Into the Alpha’s Keep Chapter 97: 97

"Give me some credit, omega. I'm an alpha too."

"You may be an alpha, but he's stronger." Laughing, Hunter pulled me toward him. "I just need to do one thing first."

"And what's that?" Marilyn asked.

"Mark my territory—it’s something that’s belonged to me for a long time," Hunter snarled, his voice a low, possessive growl that slithered over my skin.

His teeth sank into the side of my neck, a brutal clamp that sent a jolt of agony ripping through me. The sedation dulled my limbs, sapping the strength I needed to fight back, leaving me limp and helpless in his grasp. I tried to focus on anything else—on the cold bite of the snow beneath me, the faint rustle of the wind through the trees—but the pain cut through it all, sharp as a razor, searing down my nerves like wildfire.

His bite was revolting, a violation that churned my stomach and twisted my soul.

It wasn’t right—I didn’t belong to him, he had no claim, no right to mark me—and yet his teeth were buried in my flesh, branding me against my will.

My body rebelled, a visceral rejection that shuddered through me, my wolf howling in silent fury within the cage of my fading consciousness.

This was a betrayal—of the sacred act of mating, of the bond I shared with my true mate.

Every fiber of me screamed against it, trembling under the grotesque weight of his touch, but I was powerless, trapped as his teeth ground deeper.

He pulled back abruptly, spitting my blood onto the snow with a curl of his lips, disgust flashing across his face as if I’d offended him.

"You taste like him, you bitch!" he growled, his voice thick with rage, the words dripping with venom as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"After I tear this damn mark off you," he continued, his eyes glinting with a manic edge, "I’ll mark you so deeply you’ll never forget who you belong to!"

His threat hung in the air, a promise of further torment that made my skin crawl. I forced my heavy tongue to move, defiance flickering through the haze.

"I hate you," I whispered, my voice frail but resolute. "Break me as many times as you want—it will never change."

He leaned closer, his breath hot against my face, a twisted smile curling his lips. "Oh, my sweet bride, soon you’ll have even more reasons to hate me. And I don’t just want to break you, my love—I want to leave you in ruins."

Then, a roar shattered the air—a primal, earth-shaking bellow that rolled through the forest like thunder, rattling the trees and vibrating through my bones. My heart leapt, racing at the sheer power of it, a sound so fierce it seemed to make the ground tremble beneath me. Overhead, birds erupted from the branches, their frantic wings beating against the sky as they scattered in all directions, their songs swallowed by the chaos surging closer.

A chill raced down my spine, sharp and electric, but with it came a flicker of hope, fragile yet fierce.

That roar—it was Fenrir’s, a warning carved in sound, a promise of danger that resonated deep within me, stirring my fading spirit.

"He’s coming! Get out now!" Marilyn’s voice cut through, shrill with desperation, her earlier bravado crumbling. Hunter cursed under his breath, his grip on me tightening. "Damn it, he’s going to catch you, kill everyone, and take this bitch back."

"Your trust in him is truly surprising," Hunter said.

"I’ve known Fenrir for centuries," she hissed, her words rushed but heavy with certainty. "He’s explosive, chaotic. He kills without remorse and transforms into the most brutal form I’ve ever seen in all my life. So, Hunter, believe me when I say there won’t be a living soul left if he gets here before you can escape. I’ll stay—throw him off your track."

Hunter scoffed, a harsh, dismissive sound, but the tension in his frame betrayed his unease.

"Fenrir," I rasped, dragging his name from my sluggish tongue, a plea and a prayer tangled together.

Tears welled up, spilling hot from the corners of my eyes, streaking down my face as the sedation pulled me under. Hunter’s arms closed around me, a suffocating vise, his scent flooding my senses.

The world dimmed, sound fading to a distant hum, then nothing at all. Darkness swallowed me whole, a relentless tide dragging me into its depths.

Fenrir wouldn’t find me.

I couldn’t feel him anymore, couldn’t sense the thread that tied us. And Anton—his best friend, my protector—was dead, his blood staining the snow, his sacrifice a weight I couldn’t bear.

Fear consumed me, a cold, gnawing terror, as I sank fully into the void, lost to everything but the echo of that roar.

***

POV Fenrir Dăneşti

Her despair was tangible. Of all the pains, fears, and longings I had felt over the months of being with Savannah, nothing compared to that.

I ran through the forest, using my inhuman speed to catch up to her. Something was wrong with her. Very wrong.

She was suffering the deepest and most absolute despair.

My nails became claws, and my fangs grew. My eyes flickered between blue and gold, changing color as I lost control over my body.

A growl rumbled in my chest. Loud and clear, echoing through the forest. It was a warning, an explicit threat from my wildest side, a promise of slow, painful deaths if anything were done to Savannah.

It came from me, from my wolf, from both of us.

I would bring chaos to the Earth if they hurt Savannah.

I furrowed my brow and quickened my pace, feeling her slipping away, as if she had been drugged. I could scent her, track her, but the connection, our bond, was weakening, dissipating.

I clenched my teeth and let out another threatening grunt into the air. I passed the trees at a dizzying speed, not looking back, not looking at anything except the path ahead, which would lead me to her.

I struck the trunk with my claws, breaking it in half. Birds scattered in all directions, flying above me. The forest animals felt the intensity of a wolf’s anger. They knew something was wrong and wanted to be as far from it as possible.

I felt the exact moment our connection ceased.

I threw my head back and let out another growl, a violent roar, marked by the rage of a wolf and the despair of a man.

I smelled blood from several people. I recognized Savannah's, mixed with mine. One of my wolves and another, who didn't belong to Dăneşti. Each had a distinct scent.

I advanced through the area, spinning around, searching for Savannah.

I couldn’t feel her at all. I sniffed the air for her scent, but the smell of blood was so strong that it overpowered all others.

There were footprints in the snow, from more than one person. I began following them, looking for the trail, for any trace they had left behind.

"Fenrir?" a female voice called.

I turned to Marilyn, locking eyes with her. My chest rose and fell rapidly with heavy breathing.

"Where is Savannah?" I snarled.

Marilyn remained silent, pressing her lips together. She stepped aside, showing what was behind her.

A body.

Anton’s body.

In the blink of an eye, moving frantically, I stopped in front of him. With muscles tensed, I crouched before the wolf who had been my best friend for many decades.

There was a hole in his back, the bones were broken, silver arrows embedded in several places, and the blood was coagulating. The heart was outside his body, thrown to the side. And the snow, which should have been white, was stained with red.

I opened my lips, panting, unable to take my eyes off of him.

The pain I felt was excruciating.

My knees buckled, and I fell to the ground, touching his cold body with the tips of my fingers, unable to believe what I was seeing.

Anton had been by my side for decades, my right-hand man, my most trusted companion. He wasn’t just a friend, he was family.

"I’m so sorry," Marilyn whispered.

"Who?" I asked in a hiss, still unable to blink, not diverting my gaze from the body.

I grabbed one of the arrows and pulled it out. The silver burned my palm, but I didn’t care. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air. I removed a second and a third, throwing them to the ground. I didn’t stop until my hands were raw, with blood flowing from the cracks the silver had caused, until none of them were left embedded in his skin.

I turned his body, laying him on his back. His eyes were wide open, and his bloodied lips were parted. It wasn’t a beautiful death, it was brutal and violent.

I had a list of people who deserved to die like that, but Anton, for sure, was not one of them.

I couldn’t properly absorb his death. I could barely breathe without feeling like my body was breaking apart.

"Hunter," she replied, stepping closer. "I’m so sorry about this. He showed interest in Savannah, talked to her, said he’d do the ritual to remove the mating mark and make her his wife, as it was predestined by their parents. And she went with him, believed everything he said, still so in love with her ex. I couldn’t do anything, Fenrir, Anton tried to fight back, and they killed him. If I had interfered, I’d be on the list too."

For a second, I stood still, not uttering a single word, not moving a muscle, picking up the false notes she, so deceitfully, was trying to play on me.

Did she really think she could convince me of that? That she could fool me when I felt absolutely everything that the little wolf felt and knew that whatever had happened in that forest in my absence, Savannah didn’t go willingly, she was dragged away from me.

In the next second, I was standing in front of Marilyn, wrapping my fingers around her thin neck and lifting her into the air.

"Don’t lie to me," I hissed.

It wasn’t me she was dealing with, but my beast. The animal that had had his mate kidnapped and his best friend killed.

"I’m not lying," she gasped, trying to draw air into her lungs.

I pressed harder on her throat, feeling her bones compress. A little more force and I’d snap her neck. For my animal side, it was more than time. For her luck, or not, I needed answers that only she could give me.

I released her neck, throwing her to the ground roughly.

"You have two seconds to open your mouth and tell the truth, Marilyn, before I completely lose control to my beast and rip your head off."

She scrambled away from me, her brown eyes lighting up with fear. As my oldest lover, she knew my cruel and chaotic side. And she, like any sane person, didn’t want to face it.

I exhaled pheromones into the air, causing her the purest and most absolute fear. She trembled, and her skin paled.

"Savannah was ruining our plans, she would ruin our future," she whispered.

I leaned over her, narrowing my eyes.

"What did you do?"

She sobbed, her bottom lip trembling, showing her fear and disgust toward me, for my attitude with her. Over all the years together, Marilyn had received my worst, until now.

"I did what had to be done. I freed you from that selfish bitch." She squinted her eyes, letting tears fall freely down her cheeks. "She was ruining everything for us, everything for you. After all this time building and conquering together, so many things."

A harsh laugh blew from my lips.

"Really, Marilyn? And what exactly did we conquer?" She opened and closed her mouth, unable to make a sound, as if she didn’t know what to say. "Your betrayal cost me the life of my best friend, and it might cost mine if Hunter decides to kill Savannah."

She shook her head vehemently.

"He won’t! It’s part of the deal, he’ll take her and remove her mark, that way, you’ll be free of the girl." She spread her hands out to her sides, on the ground, and stood up. "See? I’ve solved things for you, I always do, because I love you, Fenrir. Is it so hard to see this truth? Everything I do is for your own good."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes, breathing deeply.

I was one step away from killing her.

"You acted behind my back, handed my mate over to my greatest enemy, and caused Anton’s death," I spat, staring at her with pure disgust. "I’m still deciding whether I’ll kill you or send you to the elders’ prison. But I feel that nothing I decide will be enough to make you suffer like I want."

More tears flowed from her eyes.

"No, please. Try to understand me. I did everything for love."

I shot a glance toward Anton’s body, still unable to believe that his death was a reality I would soon have to face.

I rubbed my hand over my chest, missing the comforting feeling of having Savannah inside me.

I stared at Marilyn.

"Where did Hunter take Savannah?"

"I don’t know."

"Your minutes on Earth are numbered, Marilyn. Tell me the damn truth, at least once in your life."

"I am telling the truth. Our deal didn’t include me knowing what her end would be, as long as she didn’t die, so she wouldn’t hurt us."