The Betrayed Ex-Alpha

Chapter 3

A Deadly Message

Rowan's POV

I wanted death, fully ready to embrace it as I had already accepted my fate. But it seemed today was not the day for me.

She lay there, motionless, blood still dripping from the wound where the dagger had been buried inside her heart, staining her clothes and my hands.

She weighed almost nothing, but what surprised me most was the fact that she was still breathing. The dagger had been deep and dangerously close to her heart, a wound that should have killed her.

But her chest still rose and fell, little but still enough.

I had thought my time as an Alpha was over, my purpose long lost. I had even thought about ending it all, burdened by the weight of my true fate.

But now, holding her in my arms, something shifted inside me—a strange, fierce need to protect her, a need I had never felt in years.

"Alpha Rowan?" Kara's voice broke through my thoughts. Her wide eyes flicked between me and the unconscious woman in my arms. "Who is she? What happened?"

"She's wounded," I said in a serious tone, ignoring her questions. "Get Damian, now."

Kara paused for a moment. She wanted more answers, but the command in my voice left no room for argument. She turned and ran toward the hall, leaving me to carry the woman into the clinic.

The scent of herbs and antiseptic was all I could smell as I laid her gently on the bed. Her blood soaked through her clothes, a vivid reminder of how close she was to death.

Damian arrived moments later, his expression one of shock when he saw her. Without a word, he put on his gloves and moved to examine her wound.

His sharp eyes located where the bleeding was coming from. "You found her like this?" he asked, not looking up.

"No," I said, my voice low. "She was attacked. The dagger was buried near her heart."

Damian's hands paused briefly, his eyebrow raised before he continued his work. "She's from Coral Pack," he said after a long silence, his voice heavy with seriousness.

"You realize what this could mean, don't you?" But I didn't answer immediately. Of course, I knew. Coral Pack wasn't known for mercy. Whoever she was, she was not just another wolf.

The very ancient carved dagger alone told me she was someone or something important. But I didn't care. They had no right to send someone to their death and expect me to hand her back.

"I'll handle it," I said finally. Damian gave me a look but didn't press the issue further.

Hours passed before the clinic door opened again. Kara entered, holding the dagger that was stained with blood carefully in her hands. Her expression was serious as she approached me.

"Alpha," she began, extending the blade to me. But before she could speak, a commotion outside the clinic drew my attention.

Kara's expression became hard, her hand reaching for the tip of her blade. I gave her a signal to stay behind and stepped out.

A figure stood waiting. "I'm Briony, from the Coral Pack," he said, his eyes cold and calculating as they met mine. It held no fear—only disrespect.

"Alpha Rowan," he greeted with a sharp voice. "I've come to take the woman who you saved home to where she belongs—Coral Pack."

I walked closer to him, taking my time to be slow and deliberate. "You mean the woman your pack sent to die?" I asked, my voice filled with so much anger.

Briony's jaw shifted. "You don't understand. She is being haunted, and you and your pack will suffer the consequences if she is not returned.

Hand her over, and this won't need to escalate." I stepped closer, letting him know that I had all the power here.

"You stepped into my territory, carrying a message, or rather a threat, you don't have the strength to back up," I said coldly.

"You think I'm going to hand her over because of some little threat to me and my people?"

Briony's expression changed to something darker, and in a flash, he lunged for me. But I shifted with great speed, my hand catching his wrist as he was about to strike.

"You should've thought this through," I said, twisting his arm sharply in a very painful and inhumane way. He tried to break free with his strength, but I didn't stop.

With one forceful motion, I disarmed him, sending his blade falling to the ground.

Briony gritted his teeth, turning partially into his wolf form, but it didn't matter to me. I did not give him the chance to have his way.

My claws tore through his throat in just one strike, and he collapsed to the ground, his blood staining the dirt beneath him.

As he was taking his last breath, I leaned closely to his ear. "Your body will be taken back as a consequence to anyone who dared to challenge me or ask me to give back this woman," my voice filled with anger.

"Let your Alpha know that if he wants to challenge me, he is welcome to try."

His lifeless body was taken away as I felt my chest heaving, my wolf roaring in victory.