Betrayed By The Alpha, Desired By The Hybrid

chapter 14

Damon's POV

Three more people have died the same way that family did. Their faces and eyes were burned beyond recognition.

I don’t know what the hell to do.

I don’t know how to break this damn curse.

It’s eating away at my pack, ripping through us like we’re nothing. And the worst part? I don’t even know who to blame. I wish I knew who cursed us—why they did it, what they wanted. Maybe then, I’d have a place to start. But I’ve got nothing. All I know is that it was a witch. That’s what my parents told me before they died.

All they left me with was a pack on the verge of collapse, a curse that kills without reason, and a weight on my shoulders that no one else can carry.

And the elders? Those old bastards don’t have a clue either. Useless, every single one of them. They act like they’re wise, like they hold all the answers, but when it comes down to it, they just sit around a table, wringing their hands and waiting for me to figure it all out.

Camila was our only hope.

She was supposed to be my mate. But she’s gone. I never even got to mark her. One moment, she was in my arms, promising me forever. The next, she was lying in a pool of her own blood, stolen from me before I even had a chance to fight for her.

And now? Now, we’re stuck with this darkness hanging over us, growing stronger, hungrier, like it won’t stop until we’re all dead.

How the hell are we supposed to survive this?

My wolf, Black, shifts uneasily in my head, his presence dark and heavy.

“You ever think it’s time we asked the vampires for help? Maybe they know how to break this curse,” my wolf, Black, said quietly, like he didn’t want to push me too hard.

I stiffen at the suggestion.

Yeah, right. Like I’d ever go crawling to those egotistical, rotten-smelling, bloodsucking corpses for help.

How’d they even break their curse, anyway? I wonder. They used to be bound by darkness, trapped in the night, unable to step into the sun without burning alive. Now they walk around like normal people, like their curse never even existed.

How the hell did they pull that off?

“We’ll never know unless we find out,” Black chimed in again, trying to sound reasonable.

“We don’t do business with vampires, you know that,” I snapped, dropping into my chair and glaring at nothing in particular.

“True. But sometimes, in desperate times, it’s worth exploring all your options,” he said, his eyes heavy with worry.

I sighed, long and hard. “Drop it,” I muttered, cutting him a sharp glance. I didn’t want to hear any more of it. I’ve always handled things on my own, without help. Without begging.

And as much as I hated to admit it, Black was right. So was my beta, John—he was the first to suggest we ask the vampires for help. Damn it, I hated everything about this situation.

“Fine. Maybe we’ll look for help somewhere else,” I ground out, my jaw clenched. “But not from those damn vampires.”

“From who then?” Black pressed, his voice tight with concern.

“I don’t know yet. But we’ll figure it out. We always do,” I said, though I didn't even believe my own words. Black didn’t either, but he let it go. He didn’t want to push me further.

The truth? You can’t trust a vampire. They’re not loyal like us werewolves. They’d stab each other in the back for fun. Am I supposed to put my pack’s future in the hands of people like that? Hell no. Besides, it’s not like I even know where vampires live. In caves? Caskets? Holes in the ground?

“They live in houses, just like us,” Black said, sounding like he wanted to roll his eyes, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Whatever. Like I didn’t know that.

Just as I was about to get up, I felt my gamma, Alex, coming closer. I sat back down. A moment later, he knocked, and I told him to come in. He looked like he’d seen a ghost—tense, pale, the works. He hadn’t stopped running himself ragged since I ordered that $1,000,000 bounty on Emma.

And yet, nothing. No leads, no news. It’s like she disappeared into thin air. Am I just chasing shadows here? Is she dead?

“You’ve got one minute to say whatever you came to say. I don’t have all day,” I growled, not bothering to mask my frustration.

I grabbed the glass of water off the table, took a sip, and set it back down, but my hand stayed gripping it. My eyes locked on him as he took a deep breath, the words finally spilling out of his mouth.

“We found her,” he said.

But his face didn’t match his words. If he really found Emma, he’d be grinning like an i***t right now. He knows how long I’ve waited for this moment.

“Then where the hell is she?” I growled, not realizing I’d crushed the glass in my hand until shards hit the table. Blood dripped from my palm as I yanked open the drawer, grabbed a handkerchief, and started wiping it away.

His fear was written all over him, clear as day. “I sure as hell don’t smell her around here. So where the f**k is she?”

“She’s with the witches,” he blurted out, like saying it lifted a massive weight off his shoulders.

The witches? Seriously? Those damn creatures just can’t help but meddle, can they? For a second, I didn’t know how to feel—angry, excited, or both.

“How’d you find her?” I demanded.

“We got an anonymous tip. A woman called it in,” he admitted, his eyes dropping to the floor.

“And you confirmed it?”

“Yes, Alpha. I checked myself. She’s there,” he said, sounding a little too satisfied with himself, like he’d just hit the jackpot.

Of course. No wonder it took us this long to track her down. Those damn witches were hiding her.

How dare they? How dare they take Emma in without asking whose pack she belongs to? Without knowing what she did? Did they even care that she’s a murderer?

She thinks she can just run to them and be safe? After killing Camila? After ruining my life? Over my dead body.

I’ll make an example of them. I’ll tear out their throats, burn their coven to the ground, and leave nothing but ashes. Every last one of them—including Emma—will pay for this.

“We’ll finally get our revenge,” Black growled, his voice heavy with a mix of satisfaction and rage.

Damn right we will. They’ll wish they never crossed me.

I turned to Alex, my lips curling into a wicked grin. “Get the men ready. We’re going hunting.”

He bolted out the door, and I leaned back, savoring the thought. This is going to be fun.