Chapter Twenty-Three — Kaine’s POV

My eyes were fixated on the moon hanging high in the night sky, but my thoughts were far away from the battlefield awaiting me. In less than an hour, I’d be facing a man I had once called brother in a fight for the title of Alpha—my title, one he intended to take from me. Yet, the looming threat of that challenge couldn’t hold my focus. Instead, my mind kept drifting to Lyra, and the fragments of knowledge Salome had pieced together about the Blackwood curse. She hadn’t known much, only scraps that might have sounded like a myth or presumption to anybody else. Despite not being sure about a lot of things, one thing was certain: we were running out of time.

This time tomorrow, the full moon will reach its peak, and when it did, the Blackwoods could lift their curse. I clenched my fists, wondering what horrors Lyra might be facing at this very moment. And Leo…he was just a boy, far too young to be caught up in this nightmare. The thought twisted like a knife in my chest. Were they being tortured, used as pawns in some twisted preparation for the ritual? Or were they simply waiting for their…

I shook off the thought, refusing to let it consume me. I wanted nothing more than to storm the Blackwood territory and tear it to pieces, to make them feel in a single night the eight months of pain they’d inflicted on Lyra. But I couldn’t do it alone. I needed my pack behind me, an army at my side. And if I didn’t have the authority to command them, I’d never reach Red Rock, let alone survive. First, I had to put an end to this senseless coup Dominic was staging—end it once and for all, even if it meant killing him.

“You look forlorn,” a familiar voice echoed from behind me.

I slowly shifted my gaze from the window, turning to find Isolde standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. A smile played on her lips, and her eyes flickered with something I couldn’t quite place—and honestly, I didn’t care to. “What are you doing here?” I asked, not meeting her gaze as I shuffled through the arms and gears on the bench.

She shrugged nonchalantly, stepping into the room. “Came to wish you luck. Maybe help you get ready.”

“Thanks, but I don’t need it,” I replied, my tone clipped.

She chuckled dryly, glancing over at the armory chest. Moving to lift it, she stopped only when I raised a hand, the silent message clear. I didn’t need it. I didn’t need anything from her. Not now.

“Dominic is angry, Kaine,” she said, her tone turning serious. “He’s going to kill you if he gets the chance.”

I said nothing. My focus was back on the window, my eyes drawn to the rising moon, a reminder of what was coming.

She sighed, her footsteps soft as she drew nearer. The sound of soft footsteps told me she was moving closer to me. “There’s talk around town,” she murmured, her voice quiet. “Some people still believe in you, but others…especially those who’ve lost someone—they’re losing faith.”

I turned back to study her. “Which side are you on?” I asked, my voice flat, though the question felt more like a challenge

She smiled, inching closer until her hands settled on my shoulders. “Your side, obviously.” She ran a finger along my skin, as though trying to soothe some tension she assumed I was feeling. I was tense, yes. But not because of the fight ahead. My mind was completely consumed by thoughts of Lyra and Leo—nothing else mattered.

“I’m always going to be on your side, Kaine,” she continued, her voice soft, almost coaxing. “You’re a good leader. We need an Alpha like you. It’s just…” she trailed off, moving to crouch in front of me. Her hand lifted to touch my face, but paused mid-air when my eyes narrowed, a silent warning clear in my gaze. Yet, her fingers still grazed my skin, her touch lingering far too long.

“It’s just what?” I probed, my voice low and demanding.

The warning in my eyes seemed to mean nothing anymore, as she let her hand settle on my cheek, caressing with a tenderness that felt all too intimate. I stiffened, my thoughts flashing back to Lyra, and for a second. I imagined her touch—warm, gentle, her smile that always made me feel at ease, the way her hair framed her face when she laughed. I imagined everything that had made me fall in love with her.

Except that the woman in front of me wasn’t her.

My chest tightened, a storm of conflicting emotions brewing inside me. Before I could even react, Isolde’s lips brushed mine, a fleeting kiss that left me frozen in place.

Shock and anger surged through me as my eyes flew open. I gripped her hair, tighter than I intended, and yanked her back, pushing her so forcefully that she stumbled and hit the ground.

“What the hell are you doing, Isolde?” My voice was a low growl, filled with a disbelief and disgust I couldn’t hide.

She picked herself up, her expression twisting into something cold and bitter. “Have you ever stopped to think that maybe…maybe this is a good thing, Kaine?” Her voice was now venomous, her words laced with a biting edge. “With Lyra gone, there are people willing to accept you again. She’s your only flaw—a perfect man like you cannot allow a woman like her to be your weakness, Kaine. And thank the Moon Goddess, she is gone. All she’s done is bring trouble to you and the pack, and now she’s out of the picture. Can’t you see, Kaine? This is what’s best.”

I blinked back, stunned into silence at her words, which hit me like a blow to the chest. I could only stare at her, struggling to understand how this was the same woman who’d once been Lyra’s friend. I remembered how Lyra had always gone out of her way to make sure Isolde never felt left out—always inviting her to our sparring and hunting sessions. She always spoke of her with admiration, a love that was pure and unwavering. I had always kept Isolde at arm’s length, not for any specific reason other than a gut feeling. Now, I finally understood why.

She let out a harsh laugh at my reaction, standing up straighter, her gaze defiant as she moved toward me. She lifted her hand to touch my face again, but this time, I caught her wrist, stopping her cold.

“If you need someone,” she murmured, her voice laced with desperation, “if you need someone to satisfy you, I’m here, Kaine. I’ve always been here, waiting. Six years I have waited for you to see me. Why don’t you?”

“Because I love her,” I said, my voice fierce, unwavering. “With every fiber of my being. And she would never—” I gave her a once over, disgust curling my lip. “She would never stoop this low,”

A flicker of pain crossed her face. “Even in the face of death, you still think about her.”

I released her wrist with a force that made her stumble back. “Oh, I’m not going to die. Not tonight.”

Without another word, I turned around and walked away, my resolve hardening with every step. I’d fight for my position tonight—and I’d fight for Lyra. She was worth every battle, every scar. And I was going to make sure I won so I could bring her and my son home.

The time for the duel had arrived. I stepped onto the sandy center of the pack grounds, where Dominic was already waiting. All around us, the pack had gathered, their eyes filled with tense anticipation, expecting that only one of us would kill the other.

The announcer’s voice hadn’t even faded when Dominic lunged at me, claws bared, his speed a blur. His strike slashed across my shoulder, leaving a sharp, searing line of pain. But it wasn’t the sting in my shoulder that enraged me—it was the look in his eyes. The twisted satisfaction in his smile as blood seeped from the cut. Rage flared within me, a rage ignited by the brutality of his attack, as though he saw me as nothing more than a parasite he wanted to crush.

I sidestepped Dominic’s next attack, dodging his wild swings as he came at me relentlessly, barely pausing for a breath. We moved around in circles, eyes locked on each other, gauging the other’s next move. Dominic lunged again, and I met him head-on, our fists clashing with a brutal collision that shot a wave of pain through me. He drove his knee into my stomach, knocking the breath out of me, and as my grip loosened, he seized the opportunity to wrap an arm around my neck, his claws digging in until he drew blood.

“You fight like a coward,” he growled in my ear, tightening his grip until I could barely draw a breath.

At first, the people surrounding us howled and cheered, their voices rising with each move we made. But as the fight dragged on, their excitement waned—the cheers faltered, the howls faded. Soon, a heavy silence filled the air, settling over them as they began to grasp the sheer brutality of what was unfolding.

With a burst of strength, I ripped free from his hold, shoving him back with my elbow. Dominic staggered, but recovered instantly, launching another attack, which I dodged. His eyes gleamed with a wild predatory glint, turning red as his bones began to crack, muscles contorting as his transformation began. Within seconds, he shifted, his wolf form a hulking mass of anger, his fur dark and bristling with aggression.

His snarl tore through the air, and before I could brace myself, he pounced, his fangs snapping inches away from my throat. I managed to dodge his fangs, but his claws raked across my chest, sending me to the ground as I yelped in pain.

I felt the pull—the instinctive urge of my wolf rising inside of me. Power surged through my veins and my bones began to stretch and reshape until my wolf emerged, standing tall with a fury blazing around me.

I leaped, going in for the attack, and so did he. We crashed onto the ground, our bodies locked in a brutal struggle, each straining against the other’s weight. Dominic dug his claws into my side, reopening the gash I’d barely had time to heal and a fresh wave of pain shot through my nerves. Blood soaked my fur, but despite it, I held my ground, my teeth snapping at his shoulder, forcing him away from me with a power shove. I only had a moment to recuperate as Dominic charged at me again. But this time, I was ready. I ducked low, using his momentum against him, and with a vicious swipe, I sent him sprawling to the ground, his howl of pain cutting through the night.

Dominic hastily scrambled back on all fours, panting heavily. His movements were now growing sloppier with each failed attack. Desperation fueled him, but it only made him reckless. Blood oozed from his wound, his strength fading, yet he refused to relent. He continued to throw all he had at me. But I knew his moves; we’d trained side by side too many times. I was patient, calculated, waiting for that crucial moment of weakness. And when it came, I struck.

I leaped into the air, crashing into him with full force, knocking him off balance. His underbelly and neck were left exposed, and in one ruthless move, I locked my jaw around his neck and tore. Blood trickled down my muzzle, gushing from his neck as Dominic whimpered, thrashing against my hold. But I bit down harder.

With the last of his strength, he jumped away and recoiled, leaving a trail of blood as he backed away, too weak to even stand. I approached him as he retreated. I slashed at his jaw, tearing into his fur and skin. More blood splattered all over the sandy ground. Dominic snarled, managing to parry away my next attack, but the movement barely left him standing, and with a sudden burst, I slammed into him and threw him off his legs. I put my paw around his neck, my claws digging into his already ruptured skin. One wrong move from him and I’d sink into his throat, ending this fight once and for all. He writhed beneath me, the hate in his eyes replaced by fear. I held on, pressing down harder until his breaths became shallow, and his struggles weakened.

I shifted, keeping my weight firmly on him. Seconds later, his battered wolf form rippled, and he shifted into his human body.

With my knee pressed firmly against his chest, I had Dominic right where he would have wanted me. And looking at him, I knew without a doubt that if the situation were reversed, he would slit my throat in seconds, not minutes. The question wasn’t whether he hated me—it was whether his greed had twisted him so far that he’d sacrifice everything, even my life, to claim something that was never his to take.

It was a duel to the death, and Dominic was already broken—spitting out blood, too weak to even lift a finger. One strike, just one of my claws, and I could end it all. But as I looked at him, fragile and defenseless, the memory of the little boy he once was flashed before me. I couldn’t bring myself to kill him.

I shook my head, lifting my knee from his chest. Dominic gasped, blood spilling from his mouth. With a grimace, he spat out, “Coward.”

I had already begun to walk away, but his words stopped me in my tracks. I turned to find him clutching his stomach, wiping the blood from his lips. “Do it, Kaine!” he sneered. “Grow some fucking balls and finish it! I don’t need your pity.”

Dominic’s words sliced through me, sharp and cold, tempting me to give him exactly what he wanted—to put an end to this once and for all. But beneath my anger, there was a deeper pain, an ache rooted in everything we’d once been to each other.

“You think this is pity?” I asked, disbelief turning my voice sharp. “You’re lying there, broken, bleeding, and all you can think about is whether I'll finish you off?” My voice cracked, betraying the anger I was barely holding onto. “How did we end up here, Dom? You were my brother, my family. I would have died for you a thousand times over, but now you’re standing against me like I’m your worst enemy.”

He let out a bitter laugh, blood streaking down his chin. “You think you know me, but you don’t know anything,” he scoffed, practically forcing out each word. “My whole pack was gone. Everyone I’d ever known. And when I came here, all I was—all I am is Kaine Thornfield’s stray cousin, tagging along because he lost his entire pack and family.” He tried to lift himself but faltered, his face pale. “I was nothing.”

“Don’t twist it,” I bit out, my fists trembling as I held back the urge to shake him out of whatever delusion he’d spent years believing. “I was your family—I am your family. The pack welcomed you, accepted you. You didn’t have to prove yourself to anyone, Dominic. What else could you need?”

“I needed to matter!” he yelled, each word laced with a bitterness that seemed to have poisoned his very soul. “I needed to be more than Kaine’s cousin. More than a damn tag along!”

“You always mattered to me, Dominic!”

He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, I saw a flicker of something soft passing over his face. But it was gone too fast, replaced by the same hardened look. “I can’t live another day like this—being in your shadow. If I ever mattered to you, if you ever cared…” he whispered, almost pleading. “You would end this.”

“No,” I muttered, my voice steady. “I can’t.”

Bitterness curled up his lips as he looked away. “Then you’re just a coward, as weak as I always thought.”

“Maybe I am,” I said softly, “but I’d rather live with that than live with the memory of killing you.”

Turning away, I walked to the center of the pack ground. The eyes of the pack were fixed on me, but it wasn’t the mix of fear and skepticism it had been barely an hour ago. It was something else—admiration, respect.

“Our laws have turned us into barbarians,” I shouted, my voice carrying over the tense silence. “Laws that strip away our humanity, that twist our sense of loyalty and family. We’re not just a pack—we’re family. And when one of us falls—captured, tortured, or killed—we leave everything behind and go after them. We fight for each other. Because that’s what it means to belong to a pack. That’s what it means to be family.” I turned toward Dominic, who was still lying on the ground. “And we would do anything for our family,” I finished, breathing heavily.

A heavy silence hung in the air as I scanned the faces of the pack, my heart racing with a mix of anticipation and doubt. Had I done enough? Had I reached them?

Then, a voice broke through the stillness, steady and unwavering. “It’s about time our pack saw change.” Zephyr stepped forward, his eyes meeting mine with a fire I hadn’t expected. “I’m with you, Alpha Kaine.”

A surge of relief flooded through me, and I offered him a quick, appreciative nod. Without hesitation, others began to follow suit, stepping out of the shadows to stand by my side. One by one, they stepped forward, pledging their loyalty. The weight that had been pressing down on me lifted, replaced by a sense of purpose I hadn’t felt in years. They were with me. My pack, my army.

Now, it was time to bring Lyra and my son home.