Chapter 97: She Has To Die

Chapter 97: She Has To Die REED — POV I didn’t go to the ceremony. Couldn’t stomach it. Every year, after the Hunt, the wolves gathered to present their trophies—evidence of the kills they made in the human sector. The winner would be praised, given a medal, sometimes even a seat closer to the King at the next council. A barbaric tradition, masked as a celebration of strength. Some brought hands. Others, fingers. A few sick bastards even kept heads. And to keep it "fair," they were forced to choose one side—if you started collecting left hands, then every hand better be left, or it was considered cheating. Not that it changed how disgusting it all was. No, I didn’t go. Not because I couldn’t, but because I wouldn’t. My head wasn’t there. My mate—my gods-damned mate—was in the hands of a vampire. That fact alone had poisoned my blood with a rage I couldn’t shake. I could feel the bond tugging at me, straining across the forest, whispering that she was alive... and afraid. And I had let her go. I should have protected her. Claimed her. Dragged her out of that forest and burned every bloodsucker who laid eyes on her. Instead, I hesitated. I played by my father’s rules. Now I’d have to face him and somehow convince the Alpha King that protecting a human girl — a fragile, untethered, outsider — was worth a royal decree. Leo, my father’s Gamma, found me sulking just outside the palace gates. He was still hyped from the Hunt, blood on his collar, a sick gleam in his eye. "Where the hell have you been? You were in the vampire zone, right? Why don’t you reek of human blood like the rest of us?" I didn’t answer. Because he wouldn’t understand. None of them would. They thought this was sport. That the Hunt was an honor. But for me, it had become a nightmare I couldn’t escape — because she was out there, and I couldn’t be sure she was safe. And if Blaze had marked her... I clenched my fists so tight I could feel my claws prick through my skin. Instead of giving Leo the satisfaction of a fight, I turned my back on him and walked inside. Straight to my room. I needed to wash the forest off me. Clean myself up before I stood before the King — my father — and lied to his face. I couldn’t tell him I had participated. That I failed. Better he believed I hadn’t taken part in the Hunt at all — a disappointment, sure, but not the disgrace of having returned with nothing. Especially when I hadn’t lost to another wolf... But to a vampire. And not just any vampire — Blaze. I needed a plan. I needed to act fast before he turned her. Before she forgot who she was. Before she chose him. Because I could feel it in my bones: the time for claiming was coming. And if I didn’t move soon, I’d lose her. Forever. ****** I had to wait. Wait for him to finish rewarding the butcher who brought back the most gruesome trophy from the Hunt — some blood-soaked, glory-drunk wolf who probably thought tearing apart helpless humans made him worthy of praise. My father, the Alpha King, would be clapping him on the back right about now, handing him some golden trinket, and calling him a warrior. I should’ve been there. It was tradition. Expected. The Alpha Prince was always supposed to be front and center, a symbol of power and continuity. But I couldn’t do it. Not today. Not with my wolf pacing inside me like a caged beast, claws raking at my insides every time the bond to my mate pulled — tight, strained, distant. She was too far. Too vulnerable. Too wrapped in the scent of that vampire. And the she-wolves... Gods. If I had to sit through another round of false flirtation from females practically throwing themselves at me, I might’ve snapped. My wolf didn’t want them. He only wanted her. Her scent had branded him. Her voice haunted him. And their perfume-drenched touches made him restless, irritated, dangerously close to violence. So I waited in the King’s chambers. Quiet. Alone. The guards outside didn’t question me. They knew better than to look me in the eye when my aura was this volatile. I could feel the disapproval in the air, though. It hung heavy, like a storm waiting to break. Skipping the ceremony would be seen as weakness — worse, rebellion. But I’d take that over betraying my mate by pretending I could stomach the politics and pageantry of a blood ritual while she was gods-knew-where, wrapped in silk sheets that he probably bought for her. I would wait. And when my father finally arrived, I’d find a way to twist this in my favor. To make him listen. To convince him to issue a protection decree — not just for a human girl, but for my mate. Because the next time I saw Blaze, I wouldn’t be walking away alone but with her. One of us wouldn’t. ****** I stood with my back to the large obsidian fireplace, eyes fixed on the carved wolf crest above it. I didn’t answer immediately. I was staring at that damn symbol — the same one etched into every corner of this castle, our bloodline’s mark of legacy and power. But right now, it felt heavier than usual. "Reed, why weren’t you at the ceremony?" My father’s voice boomed as he entered his chambers and found me seated, waiting. "And why didn’t you participate in the hunt?" I didn’t answer right away. I glanced at the doors—shut, locked. His chambers were soundproofed, enchanted for privacy. No one outside these walls would hear what I was about to say. That didn’t stop the tension from knotting in my chest. I took a deep breath. My voice came out quiet—but firm. "I found her." He blinked. "Found who?" "My fated mate." Silence. For a long, pulsing second, he just stared at me. Like I’d grown a second head or sprouted wings. Like I’d said the most impossible thing a wolf could say in this age. Because in a way—I had. A fated mate. No one heard those words anymore. Not seriously. Not since the war. Not since the bloodshed with the vampires tore through our kind and left graves where generations should’ve stood. It became lore, myth — the kind of fairy tale pups whispered about under the moon. Chosen mates had taken its place: political matches, bonded pairs born of necessity and power, not destiny. To say I had found my fated mate was like announcing a ghost had spoken to me. It became so rare to find one’s true mate that people stopped hoping. They moved on. Accepted "chosen mates" as the new way. Wolves chose for power, for alliance, for stability. Not love. Never destiny. So I understood his disbelief. "Are you sure?" he asked, cautious now, his voice lower. "You know my poor heart cannot hold any more of your... impulsive silliness. My head is—" "It’s real," I interrupted, firmer now. "I feel the bond. My wolf... he’s nearly feral when she’s not near. He can’t stomach the scent of any other female. That’s why I couldn’t stand to be at the ceremony. That’s why I didn’t Hunt." Still, he searched the room with hungry eyes. "Where is she?" he asked, now almost giddy. "Did you bring her? Which pack is she from? Whose Alpha’s daughter is she?" I closed my eyes for a heartbeat. He wasn’t going to like this. "It’s not what you think," I said, voice low. He turned toward me again, waiting. I let the words fall like a sword to the floor. "She’s... human." He didn’t respond right away. But I saw the exact second it registered—like a thunderclap behind his eyes. His face, once bright with shock and cautious joy, drained of color. "What?" he breathed. "Repeat that." I didn’t. I didn’t need to. He heard me. He knew. I saw it then. The way the light drained from his face. Excitement gave way to horror, disbelief curdling into fury. His body went rigid, eyes glowing with a hard, ancient kind of rage. "No." One word, spoken like a death sentence. "No, no, it can’t be. How could the Moon Goddess pair my heir — my blood — with one of them?" And just like that, the mood in the room turned. The air thickened. The silence between us morphed into something hostile—charged. My father, once the proud Alpha who could command a room with nothing but his presence, now stood frozen. Not in fear. In horror. "No," he muttered. "No, Reed. Don’t tell me this is real." I met his eyes. Didn’t flinch. "I felt the bond. She’s mine. I haven’t even marked her yet and I—" I exhaled hard. "I can’t stand any other female near me. Not even their scent. Not even their presence." My father’s lips parted, but no words came out. He stepped back. Slowly. Like distance would change what I’d said. "This... this is wrong. It’s unnatural. A human, Reed? The Goddess would never—" "She did." My voice cracked on the edge of defiance and truth. "She chose her. Not me. Her." He clenched his fists, the skin whitening at the knuckles. "And how long have you known?" "Two days now" "And what—? You brought her here?" "No," I snapped. "She’s not here. I sent her away—to somewhere safe until I deal with this." "She’s mine, Father. I don’t care what she is. I felt it — the pull. My wolf knows her. There’s no question." He looked at me with eyes that no longer saw his son — just a mistake. A threat to the throne.His voice was cold now. Deadly. "Then I’m sorry, Reed... but she has to die." The words gutted me. I staggered a step back, like his voice alone had punched the air from my lungs."You don’t mean that—" "I do that’s exactly what has to happen."" The words hit like a slap. I went still. His expression didn’t change. The stoic Alpha mask settled over his features like steel.