Into the Alpha’s Keep Chapter 99: 99

POV Fenrir Dăneşti

"I've always wanted my mark, so let me fulfill it, just as your wish for death," I said.

With my free hand, I tilted her head to the side and sank my teeth into the skin of her neck, biting down hard. I didn’t drink the blood; I didn’t want the taste of her on my tongue. She screamed as the pain hit her. It wasn’t like the mating bite. It was brutal, cruel, and violent. I tore a piece of skin and spat it on the ground, rupturing the vein. Blood stained my clothes and splattered on the snow.

Her body gave way, life slowly draining from her. I released her, pulling my hand from her abdomen, letting her fall onto the dirty snow, stained with her blood. She placed her hand on her neck, trying to staunch the wound, but I had bitten too deep for that. Her body, even with wolf genes, wouldn’t heal.

I watched from above, seeing her life fade away as death reached her.

I felt absolutely nothing.

Marilyn was a cursed snake, and I had made the mistake of keeping her close to me for far too long. Her death was still not enough for me, but I had to go after Savannah, so this would have to suffice.

Her body trembled in several spasms, and her skin whitened. She blinked one last time. And then she was dead.

The lying, manipulative bitch was dead.

I turned my eyes away from her body and looked around.

Savannah’s trail had disappeared. Hunter had already taken her away from me.

I sniffed the forest, ran in every direction, following the tracks and trying to smell them. The weather helped her escape, and the snowstorm that had started disguised the footprints.

I returned to where I had left Anton and Marilyn’s bodies. I dragged the omega’s body deep into the forest, far enough from Dăneşti, and dug a grave with my own hands, pouring my anger into it as I dug a hole deep enough to bury her. I tossed her body inside and covered her with dirt, burying her completely.

She would not be remembered, would not be mentioned, and would not receive the benefit of entering the valley of the dead, having her body burned. Marilyn was too manipulative; she must have had others following her game, believing her lies. No one would know the location of her corpse, no one would give her a dignified death. Only I would know, and I would die with the secret.

I would inform everyone about her betrayals and her death, forbid anyone from mentioning her name, and prevent new wolves from bearing the same name, at least in Dăneşti.

She would never be loved by me and would soon be forgotten by everyone.

Once I was done, I returned to the site of the disaster and grabbed Anton’s body, throwing it over my shoulder and taking his heart, bringing it back home, even without life.

I was about to decimate entire packs of wolves to quench my thirst for vengeance, a thirst that had never been stronger.

***

POV Savannah Bowen

I blinked, trying to shake off the lethargy of the sleeping pill Hunter had given me, but it was still too strong in my system.

I remembered waking up and then falling asleep again, only to wake up in another place as he carried me with him, pulling me further and further away from Fenrir and the Dăneşti.

However, sleep was a much better place to keep me. There, I stayed in the dark, with my mind turned off, and when I had a few dreams, they were all good. In that world, Anton’s death didn’t reach me; it didn’t even exist.

I felt so good sleeping, so happy and free, without any emotional strain. It was a happy life, alongside my friends in Dăneşti, just like we had been doing lately.

Sometimes, I helped Mihaela at school, other times, I wandered around the village with Alexandra. And most of the time, I was with Fenrir, when Anton and Andrei came close with their usual lame jokes.

The dreams were so good, so different from the nightmare my life had become.

I heard Hunter’s murmurs and those of his wolves, their concerns about Fenrir getting too close or being able to reach them. They never stayed in one place longer than necessary.

They were terrified of Fenrir, although they wouldn't admit it.

When they realized I was waking up, I felt the needle pierce the skin of my neck, and I would return to the darkness. It was, however, my favorite part of the journey. Hunter’s voice would fade away, and I would forget where or who I was with, returning to the memories of my friends and my pack.

They didn’t want to risk keeping me awake for too long. Fenrir would sense every time I opened my eyes and felt the panic. He would catch my trail and sniff me out until he found me.

The places had distinct smells.

I couldn’t recognize any of them; my eyes wouldn’t stay open, but the intense odor of mold and cheap cleaning products that churned my stomach filled the cheap motels we stayed in between one city and another.

I felt my wolf expending little energy. Though I was starving, it wasn’t anything significant, while she had been doing a good job keeping us healthy. The sleeping drugs were the only nourishment I had been receiving.

"Are you going to let the males have fun with her?" I heard one of the wolves ask.

My body was on a thin, hard mattress, the smell of dirty bedding irritated my nose. I stayed silent and still, trying to stay awake without being sedated again.

"No," Hunter replied.

"And what about our deal? Whoever brought the omega could have some fun with her," said a second wolf.

I couldn’t tell how many of them were in the room with us or how many had gone with Hunter to kidnap me. Six or maybe more.

"The deal was that if any of you brought me Savannah, you could use her however you wanted."

"So?" insisted a third, a voice I couldn’t recognize.

"So none of you kept your part of the deal. I had to leave my father alone, taking care of two packs, to handle this personally. None of you are worthy of my deal."

They moved. I heard the sound of plastic packaging, and then I smelled industrialized food.

"That’s not fair! We all heard that wolf’s growl in the forest. If he catches us, he’ll kill us without thinking twice. We’re risking our asses to get the runaway bride. At least we should have a taste of her, the alpha’s daughter," retorted the first wolf, the one who had started the conversation.

For a few seconds, they were silent. I could only hear their exasperated breaths.

"If you question my orders again, Ralf, you won’t live long enough to see Fenrir rip your head off, because I’ll do it myself," Hunter hissed. "My deal was that you could have fun as long as you brought me my prize. None of you managed to do that, just like all the others I sent before. I took responsibility myself and retrieved her."

"Yes, my leader," said the second wolf.

"Savannah is... special. She managed to catch the attention of that alpha, mate with him," Eclipse, the leader, continued.

"So what are your plans for her?" asked the third wolf. "When she ran away, she promised she’d be the pack’s slut."

Someone made a noise in their throat.

"That has changed. As I said, she managed to be marked by the alpha. She has... potential and could be valuable. I’ll perform the ritual to remove the mark, and then I will marry her."

"Does your father agree with this?" asked the second wolf.

"My father trusts my judgment. He knows I need a good breeder for my pups. The alpha saw Savannah’s potential, just like I see it now. She will serve as my incubator and will bear all of my heirs." He laughed. "In the end, she will be responsible for maintaining the Twilight and Eclipse bloodlines, just like her damn father wanted."

They laughed, agreeing and congratulating Hunter on his plans for my future.

I would rip out my womb before I bore any of his children. Our bloodlines would never intertwine. Never.

The desperation hit me, the reality of my situation slammed into me with force.

I had been captured. Anton was dead. Marilyn was a traitor.

Hunter would try to remove the mark from me, no matter how dangerous it was, and how much my life and Fenrir’s were at risk. Then he would force me to marry him and bear his heirs. A miserable life, to say the least.

My heart raced and my breathing became erratic. I tried to stay calm and hide my state, so they would keep me awake, listening to their plans, and be a beacon to Fenrir.

But Anton’s death still hurt so deeply in me, and the reality was much worse than a nightmare.

I shivered and tears wet my eyes.

"Hey, when did you give her the last injection?" asked one of the wolves, I couldn’t identify who it was, my eardrums were ringing from my accelerated heartbeat.

"It’s been a few hours, prepare another dose," Hunter announced.

No! I wanted to stay awake. I had to stay awake. They would kill me with all the sleeping pills they were injecting into me.

I felt someone’s hands on me. They were warm and rough before the unmistakable smell of Hunter reached me.

"It’s not time for you to wake up yet, my love," he murmured, lying me on his lap. "Soon we’ll be home, and you’ll be free." He paused. "As free as possible."

If he was trying to calm me with that, it was going incredibly wrong.

I squirmed, trying to get out of his arms, pushing away from the male I despised the most in my life.

I opened my eyes, but my vision was blurry, filled with black spots. I noticed the glimpse of one of his wolves approaching us. I blinked, trying to make out something about where we were. It looked like a very simple hotel room, confirming my suspicions.

"Here it is, more sleeping pills," he said.

Hunter's fingers stroked my hair before tilting my head to the side. He pushed the strands off my neck and then injected the needle into my skin, administering another dose of the tranquilizer.

The same lethargy as before reached me, and I drifted back into the world of dreams, where fantasy was a thousand times better than reality.