h4Chapter 95: I Will Make Them Regret/h4

    strongEira’s POV/strong

    Today, my worst fear finally came true. All I could do was cry and beg. When that failed, I became furious and told them to do whatever they wanted. And now, here I sit in a corner, trying to find my own peace amid the chaos.

    They finally know about my child. And it’s all because of Liam. Another bastard of a man who betrayed me. He acted concerned, kind even, but just as I suspected, his loyalty alwaysy with his Alphas.

    I had allowed myself a flicker of hope when he promised he would search for my son and not betray me like this. Foolish. He turned out to be the same asshole I’ve known all my life.

    When they brought me here, I had given up on myself. I had resigned to ept every punishment, every insult they hurled at me, simply because I was guilty of killing Alice.

    But now...they said they want to kill my son. Sure, they could try—there is nothing I could do to stop these bloodthirsty monsters.

    But the day they do it, I will make them regret every shred of joy they hold dear. I will find a way to make them pay for every second of suffering I have endured over the past six years. I will make them see just how blind they’ve been.

    And they want to find my mate? Hah. What a joke!

    If they ever found him, they won’t dare touch him. Instead, they will curse the day they ever discovered him. I was being merciful to them by not telling them who he is, but they were asking for the biggest trouble of their life.

    But the day theyy a hand on my son, I will make them understand whose child they have killed. I will watch them cry tears of blood in guilt and agony. I will watch them drowning in the greatest sin they would want to kill themselves for.

    I won’t be the one crying, screaming and grieving for my child, but they will.

    Now, sitting with Vixen in my arms, sunlight warming my face, I let myself imagine a safe haven—a world where I am with my son, raising him, teaching him, loving him. I imagine the life I would have given him over the past six years: theughter, the y, the lessons in reading, in life, in kindness. I may not be the best cook, but I would have tried. I would have taught him everything I knew, shaping him into a man as clever and ambitious as I am.

    I couldn’t be a doctor myself, but he could be. I would have guided him, nurtured him, shown him the value of saving lives. I would have taught him respect, taught him love. I would have built for him the family I could never have.

    All my dreams, all my hopes, I would have poured into him.

    He must be nothing like his bastard of a father. I would have told him every day that his father was a bad man who had died long ago. He did not need that man. He only needed me.

    But now, all those dreams had to be set aside. All I could do was apologize to him—for being so weak, for failing to protect him in the slightest.

    All I could pray was this: iI hope they grant him an easy death. And in his next life, may he be born to loving parents who are worthy of him, strong enough to protect him, and capable of giving him the life I could not./i

    What kind of mother am I, to pray for his easy death instead of begging God to save him? And yet... this is how it is. The world is cruel, and sometimes dying is easier than living. I pray for my son’s pianless and quick death.

    ----

    Roman’s POV

    After Liam left, a question lingered in my mind.

    She said her mate had rejected her. Then why was the bond still there? He had not marked her, yet he had mated with her and then walked away. The bond should have broken, right? But...

    That could only mean her mate was someone incredibly powerful. A bond like that could not be undone by mere rejection. And since they had mated, the connection between them had only grown stronger, not weakened.

    iKael is the most powerful Alpha I know... is her mate even stronger than Kael, a top-tier Alpha?/i

    Damn. The realization chilled me.

    If her mate were stronger than Kael and discovered she was here with us, the chaos could be catastrophic. I wanted to believe him dead, as she imed—but who was I kidding? A top-tier Alpha was nearly impossible to kill. His Alpha aura alone was a weapon.

    As I returned inside, I watched Kael retreat to his room, while Rafe was preparing to leave.

    "Where are you going?" I asked.

    "Can’t stand that bitch in front of me all the time," he muttered and left without saying a word about his destination.

    Probably Caston, to blow off steam. It had been a while since we brought her home. None of us had touched another woman since.

    I looked at her and decided to ask directly, though I knew chances of getting a real answer were slim.

    "Eira!" I called, kneeling before her.

    She frowned as if I were disturbing something important. Her eyes closed, as though speaking to me was a waste of breath, and her world was far more interesting.

    "You said your mate rejected you. Then why does the bond still exist?" I asked anyway. "He didn’t mark you, yet he mated with you and left. So why is the bond still there?"

    Finally, she opened her eyes and met mine.

    "Please... answer me," I said, as gently as I could. "I’ve marked you, and we are going to be mates as well. I need to know."

    "How should I know?" she replied indifferently. "I don’t even know I have a bond with anyone. You marked me, but I don’t feel a bond with you either. All of you can go biting me, but I won’t feel a thing."

    "But..."

    "If you’re done, get lost," she snapped, closing her eyes again. "Find some expert on werewolf matters and ask him."

    As expected.

    I had no idea what else to do. Everything felt scattered. Lucian and Jason had gone somewhere. Rafe was on his way. Kael, as usual, had locked himself in his room. And I was left alone with her.

    I couldn’t leave her side. Someone had to watch over her.

    Time passed, and I decided to cook. With no one else home, I made something simple—just enough to fill our stomachs.

    I ced the dish in front of her on the floor. She didn’t move from that spot. It was as if this tiny home wasn’t Vixen’s at all, but hers. If it had been even a little bigger, I was certain she would have curled up inside it herself.

    And, I also filled the bowls of food for Vixen and Fluffy.

    I headed upstairs to bring a meal for Kael, but the usual sign hung on his door—one that clearly said: iDo not disturb./i

    My hand, raised to knock, froze mid-air.

    So this was another day he would lock himself away, the hours passing behind that closed door, the purpose of his istion known only to him.

    None of us ever dared ask. We had tried before, and all we had received in response was silence—or a re sharp enough to shut us. After that, we stopped.

    All I could do now was wait—for him to emerge when he chose, and hope it wouldn’t be too long.

    When I came downstairs, Eira and the two pets were eating quietly. It was a relief to see that at least she was eating.

    I sat at the dining table and ate, watching them as well.

    After an hour, Rafe returned home—but he wasn’t alone. An elderly man apanied him, the same vet who had treated Fluffy before—John.

    "Wait here," Rafe told John, motioning for him to sit on the sofa.

    The old man knew better than to look around in an Alpha’s home, so he sat quietly, his gaze restrained, focused only on Rafe.

    "Vixen,e here," Rafe called, looking at the cat nestled in Eira’s arms. "The doctor is here to check you."

    As if Vixen could really understand what doctor was and what she needed to do. He was telling it to Eira indirecrtly, so she would let Vixen go.

    Eira held the cat for a moment, then gently put her on the floor. "Go."

    How kind and understanding she was when it came to her pets. I almost wished I were Fluffy.

    I couldn’t help but scoff at my own thought. So pathetic—a werewolf Alpha wishing to be a lowly animal. Truly doomed for the sake of a woman he likes.

    But Vixen didn’t move. She returned to Eira’sp, as inseparable as ever.

    Eira didn’t force her. Instead, she carried her gently to the vet.

    Rafe didn’t intervene, but muttered a curse at Vixen. "You’re getting stubborn day by day. Just wait till you give birth, and I’ll teach you what obedience means."

    For a fleeting moment, his words sounded like they were meant for Eira instead.

    Eira ced Vixen on the sofa and sat next to her, her gaze on the doctor. "You can check her."

    Watching her, it struck me how naturally she carried herself—already acting like thedy of this house, deciding and taking charge without bothering with any of us. How wonderful it would have been if that were the truth.

    The doctor hummed quietly, keeping his gaze brief on Eira, and proceeded to examine Vixen.

    "She’s around five to six weeks," he said, inspecting her stomach. "We can expect her to deliver in the next three weeks. Otherwise, she’s healthy. Nothing to worry about."

    He instructed Eira on a few things before leaving. She carried Vixen back to her little corner.

    "I thought you went to Caston," I said to Rafe.

    Rafe sank into the sofa. "Wouldn’t hurt to give my cock a rest for a while. We have more important matters at home, thanks to that bitch."

    I raised a brow. "Or that bitch is the reason you don’t want to go to Caston."

    Because I knew the feeling all too well—having Eira here made even the thought of other bitches unappealing.

    Rafe scoffed. "I haven’t lost my mind like you, falling for that bitch. So keep your pathetic imaginations to yourself."

    I shook my head. All these bastards knew one thing well, and that was denial. Pretending they weren’t affected, pretending they didn’t care—yet every nce, every subtle gesture betrayed the truth. They could fool the world, but not me.