Bonds

Chapter 84

Alex’s POV

The sterile smell of disinfectant was a constant assault on my senses, blending with the metallic tang of blood that seemed to linger in the air despite there being no visible wound on my father. His chest rose and fell with each labored breath, his once powerful frame now reduced to a frail shell. Yet, as he spoke of the past, a spark of his former self ignited in his eyes- a chilling mixture of pride and something akin to

amusement.

“We were young and foolish then,” he rasped, “Ambition burned bright in both our bellies, Daniel Stone and I. We craved power, influence, dominance that stretched across both worlds- the human and the werewolf”

A humorless short escaped his lips, a dry rasp that echoed in the sterile silence. “There was a constant struggle, skirmishes along the borders, tests of strength. But there was also a… respect. We understood the boundaries, the lines that shouldn’t be crossed.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, his weathered face etched with a weariness that went beyond illness. When he opened them again, they glinted with a cold, steely resolve.

“Then came the opportunity. A chance to cripple Stone’s hold on a crucial exchange route, a power move that would solidify my position as the alpha with the most influence.”

My throat tightened. This was it, the moment he would explain the attack, the one that had fractured the fragile peace between the packs. But as he spoke, a different picture emerged–one devoid of remorse, painted solely with ruthless ambition.

“The plan was simple,” he continued, his voice gaining a sliver of strength. “A swift raid, a display of force, a message to the other packs. Nothing more.”

A cold dread settled in my stomach. “But it went wrong, didn’t it?”

He gave a curt nod, his expression unreadable. “There was a fight, of course. It was brutal, fangs and claws bared. But then… chaos. A stray bullet, a panicked shift… and then silence.”

The silence in the room felt even heavier now, “Daniel’s son, a young boy barely out of his pup year just like you, he was caught in the crossfire. Dead and…” He trailed off, a flicker of something that might have been regret crossing his face, but it was fleeting.

“The details are unimportant,” he continued, his voice laced with a dismissive arrogance. “Collateral damage is inevitable in any war. You will come to understand.”

in his quest for

made. It’s the price of power.” His voice hardened, a cruel edge creeping in. “Besides, Stone wasn’t blameless either. He retaliated, striking at our pack with equal ferocity. It was a war, a game of dominance, and

loses.”

the shattered innocence of a young life lost, a life needlessly taken in the crossfire of his ambition. He was responsible for her brother’s death, a brother she never got to know. Did she know?

then,” he continued, a hint of satisfaction creeping into his voice, “the Moon Goddess decided to play

10:28 Sat, 22 Jun

Chapter 84

a daughter, and she turned out to

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nausea washed over me. “You killed her brother,” I whispered, the words catching in my throat. “And from what you’re saying. I must have been around three years old at

The reason for the constant tension between our packs, the unspoken hatred simmering beneath the surface – it all stemmed from this single, horrific event. My entire life had been

father’s insatiable greed.

his face devoid of any emotion. “So what? It is a harsh world, Alex.

my head, unable to believe his callous disregard for human life. “No,” I whispered, my voice firm despite the tremor running through me. “You don’t get it, do you? This isn’t

weary resignation that seemed at odds with his earlier

words hung

I couldn’t deny. The responsibility of leading a pack was immense, the decisions life or death. But for him, it seemed, that responsibility had morphed into

pressed, “How can you justify

sterile white wall. Finally, he spoke, his voice laced

was like a brother to me died. We all have scars, Alex, both physical and emotional.

truth, a reminder of the brutal reality of the werewolf world. But even as I acknowledged the inherent dangers, a line had been crossed that I couldn’t ignore. The death of a child, regardless of the perpetrator, was a tragedy that couldn’t be justified by power struggles or the weight of leadership. It was wrong and

a difference between accepting the dangers and actively courting them. You didn’t just walk

flicker of anger sparked in his cloudy eyes. “It wasn’t flimsy, Alex! It was about control, about securing a future for our pack. Don’t

with a desperation that surprised me. Was this the fear of

empire on bloodshed, and now it’s crumbling around

fell silent again, his frail chest rising and falling with each labored breath. The defiance drained from his face, replaced by a profound weariness, a hollowness in his eyes that spoke of a deeper regret than he cared