Let Me Go, Alpha

"Theia, you don't have to lie just to hide Eris. We just wanted to understand why she tried to kill me. You know that wolfsbane is dangerous for us, but you still let her do that," Victoria said softly, but her words grated at my ears.

“How dare you!” My whole body shook with the force of my fury as I glared at Victoria, her venomous accusations still ringing in my ears. She stood there, smug, her eyes gleaming with malice as if she had every right to speak about Eris like that.

“I won’t let you smear her name!” I screamed, my vision blurring with tears of rage. “Eris didn’t try to kill you! She wouldn’t—she’s dead because of you!”

Without thinking, I lunged at her, my claws unsheathing as my anger took over. The only thing I wanted at that moment was to tear her apart, to see her face as twisted and broken as mine felt inside. If it weren’t for Victoria, Eris would still be alive.

Victoria didn’t even flinch as I came at her, but before I could reach her, Dinlas moved between us, his aura crashing down on me like a tidal wave.

“Stay still,” he commanded, his voice heavy with authority.

My body froze instantly, the weight of his Alpha aura crushing me. It was as if I were being suffocated, my limbs locked in place, my muscles straining against the invisible chains holding me down. I fought it—gods, I fought so hard—but the more I struggled, the more the pain grew. It felt like my bones were being ground into dust, every nerve in my body screaming in protest. I could barely breathe, let alone fight.

"You're prepared, aren't you? You even made this fake urn to fool me," Dinlas spat. Only then did I realize I was still holding the glass jar—the urn that held what little remained of Eris.

Before I could react, Dinlas reached out and snatched the jar from me. “Give me that.”

“No!” I cried, panic flooding my chest. I tried to hold on, but he was stronger. The urn slipped from my grasp as he yanked it from my hand, and I watched in horror as he hurled it across the room.

It shattered against the wall with a deafening crash, glass shards raining down in a cascade of destruction. Eris’ ashes were scattered across the floor like dust in the wind.

“No!” I screamed, the agony of it tearing through me. “How could you—how could you?”

"Still lying? Since you like ruining faces, I'll ruin yours!"

Before I could process the heartbreak, Dinlas grabbed me by the back of my neck and slammed me to the ground. My face hit the cold stone floor, and I felt the sharp sting as the glass shards from the shattered urn pierced my skin. Pain radiated through my body, but it was nothing compared to the anguish I felt watching the remains of my daughter being desecrated right in front of me.

Dinlas pressed his hand into the back of my head, forcing my face further into the shards. My cheek burned as the glass cut into my skin, the metallic scent of blood mixing with the scent of ash.

“Where are you hiding her?” Dinlas growled, his voice low and dangerous. “Where is Eris?”

I choked on a sob, my entire body trembling with pain and rage. “She’s dead, Dinlas!” I screamed through gritted teeth, my voice muffled by the floor.

“Enough!” His voice boomed in the room, silencing me with its force. His grip tightened on my neck, and I could feel his anger like a storm crashing down on me.

“I won’t ask again,” he said, his voice a deadly whisper. “Where. Is. She?”

He thought I was hiding Eris? He thought I was lying to him, protecting her? The absurdity of it burned in my chest, mixing with the grief and the rage until I could hardly think straight.

"You want a divorce? Fine then, but you’ll never see Eris again."

Upon saying that, he stood up and called his beta through the pack link. "Prepare the divorce paper, and look for Eris. Leave no stone unturned."

He listened for a moment, then his expression shifted slightly as the voice on the other end hesitated.

"Alpha Dinlas... Eris... Eris is dead. The night you sent her to Northhill Mountain, she was attacked by a group of rogues, and her body was mangled, so we had no choice but to cremate her. Today was supposed to be her burial..."

As soon as his words fell, Dinlas froze, seemingly unwilling to believe his trusted aid.