Page 57 of Brutal Alpha's Sold Mate
I stand there with my limbs shaking. Part of me screams to just let him walk out, preserve my pride. Another part can’t bear to let him leave without speaking my heart. That second part wins. I rush forward and snatch his wrist. “Theo, wait.”
He turns, expression guarded but not hostile. “What?”
I swallow, struggling for words. “Please. Don’t do this. Don’t fight them. At least not the way you’re planning. I can’t stand by knowing you might end up dead, or that you might kill them and lose your soul in the process.”
He studies me, his eyes roaming over my face. “You really think that’s my fate? That I’ll become some twisted monster once I cross that line?”
“You might. War changes people, especially when it’s against family.”
He sets the bag down again, gently this time. “Kai, do you think I want this? I don’t. But it’s the only path I see to protect my pack. Reed and Jacob, they’re not going to lie down and let me unify us all. They see me as a threat, and they’ll come for me. So, I go first.”
Tears blur my vision. “You can’t fix everything by beating them into submission.”
He lifts a hand, brushing a tear off my cheek with surprising tenderness. “I know. I wish I had another option. But maybe I do. If you come with me.”
My heart wrenches. “I told you I can’t. Not if it means standing by while you fight.”
He exhales as his eyes drop to the floor, then dart back to me. “Then do you want to hear the truth? I need you for more than that. I want you in my life, not just my battles. I love you.”
My breath catches. My wolf practically howls with relief and longing. “Don’t say that if you don’t mean it.”
“I mean it,” he insists. “Everything changed when you came into my territory. I realized I don’t just want a mate to cement my claim. I want you—your fire, your stubbornness, your big heart. If all I cared about was conquering, I’d have used theauthority those slavers granted me to force you to stand with me as a political prop. But I didn’t, because that’s not what I want.”
My tears spill over. I hate crying in front of him, but I can’t help it. “Theo…”
He gently cups my face. “Come with me. We’ll figure out how to handle Reed and Jacob without a bloodbath, if that’s possible. If it’s not, I still need you to keep me from losing myself in the process. I love you enough to try for your sake.”
I close my eyes. My heart is pounding so loudly, I can barely think. This is everything I’d hoped he might say. Yet, the idea of returning to Black Cauldron still feels like stepping into a battlefield. My family, my alpha—they won’t help us. I’m on my own. And if I follow him, I might watch him do exactly what I begged him not to do. Could I live with that?
Before I can speak, a frantic yell echoes from outside. “Demon! There’s a demon in East Hills!”
Theo’s head snaps up, and my blood runs cold. A demon here? I thought we were safe. This changes everything. My wolf surges to the forefront, ready for action, momentarily forgetting heartbreak and confessions.
I dart for the door with Theo at my heels. The last words we spoke swirl in my mind, unresolved but overshadowed by a threat that demands our immediate attention. My pulse kicks into high gear, and as we race outside together, I know that whatever choice I make about following him will have to wait until we deal with the more urgent crisis tearing through my home.
Chapter 22 - Theo
I’m not prepared for the sight that greets me when I sprint past the last row of East Hills houses. A beast, easily twice the size of my wolf form, stands on its hind legs with shiny black scales. Horns as long as my forearms curve from its head, and viscous drool drips from its mouth, hissing wherever it lands.
This is no natural creature. Something about its sulfurous stench makes my stomach roil. I skid to a halt and check the surroundings for any sign of pack members. A few East Hills wolves keep their distance, looking more frightened than I’d expect from a pack that has supposedly dealt with this threat before.
This is my first time seeing a demon in the flesh. It’s worse than the stories. When the monster snaps its jaws, I catch a glimpse of razor-like teeth, each coated in slimy fluid. One drop of that stuff could probably kill me if it found an open wound.
In the blink of an eye, I’m in my wolf form. This may not be my pack’s land, but I’ll be damned if I stand by while a demon rampages. I glance to my left and spot Kai rushing forward. Her eyes lock on mine, and I see the same mix of dread and determination that probably shows in my own. She’s told me about demons, but actually facing one is another matter.
I dig my claws into the earth, trying to calm the buzz in my head that compares this savage brute to my feud with Reed and Jacob. It’s an ugly parallel, and I’m not sure I like the implication that my thirst for victory resembles this monster’s thirst for carnage.
The demon roars and lumbers forward on massive legs. Its scales flex with each breath, reflecting dull glints of sunlight.If it notices me, it doesn’t show any fear. Why would it? My wolf is big, but this creature dwarfs me by a sizable margin.
I bare my teeth, ignoring the wave of unease that washes over me. A female wolf sidles up beside me, her gray fur standing on end. It isn’t until I see her eyes, brown with a rim of gold, that I realize it’s Kai. It’s the first time I’ve seen her wolf, and by God, is she glorious.
We don’t speak, but I know what she’s thinking: we have to stop it, or it’ll devour someone. I let out a short growl, and she tenses, ready.
The demon lunges surprisingly fast for its bulky build. I leap to the side, but I’m a fraction too slow. One horn grazes my shoulder, sending me spinning. Pain flares, but I manage to keep my footing. Kai tries to circle behind, aiming for the demon’s flank. It pivots, and its black tail swings. The heavy tail cracks into her ribs, knocking her down. Rage flares in my chest. I push off with my hind legs, lunging for the creature’s scaly torso, snapping my jaws at a vulnerable seam near its ribs. My teeth scrape slick armor, not puncturing the scale. The demon snarls, then snaps its massive jaws at my muzzle. I recoil just in time to avoid a lethal injection of drool.
Kai regains her footing. She darts under the demon’s tail, lunges upward, and aims her fangs at its underbelly. The monster jerks aside with near-human agility, spitting out more of that vile fluid.
For an instant, my mind races back to how unstoppable I feel when I think about conquering my family’s territories. Now I get a horrifying sense that I’m no different from a demon if all I want is to crush anyone in my path. The thought unsettles me, but this is no time for reflection.
