☠️𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑨𝑳𝑷𝑯𝑨’𝑺
𝑭𝑰𝑬𝑹𝒀 𝑭𝑨𝑻𝑬🔥
{𝑩𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒚 𝑭𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔}
Written By, 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧_𝐀𝐩𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞
𖣘𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟒𖣘
{𝑲𝒂𝒏𝒆 𝑰𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒘, 𝑹𝒆𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝑴𝒆!}
─━━━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━━━─
𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐄𝐇
The instant the pack house door shut behind me, I ran through the hallway, ignoring the curious glances from the omegas cleaning near the stairway. I didn’t slow down. I didn’t care. Not about them, not about the fact that I was probably trembling, not even about Kane’s Beta’s voice behind me calling my name.
I reached my room.
Slammed the door.
And collapsed against it.
My back hit the wood with a dull thud, and I slid down to the floor like every bone in my body had finally given up. My knees folded to my chest. My arms wrapped around them. And then the tears came—fast, hot, and furious.
Gods, I had wanted to run. I’d wanted to tear that door open and throw myself into Ian’s arms the moment the car pulled up. And I had. For a second. For that one second, I had hope.
But Kane’s hand had caught my wrist before I could move. Tight. Unrelenting. His words still echoed in my head:
“Make one move to follow him, and your family will pay for it. You know I don’t bluff, Nevaeh.”
His grip was steel. But it was the threat behind his voice that paralyzed me—not the physical restraint. Not even the dominance in his tone.
It was the fear.
The fear that Ian would die if I tried to run.
That my little sister—my baby Cherrel—would be found in a ditch if I disobeyed.
So I stood still. Let him lead me out of the car. Let him take me back inside like I was nothing more than property. All while Ian watched, his heart breaking, thinking I had chosen this.
Another sob burst out of me, sharp and ugly. I pressed my face into my knees, trying to muffle it, but the pain was too much. The memory of Ian’s voice—raw with desperation—haunts me.
“You don’t have to stay, Nevaeh. Come with me.”
But I couldn’t. Not when Kane had made it clear what the cost would be.
And what terrifies me the most isn’t that he’d hurt my family.
It’s that I believe him. Every single word.
And now… now I’m alone.
I curl tighter into myself on the floor. I hate him. I hate Kane Ironclaw. And I hate myself for not being strong enough to fight back.
And yet… somewhere beneath all this hatred and fear, something else flickers. Maybe it’s this stupid bond.
The way he had looked at me in the office earlier. The way he had stared, like he couldn’t decide whether to destroy me or worship me.
It shook something loose.
I don’t want his attention.
I want my freedom.
Worse than that—deep down in the part of me I tried to bury—is a sickening truth.
I’m scared… not just of him.
But of how he made me feel when he wasn’t threatening me.
And that? That is the real betrayal. The one I can’t forgive myself for.
So I cry. Quiet and broken on the floor.
Because I know this isn’t the end.
It’s only the beginning.
𝐊𝐀𝐍𝐄
I stand outside her door, listening.
The soft, broken sobs slipping through the cracks scrape against something in my chest I don’t want to acknowledge. She’s crying again. Of course she is.
I hate the sound. Hate the fact that it echoes in my ears.
I clench my jaw, leaning closer but careful not to make a sound. She probably thinks I’m far away—uncaring. She has no idea I hear everything. Every sigh. Every whimper. Every time she says my name.
Something flickers in me—guilt? No. I crush it before it can settle. This bond… it’s playing tricks on me. Making me feel things I shouldn’t.
I run a hand through my hair, breathing hard. I want to knock. Say something. Anything.
But what the hell do I even say?
Sorry I threatened your family to keep you here?
Sorry I’m the reason your brother walked away thinking I own you?
No.
She doesn’t want apologies.
She wants answers. Control. A say in her own fate.
I punch the wall beside me—hard enough to feel the crack run up my knuckles. I don’t care.
If she’s the key to breaking the curse, then so be it. I’ll keep her within my sight until she serves her purpose.
Letting her go isn’t an option. The moment I do, every other Alpha—especially Darius—will come sniffing around again. And next time, they won’t fail. Next time, she won’t come back.
She doesn’t get it yet—this is for me. Her pain is temporary. My curse isn’t.
I rest my hand on the door, just for a second. Her sobs are softer now, like she’s tiring herself out. I hate how that makes my chest tighten. She’s just the key. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Still, I stay longer than I should, listening until the silence returns. Then I walk away, reminding myself with every step—
She’s mine until this curse is broken.
𝐈𝐀𝐍
The burn hits the back of my throat, but it’s not enough. Nothing ever is these days.
I slam the glass down and wave for another. The bartender gives me a look—hesitant, maybe even concerned—but I don’t care. Let him judge. Let the whole damn bar stare. They don’t know what it’s like to lose her.
Nevaeh.
The name alone is a blade slicing through my chest, over and over again. I lift the glass, down the burn, and welcome it. It’s the only thing that dulls the ache cracking my ribs open.
I failed her.
I was supposed to protect her. Always. That was the promise. The unspoken oath I made when she was just a baby in my arms, gripping my finger with tiny hands. And now? Now she’s gone. Trapped. Taken by that cursed Alpha.
My hands curl into fists on the sticky bar counter. I imagine Kane’s face—that smug, cold look in his eyes. If I could get just one shot—just one—he wouldn’t walk away breathing.
But I didn’t get a shot. I didn’t even get a chance.
They took her. And I stood there like a damn fool. Powerless. What kind of brother am I?
I take another drink, let it scorch its way down. It doesn’t help. Her face keeps flashing in my head—smiling, laughing, teasing me like she always did. Then I see her crying, scared, alone. That image guts me. I grip the edge of the bar so hard my fingers go numb.
I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I can barely breathe knowing she’s out there and I’m stuck in this filthy bar like a coward.
But I’m not done. Not yet.
I don’t care what the Alphas say. I don’t care if they threaten me or hunt me. If something happens to her—if Kane lays even a finger on her—I will rip through his pack, every damn wolf, until I bring her home or die trying.
So I gulp another shot. Not to forget. Not to numb.
I drink to fuel the rage.
Because if I find out something happened to her, there will be hell to pay.
𝐊𝐀𝐍𝐄
The muffled noise starts as a faint echo. By the time I lower my pen, it’s a full-blown commotion outside my study door.
I already know who it is.
“Lyall” I call, not even glancing up from the stack of files. “Get rid of her.”
He nods once and slips out. I wait. One… two… three seconds.
Then the door cracks open again.
“She refuses to leave” Lyall reports, looking mildly amused. “Says she won’t move an inch until you agree to see her. Also mentioned camping there all day if she has to.”
Of course she will.
I exhale through my nose, dragging a hand down my face. “Fine. Let her in.”
The moment the doors swing open, she storms in like a hurricane on soft feet—hair a mess, cheeks flushed, eyes stormy, and fury practically radiating off her skin. She looks like a feral little thing, and for some gods-damned reason, I find myself staring too long.
“Finally, the hermit emerges” I say, leaning back with a smirk.
Her glare could burn a hole through me. “Don’t flatter yourself, Kane.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I rise to my feet slowly, folding my arms. “Just surprised to see you out of your cave. Thought you were trying to make isolation a lifestyle.”
“I needed space. Something your stone castle has a lot of but still somehow manages to feel suffocating in.”
“Sounds like a personal problem.” I shrug.
She takes a step forward.
“Now I want answers” she utters authoritatively.
I arch a brow. “And throwing a tantrum in front of my study seemed like the most logical way to get them?”
“It got me in here, didn’t it?” she retorts.
Touché.
Her fire both irritates and… intrigues me. The bond tugs again, that familiar ache in my chest I refuse to acknowledge.
I rise from my chair slowly, walking around the desk until I’m standing just in front of her. She doesn’t flinch. Brave girl.
“So?” I say, tone calm. “You have my attention. What is it you want to ask me?”
There’s a pause—long and heavy—and I see the shift in her expression. Her eyes search mine, unsure if she’ll find the truth she’s looking for.
“Why are you keeping me here?” she asks.
I exhale, steady and controlled.
“I have my reasons” I answer. “Reasons I can’t disclose.”
She nods slowly, as if that confirmed something deep inside her.
“Then you’ll understand why I have my reason for making this choice.”
There’s another beat of silence before her gaze hardens.
“Kane Ironclaw,” she says boldly, “I want you to reject me.”
