CHAPTER 49: RAFE’S MEMORIES OF EIRA

"You see those small drills fixed in front of you?" I explain casually, as if we were just playing some kids’ game. "This little guy pointing your chest will slowly start drilling the center bone of your chest," and my gaze shifted towards the ones pointed at their knees, "and those two will drill your knees. Slow and steady. You’ll feel every ounce of agonizing pain, especially since the drill is forged from pure silver. Painful, isn’t it?"

"Alpha...."

"Shhh. Let me finish, or you’ll end up dying confused, and we wouldn’t want that, would we?" I said with faux gentleness, like I was scolding a child for interrupting storytime. "Now, as I was saying... once the drill carves through your chest, it won’t stop. It’ll keep move to drill into your liver. That’s when things get really fun. You’ll bleed. You’ll howl. But still, you won’t die."

The two looked at me in horror.

"So now the question is: when and how will you be spared from this pain and die? Right?"

I tilted my head, as if pondering alongside them, then looked up at the sky.

"Do you see them?" I asked.

They hesitantly followed my gaze, eyes squinting upward.

Dozens of scavenger birds—vultures, crows, and bloodthirsty companions—circled above, gliding on the wind as if summoned by death itself.

"My lovely little friends," I said, voice full of false affection. "They’ve got impeccable timing. Always know when meat’s about to turn tender."

I looked back down at them, voice dropping low and deliciously cruel.

"Here’s the best part. They won’t wait for you to die. Oh no, they prefer their meals fresh—alive and screaming. And you know what’s their favorite dish?"

I leaned closer, my grin feral.

"Eyes. They love to dig them out... rip them from the sockets and devour them like a sweet fucking dessert."

The two of them sat frozen, paralyzed by fear, their breathing shallow and erratic as if their souls were ready to leave their bodies even before the fun started.

I pressed the button on the remote in my hand to start the drills that promised nothing but pain. I tossed the remote aside and turned my back as I walked towards the cliff.

"Alpha... please... Alpha, forgive us..."

Their pleas quickly turned into ragged cries, sharp and agonized, piercing through the quiet forest . And then followed by the shrill, greedy cries of the scavenger birds, diving down for their feast.

Standing by the cliff, I smoked a cigarette while listening to their cries, my eyes staring at the violent sea below, blankly.

Once I finished the cigarette, I crushed the bud under my boot, removed my clothes and boots, and dived headfirst into the madness below.

The cold, unforgiving sea swallowed me whole, crashing over my body like a beast claiming its prey. But beneath the surface, silence embraced me. The chaos vanished. No screams. No cries. No blood. Just stillness.

And in that silence, her name echoed through my mind.

Eira.

The water numbed my skin, but that name burned. That face...

My eyes drifted shut, and there she was—her face, the way I saw it six years ago. Untouched. Beautiful. Before the world had broken her.

It was the day we were invited to Lucian’s home for his mother’s birthday celebration. Alice had brought a friend along, a girl none of us knew yet.

But even before I could see her, her scent reached me, sweet, soft, intoxicating.

My head snapped toward her, and there she was— beautiful, innocent, radiating a quiet grace. And somehow, the most tempting thing I had ever laid eyes on. I simply couldn’t look away.

Eira.

Even after she was gone, her name never left my mind.

It never fucking left me.

After drowning myself for long, and going through the memories with her once more, I finally emerged out of the water and returned to the cliff.

I dried myself under the sun and casually put on my clothes, and by that time, my little friends had almost cleared the fresh meat of their feast.

Starving little bastards.

I glanced at them one last time. I’ll leave their skeletons for someone to find. Would be fun.

I smirked and left. I had to return home before my mate brothers started searching for me. Due to my ability to seek out trouble out of boredom, I was not allowed to disappear for long without informing them.

When I returned home, I saw Lucian was in a foul mood for some reason, while Jason was sitting calmly on the sofa, working on his laptop.

"Who got on your nerves now?" I asked Lucian as I settled on the sofa.

He didn’t answer, but I knew it must be related to her.

"Where have you been?" he asked me coldly.

"I realized there was something left to clear up from last night’s fun," I replied. "I just went to clean it up."

Lucian and Jason both offered me skeptical gazes. Obviously, they didn’t trust me.

"Is there anything to eat? I’m starving," I asked as if I did nothing at all.

"Damn it!" Lucian cursed. "Did we just forget to have lunch?"

"I’ll cook something quickly." Jason put the laptop aside and stood up. As he looked at me, he said, "Go ask Roman if he’s going to eat with us or have his special meal with his bitch."

Hmm, now I understood why the foul mood.

Just then, a security guard brought a delivery inside the home. "Alpha Roman has ordered this."

I accepted it and looked inside the branded bag.

"What is it?" Lucian asked.

I tossed the bag to him. "See for yourself."

Lucian pulled out the stuff in the bag. It was a simple soft floral pattern dress. There was only one woman in the house, and it was clear who it was for. He stuffed it back in the bag angrily.

Just then, Roman entered the drawing room. "My parcel should be—"

Before he could finish, Lucian hurled the bag at him. Roman caught it easily.

"That bitch doesn’t deserve branded clothes. Don’t waste money on her," Lucian spat, and went to the kitchen to help Jason.

Roman remained unbothered and checked the dress with a satisfied hmm.

Liam arrived there as well. He looked straight at Roman, as if he was the only concerned person related to Eira.

"I came straight here after finishing my surgery," Liam informed him. "How is she?"

"Better than before," Roman answered. "As you instructed, I bathed her and..."

Crash!

A sound of glass shattering was heard, and we looked toward the kitchen. A glass had crushed in Lucian’s hands, which he was using to drink water.

Not just Lucian, but even Jason and I stilled in our places to hear what Roman said- Bathed her.