Alyssa looked at me, her eyes a mix of confusion and curiosity. 'Zenith, I rejected you. We can't be together. I need you to understand that. It's already been arranged that I will be mated with Alpha Axton from the Justice Pack in a few days,' she confessed.
My anger surged at her words, and an involuntary growl escaped my lips. 'No mate of mine shall be mated off to another!' I declared fiercely, my wolf bristling at the thought. My eyes turned obsidian, reflecting the tumultuous emotions swirling within me.
'Zenith, we no longer share the bond. You need to move on, for your family's sake and for your own. I really like Alpha Axton, and my father believes they will be the next strongest pack. My family wants me to be his mate, Zenith. I want to be with Alpha Axton,' Alyssa confessed, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment and sincerity.
'No!' I growled, my voice deep and committed, the wolf within me struggling to break free.
Alyssa flinched. Her gaze locked on my wolf's unforgiving eyes. She started retreating, step by step, her eyes welling with tears, clearly poised to make a run for it. I gave a subtle signal to my warriors, hidden in the shadows, to execute the plan.
Before she could bolt, I seized her, throwing her over my shoulder with brute strength. 'You are coming home with me, where you belong!' I snarled with fury. Panic and screams erupted from the grand hall as those trapped inside pounded against the doors, desperately trying to escape.
Alyssa's screams of horror filled the air as she realized my intentions. She fought back fiercely, kicking and punching with all her might, until I finally let her fall. She made a frantic dash toward the hall, aiming to open one of the doors and free her father and pack members.
But I was quicker. I grabbed Alyssa again, holding her tightly in my arms as I retreated to a safe distance from the hall, the raging flames now visible. I cradled Alyssa in my lap, stroking her hair as she cried and screamed. I whispered words of comfort to her, my voice a soothing contrast to the chaos that enveloped us. 'We can be together now, and I promise I'll build a new hall for you at Shady Crest.'
The agonizing screams within the hall had finally ceased, and a deathly silence settled over the crumbling remains. We all knew that everyone trapped inside had met a tragic demise. My father approached, his lips curling into a sinister smile as he gazed upon Alyssa in distress.
'Welcome to the family, Sweetheart,' he uttered in an eerie, unsettling voice.
Alyssa's response was defiant. She spat in my father's direction. In a swift and brutal response, he slapped her across the face in a cruel display of power. My anger surged, and I released my hold on Alyssa, rising to my feet.
'Don't you ever touch my mate again!' I snapped at my father with fury.
He only smirked, his attention seemingly drawn to something behind me. I turned to see what had captured his interest, and Alyssa stood trembling with anger and grief.
'You! You killed my father! You murdered my whole pack!' She screamed. Her voice choked with anguish.
She began to punch my chest repeatedly, her fists landing with a force driven by rage. 'I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!' She screamed, the words spewing out like venom. 'My father was only trying to protect me from men like your father!' She yelled in anger.
But I couldn't let her believe I was like my father. 'I'm not like him,' I stammered in shock.
Her next words hit me like a sledgehammer.
'You just let my father and the whole innocent pack burn to death! There were children! Mothers! Fathers! Brothers! Sisters! In there! You murdered them all! You are worse than your father could ever be!' She raged, the truth of her words sinking deep into my conscience.
'Alyssa... I-It wasn't supposed to happen like this!' I stuttered.
But her response was firm.
'I will never be your mate, Zenith. Not now, not ever. Now that you have murdered my family and my pack! I am leaving, and I am going to be with Alpha Axton, whether you like it or not!' She cried out, tears streaming down her face.
Alyssa shifted into her wolf form, her transformation swift and seamless. In her wolf state, her fur was pure white, long, and regal, her wolf nearly the size of an Alpha's. Moonstone Crest was renowned as the sole pack with the privilege of possessing pure white wolves. A lineage traced back to the Moon Goddess herself.
Enraged by her rejection and her escape, I gave chase to Alyssa, my own wolf surging to the forefront. 'I will find you, Alyssa, and you will be my mate! Or you can choose to die!' I bellowed after her. Her wolf was swifter than mine, and despite my best efforts, I couldn't catch up. In desperation and misery, I let out a long, mournful howl reverberating through the night.
Returning to the warriors and my father, I seethed with fury, my anger directed squarely at him. It had been his idea to execute this ruthless plan to eradicate an entire pack. In retrospect, I shouldn't have heeded his counsel, and that realisation gnawed at me relentlessly. My temper flared, and I growled and snapped in his direction.
Driven by a burning desire for justice, I confronted him openly, initiating a challenge. The hushed whispers among the warriors indicated that they understood the gravity of what was unfolding, for a challenge among Alphas was a fight to the death. My father accepted the challenge without hesitation, shifting into his wolf form.
My father was still a deadly opponent in his wolf shape, despite his advanced age. However, my youth and agility offered me a significant advantage. I lunged at my father, our wolves colliding in a whirlwind of fangs and claws. We rolled, grappling fiercely, seizing every opportunity to bite and claw at one another. The warriors witnessed this brutal battle, blood splatters staining their faces as they watched intently.