Shifters - The King of Wolves - Book 1

CHAPTER 58 - THE BENDING KING

Pain seared through my arm as Akuma yanked me away from the shattered window, his grip was like an iron shackle biting into my skin. I bit down on my lip, swallowing down the cry of pain that threatened to escape. I wouldn't give him that satisfaction again.

Akuma chuckled, the sound bouncing off the cold stone walls. "Our little performance had quite the effect, don't you think?" he questioned, finally releasing my aching arm. I pulled it close, pressing my trembling fingers to the throbbing parts. "Your mate shifted despite the poison meant to suppress his beast. Fascinating. Absolutely magnificent."

"Why are you doing this?" I snapped as I glared at him. "Look at the destruction you've caused. Look at how many lives you've taken! For what?"

Akuma turned to me, amusement flickering in his cold, inhuman eyes. "Are you trying to appeal to my conscience, little human?"

He chuckled once more. "Adorable. But I'm afraid your efforts are wasted. I'll do whatever it takes to achieve my goal. Nothing is too great a sacrifice."

A thunderous roar echoed in the distance, no doubt belonging to Egon.

Akuma tilted his head, listening. "I sent a good number of rogues to slow him down, but it seems your mate is far angrier than I anticipated." He sighed dramatically. "He's cutting through them like weeds in his path. It's a disappointment."

Akuma turned back to me and added with a nonchalant shrug, "I'm afraid we have to speed things up a little. It's nothing personal."

I barely had time to process his words before he moved. One moment he stood before me, the next he was behind my unmoving father, who was still bound under his control.

My blood turned to ice, and a strangled cry tore from my throat as I realised what he was about to do. "No—!"

A sickening crack echoed through the chamber, and my father collapsed to the floor like a discarded puppet.

A scream ripped through me as I lunged forward, my knees hitting the cold stone as I reached for him. "No, no, no—Father, please!" My hands trembled as I turned him over, cradling his head in my lap. I shook him desperately, my tears splattering onto his face as I begged. "Please, open your eyes! Papa, please!"

But there was no response, no sign of life. Another furious roar echoed through the castle, but it barely registered as my mind struggled to grasp the reality before me.

Grief clawed at my chest, raw and unbearable. It was drowning me, crushing the air from my lungs. My hands clutched at my father's tunic while my sobs wracked my entire body. The pain in my arm was forgotten. It was nothing compared to the agony tearing through my soul. This wasn't real. It couldn't be real.

"Human necks are so easy to break," Akuma spoke, his voice devoid of any remorse. "They're as fragile as a tiny twig."

Rage, unlike anything I had ever known, surged through me as Akuma's laughter echoed through the room once more. My sorrow twisted into anger, blinding and consuming. My nails bit into my palms as I clenched my fists.

Akuma's shoes scraped against the stone as he stepped closer, crouching beside me. "I may not be able to kill you," Akuma said, his voice like oil slicking over my skin. "But I can ensure you suffer in a thousand different ways. I can be rather creative when fate calls for it."

He leaned in closer, his presence making my stomach churn. "I will return you to the Alpha King with your soul shattered into pieces. Just imagine the torment he must endure, knowing it's his fault that you are in such pain. Consider it my vengeance." His lips curled into a smirk. "Perhaps, I'm here for revenge after all."