Page 47 of Brutal Alpha's Sold Mate
He steps closer, close enough for me to see something tortured behind his eyes. “Kai, I need you to trust me. This is for the good of everyone.”
I force myself to keep my voice steady. “I trust you enough to know you believe that. But that doesn’t make it true.”
He flinches at the doubt in my tone, then masks it with a stubborn set to his stance. “If you don’t want to watch, then don’t. But I’m doing this.”
My wolf snarls internally, torn between wanting to protect him and wanting to shake him until he sees reason. “Fine,” I say. “Do whatever you want. Just don’t expect me to clap when you drag yourself home half-dead.”
His expression twists, but he says nothing. I turn on my heel and storm back to the training area, my heart pounding with anger and dread. He must sense my turmoil because he doesn’t follow.
***
The next few days are a waking nightmare. I can see the intensity building in Theo’s eyes each time we cross paths. He’s holed up in the cabin for hours, poring over maps, sending watchers on scouting missions, probably planning how to corner Jacob. I knock on his office door more than once, trying to talk sense into him, but each conversation spirals into the same circular logic: he must do it. No alternative. The pack’s future demands it.
My wolf howls inside me. This is the same man who apologized to Reed, who took me to town, and acted like we could have a normal life. Now he’s consumed by the need to dominate his siblings, no matter the cost.
Watching him unravel is killing me. Every day, he returns from clandestine meetings with watchers, and I see new excitement in his eyes, new fervor. If I didn’t care so much, maybe I’d let him crash and burn. But I can’t. He’s the man who quietly showed me kindness when I was battered and lost. Theone who shared a bed with me, who listened to my nightmares and never judged.
I realize with a jolt that I’m falling for him, and deeper than I ever intended. It makes my chest ache because I know what’s coming: a war. A confrontation that could leave him dead.
I try one last time to reason with him. Late one evening, I slip into his office, where he’s bent over a table covered in scribbled notes. “Theo, you need rest,” I say.
He doesn’t even glance up. “I’m fine.”
“Tearing yourself apart with planning isn’t going to make you better prepared.”
He stabs a finger at a piece of paper. “I have to figure out how to corner Jacob’s main camp. Reed might help, but I can’t trust him fully. I need contingencies.”
“Contingencies,” I echo, sinking into a chair. “What about the watchers who don’t want to fight in a personal vendetta? Have you considered their morale?”
He shakes his head. “It’s not a vendetta. It’s a step to unify the pack. They’ll do what I say because they trust I’m leading them right. Or they will, once I prove I can finish off my brothers.”
“Finish off? You’re talking about actual killing?”
His silence speaks volumes.
“That’s barbaric! You can’t just kill your way to peace.”
He finally looks at me, and I note the exhaustion etched into every line of his face. “I wish there was another way.”
My anger wavers, replaced by a surge of heartbreak. “Then find one,” I plead. “I’ll help you, but not like this. I don’t want to see you turn into a monster, Theo.”
He lifts a shoulder. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take. Reed and Jacob won’t yield unless forced.”
“Then force them politically,” I argue. “Use alliances, talk to allied packs. People respect you, you know that. Why go straight to bloodshed?”
He closes his eyes. “Because it’s the only language they understand. Especially Reed.”
I bite back a curse. He’s too far gone. He genuinely believes this is his only path to victory, to peace.
The realization hits me like a lead weight. I can’t stop him. Not alone.
I leave him there, my hands shaking with leftover fury and sorrow. I cross the cabin, slip outside, and lean against the wall, breathing fast. My wolf paces within me, distressed. If I stay and watch him do this, I might lose everything—him, the pack, my sanity.
That’s when a spark of an idea flares: Quincey, my brother, and East Hills’ beta. I’m certain he’d help if he knew how close Theo is to sparking an all-out war. If anyone can talk sense into Theo or at least help me stop him from going too far, it might be Quincey.
But leaving… the thought makes me ache all over. I’ve grown attached to these novices who look at me like a mentor, to the routine of daily training, and the sense of belonging I’ve somehow found here. And, of course, to Theo.
Except if I remain, I might just watch him march straight to his death.
