raiden

No matter how hard I try to get it out of my mind, I can't forget the red-eyed, wild look on Beta Reo's face when I found him and I can't help but feel sorry for him. While I don't know all the details, I do know that whatever happened earlier clearly wasn't a first-time thing. It was something he had dealt with before and that just made it worse.

I don't know many hybrids. Much less any werewolf-vampire hybrids which made me wonder if this was something they all faced or if was it exclusive to the beta. Before he looked as if he was struggling to control his other half. Did they all face the same difficulties?

More and more questions begin to fill my mind. So much so that I don't even realize just how close I've gotten to the pack's border until a hand is placed on my shoulder. Immediately my body tenses and I pull away from the grip and glance at the person who grabbed me.

Standing just barely outside of pack lands is Alpha Demos. On the ground, close by him are two warriors passed out on the ground. I would've thought they were dead if not for the faint sounds of their heartbeats.

"Raiden!" Alpha Demos greeting with false enthusiasm. "Just the wolf I wanted to see."

Well, I don't want to see you.

I move back, placing some distance between us. Alpha Demos' smile only grows at this.

"Leave," I growl lowly at the man, and Alpha Demos just sighs.

"Raiden, come on now, let's not be enemies. Before, I actually thought that we got along well," he shakes his head. "I was excited you know. Excited for you and Nara to be together."

I can't help but scoff at that. "I don't want to marry Nara and she doesn't want to marry me."

He rolls his eyes. "You just need some time to get to know each other better and then you'll see that we could all be one big happy family. You please your parents and you gain the role of alpha, I don't think you understand just how good the deal I'm offering you is."

"I don't think you understand that I've already said no multiple times. You aren't going to succeed in bribing me and threatening my mate isn't going to change anything either. If anything, it just makes me hate you more," I retort.

Alpha Demos' smile finally drops. "Raiden, I must say, you are testing my patience here. I—"

"You are a bad man who needs—"

In a flash, Alpha Demos crosses into the pack lands and roughly pushes me against one of the trees. He stares at me with a dark look in his eyes.

"Do not interrupt me, boy," he growls lowly. "I can open the doors to many opportunities. Not just for you, but for your children," I roll my eyes. "And for your mate."

I unintentionally tense up at the mention of Cloud causing Alpha Demos to smile.

"I can ensure that he doesn't have a thing to worry about. I can help him find a home far away from here, create a new life, and move on from his past — everything he's ever wanted. You wouldn't want to be the one to take that away from him, would you?"

The bag I found comes to mind and my mouth drops into a frown. Alpha Demos hums in acknowledgment.

"I didn't think you would want to do that. So here's my final offer to you—"

The alpha doesn't get the chance to finish his sentence. Instead, a fist connects with his jaw causing him to stubble back slightly. He lets out a growl and glares at the figure standing in front of me. Even from the back view, I knew exactly who it was.

With her long hair tied up, Maia stands strongly in front of the alpha. She releases a growl of her own.

"I'm sure you received our letter, Alpha," she spits the word out with venom. "You are no longer welcome in these lands. Not only are you trespassing, but you're also harming and harassing our members. Let this be your only warning to leave before you start something that can't be stopped."

The anger fades from Alpha Demos' face and he stares at Maia with amusement and glances her up and down.

"Maia Beckett," he hums. "Trust me, I know all about you. A strong gamma on the outside, but a spineless daughter within. I'm surprised you're even here — I'm sure your parents would disapprove."

I can't see her face, but Maia doesn't even flinch at his words.

"What my parents want doesn't matter. What does matter is that you're not allowed to be here? Leave."

Is this really my sister?

The alpha raises an eyebrow at her. I expect him to say something else, but instead, his eyes travel around the land and he lets out a quiet laugh.

"You can come out now, Beta."

There's no sound or movement for a minute until Beta Reo reveals himself. In the short time he was gone, he seems to have pulled himself together, but If I had to guess, I bet that he still isn't feeling the best.

"I've already linked our head warrior. He and Alpha Tatum will be here soon if you don't leave," Beta Reo says, his voice cold as he stares at Alpha Demos.

Aloha Demos looks at Beta Reo with a mixture of disgust and another unknown emotion. He turns away from him and instead looks back at me.

"From what I've been told, you never were truly happy living here. Come with me and build a pack that you—"

"Get it through your head that I don't want to marry your daughter," I tell him, shaking my head. "I don't know what happened between Nara and her mate before, but it wouldn't surprise me if you're the reason they rejected her. Alpha Elia was a wonderful person, I'm sure if she saw the way her father was acting she would be asham—"

Mentioning his other daughter seems to be a soft spot for Alpha Demos. I don't get the chance to finish my sentence. The alpha shifts into his large black wolf and charges at me, his eyes dark with anger. He doesn't get the chance to reach me before he's tackled to the ground by Maia who also shifted.

I move to shift also, but the beta links me saying, "Move back, Alpha Demos is a strong wolf. Stronger than you can handle, stay out of the way. You're the one he's after."

He follows Maia and shifts also, leaving me to stand there. How can I just watch and hide as they fight for me?! I know an alpha wolf is strong, but I can't just watch as someone else fights my battles!

Ignoring the beta's orders, I shift also. I charge in at the dark wolf. The moment he sees me, his eyes glow with anger. In front of him is Maia. He lets out a loud growl and tackles her wolf to the ground. His teeth sink into her neck just as Beta Reo and I both charge at him.

The four of us are piled together. Claws are flying, teeth are digging into coats, and the scent of blood is filling the air. Eventually, Alpha Demos pulls back. Beta Reo charges at him and I move to follow but stop when I see Maia laying on the ground unmoving.

Everything around me seems to stop as I stare down at my older sister. She's still breathing, but large amounts of blood are escaping from her wounds. I can hear Beta Reo and Alpha Demos still fighting but they sound as if they're far away from me.

"Take her and go to the hospital!" Beta Reo links me.

He and Alpha Demos are practically outside the pack lands. They toe the border as they attack.

"But—"

"Shut the fuck up and look at your sister, Raiden! She's going to die if you don't get your ass out of here. I've already linked Hopper. He will get Alpha Tatum and they'll be here shortly. Don't worry about me!"

I want to argue. I want to tell him that I won't leave him alone, but when Maia abruptly shifts back into her human form, I can see just how bad her wounds are. So instead, with one last glance back at Beta Reo, I move toward Maia and shift back. With her in my arms, I take off in the direction of the pack hospital.

"Don't you dare die," I link to Beta Reo?

My gaze drops down to Maia. "You can't die either, I still need you."

She doesn't reply and my heart begins to beat faster. I quicken up my pace and force myself to hold back the tears threatening to fall.

Please don't die.