Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Layla
The gunshot exploded through the mine, shaking dust from the stone walls. Finn's figure blurred instantly—vampire speed, nothing but a smear of motion.
He released his grip on Kai's throat, dodging aside. The bullet grazed his shoulder, blasting a crater in the wall.
Kai gasped for air, head thrown back, coughing violently as tears streamed down his small face.
I tried to rush forward, but Finn only shifted a few steps, still positioned over Kai. That pale hand hung suspended above Kai's head, ready to strike again at any moment.
He still had control.
I couldn't make a move.
"Dear brother." Finn's voice drifted from the edge of shadow, dripping with slow, deliberate pleasure. He raised his hands, clapping with exaggerated slowness.
"You finally made it." His face twisted into a sickly smile. "I thought you might choose the border instead. Abandon these two."
"After all..."
He tilted his head, those red-glowing eyes finding something behind me.
"You're the Alpha of Silver Moon Pack, aren't you? Pack interests above all else?"
I turned. Kayden stood at the entrance, face expressionless, still in firing stance. He lowered his weapon, ignoring the taunt, and strode to my side. His hand settled on my shoulder. The touch brought warmth, steadying my trembling body.
"You okay?" he asked quietly, scanning my injuries.
Like a puppet stripped of its soul, I nodded mechanically, eyes still locked on Kai's crumpled form.
"Kai almost—"
"I know." Kayden's grip tightened, lending me strength. "But I'm here now."
He turned to look at Kai, pain flashing through those golden eyes. The bruises circling Kai's neck stood out, vivid and horrifying.
"Trust me, Layla." Kayden rose, placing himself between us and Finn. "He won't hurt you anymore."
I drew a deep breath. My anxious, racing heart finally began to settle.
Right. Kayden was here. He wouldn't let Finn touch us again.
I trusted him.
Kayden faced Finn, gun held steady. The warriors who'd followed him in spread out in a fan formation, weapons raised, blocking every exit.
"Why do this?" Kayden's voice remained calm, as if the person before him wasn't his half-brother at all.
Finn spread his hands, shrugging carelessly.
"Why?" He began to pace slowly, each step deliberate, splashing through puddles on the ground. "You really don't know?"
"Or..."
He stopped, those blood-red eyes boring into Kayden.
"You never bothered to think about it?"
Kayden didn't respond. Just waited.
"I'm the Alpha's son." Finn's voice began to rise. "Same as you. The same blood flows through us!"
"But you were born with everything—"
"Father's love, the pack's respect, the Alpha inheritance..."
"And me?"
His voice went sharp.
"I'm the bastard! The disgrace! The forbidden thing no one dares mention!"
"My mother was driven from the pack, died in the wilderness."
"I grew up being bullied, spat upon, treated like..."
His finger jabbed toward himself.
"Like a mistake that should never have existed."
His voice echoed through the mine, mingling with labored breathing.
"So you orchestrated this." Something complicated flickered in Kayden's gaze.
"Yes!" Finn burst into laughter. "Don't you think the plan is brilliant?!"
He threw his arms wide, as if embracing some invisible glory.
"Seven years! Seven years of meticulous planning!"
"Feigned death, framing her, escape..."
"Then allying with vampires, gaining power, building my forces..."
His eyes blazed unnaturally, pupils dilated, lost in some mad recollection.
"I had Drake approach that pitiful hybrid orphan girl. Sent her the wedding invitation."
"You should've seen her face then."
Finn turned to me, cruel amusement curling his lips.
"Layla thought the groom was you, didn't she?"
"Thought she'd finally be with the one she loved, even started fantasizing about married life?"
I clenched my jaw, nails digging into my palms.
He was right. I had believed exactly that. I'd prepared the bouquet, tried on the dress, and walked straight into crushing disappointment.
"She opened that door and saw me instead." Finn continued, voice dripping with mockery. "That look of disappointment, the way she wanted to run..."
"Truly delightful."
"Then the feigned death." Kayden cut through his reminiscing, probing deeper for the truth. "You used vampire secret arts."
"Smart." Finn nodded appreciatively. "I'd taken vampire blood beforehand. It puts the body into deep hibernation."
"Stopped heartbeat, lowered temperature, dilated pupils... all the signs of death present."
His smile grew more smug.
"And the crucial part—I'd planted the silver poison in Layla's room ahead of time, coated her handkerchief with toxin, made sure the guards saw her 'fleeing in guilt'..."
"Every piece of evidence pointed perfectly at her."
"Drake pushed the investigation according to plan, the elders were convinced..."
He looked at Kayden, excitement flashing in his eyes, gesturing animatedly.
"Then came the most spectacular part."
"You—Kayden Blackwood—actually rejected your fated mate publicly."
"Called her a 'mistake,' said Silver Moon Pack's Luna could never be her..."
He shook his head as if admiring a work of art.
"Do you know how thrilled I was, lying there listening to all that?"
"I thought I'd have to work harder to drive a wedge between you. But you pushed her away yourself."
"Watching her question you, watching her weep, watching her..."
Finn's smile twisted into something grotesque and deeply satisfied.
"Watching her jump off that cliff. That moment, Kayden, the look on your face..."
He closed his eyes, as if savoring the memory.
"Absolutely exquisite."
Kayden's eyes had turned completely gold. I could feel every muscle in his body trembling.
He was losing control.
I found a thread of rationality and gripped his arm.
"Kayden." My voice came soft. "Don't listen to him."
Kayden looked at me, struggle visible in those golden eyes.
"Don't let him win." I continued, tightening my hold. "He's trying to provoke you."
Kayden drew a deep breath. The gold in his eyes faded slightly.
"After feigning death, where did you go?" Kayden turned back to Finn, piecing together the puzzle.
"The abandoned mining district," Finn answered generously. "This used to be Silver Moon Pack's iron mine, abandoned fifty years ago. No one comes to a place like this—except vampires."
He opened his mouth, fangs gleaming cold in the firelight.
"I gained their power. I wasn't a pure wolf anymore anyway, was I?"
"Mother was cursed, father was a traitor... with bloodline this filthy, might as well fall completely."
"Then you built your forces." Kayden's brow furrowed at the mention of "father," his words quickening. "The attacks on Silver Moon Pack these past seven years—all you."
"Bingo!" Finn snapped his fingers. "Those rogue wolves were all recruited by me. I gave them money, training, reasons to pledge loyalty."
"Want to know the most interesting part, Kayden?"
He paced slowly, each step heavy, echoing through the cavernous mine.
"I was hiding in the shadows, using Victoria's intel, watching every moment of your suffering."
"That feeling..."
He inhaled deeply, eyes closing as if savoring something delicious.
"Sweeter than any revenge."
"Is it enough?" Kayden's gaze went ice-cold. "Your revenge—is it enough yet?"
"Enough?" Finn's eyes snapped open, madness flashing through them. "Never enough!"
"As long as you live, as long as Silver Moon Pack exists, as long as the Blackwood name remains..."
"My revenge will never end!"
"What about Victoria?" I suddenly spoke up.
Finn's smile froze momentarily.
"What?"
"Victoria." I held his gaze, noting every micro-expression. "She did so much for you."
"Played the inside agent, fed you intelligence, even poisoned herself to death in the end..."
"What was she to you?"
Finn's complexion changed. Unnatural color flushed his pale skin, the red light in his eyes flickering erratically, like a bulb with a bad connection.
"Victoria..." His voice wavered. "That... that fool..."
"She loved you," I said.
"Shut up!" Finn suddenly shrieked, the sound exploding through the mine. "I didn't need her love!"
"She was just a useless idiot! I told her to stay out of it! Just provide intel!"
"But she insisted..."
His voice climbed even higher.
"Insisted on acting on her own! Insisted on taking the fall for me!"
"Now look—dead! Completely useless!"
He was angry, but that anger wasn't just about disrupted plans. There was something else beneath it.
"She died to protect you." I pressed on, adding fuel to the fire, tracking his emotional shifts closely.
"Protect me?" Finn laughed coldly. "I needed her protection? What I needed was obedience! For her to listen!"
"Not her self-righteous..."
His voice suddenly caught, pausing for several seconds.
"Forget it." Finn looked down at Kai, cruel smile returning to his lips. "Chat time's over. Let's deal with you instead."
"Kayden Blackwood, watch your mate and child..."
"Die right before your eyes."
His hand reached for Kai again, that pale hand with its long, sharp nails like beast claws, trembling with an unusual intensity.
I lunged forward, my body beginning to shift mid-air.