Triple Alpha's Threat

(GN) Ch. 86 - Losing Control

Drake POV

"I'm so tired, Drake. I feel like I have no control over anything anymore. Athena almost killed her. She deserves death, but I can't live with that," Kiera's voice trembled with exhaustion and anguish. Her soft, naked body molded to mine as she sat between my legs, and I held her to offer some kind of comfort.

"It's not what you think, Kiera. Come back home with me and let my brothers and I explain," I pleaded, hoping to convince her to return.

She pulled back to meet my gaze. "Not what I think? I know my sister, and I know she wants me dead. She was behind it all!" Her eyes filled with tears as she spoke.

"Your sister? Elizabeth, is your sister? That's impossible," I exclaimed, stunned by the revelation.

"Not Elizabeth, Katherine," she clarified, her tone dripping with exasperation. She rested her head back on my chest and sighed.

I didn't understand what happened and confessed, "I'm confused."

Kiera let out a light giggle, and the sound warmed my heart. Wrapping my arms around her, I ran my hands up and down her body, hoping to warm her faster. Her skin no longer had the purple hues of the ice water she nearly drowned in.

"My life is complicated and shitty," Kiera sighed, her voice heavy with emotion as she let out tiny sobs, trying to regain her composure.

"I'm sorry, Kiera. I don't want to see you crying like this. Please tell me what you need. I'll do anything."

"I think that's the problem. I don't know what I need. Maybe a do-over," she mused.

"What do you mean?"

"A do-over, like, in life. Just go back to the beginning and start over," she explained.

"I would like one of those too," I admitted with a half-chuckle, the idea of rewinding time seeming incredibly appealing.

Kiera nestled into my chest, and I adjusted to make us comfortable. I knew she needed this: a moment of peace and a genuine connection. And I was loving it too. She felt perfect here, her skin against mine as if we were one soul.

"If my parents hadn't abandoned me, my life would be so different. I wouldn't have ever met Katherine or Jackson."

"It would be different, but you would have ended up here one way or another," I replied, my head resting against hers, relishing the warmth her body now emanated.

"Why is that?" she inquired, and I closed my eyes in shame. I knew I had to tell her the truth, but it didn't feel right without my brother's present. Besides, she might actually kill me when she finds out.

"I don't know, just destiny, I guess," I offered weakly.

"I hate destiny," she spat out vehemently.

I couldn't help but laugh at her somewhat childish demeanor. Despite being a fierce woman, she could still curl up like a baby in my lap and whine about how unfair life is. I truly loved every part of her.

Taking a deep breath, I nearly drowned in her amazing scent. As much as I wanted to deny it, I knew I loved her, but I also realized my need for her far exceeded her need for me.

"What happened with your parents?" I asked gently, my heart aching for her.

"I don't know. I just remember being in the woods, close to the Nightmare Pack's territory. I was terrified, like I had just seen something horrific, but I can't recall a single memory before that," Kiera confessed, her voice tinged with sadness and confusion.

"Jackson and his parents were hunting when they came across me. They seemed so kind. I went with them, and I thought they would always take care of me. It never crossed my mind that Jackson could hurt me. Even Katherine, who was so mean to me, told me constantly how she wished rogue wolves had eaten me that day. I didn't see her true evil. I just thought she was in pain from losing our parents and a bratty teenager. I never thought she could do all she did to me."