Unloved Mate (Wolves Of Night Shade Pack)

17

Kane

The wolfsbane injury I had sustained from Kalyani’s dagger had spread from my palms up to my arm. We had returned from the mountains to the pack, and Rohan and the others were showing the newly arrived Lycans the houses where they'd spend the night. I was in the kitchen, cutting my flesh to bleed out the poison. After Leda had unbound my wolf and I became an Alpha, I developed the power of invulnerability to poison.

Hearing incoming footfalls ahead of me, I raised my gaze to Leda, who was now leaning against the doorjamb. “Are you here to talk to me about Valor again?”

I demanded even before she said the words.

“Definitely yes. I need to know everything that happened.”

“I saw him. I saw everything.”

He murmured with complete sadness in his eyes.

“Or maybe that's what Zeke wants you to see.”

“Zeke is dead. I killed him.”

I let out.

“If you did, then how did it go down with Valor?”

She inquired and stepped closer. “What does your beast say about this?”

“We haven't communicated for almost a week.”

“Whatever Zeke did to you. It must have affected Creed.”

She was saying as I finished bleeding myself out. The cuts healed, and I twisted the faucet, letting the water wash the black blood down the drain. I rinsed my hands and wiped it with a towel, heading out of the kitchen.

“Are you seriously walking out on me?”

“I don't know what you want, Leda.”

I shrugged and turned to her. She stepped closer until she took my hands.

“I want you to realize the mistake you've made, and I'm sorry that it has to go this way.”

She sighed and before I understood what she meant, I dropped to the floor, my vision clouded by darkness.

When I woke up again, I was in a room illuminated by the golden yellow flames of the candle glow. My hands and legs were bound by some tree roots and when I tried to fight it. The roots tightened. I heard voices in the room and the scent of the people present. “Get me out of here.”

I growled and struggled against the grip. I was shirtless and beads of sweat covered my entire body. “Rohan, fucking untie me now. I command you.”

I roared, and my eyes glowed crimson.

“I’m sorry, your Alpha aura won't work. I'm in charge.”

“Both of you are going to regret this.”

I snarled with desperation in my field of vision, still struggling. Turning my gaze to the left, I saw Leda, and she was mixing some sort of ingredients in a bowl. She wheeled to me after she had finished the pasty mixture, her thumbs coated by the gray substance. She sauntered toward me and put her hands on my temple, muttering some sort of enchantment. “I knew something was wrong. He manipulated your memories and used some sort of weapon to bind your wolf. That is why you can't fight his deception,”

Leda declared, her eyes moving from my trashing body to Rohan. “Stop moving and it hurts less.”

“Is there anything you can do to help?”

Rohan inquired.

“I can help him, but after that, we have to find whoever's helping Zeke get these weapons.”

“Kane used to have them, but we couldn't get them from the Eclipse after we found him.”

Rohan explained.

“We need to secure every single one of them, so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.”

Leda proclaimed, and I lay against the table breathing heavily, my vision blurring as I tried to keep my heavy eyes open. The candle lights lengthened and Leda started her chant. A sharp ache attacked my head from every corner, and pain pulsed through my entire body. I let out a groan, screaming and thrashing as crimson appeared in my eyes. Black fur covered my arms and my nails extended into claws, my teeth turning into fangs. I fought until I broke free from the chains, falling to the ground and curling as every single bone in my body broke. Leda didn't stop chanting. I grunted out, my limbs stretching backward, my spine bulging and twisting back, darkness seeping into the crimson in my eyes.

“Kane.”

Creed, my beast, hummed within me. I shifted into my Lycan form, the memories of what had happened with Zeke burning through my mind. The way I talked to Valor afterwards breaking me completely. The things I said to him. All those memories came rushing back to me until all I could see was complete darkness.

Waking up, it was past midnight and Leda was still in my room watching over me as I slept. I grunted and palmed my forehead, supporting myself on the bed with my elbow. “I, uh, I passed out.”

“Yeah. Don't ask me how I got you back here.”

She chuckled. It took some time before I remembered everything, and tears sprung from my eyes.

“I sent him away,”

I cried, completely overwhelmed by the consequences of my actions. “He’s never going to speak to me again.”

“You don't know that.”

Leda gave her word of reassurance that everything would be alright.

“I… oh, goddess, what have I done? He was…”

I stuttered. “He was supposed to be here with me. Damn it, what have I done.”

I cried, tears trickling down my cheeks. Leda drew closer to me and threw her hands around my shoulder, hugging me tightly.

“Hey, Kane. It's ok. You don't have to worry. Tomorrow, we'll go to his pack together. You'll get him back.”

“No, you don't understand. He's never going to trust me again. I should have fought harder.”

“There’s no way you could have. Zeke took it too far.”

“I’ll stop him. I won't let him come between me and Valor.”

“We’ll go to Valor’s pack. This time, you won't sneak around.”

“Hmm,”

I murmured. “What if he doesn't want to see me? What if he hates me?”

“What if he doesn’t? What if he's waiting for you to come back to him?”

Leda reassured me with a fervent smile. Whatever would happen between Valor and me tomorrow, I'd have to live with it, but I promised myself that I'll kill Zeke even if I had to do it repeatedly.

***

Valor

Upon hearing the explosion coming from my father’s ward, I turned on my heels, hurrying back to the hospital. I didn't stop running until I had made it inside. Even when I was in, I had to fight my way through the crowd, who were trying to stop me from going upstairs. I saw Frey by the elevator and lunged toward her. Luckily, she held onto the doors long enough for me to slip in. “My dad, he's up there.”

“Don’t worry. I can heal him. He’ll be safe, Valor. I promise.”

She reassured me. I tapped my feet until the door claddings opened up to the floor my father stayed on. The first thing that hit me was the smoke that coated the air in the hallway. Frey used her magic to gather the thick gray smoke, making it disappear as a spell escaped her lips. The hallway was clear now, but the fire was still burning. I pounced into my father's room, kicking the door in, and it slammed into its hinges. My eyes gained their golden glow as I searched through the room, which was on fire. My father was curled up against the corner wall, shivering from the fear of being close to death. I didn't care if there was something in my way. I went after him and held his body covered in soot and scars from the fire. He was still alive. Frey was right behind me, and she stopped the fire with the snap of her finger. As we headed out of the room, I supported my father on his feet and headed toward the elevator. Hearing a movement behind me, I turned on my heels and saw a dark silhouette hiding in the shadows. The shadow stepped forward with a wicked grin on his face and a growl rumbled in my throat.

That bastard had the guts to ruin my entire life and come after my father. “Frey, you need to get him downstairs.”

I told Frey and handed my father over to her.

“Valor, what are you doing? We have to go.”

“Go. I got this.”

She moved to the exit with my father and disappeared into the elevator.

“Just me and you like old times and we’re not training.”

“You tried to kill my father. You ruined my life. Is your ego that fragile to an extent that when you can't have something or someone, you seek to destroy it?”

I questioned as we stepped closer to each other. I was prepared for this encounter. I wouldn't let him win, nor would I try to reason with him because at this point he was just a monster.

“Your mind tricks can't work on me anymore.”

“That’s why I'm here to kill you.”

He smirked and unsheathed a knife, moving toward me with unnatural speed. He tried to strike me, but I duck and seized his arms, twisting until he lost the dagger. I kicked it down the hall and shoved him into the wall, spinning on my heels and slamming a kick into his face. Blood colored his lips as I kneed his belly, curled my claws into his hair, and shoved him down the hallway. He stumbled down and coughed out blood.

“That's not the first time someone said that to me, and somehow I always make it out alive,”

as he tried to get back on his feet, I sped to him and delivered another powerful kick, the impact sending him against the wall. “I’m not weak and I'm not stupid. The only thing I did wrong was our friendship.”

“And I've loved you all my life…”

he hollered, his expression blurring between anger and aching. “All I wanted was for someone to choose me. But, it's not me, it's you and Kane. No one cares enough to put me first. I'm the dispensable wolf. The one who doesn't mean anything. That ends today.”

“You ruined all that love in seconds when you crawled your powers into my head. I trusted you, Zeke. I was happy that you came back, that I got to have my best friend with me because I lost everyone I've been close to. But you destroyed everything and now my father?”

I asserted out of frustration, kicking him again. I wouldn’t give him any chance to get back on his feet. I would kick and kick until there was no life left inside of him. I was about to slam my boot into his face when he rolled off, regained his stance with werewolf speed, and moved behind me. His claws dug into my back and he forced them into me, twisting and tearing flesh, sending a buzz of pain through me. He slammed his feet on my back, and I lurched forward, my bones cracking as I slammed against the floor. He chuckled and shoved his boots into my limbs, breaking my leg. I let out loud grunts as he slammed repeatedly.

“You’re weak. Where is your fucking fated mate Alpha to save you, eh?”

He chuckled and kicked me in the stomach, sending me against the wall. He walked to the dagger and picked it up, fiddling with it as he walked closer. I sat up, holding my stomach and leaning against the wall. The fear of losing my life and that of my little pup made me tremble with great trepidation. He squatted in front of me and waved the weapon at me. “How would you feel if I slammed this into your throat?”

“Do it, you fucking bastard. Get it over with.”

I dared him and he raised the weapon and made the strike. Before he could make the impact, I held his hand and slammed my left leg into his balls. He fell back, groaning in pain. I rose to my feet, limping as I picked up the dagger and tried to strike him, but he rolled off, causing me to fall forward, pain shooting through my body. He regained his stance and domineered over me and when he tried to finish me off. The ding of the elevator diverted his attention, and Frey appeared, pushing her hands forward and sending her magic toward Zeke. Her power shoved him down the hall, and she waved her hands to the left, pinning him at the left side of the wall. She hurried toward me and knelt, using her magic to heal my leg. I grunted out in discomfort, but the pain turned into something soothing. With Zeke still pressed against the wall, fighting Frey's magic, I regained my footing, picked up the weapon, and marched toward him.

“Go to hell, Zeke,”

I said and slammed the weapon into his throat, watching him as he choked on his blood. “You crossed the line when you came after my dad.”

I stepped backward and watched as he died, tears rolling down my cheeks. I killed my best friend. Oh, goddess. I fell to the ground, my body covered in our blood as a wave of unadulterated melancholy waved through me. Our story wasn't supposed to end like this. He was supposed to make the good choices. He was supposed to be good for me, but he got so lost in his quest and hatred that he couldn't recognize who he was anymore. “He uses his mind manipulation powers to make us see things and sometimes magical objects. How am I sure if this is the real him?”

I managed the words while sitting in the middle of the hall.

“It is. If it wasn't, I would have felt another magic's presence. Come on, your dad is awake. Let's go meet him.”

Frey told me.

“Thanks for saving my life.”

“You saved me twice. It's only fair I repay you.”

I took one last glance at Zeke and regained my stance, then I headed downstairs. It was all over.