Chapter 0155
“Are you certain about this?” Sebastian’s whisper is urgent as his fingers wrap around my arm.
I give a sharp nod. “I have to try.”
Without another word, I surge forward, leaving him behind.
Zachary’s voice echoes through the trees. It takes me a moment to spot him perched high in a tree. He’s in full Lycan form. He can speak while shifted?
‘There’s so much we still don’t know,’ Nyx murmurs as I drop into a crouch behind a thick bush.
Isabella screams again. In another tree, a second Lycan dangles her effortlessly. She’s putting up little fight. Blood drips steadily onto the forest floor beneath her.
“GABRIEL! This isn’t a fucking game!” Zachary’s roar shakes the leaves.
Gabriel. Did he just say Gabriel?
‘As in her first mate?’ Nyx sounds intrigued.
‘But he was a Wolf.’
‘Has she ever mentioned that?’ she murmurs.
‘Are you suggesting she knew and kept it secret?’
‘No. Think. You said she told you he rejected her after learning which pack she belonged to. What if someone from Silver Creek warned him to stay away?’
Another scream rips from Isabella. The Rogue Lycan sinks his teeth deep into her waist. He’s killing her right in front of Zachary. I can’t just watch.
I step out from the bushes. “Release her.”
The Rogue pulls his teeth from her flesh to stare at me.
“Let her go!” I command again.
“Gladly.” He drops her.
A blur of movement. Zachary dives from his tree, trying to catch her before she hits the ground.
The Rogue lands directly in front of me. He rises to his full height, towering over my small frame.
“You are the female Alpha.” He snorts derisively. “What makes you so special?”
“Nothing.”
A guttural laugh escapes him. His beady eyes lock onto mine. “You protect Wolves? How noble.”
“You’re Gabriel?” I ask. Strangely, I feel no fear staring death in the face.
“I am.”
“You were mated to her? You were Isabella’s mate?”
“WHAT?!” The shout comes from behind me.
I don’t flinch. If I turn to see what Zachary is doing, it would be a fatal mistake. Alexander had warned me never to look away if I faced one.
“Once upon a time,” the Rogue growls.
“You rejected her.”
“I did. Wolves and Lycans don’t mix.”
He snarls, bloody drool dripping from his jaws. “Though Wolves do taste delicious.” He runs his tongue over his sharp teeth.
“Was it your choice, or were you ordered to reject her?”
“Like I said, wolves and Lycans don’t mix.”
“You won’t touch them.” My gaze doesn’t waver.
He lets out that choked laugh again. “You believe you can stop me?”
“I’ve killed Lycans.” My eyes darken as I hold his stare.
He laughs again, but this time it sounds more skeptical.
“Because you’re some almighty Alpha? That means nothing to Rogues.”
‘Tell him. He hasn’t realized it yet,’ Nyx mutters with glee.
I stare straight into his beady eyes. “I am your Alpha, whether you accept it or not, Gabriel.”
He growls, taking a step back. “I don’t use that name anymore. You will never be my Alpha.”
“You are a product of a Silver Creek Lycan. That makes me your Alpha.”
I hate using that connection, but it’s necessary. Without Nyx, I wouldn’t still be standing.
“You can’t deny it. You feel it. You know I outrank you, whether you want me to or not.”
“I am a Rogue.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
“I will kill you.”
I don’t respond. Zachary moves silently behind him.
He drives his claws deep into Gabriel’s back, tearing through skin and muscle.