Chapter 8
While Alpha Zayron and a few other Alphas continued their discussion, the Shadow Caster suddenly pushed open the window and jumped out. She landed lightly on the ground and sprinted toward the woods.
She didn't know two Alphas had already been stationed in the forest, waiting for her arrival.
Meanwhile, Samira had her own plans that night. She had arranged to meet an Alpha from the Ashokan region, the same one who had helped her and Cedric plot against Alpha Zayron.
They sat in a secluded corner, speaking in hushed voices. But Samira kept glancing over her shoulder, making sure no other Alphas had noticed her.
Back in the woods, the two wolves hiding among the trees heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching.
One of them, a large black wolf, didn’t hesitate. He leaped from the shadows and lunged at the Shadow Caster.
“If you kill me, your Alpha will never be normal again,” the Shadow Caster said, stepping backward cautiously.
“Remember, when someone is possessed by a Shadow Caster, you only have a few hours to set them free. If not, they will remain that way forever.”
The wolf advancing toward her let out a low, menacing growl. He spoke, but his words came out as a deep, resonant howl. The Shadow Caster understood him perfectly.
Before she could scream, the wolf’s powerful jaws clamped down on her neck. A choked gasp escaped her lips, but she had no time to fight back.
With a swift, brutal motion, the Alpha ripped her apart, blood splattering onto the forest floor.
The moment Samira saw what happened, her eyes widened in horror. Without thinking twice, she turned and ran. The wolves saw her and immediately ran after her.
One of them, a grey wolf, caught up to Samira and tackled her to the ground. But as he pinned her down, something made him pause. She didn’t struggle. She didn’t even try to shift into her wolf form.
His instincts told him something was off. A wolf facing death would fight back. So why wasn’t she shifting?
Instead of killing her right away, he stepped back slightly, his sharp eyes studying her closely. He let out a low growl, his tongue flicking out as he considered his next move.
Meanwhile, the other Alpha kept running after the Ashokan Alpha. The Alpha stopped and shifted into his wolf form, ready to fight.
The two wolves clashed in a brutal battle. Teeth tore into flesh and claws slashed through fur.
But in the end, the Ashokan wolf let out a strangled whimper. His body trembled before he collapsed, lifeless, onto the ground.
Alpha Zayron, who was talking with some Alphas, felt a sudden chill run down his spine. Something was wrong.
His instincts screamed at him to move. Without hesitation, he rushed to the toilet, but the Shadow Caster was no longer there.
The moment his eyes landed on the open window, his breath caught. He figured out she had jumped out through the window. Perhaps to go after Samira.
Alpha Zayron didn't waste a second. He turned sharply and ran, following the scent into the woods.
His feet barely touched the ground as he sped through the thick trees, the cold night air biting against his skin. Then he stopped. His world seemed to shatter before him.
Lying on the forest floor was the Shadow Caster, lifeless, blood pooling around her still body. For a moment, Zayron couldn’t breathe.
A deep, shattering howl tore from his throat, echoing through the dark sky. He fell to his knees, his hands trembling as he reached for the body.
Everything around him faded into silence. It felt like the entire universe had turned its back on him. He thought his Kayla and his unborn pup had gone.
Zayron closed his eyes, tilting his head toward the heavens. His heart clenched painfully, questioning the Moon Goddess. Why had she allowed this to happen? Why had she let such an injustice unfold?
Tears rolled down his face. He hadn’t cried in years, not since he became Alpha. But now, nothing could stop the agony that crushed his soul.
For five long minutes, Zayron remained still, holding the lifeless form, his hands soaked in blood.
Then, something shifted within him. Slowly, he placed the Shadow Caster’s head back onto the ground and rose to his feet.
His eyes burned, glowing like molten magma. The pain in his heart turned into something darker, something more dangerous.
“Who killed my mate?” Zayron roared, and his voice echoed through the forest.
A nearby Alpha, having shifted back into his human form, pointed to a corpse lying a few feet away.
“He killed her. An Ashokan Alpha killed her. But Alpha Paul killed him before he could escape.”
Zayron barely heard the words. His vision blurred with rage as he looked at the dead wolf.
“The Ashokan wolves killed your mate, Alpha,” the man continued, stepping closer. He placed a hand on Zayron’s shoulder. “We must wipe them out. You must avenge her death.”
Zayron’s chest rose and fell in uneven breaths. His fingers curled into fists. Every fiber of his being screamed for vengeance.
Then his eyes locked onto Samira, who had been standing in the shadows, her face pale with fear. Zayron took slow, deliberate steps toward her.
Samira had never seen such an expression on Alpha Zayron’s face before.
Terrified, she turned to run, but before she could take a step, she slammed into Alpha Paul, who had positioned himself behind her.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her forward, straight into Zayron’s path.
“This happened because of you, Samira,” he snarled. “You came here to perform your nonsense ritual. If you hadn’t, my mate would still be alive.”
Samira shook her head frantically.
“Alpha Zayron, please! The dead girl is not your mate! She is a Shadow Caster!” Samira blurted out.
Alpha Zayron slapped her face so hard that she staggered backward, clutching her cheek.
“You caused this, Samira!” His voice was thunderous.
Samira dropped to her knees, hands trembling as she reached out toward him.
“Zayron, please. I didn’t mean for this to happen! I…”
But Zayron wasn’t listening. He slapped her again, and this time, something strange happened. His fingers caught onto something on her face. A thin layer of skin shifted unnaturally beneath his grip.
Zayron narrowed his eyes. He moved closer and noticed she was wearing something. With one sharp pull, he ripped the mask away.
A collective gasp echoed through the trees as the disguise peeled away, revealing the face underneath.
Zayron’s eyes widened, then darkened with realization.
“So it was you, Isla,” he whispered, his voice thick with fury.
Samira was no more. The woman kneeling before him was Isla.
“Dessa is right. She saw you that night!” Alpha Zayron roared.
Isla pressed her hands to her face, breathing heavily. She knew there was no more running, no more hiding.
“Yes,” she admitted in a broken whisper. “It’s me. I tried to make her look like a lunatic so you wouldn't take her to the Decennial meeting.”
“What is your plan?” Zayron asked.
Isla shifted back uncomfortably.
Zayron took a step closer, his presence suffocating.
“You better start talking before I rip you apart.”
Isla swallowed hard, her lips trembling as she began to talk.
“I had no choice,” she stammered.
“Cedric made me do it! He forced me to help him steal Kayla’s blood. He wanted to activate a Shadow Caster who would destroy you.”
“I never wanted to hurt you, Zayron! I swear! I just wanted to survive. Cedric told me if I didn’t help, he would kill me. I had no other option.”
Zayron scoffed.
“You always had a choice, Isla. And you chose wrong.”
Isla’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“Zayron, please. I don’t want to die.”
Zayron’s expression didn’t waver.
“You should have thought about that before you helped kill my mate.”
Isla let out a choked sob.
“It wasn’t me! I didn’t kill her! She is not Kayla!”
“Maybe not, Isla, but you set everything in motion,” Zayron said.
He reached forward, wrapping his fingers around her throat. Isla gasped, clawing at his grip, but he didn’t loosen his hold.
“You played with the lives of my mate,” Zayron whispered, his voice filled with venom. “You tried to take what wasn’t yours. You betrayed me.”
He tightened his grip as he continued talking.
“You don’t deserve to live, Isla. Your story ends here,” Zayron whispered into her ear.
With one swift motion, he ripped her apart. Isla didn’t even have time to scream.
Her body collapsed onto the cold ground, blood pooling beneath her.
Zayron stood over her lifeless form, his hands covered in blood. His chest rose and fell heavily, his anger not yet settled.
He stared down at the Shadow Caster’s corpse, an emptiness spreading through him. His mate was still gone, he thought. And no amount of vengeance would ever bring her back.
“Do you think he will still recognize his pregnant mate as his own when he sees her?” one of the Alphas watching the scene unfold asked.
“That, I can't say,” another Alpha replied.