Untouchable by Marii Solaria

Chapter 34 – I’m Not Afraid

“Fear doesn’t shut you down; it wakes you up.“– Veronica Roth

Neron

Kiya brutally executing Tristan left a lasting impression on the Zircon Moon pack members.

01:48

Many cower in fear from her formidable might or avoid all altercations with her instead of becoming her next victim. The guilt of those who lived during the dark times began consuming their souls, bending and morphing their will into a false sense of self–preservation. Living in fear is never a good thing, but it’s bothersome how many resorts to that instead of admitting their part in her torture.

Am I in charge of wolves or cowards in sheepskin?

Watching Kiya slay her rapist was like watching a mighty phoenix burst forth from the ashes of earth. Robotic and stone–faced, she stunned the crowd into silence as Tristan’s screaming boomed through the air, grating against the eardrums of the men and women. Raina stopped her brutal assault on Odessa to watch her little sister become the ultimate executioner. Even my father, who has been against my mate this entire time, couldn’t do anything as his friend succumbed to his wounds As Alphas, powerlessness is a feeling we loathe, but my father felt every brutal morsel of it at that moment.

“Am I crazy now, Jonathan Prince?”

Her voice was bitter, yet maniacal. It didn’t hold the warmth I loved. The Kiya I’ve seen around children and her friends faded behind the limelight, and this new Kiya emerged forth to show us she’ll no longer play nice. Strike her and she’ll strike back ten times harder.

She will no longer cry. Instead, my mate will continue to walk with her head held high as others dare not to provoke her. A master at the blade, she won’t hesitate to cut anyone down from where they stand.

It should scare me. The one thing an Alpha will fear more is their mate because they are their equal; in rank, power, and status. If an Alpha is prepared to attack, their other half calms them down. If their Luna is ready to strike, they step back and allow their love to battle. Logically, Kiya should scare me. Terrify me.

But I’m not scared of her. She did what she had to do. Tristan was inches away from freedom and mitigation from his crimes. Kiya had no choice but to kill him, although I wish I was the one to do it.

Men are shameless. And I shamelessly admit that as a fully grown man, it excites me to see Kiya come into her power. For too long, we as a pack ignored her cries and trampled on her tears. I’m no exception to this as I took part in her suffering. I’m every bit as guilty as Raina, her parents, and everyone else. But, damn, even covered in blood, she’s f*cking beautiful.

However, even the most beautiful roses hold the sharpest of thorns. I’m worried about her. Coming into true power is amazing, but since Tristan’s death, Kiya has changed. Her smiles aren’t the same anymore. Before, they held warmth and purity. Now they’re cold–almost bitter. She smiles at my members, but to relish in their fear.

My father is incredibly wary of her. Despite his senior authority to have Kiya Imprisoned for ‘false accusations‘–that shit still pisses me off–he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. My mate is mine to protect and I’ll never place her in that hell again. With every attempt to arrest her, I blocked. Since I’m the acting Alpha, what happens to Kiya comes from my authority.

Chapter 34 Im Not Afraid

She did nothing wrong. She got the justice we deprived her of for most of her life. Why the f*ck would any sane man throw her in the prisons for that?

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Bonu

01:45

I’ll never understand why Dad continues to hate my mate despite knowing she’s free from all fault in Mom and Nuria’s passing. To continuously torture her is unforgivable! I don’t give a shit if he believes I’m a failing Alpha–I might be–but tormenting the love of my life is crossing the line.

Since that day, we haven’t spoken. I’ll never forgive him for the spectacle he pulled. Having Elder Sage preach about the laws of our kind was a bitch move, considering he did nothing to help Kiya, like the rest of us.

I’ve lost all respect for my father. And I’m staying true to my threat; if he tries to touch or harm Kiya, he’s dead. I sigh as I lean back in my chair, staring out the window.

Mom would be ashamed of what my Dad has become. This is not the same man she fell in love with, got married to, and bore children with. She wouldn’t want this. Nuria wouldn’t want this. Gazing at the blue skies, I’m wondering if they’re watching us now.

Would they be proud of this pack? The foundation that once held this mighty family together is crumbling under the weight of our sins. And we can’t blame anyone but ourselves.

Would they be proud of me?

think back to what Dad had said to me; calling me a failure for not conforming to his idea of what an Alpha should be. While I largely don’t care, it did sting a deeper part of me internally. I never wanted to fail my father, but what does it mean to

of me

of blindly following him, none of this would’ve happened. If I only stuck up for Kiya more when we were

me back to reality. Right, I have work to do. But there was one thing I needed to know. Allowing the person to enter my

to see

presence. Even the aura she carries is drastically different. Perhaps I shouldn’t have asked her if she wanted to kill

expect me

before, taking a life is heavy on the soul.”

as you can see, I’m doing fine.” She smirks. “I feel better than before. The bastard is dead, and I don’t regret killing him. One

as your rapist who faced no repercussions for his actions is torture. Kiya shed too many tears in the past several days. With his body cremated and ashes disposed of, I erased his existence amongst Zircon Moon. However, the stain of his legacy lives on through the rest

34 – Im Not

But I still worry about you.”

Kiya scoffs. “Why?”

admit. “You’ve become colder and

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Bonus

01:42

it’s about time this damn pack listened to my pain instead of blatantly ignoring it for years.” She retorts harshly. “They still want to live in their fantasy world that no harm or karma would come to them.

“You’re angry.”

She shouts. “It’s been two days since the f*cker died and some of your resident assholes still pretend that they’re free of fault for what happened! I’m glad the newer members are opening their eyes to just how terrible your pack is. You heard the gossip, haven’t you, Neron?”

the law stipulates that wrongdoings against slaves aren’t identified as criminal, but permissible. A few dared to challenge our Moon Goddess and her decision

mates.

in his special way, I quickly shut that shit down. Regardless if I’m around or not, if my members don’t respect my mate for the rest of her stay,

changes the subject. “How many more parents pulled their children out of

afraid she might harm their pups. It infuriated me. My mate will

as much as I tried to convince them, it’s ultimately up to them to withdraw their child or not. They’re the ones who signed them up and can rescind their original proposal. The pup trainees heavily protested and continued to train in secret, but they’ll never train in open light unless they get

the best

I answer. “That makes about six pups who won’t

damn shame.” Kiya shrugged. “You kill a man

to the parents at all? The kids want

me now. There’s no way we can sit down and have

okay with everyone fearing you?”

is sickly sweet, freezing my spine stiff. “They should’ve been since the beginning.”

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Bonu

about your friends?”

01:39

“They understand why I did it. I think if I hadn’t killed Tristan, I’m sure Jackie would and take your father out too. The one thing I’m grateful for is that our relationship hasn’t changed.

glad they’re sticking by

to call this pack

I suddenly say, folding my hands on my desk. “She’s worried about you too. She beat the shit

chuckles. “Raina gave her a good punch in the eye. Too bad the shiner had

defending your honor.

your sibling’s love. It’s unmatched and deep. Nuria has been gone for years, but I still love her

I whisper back. “She’s

life, yet.”

asked, confused.

knew it, Kiya rose from her chair and was standing directly in front of me. Her sweet scent became overpowering, drawing me in close to her allure. “You saw everything, Neron. You saw me tear into Tristan with no remorse, heard his screams and my laughter, and witnessed the fear on your father’s face.