Kael's POV
I hadn't slept a moment last night after seeing her.
For years, I had been waiting, searching for a pureblood she-wolf. Someone who could save Sophia. But never, not even in the darkest corner of my imagination, had I expected it to be her.
Eira.
The name alone was enough to ignite every buried fury inside me. The one I thought had vanished from this world, the girl I wished had never existed.
She had destroyed everything I had ever held dear. My parents, the Alpha and Luna of the Storm Howl Pack, were dead because of her. Sophia, the woman I loved, now lay clinging to life, her body frail, her spirit fading. And our unborn child… gone before even taking a breath.
When I saw her again last night, the rage I had been suppressing for six long years surged to the surface, boiling over. If Lucian hadn't reached her first and started strangling her, I would have ripped her apart and scattered her remains for the wild animals to feed on.
But reason snapped me back when Roman spoke. We needed a pureblood to save Sophia, and now, like a twisted joke of fate, that pureblood was that bitch.
She would be used, a tool to bring Sophia back into my life and give me a child, to restore what she stole. Later, what I do with her… she will regret even being born.
That bitch doesn't deserve any mercy after killing so many people six years ago and bringing chaos to each of our peaceful lives.
She will pay for it, in the most brutal way and I will make sure of it.
"Kael, breakfast is ready," Roman's voice from outside my rooms door, came through.
I tossed aside the towel that was wrapped around my waist and dressed after drying my hair. When I walked into the dining room, Jason and Roman were setting the table.
Though we could have had servants take care of it, we preferred to cook our own meals. Jason especially enjoyed cooking, and we never had any complaints. The rest of us helped from time to time, with Roman usually being the one to assist him in the kitchen.
I looked around the table and asked, "Where's Rafe?" I remembered how unsettled he had been last night, his bloodlust almost taking over.
"As usual, cranky and restless," Roman replied as he and Jason brought the food to the table. "We offered him our blood, but he refused."
Smash!
A sharp crash came from Rafe's room.
"I'll get him," I said, rising from my seat and heading toward the noise.
The moment I stepped inside, I was hit by the familiar chaos. The room was wrecked, with things scattered across the floor.
Rafe stood in the middle, his shoulder length hair covering the sides of his face, his chest rising and falling rapidly, eyes glowing red.
He was close to the edge.
I approached him and held out my arm, my wrist in his view. "Drink it."
He shoved it away, his breathing unsteady. "It won't help."
Roman entered the room, holding a blood pouch from Rafe's stock. "I've already told Caston to arrange a girl for you. Drink this until then."
Rafe took the pouch but crushed it in his hand a second later, blood spilling to the floor in a dark splash. His silence said it all.
We had all been through this before. When his cravings became too much, nothing ever satisfied him. We had tried everything. Human blood, animal blood, werewolf blood. None of it worked.
At this point, it felt like we needed to find him an alien just to see if that would make a difference.
With every passing year, it only got worse and we feared it would drive him into madness and eventually destroy him. We didn't want to face that day, when we will be forced to get rid of him.
He was a brother, our mate. We will do everything in our power to keep him with us.
"Rafe, let's go to Caston," Jason offered gently. "You can pick any of the girls until he finds someone that suits your taste."
Rafe said nothing.
"Is our little bat out again?" came a mocking voice with a chuckled. "Go fuck some bitches and drain them dry before you snap, and I have to deal with you my way. You know you don't like that."
Lucian stood in the doorway, wearing only his trousers, exposing his tall and muscular body, fresh from the shower. While the rest of us worried about Rafe, Lucian's expression was as smug as ever, his words deliberately provoking.
He never showed softness toward anyone. When it came to handling a crazed vampire, Lucian's methods were brutal but effective. None of us ever dared to interfere.
Rafe turned his glowing red eyes toward Lucian, clearly raged and provocation with his words.
"Want me to try my way?" Lucian taunted again.
Rafe didn't respond with words. His gaze moved over Lucian's body, freshly showered after a heavy workout, his skin flushed and radiating the scent of hot blood. In an instant, Rafe vanished from his spot.
A second later, Lucian was slammed against the wall by the door. His back hit hard, but he didn't flinch. Rafe stood close, eyes locked on the throbbing vein in Lucian's neck, his hunger overwhelming everything else.
"Make it quick," Lucian muttered, completely unfazed. "I don't have patience to stand here and be stared at like your personal buffet."
Rafe didn't need another word. He lowered his head and sank his fangs into Lucian's neck. The blood surged into him, and he drank deeply.
Lucian remained still, showing no reaction as Rafe fed on him. But Rafe wasn't letting go even after a while. He clung to him like a starving beast, as if this was the only thing keeping him sane.
"Rafe," Jason called out, concern heavy in his voice.
But Rafe didn't respond.
Roman and Jason looked at me, eyes urging me to step in. I raised my voice, sharp and commanding.
"That's enough, Rafe."
Unwillingly, Rafe let go. He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand and glared at Lucian.
"Provoke me again, and I'll make sure you're the next bitch I drain to death."
Lucian gave a slow, wicked smirk. "Be my guest. Let's see who ends up as whose bitch."