**I closed my eyes, tried to get as far away from myself as I could.” – Catherine Lacey*
***Neron*
***
Have you ever had to wrestle a bear to the ground? No? Consider yourself lucky, then.
Have you ever had to wrestle your feral mate to the ground? Wouldn’t recommend it.
Never in my life would I’ve expected to be called through mind-link to restrain my mate from slaughtering her parents. The sudden urgency in Valerian’s voice as he took his son back to his room in his arms told me everything. Screams and shouts reverberated through the walls of the room, making a sudden commotion seem louder than stadium roars.
**I hate you*! *I HATE you*! *You never loved me at all*!”
Droplets of red stained the primeval tiled floors, seeping deep into the crevices. I’ve witnessed a smaller-than- average wolf use her fists to bash Steven’s face into a bloody pulp. She was like a machine on autopilot without an off switch.
“You ruined my life! You’ll pay for everything you’ve done to me!”
Raina held her shaking mother in her arms as she screamed for her mate. Purple healed on her skin, but slowly. Steven didn’t fight back, the most he did was try to restrain Kiya’s vengeful hands but failed as she continued to deliver her fury through the assault.
**I want you to die*! *You took my light, and I will take your life*!”
I couldn’t let Kiya do this! Her rage was enough to tear the earth to its core, but I couldn’t let her kill her parents. Once she crosses that line, there is no return. As much as her anger pulsates through her body, she’ll come to regret what she was done.
I cannot allow her to fall into the same darkness I had. She should’ve taken her rage out on my father and me. We’re the ones who hurt her the most.
When I tackled the woman to the ground, fear struck my heart. Not because I might have hurt her, but I’d realize how terrifying she could be. Eyes glowing, piercing javelins into my soul-the color blue frightened me. Kiya’s strength was inhuman, different from a wolf’s strength. Fighting to restrain her was like holding down a rapid, all-powerful Alpha with nothing to lose. Jaws snapping, nostrils flaring, and claws marking deep red lines in my forearm.
Was I like this? Was this how she saw me back then?
“Let me go! I will kill them! I will kill everyone that has ever hurt me!”
A grave threat like that earns a stay in our ‘hospital’ dungeons. But this was different. Kiya was not speaking from a place of genuine hatred.
***She’s in pain**…” Onyx whimpered at the sight of our mate. “**I can’t reach her wolf**! **She’s blocked her off completely** **Comfort her, goddamnit**
That explains it. Without her wolf, Kiya couldn’t manage her emotions. Her other half couldn’t reason with or tame her. She was worse than a rogue. “Kiya, snap out of it! This isn’t you! Come back to your senses!”
A whole slew of vile words flew out of her mouth as she struggled in my grip, threatening to kill me. She truly was the mate of an Alpha, only a Luna could overpower my strength like this. Kiya’s out for blood, and I was scared it wouldn’t stop with her family. She’ll slay this entire pack if she wanted to.
What happened next was a blur. Her friends came barreling in, surrounding, and doing their best to comfort her. A twinge of jealousy entered my heart as I watched Kiya slowly, yet steadily, descend from her high. I wanted to be the one to calm her down. I was her damn mate!
Vindictive blue vanished to deep brown, a tsunami of deep sadness varnishing over her face. Kiya couldn’t speak. She shook like a powerful earthquake as tears bucketed down from her eyes. My heart shattered. I’ve wondered how deep Kiya’s pain went, and I underestimated its depth.
I wanted nothing more but to take her into my arms and soak up all her agony, so she didn’t have to feel it anymore. Her suffering made me suffer. Onyx, though, deep within me, howled in sorrow as he felt it all. He, too, wanted to comfort Kiya.
But we have a long road ahead of us before that happens.
Before any of us could blink, Kiya sprang onto her feet and bolted out of the hall. Out of the packhouse. Out of our sight. An arm forced me back, halting me from going after my pained mate.
“That’s not a good idea.” Beta Jacqueline remarked. “She needs to be alone.”
Fuck that! With security issues around the pack border and the impending doom of another rogue attack, I was not leaving Kiya alone and vulnerable. I yanked my arm out of the woman’s grip and marched towards the door.
“Alpha Neron, wait!” The human, Abigail, used her body to shield the door. “Listen. Kiya should be alone right now.”
“Move out of my way,” I snarled. Humans were unaffected by the Alpha’s command, but it’ll be a snowy day in hell before I’d let one stop me.
“Neron, please.” I turn my head to see Raina walking over. Ashley gathered the table napkins to clean the blood off her husband. “It’s our fault she’s like this. I…we’ve pushed her too far.”
“What happened?” I demanded, this time with my innate Alpha authority. Her head bowed as she spilled everything from beginning to end. The urge to tear this family apart had never been greater. I swallowed my frustration and looked at my Beta Female dead in her eyes.
“Did you think, after all that happened, it would be easy for her to forgive and forget?”