?Chapter 320:

    His grin widened. “You know why I’m here, brother. To remind you of what you’ve done. To take back what you stole.”

    “You were the one who tried to take the pack,” I spat. “You were reckless, dangerous. You would’ve gotten us all killed.”

    “Is that the story you tell yourself to sleep at night?” His eyes darkened, the smirk slipping into something more dangerous. “Do you even believe it anymore?”

    His words were a knife, slicing through years of carefully constructed justifications.

    shback

    Chaos. That’s what I remember most. The screams, the blood, the fucking panic. My father—Alpha, protector, everything—was dead. Killed in a rogue attack so brutal I still couldn’t think about it without tasting bile.

    The pack was falling apart, scrambling for direction, for stability. And Aiden? Aiden saw an opportunity.

    “You can’t lead, Ryder,” he spat, pacing in the council chamber like a caged animal. His voice was sharp, venomous. “You don’t have the guts. The pack needs someone ruthless. Someone willing to do what’s necessary.”

    “And you think that’s you?” I shot back, keeping my tone steady even though I was shaking inside. “You’re reckless, Aiden. Dangerous. You’d burn this pack to the fucking ground just to prove a point.”

    “It’s not a fucking game!” he roared, stepping closer, so close I could see the veins bulging in his neck. “It’s survival. Something you’ll never understand, because you’re too fucking weak.”

    Fear sat heavy in my chest, coiled like a viper ready to strike. Aiden had the elders rallying behind him, whispering doubts about me, about my strength, as if thirteen minutes of seniority meant nothing. Thirteen damn minutes. The pack was mine by birthright, but Aiden? He wanted it. Craved it. Enough to fight me for it.

    And the truth? There was a chance—a slim, gut-wrenching chance—that he could win.

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    I wasn’t weak. I wasn’t some sniveling Alpha destined to cower in his shadow. But strength wasn’t enough in politics, was it? Politics were a cesspool, a game where the rules shifted to suit the strongest, the smartest, the dirtiest. My father’s words echoed in my head, his voice a low growlced with finality:

    “You either y fair or dirty. Just don’t lose.”

    I wasn’t about to lose.

    Aiden may have been my blood, but blood was cheap when it came to power. Fair y? That was for fools. I chose dirty. And it worked. I had him framed, crafted a betrayal so wless even the elders couldn’t question it. Treason was the only way to rid myself of his shadow. His exile was my victory.

    I should’ve felt victorious. I didn’t.

    Until Kade came back with his body.

    Aiden. Cold, lifeless, the color drained from his face as if the earth itself had sucked it out of him. My hands trembled when I saw him, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

    I told myself it wasn’t my fault. It was survival. He would have done the same to me. But those excuses didn’t silence the screams in my head. They didn’t stop the nightmares.

    Each night, I woke drenched in sweat, gasping for air as if the walls of my room were copsing in. I saw him—Aiden—his face twisted in pain, his eyes using. Dead because of me.

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