeing my own hardened resolve reflected there. She gave me a single, grim nod.

Onyx was waiting. We would not fail him now.

I swallowed back the lump in my throat as Anne's face flashed in my mind once more. Her beautiful hazel eyes, so full of warmth and compassion, were a stark contrast to the cold brutality of this quest. What would she think if she could see me now, driven by desperation into an unholy alliance? The darkness in my soul terrified me. But the thought of losing Onyx - my alpha, my brother - was even worse.

I glanced at the ring on my finger, the simple woven band Anne had given me just a week before. The matching one encircled her graceful finger even now as she waited anxiously back home. She believed in me, believed I could be a better man. I wanted so badly to be worthy of that love and trust. But my loyalty to Onyx came first. It had to.

The specters' chilling voices jarred me from my thoughts. We had arrived at the perimeter of the vampire stronghold. Massive stone walls loomed from the mountainside, seeming to absorb all light. I felt the evil emanating from within those walls like a physical force.

This was it. The culmination of everything we had sacrificed. Onyx was in there, somewhere. And we would tear this entire cursed fortress down, stone by stone, to get him back.

Rowan began weaving protective spells over us. I steeled myself and shifted.

There was no turning back now. Live or die, success or failure, I had cast my lot. The fortress gates stood before us, imposing and inevitable. With one last glance at my companions, I stepped forward into the shadows.

Onyx, brother...I'm coming.

The heavy gates creaked open before us, revealing a courtyard bathed in torchlight. Vampires lined the walls, watching our approach with hungry eyes. I counted two dozen at least. Far more than we had anticipated.

"Hold!" a voice rang out. A tall vampire strode forward, his pale features twisted into a cruel smile. "Visitors are so rare here. Please, come inside."

I bared my teeth. "Where is Onyx?"

"All in good time," he purred. "But we must observe the proprieties first. I am Lord Elden. And whom do I have the honor of addressing?"

"Someone here to kill you and free Onyx," I growled.

Elden laughed. "Brave words. But it will take more than empty bravado to breach my sanctuary."

His smug arrogance fueled my rage. With a roar, I charged forward. Battle erupted around me as the others sprang into action.

I carved my way towards Elden, cutting down two vampires in sprays of black blood. He watched me approach, motionless, that infuriating smile never leaving his face. My vision narrowed until all I saw was him. I leaped, teeth bared.

In a blur, he sidestepped my strike. I stumbled past. Pain exploded along my ribs as his fist hammered into my side. I hit the ground hard, the wind knocked from my lungs.

"Did you truly think it would be so easy?" Elden mocked.

I struggled to rise. A sharp blow across my back sent me sprawling again. Elden loomed over me, his foot pressing down on my wrist. I cried out as bones cracked.

"Now then," he said calmly, "shall we discuss this like civilized beings?"

Rage and shame warred within me. I had failed, again. Onyx needed me, and I was helpless at this monster's feet.

No. I would not give up. With a yell, I wrenched my arm free and swept Elden's legs out from under him. I pinned him down, my fingers tightening around his throat as I stared into his cold, amused eyes.

"This is not over," I hissed.

Elden just smiled.

I dragged Elden to his feet, my grip like iron on his neck. He didn't resist as I propelled him forward, deeper into the shadowy depths of the caverns. We passed empty cells and torture chambers, the echoes of our footsteps mingling with distant screams.

At last we reached a heavy iron door. I flung it open to reveal a small, windowless room. Shackles hung from the walls, and dark stains covered the floor. In the center, chained to a post, knelt Onyx.

My breath caught at the sight of him. His body was emaciated, crisscrossed with wounds and bruises. His head lolled forward, greasy hair obscuring his face. But as the door creaked open, he looked up, and I saw the fire still burning in his eyes.

I crossed the cell in two strides and fell to my knees before him. "Onyx," I breathed, taking his battered face in my hands. Relief and anguish warred within me. I had found him against all odds, but he was a ruin of his former self. Without realizing it, I loosened my grip on the bloodsucker and he scampered away.

His parched lips formed my name, his voice barely a rasp. "Tyrone..."

The sound hit me like a blow. I bowed my head, tears stinging my eyes. "I'm sorry," I choked out. "I'm so sorry..."

A shout from the doorway jerked me back. Elden stood there, an ugly leer on his face.

"How touching," he purred. "But it's time to say goodbye."

He lunged, fangs bared. I rose and stepped forward, placing myself between him and Onyx. I welcomed the burning rage rising within me.

"You'll never touch him again," I vowed.