CHAPTER 14

KARA

Rage was a familiar companion, a constant hum in the background of my life. I'd felt its fiery grip many times—directed at my mother, at my worthless mate for his vile betrayal, and at the cruel injustice of the world. But nothing, nothing, could compare to the white hot fury that gripped me as I watched Thaddeus laugh with the little wolf. The little wolf seemed so free and unguarded, her beautiful eyes alight with happiness. 

Then Thaddeus wrapped a casual arm around the little wolf, and I saw red. 

Thea and Sparrow had burst into my path, their downward journey interrupted by my sudden appearance in the den. Now, Thea stood frozen, his expression a chilling blend of concern and guilt.

Appropriate. I now understood why they didn't want me to tag along with them, they didn't want me to see this. 

The little wolf's snarl was a low, menacing growl, her eyes burning with a feral intensity. "She can't shift Kara, and we need to do something about it," Thea hissed, his fingers nervously tracing the coarse black fur of her neck.

I let the silence hang heavy in the air for a moment, partly to let them squirm a bit and partly because I didn't even trust myself to speak right now. 

Finally, the little wolf came to me. She stopped just around my knee and lifted her chin as if daring me to act. 

“I think you two should talk this out." Thea's voice trailed off as he gently ushered the little wolf out of the room. The door clicked shut behind them, a heavy silence settling over the room. A chill ran down my spine as I realized the door had locked itself.

"Your room is__great,"

I stumbled backward, startled. Thaddeus paused, his expression unreadable. "Is this about your feelings?" he asked, his voice low and deliberate.

“Not really,” I lied. 

I must not have been particularly convincing, because he smiled, and I could have sworn that I noticed that his teeth were unnaturally sharp. 

“I can sense it.” He stopped right in front of me, so close that if I took half step closer, I would have been touching him. It was something I had always longed for, to touch, fuck and be with him. “It's cute that you are lying, though. But I expect honesty as well as obedience from my Beta.” 

He reached out and tugged hard on a lock of my hair. “Do you understand?”

My entire body tensed. I wanted to take a step back, but my legs weren't even listening. 

When I stayed silent, he frowned, and the child of coal that was in his eyes seemed to smoulder in irritation. He tanked harder on the strand of hair. 

“I said, do you fucking understand.” he growled a little and I nodded.

"You begged to join this pack, promising compliance. Now, tell me honestly what's troubling you.” he questioned. 

A dozen things were bothering me. The fact that a female had been sent to the pack after so long, that he'd let a stranger into his room, not me, and that I'd harboured feelings for him for years. But most troubling of all was witnessing a side of him I'd never seen before, a side revealed in his gentle interaction with the little wolf.

“Nothing, I just want us to be careful.”

"You're jealous," Thaddeus stated, his voice low and dangerous. "Jealous of a little wolf who can't even bear to shift." The way he said it, and the lecherous look he gave me made my stomach churn violently.

My heart pounded in my chest. I had tried to conceal my feelings, but he had seen through me. "I'm not jealous," I retorted, my voice barely a whisper.

Thaddeus chuckled, a cold, mirthless sound. "Oh, but you are. You've always wanted my attention, my affection. But now, you think there's someone else, Kara. I guess you have forgotten that I can read anybody like the back of my fingers.” 

The sensuality in his voice stirs heat inside me, just like right now.

“Since my mate was murdered, my heart has been a desolate wasteland, and not even a little wolf can make me want her," he whispered very close to my ear, his voice a mournful whisper before he turned the doorknob and left the room. 

Thaddeus, once gentle and kind, had been irrevocably changed by the tragic loss of his one true mate, murdered by the ruthless Crimson Dawn pack. Bitter and disillusioned, he felt betrayed by the moon goddess. Each new mate she bestowed upon him was a cruel reminder of his loss, a target for his wrath. Now, he took grim satisfaction in ending their lives himself, a twisted revenge against the goddess and a reflection of the darkness that consumed him.

I crept behind him, the floorboards creaking beneath my cautious steps. The living room loomed ahead, a scene of raw, primal struggle. Hazel was caught in the throes of a brutal transformation. Her body, once lithe and human, twisted and contorted, fur erupted off from her skin. Long, sharp claws extended and retracted, their movement a stark contrast to the soft, rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. 

“Ouuuuuuu____” A low, guttural whimper escaped her lips as she fought to regain control.

Thaddeus walked towards her, not just him but them.

The crash coming from the living room and window shattering and eliciting made them growl in unison, their hearts aching to ease her distress. Thaddeus's hands moved rhythmically, kneading away her tension, as Sparrow's soft hum offered a lullaby of comfort.

Finally, with a final shudder, the transformation was complete. 

"Eyes shut, now!" I bellowed, my voice cutting through the startled silence. Their eyelids snapped closed, a reflexive response to my urgent command.

I scrambled to cover her exposed form, shielding her from their curious, and potentially intrusive, gazes. But before

I could guide her to safety, a wave of intense heat radiated from her body. Her skin, once smooth and cool, now pulsed with an alarming crimson glow...