Into the Alpha’s Keep Chapter 115: 115

POV Fenrir Dăneşti

I stared at my bloodstained fingers and the large, warm heart. I extended my fangs and brought them to my lips, biting into a piece of the soft, delicate organ that crumbled in my teeth as I chewed. The taste of the organ was mild, in contrast with the wolf's blood that had metallic and salty notes.

I tossed what was left aside and gripped his head by the hair.

I dragged my claws, sharp as blades, across the skin, cutting into it. I tore through the muscles and tendons, reaching the bones. A surge of blood gushed from the open wound, staining his clothes, dripping, creating a pool at my feet. I forced his shoulders down and pulled his head up. There was some resistance. I turned it from side to side, trying to separate the bones that were interlocked, preventing me from doing what I wanted. They snapped, slowly yielding to my pull. I forced a bit more, managing to decapitate him, so his head hung by the hair in one of my hands and the body hit the floor with a hollow thud.

"The agreement is now, in fact, broken." I lifted his head by the hair, which dripped blood at my feet, and examined his features. "I need to bring a little gift to Hunter, it's nothing personal."

Caspian was an arrogant piece of shit, just like his son. I didn't need to know where Savannah was, she was my mate, and I would be able to find her through our bond. But he was too ignorant to know that.

They didn’t make their females their mates because they believed they were too weak, not worthy, and became an unnecessary vulnerability to them.

Yes, Savannah was my vulnerability, but I never regretted, not for a second, making her mine. She was half of my soul.

I stared at my reflection through the open bathroom door's mirror. I ran my free hand through my hair, which shone, dyed in vivid red, stained with the blood of the many Eclipse wolves I had killed. My skin was all splattered and dirty, just like my clothes.

I tried to fix myself a little, tugging at the curls that fell on my forehead. I was about to find Savannah after days. I didn’t want to scare her, but there would be no way not to, given my appearance.

Taking a deep breath, I gave up on looking a little better for her, I still had more people to kill and more chaos to cause.

I turned on the gas, letting it float through the house. I lit one of the stove burners and threw a napkin on it, setting it on fire.

I walked out of the house, holding the head in my right hand and heading in the direction he had given me, feeling deep in my chest that it was the right one.

Caspian’s blood dripped, leaving a trail along the way, next to my footprints marked in the snow.

After a few steps, the house exploded, transforming into fire, just like the alpha of the Eclipse pack, who disintegrated along with it, except for a small part I carried.

I looked around, watching the village turn to dust.

The bodies of the Eclipse wolves grew, scattered, covering the ground like a cloak of death. I walked among them as the flames danced around me, celebrating my victory as I rose above them all as the master who caused the chaos, the destruction, and reduced them to nothing.

***

POV Savannah Bowen

Hunter threw me into the cave roughly. My body hit the ground with a hard thud, leaving me dizzy and making black spots flicker before my eyes from the dislocated shoulder.

I took a deep breath, trying to stay conscious and not succumb. I couldn’t make things easier for him.

I crawled through the sand, away from him, and leaned against the stone wall. The silver chains bit into my wrists. My dislocated arm throbbed with excruciating pain with every movement I tried to make.

I glanced around, assessing Alpha Bason’s den.

The cave was cold and damp, the rough stone walls emanated an earthy, ancient smell. A single bed sat in the farthest corner, covered with a dusty, coarse sheet. At the entrance, a simple wooden table with a rustic chair. On the other end, a small makeshift kitchen, with a camping stove and some utensils.

Everything here seemed to have been abandoned long ago.

Since becoming the oldest living wolf in the packs, he had lived in isolation, preferring the silence of the forest to the constant whispers of the village.

"When did you kill Alpha Bason?" I asked, coughing to clear the dampness.

"A few months ago, after he refused to help me."

The she-wolf with the pup moved to the bed, where she sat, always keeping him in her arms like her most precious possession.

"Help you with what?" I inquired, shaking my head.

My body couldn’t heal, not while I was still wearing the silver chains and had the dislocated shoulder. The bone needed to go back into place before my healing process could begin.

I gritted my teeth, and with a groan of pain, I held the dislocated arm with my other hand, feeling the joint pulse in agony. Simply touching it felt like a thousand sharp knives cutting through my skin.

I needed to be intact when I rebelled against him and fought for my life and the life of my pup.

With tremendous effort, I gathered all the courage I had, and with a quick, precise motion, I forced the arm back into place. A wave of intense pain shot through me, making me arch my back and grind my teeth to hold back a scream. My vision blurred momentarily from the intensity of the pain.

When the arm finally went back into the correct position, a mix of relief and lingering pain took over me.

I took a deep breath to regain my breath, feeling weak and shaky.

Hunter didn’t notice my action, too busy rummaging through the dead alpha’s belongings.

"Breaking the bond with that damned alpha," he said. "Bason was the oldest in the pack, only he had the knowledge about this. When he refused to help me, I had to torture him, until I got the truth out of him and finally killed him."

I felt sadness at the male’s death; he had been taken by surprise too, on the wedding day, when Hunter and Caspian had deceived everyone. He could have stopped Selena and me from escaping, but he didn’t.

"How are you going to manage that? Breaking the bond?"

The Eclipse guard who had been with us was in front of the cave, with his back to us and facing the forest, patrolling, watching the surroundings carefully, trying to detect the proximity of Fenrir or any sign that he might be near so he could alert his alpha.

Hunter turned to me and smiled.

"It’s not that easy," he commented, clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "Since everything involves blood, it has to be done with blood."

My stomach clenched in fear.

"Blood?"

"I have to take your blood, almost kill you, then force you to drink the blood of an innocent, so you can be purified." He made a gesture with his hands. "Anyway, there’s a whole context, and that’s why so many people die in these rituals."

I swallowed dryly, tasting the metallic flavor in my mouth. Sweat covered the back of my neck and my forehead.

"You’re so sick, Hunter!" I whispered. "You’re nothing but trash."

He rolled his eyes and huffed.

"And you’re a slut who slept with the first male that came your way." He flashed a fleeting smile. "You think I don’t know you just used that alpha? You made him mate with you because of the scent of your heat? You needed to hide from me somehow, find a way to protect yourself. He’s just a poor fool who was unlucky enough to cross your path."

"You’re such a lunatic, you believe your own lies."

He growled and lunged at me.

"And you’re a whore!" He walked over to Alpha Bason’s table and grabbed the knife he had raised on the wedding day, the one we were supposed to use to cut our palms and seal the deal. "My father was right, I should have killed you when I had the chance."

I staggered to my feet, lifting my body off the ground. I kept myself leaning against the wall, feeling the cold stone against my back. I cast a glance at the she-wolf with the pup, who was watching me, silently begging her to help me, to collaborate in some way so we could escape from his claws. She ignored me, lowering her eyes and cradling the pup in her arms.

"Yes, he was right," I affirmed, resolute.

Hunter walked towards me, twirling the knife in his fingers, playing with the object. When he stopped in front of me, he stared at me, analyzing me.

"I was ready to go to the barn to fuck you tonight and relieve myself," he commented. "But then, your alpha attacked us and ruined my plans." He raised his arm and touched my face with his fingertips. "As much of a slut as you are, you’re still a beautiful and interesting she-wolf. I love the moans you make when you’re feeling pleasure, the way your muscles contract..." He sighed. "I hope you don’t die, and that I can fuck you again."

I wrinkled my nose in disgust and then spat in his face.

"You bastard! I hate you, Hunter. I hate you with everything I have in me, with all my strength."

He let out a growl and lunged at me, pinning me against the wall. I tried to break free, but he was stronger, and I was weakened from healing all the injuries and, on top of that, starving.

I kicked him in the groin, crushing his dick. The sound of pain he made was like music to my ears, pulling a sigh of satisfaction from me.

He pulled away and placed his hands on his groin, letting the knife drop. I didn’t wait, didn’t hesitate. I threw myself to the ground, grabbed the sharp object, and threw it at him, piercing his thigh.

He screamed and growled loudly, staring at me with dilated pupils, his eyes shining dark brown, and his fangs elongated.

I tried to pull the knife out, but he struck me in the face. My head hit the wall, leaving me dizzy. Hunter removed the knife embedded in his flesh, grabbed my arm, and lifted it against the wall, above my head.

"Never," he said, "has causing pain made me so satisfied."

With my free hand, I transformed my nails into claws and struck his face, leaving a cut down his cheek. He growled even more, transforming into a rabid animal.

I tried to strike him again.