Zayn stalked through the dimly lit corridors of the packhouse, rage pulsing through his veins. His wolf clawed at his insides, demanding retribution. Hearing Martha’s recount brought back memories of his own.
Only one thing would satisfy his wolf now.
He descended the stone steps to the dungeon, footsteps echoing on the walls. The guards straightened immediately when they spotted him. They did little to hide the surprise on their faces. They hadn’t seen their Alpha this angry before.
He looked as if he was about to tear them to shreds.
“Alpha Zayn,” one of them acknowledged with a quick bow.
Zayn nodded tightly, “Where’s Xavier Brightpaw?”
The hounds seemed to sense his impending arrival, restless. The stench hit Zayn hard. Some of the guards wrinkled their noses, too. It was a mixture of filth, blood, and despair.
In the mess of hounds, Zayn saw him. Xavier, Lily’s brother. The tormentor who’d been the cause of both of their nightmares.
He was a shell of his former cocky self. The once proud, sadistic Alpha heir was now reduced to skin and bones, covered in dirt and grime. Sitting in his own filth, naked.
Zayn felt no pity, only disgust.
The cell door creaked open, alerting the hounds. Zayn walked in, grabbed the chain connected to Xavier’s collar, and yanked him forward.
Xavier stumbled, caught off guard by the sudden movement. The hounds scattered, whimpering as they retreated to the corners of their shared pen.
Zayn dragged him out of the cell. Xavier whimpered, struggling as the silver collar rubbed hard against his neck. He didn’t care about the broken man’s wordless pleas.
The moment Zayn shot the guard a glare, he stepped back and kept his head low.
Zayn hauled Xavier into an empty cell. His body hit the wall with a dull thud before crumpling to the ground. Xavier immediately scrambled onto all fours, body shaking in fear. He didn’t dare meet Zayn’s eyes.
He kept his eyes glued to the ground while pressing himself against the cold stone wall as if it could protect him.
The guards watched silently from the side. Expressions unreadable.
“How could you do that to your own sister?” Zayn asked, voice cold, “Answer me!”
Xavier didn’t move. He didn’t flinch. His eyes remained glued to the ground.
Annoyed, Zayn grabbed him by the neck, forcing him to meet his eyes.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you!”
Xavier shook his head; he looked everywhere but at Zayn. His body trembled, desperately hitting at Zayn’s hand for him to let go of his neck. But Zayn tightened his grip, blocking his airway.
Xavier cried out, lips moving but unable to form words. The stench of urine hit Zayn’s nose. A pool of water formed on the ground.
“Disgusting,” Zayn spat as he threw Xavier against the wall again.
He was so afraid of Zayn, he peed himself. Xavier curled up into a ball. It eerily reminded Zayn of Lily, how she would do the same when she was afraid. Curled into herself in hopes of disappearing.
Zayn’s first kick landed squarely in Xavier’s stomach, mirroring the abuse Lily had endured. Xavier doubled over, gasping for breath. Zayn didn’t give him time to recover before landing another blow.
“How does it feel?” Zayn snarled between kicks. “To be helpless? To know no one will come to save you?”
Blood splattered across the stone floor as his boot connected with Xavier’s face. The metallic scent filled the air, feeding Zayn’s rage rather than satisfying it.
“She was defenseless! Goddess, she didn’t even have her wolf to protect her!” Zayn continued, landing blow after blow, “Your own fucking sister! For years!”
Some of the guards winced at the brutality. They exchanged uncomfortable glances, but none dared to intervene. None of them wanted to. All of them were familiar with Xavier’s cruelty. Too familiar.
Ezra, who arrived moments ago, watched on. He didn’t intervene until he was certain Xavier was on his last breath.
Ezra’s familiar voice cut through his rage. His Beta stepped into the cell, face unchanged as he looked down at Xavier.
“That’s enough,” his Beta said firmly.
Zayn whirled around. “Enough? It will never be enough for what he’s done!”
“I know,” Ezra said. He knew that better than most.
“He doesn’t deserve death, not yet,” He reminded his Alpha.
Zayn’s chest heaved with exertion and anger. Blood stained his clothes and shoes. Xavier lay motionless, his breath coming in shallow gasps.
“He’s not worth it,” Ezra insisted.
Zayn stood frozen, fighting his demons. His wolf howled and clawed, demanding to finish what they’d started. But he knew Ezra was right. He looked down at his shoes. They were covered in blood.
He looked over at Xavier. His eyes were vacant, glazed over. His body was bloody and bruised. Still, Zayn felt the resentment in his heart. Every breath that monster took was a breath he’d taken away from someone else.
From his pack members who died under his cruelty. From his deceased mate and child.
Zayn left the cell without another word. He walked down the corridor and sat down on a cold stone bench. He held his head in his hands. As the adrenaline of rage wore off, memories of the past surfaced.
Xavier had once tied him to a pole in the pack square. He called onlookers, guests he’d invited from other packs to gather.
“Would you like a chance to kick an Alpha? Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Zayn of Obsidian Moon! A lovely Alpha specimen for your kicking pleasure! Who would like to go first?”
He tried to break free, shouting curses. No one listened to his pleas. There was only cruelty and laughter.
“Don’t be shy, folk! Let me show you how it’s done! He won’t bite. More like... he can’t,” Xavier landed the first kick.
He’d worn silver-toed shoes on purpose, making sure it hurt. Zayn felt blood rushing to his mouth. He refused to scream. Then another kick came. People laughed, pointing at him. Everything quickly became a blur.
Zayn felt his heart pounding in his chest. His wolf was clawing to get out, refusing to let the nightmares consume them once more.
“Zayn?” Ezra called out to him, noticing he still had his head in his hands. But Zayn didn’t respond.
Zayn was fighting the nightmare he saw. He felt like he was there again, being kicked, bloody, and bruised. But through it, he saw someone he hadn’t seen before.
“Lily,” He whispered her name under his breath as her image became clearer in his mind.
When he looked again, the nightmare he’d suffered disappeared. Lily was there, tugging his pant leg just as she had done earlier.
“Zayn,” Ezra called him again, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Zayn looked up, now back in reality.
“What’s wrong?” His Beta asked, concerned.
“She’s just like us, Ezra,” he said, looking up at his Beta. “She suffered too.”
Ezra bit his inner lip. He didn’t want to admit it, but Zayn was right. In the beginning, he saw Lily as their enemy. To him, she was no different from Xavier. But time changed everything.
He saw how she interacted with the people around her. He saw her pain.
He sat down next to Zayn, letting out a long sigh.
“The Moon Goddess must really hate us all,” Xavier joked coldly.
Zayn didn’t reply. He thought the same thing.
“I need to see her,” he declared, getting to his feet.
Zayn headed back upstairs. He understood what she was going through, and he was the only one who could help her. When he reached Lily’s room, he found Martha and Talia outside, deep in worried conversation.
They fell silent as he approached, their eyes widening at the sight of blood on his clothes.
“Alpha,” Martha greeted cautiously, her gaze flicking to his bloodstained clothes as she physically blocked the door.
“I need to see her,” Zayn stated firmly.
“You’re covered in blood,” she pointed out, concern evident in her voice. “Perhaps you should–”
“That’s none of your concern,” Zayn replied, his tone softening only slightly when he saw the genuine worry in the older woman’s eyes. “I just need a moment alone with her.”
Martha refused to budge. She looked to Talia for support. Talia clutched her arm tightly. She knew about what had happened before. But she also remembered the promise Zayn had made.
“I just want to talk to her.”