Forbidden Alpha - Chapter 171

Shane

One second I’d been ending his life and the next, my mom’s scent filled my nostril, the metallic taste of blood on my tongue. Blood splashed along the wood floors and stained the walls. It stained the couch. It was done but what was this feeling? I dropped my gaze but Maximus closed his eyes, blocking the view from me.

I didn’t need to see to know, it didn’t block out the feel of her small body. It didn’t stifle my mother’s scent as it blended with the metallic taste of blood. As realization dawned on me, I choked. I didn’t see her get closer, I didn’t see her move at all. At the last minute, she’d pushed him out of the way and thrown herself in the way.

How had I not seen her? How did I miss her? I had lunged at my father, he’d been busy focused on his arm. I remember he’d looked at her to tell her to stay back. Had she stayed still? She had to have ignored him. My mother jumped in the way, she took the blow that was meant for him, it should have been him. Before I knew what was happening, my wolf clamped down on her. It was too late.

Liquid splattered and it didn’t matter how hard Maximus tried, he couldn’t block the taste of her blood from my tongue. She’d known when I tore his arm off, that this would only end with my father’s death or my own. My mother’s body fell limp and my father’s howl of agony filled the room. The loss of his mate tearing his heart in half and ripping part of his soul from existence.

My father shifted back into his human form, he tore his eyes from my mother, his eyes glossed over. He lunged at me despite only having one, the other lay on the floor. He moved without hesitation but the anguish from the loss of his mate was clearly etched on his face. I wanted to mourn her but that would happen later.

This wasn’t what I wanted, I didn’t want this to happen, it wasn’t my intention to kill her. They had banished me from my home, stripped me of my title, and thrown me away. I was torn from everything and everyone I knew. This pack was rightfully mine, this home was where I belonged. I never thought the day would come when I would have to take what was mine and what I deserved by force.

Maximus loosened his jaw, the sound of her body slumped to the floor, and we roared. I flew over my mother, I lunged towards my father, and I cursed the Moon Goddess. She’d paved the path for me tonight, she’d forced my hand, while she sat up there and watched. I wasted years of my life trying to do things my father’s way but I should have known better. Maybe if I’d fought back earlier, things wouldn’t have turned out this way. There was only ever my way.

The loss of my mother tore into my chest, tunneled deep, and made a permanent mark.

How was I going to explain to Mavy what I’d done?

How would I explain what had happened?

I crunched down on my father’s head, I yanked and the sound of flesh and bone tearing met my ears. I tossed his head to the floor and it rolled before stopping by my mother’s body.

~~~

The silence in the room was louder than the sound of my heart beating. I was pulled to the present as a man came running into the living room and stopped when his eyes dropped.

He was covered head to toe in blood, I barely recognized him, Liam.

“I found her,” he breathed. He held his arm flush to his body and he bowed his head. I roared for the second time since I’d stepped through the front door. My claws sank into flesh as I shifted back into my human form. I demanded one of the pack slaves to bring me shorts and within minutes I had shorts on.

Liam rushed outside and I followed his lead. My father’s pack had been caught unaware, his warriors weren’t ready for us. When I rushed their border with my men, no one saw or heard us. A burst of adrenaline filled my veins as we rushed over the land I called home. No one knew of us until we made it to the packhouse and by then it was too late.

Everyone had been sleeping in their beds, Liam had attacked the Deltas and the Gamma first. I trusted Devin to take out my father’s Beta. If he wanted that position, he would have to challenge him for it.

One of the rogues I’d asked to join my team held my baby sister by the neck. He was skinny, had black hair, and stared at my sister with a look I didn’t like. She scratched at her neck, clawed at his fingers but he held her tight. I took off into a run and her eyes widened when she saw me. I took in her shocked expression as it blended into confusion and fear. As I got closer, her expression was one of understanding.

“Release her,” I ordered.

He hesitated and that’s all it took for me to separate his head from his neck. Blood spurted out like a firework fountain going off. I blocked my sister from the sight as he dropped to his knees and fell to the side. She’d gotten thinner since I’d last seen her, dark bags were under her eyes, she’d chopped her hair short.

“Shane,” Mavy whispered. I pulled her up into a bear hug and held her tight. Tonight, I claimed my birthright, my pack, and took back my family. It had taken me too long to come home but the title of Alpha was officially mine.. Half Moon pack was mine.