Chapter Twenty-Two — Kaine’s POV

My heart thundered in my chest, so loudly that it drowned everything else—the snap of branches, the crunch of leaves underneath my feet, even the sharp metallic tang of my own blood filling the air. Being an Alpha meant my wounds healed faster than any other shifter’s. But this one—the gash on my side, ripped open by the wolf I’d battled earlier—was not healing as it should. Dark magic clung to the wound, tainting the flesh around it with dark veins, and slowing my body’s natural healing processes.

But I didn’t care about healing, nor did I care about the pain. It was nothing but a distant thought as I sprinted back to the borders of Crescent Valley. All I could think about was getting back to Leo and Lyra. The fear of what I might find clawed at my mind, pushing my body to move faster than I thought possible.

I broke through the trees into a clearing that opened up to roads leading back to town. My senses sharpened, receptive to every sound and smell. This time, nothing could drown out the cries of pain, the overwhelming stench of blood, and the weight of grief that hung heavy in the air.

As I walked through the streets of the town—my pack—the catastrophic sights slammed into me. A mother clung to her injured son, a boy who I presumed was brave enough to stand between her and danger. A father lay in a pool of his own blood, his family gathered around him, pleading for him to hold on to life. Blood and ash from burned down houses lingered in the air as I reached the pack grounds, where the majority of our people had gathered. Some clung to the wounded, their cries breaking through the darkness, while others sat alone, staring blankly into the night, lost in grief. A few moved amongst the injured, assisting the healer who looked moments away from collapse. She, too, was injured.

My heart felt like it was being crushed in my chest. The sight of my pack, my people, wounded, broken, and suffering because I had failed to protect them twisted in my chest like a dagger. My fists clenched, anger simmering beneath the weight of guilt as I scanned the familiar faces, each one a reminder of the brutality they’d just endured.

Then, the instinct to find Lyra surged forward, driving me forward as I dashed along the roads leading to her house. I didn’t bother to knock. I flung open the front door and was met with an unsettling emptiness.

“Lyra!” I shouted, my voice echoing through the empty rooms. I flung open her bedroom door—nothing. Next, I checked Leo’s—empty. I went ahead to check the kitchen and the basement, but the entire place was empty, just like the other rooms.

Panic surged within me. My first thought was to go to the diner. I knew she didn’t work there anymore, but Isolde did. I also knew their friendship had deteriorated into something I couldn’t understand since Lyra returned to Crescent Valley. Yet, I reasoned that if she wasn’t in her home, she might be with Isolde. Or Dominic, who often hung out in the diner with Isolde.

As I approached the diner, which usually glowed with neon lights against the night sky, I was met with darkness, a gloom mirroring the despair enveloping the entire pack. Blood stained the glass windows, and the usually closed doors were wide ajar. Even from a mile away, the scent of fresh blood filled the air. I bolted inside and my heart sank at the sight before me: familiar patrons lay on the floor, clinging to their wounds as if they had fought for their lives. Among them, I spotted Salome, tending to the injured.

I rushed toward her, not casting a second glance at the dirty looks some patrons were giving me. Her eyes narrowed in disdain when she saw me, and as I drew closer, she pressed gauze against the bleeding wound of a nearby person before stepping forward.

“You shouldn’t be here, Kaine. The people are angry—”

“Where is she?” I cut her off. My voice was a growl, impatience tightening every muscle in my body. “Where is she, Salome?”

She crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze unwavering. “I don’t know.”

The surge of anger and dread doubled inside me. “What do you mean you don’t know? Use your damn magic to find her!”

“Well, that’ll have to wait. As you can see, I’m trying to help your pack—a pack you ignored because of that one girl. Look around Kaine,” she spat through gritted teeth. “You did this!”

I stepped closer, my eyes narrowed to slits. “I’m not going to repeat myself again, Salome. Use your magic to find Lyra and my son!” The authority in my voice caused her to flinch, and I caught the fear in her eyes. Just as she opened her mouth to respond, a familiar voice called out to me from behind.

“Kaine?”

I turned sharply to see Isolde standing at the entrance of the diner, her clothes soaked in blood, her left arm at an unnatural angle. Her face was a blend of terror and despair as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I—I tried,” she stammered, her voice trembling. “I tried to help her. I tried to fight them, but I wasn’t strong enough. They left me for dead, but they—” she sniffed, the sobs wracking her body. “They…they…”

In an instant I was in front of her, gripping her shoulders and shaking her furiously as if to draw her from the daze that clouded her mind. “They what, Isolde?”

Her reddened eyes, brimming with tears met mine, and I knew the words even before she said it. “They took her. The Blackwoods took Lyra and her son.”

My heart seemed to stop, my breath catching as Isolde’s words hit me. My mind flashed with images I didn’t want to see: Lyra chained, helpless, hurt. The thought sent a wave of fury crashing over me, but beneath it was something sharper—the fear that I could lose her.

Isolde flung her right arm around my neck, sobbing profusely now. ”They took my best friend, Kaine. What are they going to do with her?”

My fists clenched, nails biting into my palm as I said, “We’re going to get her back. I promise.”

Removing Isolde’s grip from around my neck, I turned back to Salome and demanded, “Tell me everything you know about the Blackwood curse.”

Salome hesitated, eyes darting away. “Not much,” she mumbled, barely audible.

A pulse of irritation throbbed beneath my skin. “Not much?” I snapped, my patience fraying. Now was not the time for her evasions. The raw intensity of my gaze pinned her down. “You’re going to use your magic to find Lyra. This isn’t a request, Salome. Either you help, or you can get the hell out of my town.”

The look in her eyes shifted, her reluctance melting into compliance as she nodded, visibly shaken. I didn’t wait for her response; my thoughts had already shifted to Dominic. A prickling fear stabbed at me—did the Blackwoods get to him too? I shook my head. Despite his recent betrayal, a part of me still hoped he was safe.

“Where’s Dominic?” I asked, my voice tight with urgency.

Salome glanced over her shoulder. “He was here, but he left with Mr. Mason to help the wounded at headquarters.”

Without a second thought, I was out the door, making my way to the pack’s headquarters. But when I arrived, the scene I found was far from what I expected. Dominic wasn’t tending to the injured. No, he stood at the heart of a crowd, his voice rising as he whipped them into a frenzy.

“We need a better Alpha!” he shouted, venom lacing his tone.

I felt the bile rise in my throat. After everything, this is what he was doing?

A hush fell over the crowd as my footsteps echoed through the gathering. Dominic’s eyes met mine, a twisted smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he took a step forward. “Kaine, I thought something terrible had happened to you,” he drawled, feigning concern.

I ignored his remark and turned to the crowd, who wore the cold glares that every pack member I had come across tonight was wearing. “What are you doing here? All of you,” I addressed the crowd. “Our pack members are dying, lying in the streets—”

“And whose fault is that?” Dominic cut in, his voice sharp, calculated. His words sliced through the silence, igniting murmurs of agreement from the people.

I took a slow, measured breath, trying to rein in the fury clawing at my chest. “Dominic, people are suffering. This isn’t the time or place for—”

“Oh, but it is,” he sneered, his eyes alight with a dangerous gleam. “Look around, Kaine. This mess is the result of your weakness. You failed us, all because of some woman you love.”

His words hit me like a punch, a mixture of disgust and betrayal tightening in my gut. Some woman, he had said.

Dominic continued, his tone thick with derision, “I’m done taking orders from an Alpha who cares more about his own desires than the safety of his pack. Ironclaw deserves someone stronger. Someone who isn’t blinded by emotion.”

He squared his shoulders, his gaze burning into mine, unyielding. “The people are tired of you, Kaine,” he spat, moving closer until we were nearly nose-to-nose. “I’m tired of you.”

“Well, suck it up and get to work. I am your Alpha, and you will do as I say,” I shot back.

He ignored me, raising his voice to address the crowd. “We need change. And I can be that change.”

It all clicked then—the reason behind his relentless scheming. He had never really liked Lyra. That had all been a ploy. Everything he had been doing was a build-up to this very moment. He was after the Alpha position.

“This is what you’ve always wanted?” I scoffed, feeling a bitter laugh escape my lips.

His eyes glinted with ambition. “I was born to be Alpha. If not of my own pack, then of one worthy of my leadership.”

“You cannot become Alpha unless—“

Before I could finish, Dominic’s voice rang out, cutting through the air loud enough for everyone at the pack headquarters to hear. “I, Dominic Wilder, challenge you, Kaine Thornfield, to a duel for the position of Alpha.”

The crowd erupted into a roar of approval, their faces a blur as the weight of his words sank in. Everything around me seemed to fade, the noise of the crowd drowned out by the rush of blood pounding in my ears. I’d known he was ambitious, but this…this was treachery beyond anything I’d imagined.

And he wasn’t done. He turned to me, his eyes hard, devoid of emotion. “A duel to the death. Whoever lives takes the title Alpha.”