Warning: This scene features intense, explicit violence including torture, mutilation, disembowelment, and brutal killing. Ronan’s possessive rage is shown in its rawest form. Not suitable for readers who are uncomfortable with dark, visceral content.

~ RONAN ~

The stench of two rogue wolves fills our noses as we race toward it, Kael growling furiously inside me. Even from this distance, I can feel their fear. Absolute fuckers, the bastards should have thought about that before they laid a hand on what belongs to me.

We race toward the scent, Kael moving faster than any human body could manage. The forest blurs around us, trees, undergrowth, the smell of earth and night air.

Their heartbeats spike the moment they realize we’re coming. Panic floods their scent as they turn and bolt deeper into the woods.

On reaching the clearing, my gaze lands on Roselle, she’s lying motionless on the grass, her body crumpled against the forest floor vulnerable, hurt, abandoned, the fucking sights of her like this hits me like a physical force that nearly buckles my legs.

Rage explodes inside me. The two fucking cowards are already running, desperate to escape.

’Not so fast, motherfuckers. Nobody dares touches what’s mine and gets away with it.’

They split up. One breaks left, disappearing deeper into the woods, while the other bolts to the right. It’s almost laughable that they think separating is going to save them.

Kael surges forward through the trees, his massive paws tearing across the forest floor.

The rogue’s heartbeat pounds wildly, betraying his panic long before Kael reaches him.

He doesn’t make it far. In a blur of silver fur and fury, Kael slams into him, sending him crashing to the ground. The rogue rolls through the dirt with a startled cry, scrambling desperately to put some distance between us.

A deep, menacing growl rumbles from us as we stalk forward. We advance slowly, Kael’s eyes locked on his prey. I would’ve ripped him apart already, but trust Kael to make a game out of it, his twisted, villainous way of making someone marinate in their mistakes.

The rogue trembles, backing away with every step we take. We wants him scared, wants him wondering if he’ll survive the next second and drowning in the terror of knowing exactly what’s coming for him.

The forest falls eerily silent around them, as if nature itself is holding its breath.

His hands flail as he scurries backward through the woods, desperately reaching for anything he can use as a shield, anything that might save him from what’s coming.

The loud thudding of his heart is something I want to savor, each frantic beat pounding against my senses like a drum of pure fear.

"Please—" he gasps, his voice trembling. "Please, Alpha, we didn’t know—"

I don’t let him finish.

My jaws clamp around his throat, silencing his plea instantly. I keep squeezing as panic floods his eyes. The struggle weakens. The desperate light in his gaze begins to fade, his eyelids drooping as life slowly drains from him.

I watch the moment it leaves him, the last flicker of awareness slipping away until all that’s left are pale, vacant eyes and a lifeless body hanging from my jaws.

Only then do I release him. He crumples to the forest floor with a dull thud, dead before he hits the ground.

We bolt to the right, our ears tuned to everything around us. The chirping of birds. The whisper of the wind through the trees.

Then there it is. A heartbeat. Kael surges forward, locking onto the scent as we tear through the woods, weaving between trees and under low-hanging branches.

I spot him ahead. He’s limping deeper into the forest, already injured from something I couldn’t care less about. Whatever put him in that state saved me the effort.

We pounce before he can finish his next breath.

His eyes widen in terror as he crashes to the ground. His body trembles violently, his lips moving as he tries to form words—whether a protest, an excuse, or a prayer, I don’t give a damn.

"Alpha, please," he stammers. "We were just following orders. We didn’t mean to—" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

I shift back into my human form mid-motion, my body reforming as I seize him by the collar and slam him against a nearby tree.

His head collides with the trunk hard enough to splinter the bark. A sharp crack echoes through the forest.

I hold him there with one hand while the other wraps around his throat, squeezing just enough to make him panic. His feet dangle above the ground as he claws at my wrist, choking on his own fear. The scent of it fills the air.

I slam him harder against the tree, the bark cracking under the force as my fingers tighten around his throat. His eyes bulge, feet kicking uselessly in the air.

"You dare touch her?" My voice comes out low and guttural, more beast than man. "You put your filthy fucking hands on what is mine?"

A snarl rips from my chest as I lean in closer, letting him see the death in my eyes. Kael is right at the surface, pushing to tear him apart, but I hold back just enough to make him feel every second of this.

"You thought you could lay a hand on what’s mine and live to tell about it? You pathetic, sniveling coward." I squeeze tighter, watching his face turn colors. He tries to choke out something, but I cut him off with a vicious shake.

"I... can swear, I was only acting on orders,"

"Save your worthless excuses. I don’t give a shit who gave the orders. You touched her. You made her bleed. You left her broken on the ground like discarded trash." My lips pull back in a feral grin. "Now you’re going to die screaming for it."

I slam my forehead against his, bone cracking against bone. "I’m going to rip you open slowly... every tear you made on her skin, I’ll repay tenfold, the bruise, mark— I’ll carve it into your fucking soul before I end you."

His struggles grow weaker, but the terror in his eyes only fuels me.

"Pray to whatever god you believe in," I growl, voice dropping to a deadly whisper, "because when I’m done with you, there won’t be enough left to bury."

His legs kick wildly, claws scraping uselessly at my arm, but I don’t feel a damn thing. All I feel is the white-hot fury boiling in my veins and Kael’s savage need to destroy.

He gurgles, eyes wide with terror, but I don’t wait for more excuses. My free hand shoots up, claws bursting through my fingertips as I partially shift. I drag them down his chest in one vicious swipe—ripping through fabric, skin, and muscle like wet paper. Blood sprays hot across my face and chest. His scream is wet and broken.

Kael surges forward, demanding more, and I let him have it.

I release his throat only to grab his jaw with one clawed hand, forcing his mouth open. "This is for every mark you left on her." My claws sink into the soft flesh under his tongue and I rip outward, tearing his jaw half off in a spray of gore. Blood pours down his neck as he thrashes, gurgling horribly.

He tries to shift, bones cracking as his wolf fights to emerge, but I’m faster. I drive my fist straight into his abdomen, claws extended, and twist. Intestines spill hot and slick over my forearm. The stench of blood and shit fills the air, but it only feeds the monster inside me.

Kael takes over completely. I shift in a flash of silver fury, massive jaws closing around his midsection. I shake my head like a dog with a rag, tearing him in half with one brutal wrench. His spine snaps. Organs spill onto the forest floor in a steaming pile. His upper body is still twitching, eyes blinking in shock and agony as I drop the lower half and stalk forward.

I pin what’s left of him down with one massive paw, claws sinking deep into his shoulder. Then I lower my head slowly, letting him see death coming. My jaws close around his throat, not quick like the first bastard. I bite down gradually, feeling cartilage crunch, vertebrae grind, until his head is barely attached by strings of flesh.

His final heartbeat flutters against my tongue... then stops. I rip the head clean off and hurl it into the underbrush with a snarl of pure satisfaction.

The forest is silent again, except for the heavy drip of blood from my muzzle.

Kael retreats just enough for me to shift back. I stand there, chest heaving, covered in blood and gore that isn’t mine. My hands are still shaking with leftover rage, but the need to get back to her overrides everything else.

I turn and run toward the clearing where I left Roselle, The bitter taste of revenge coats my tongue.

Shes still unconscious. My heart races as panic claws through me. I don’t know what those fuckers did to her. I lean down, pressing my ear against her chest.

A shaky breath leaves me when I hear it.

Her heartbeat. She’s still breathing.

Kael howls again, the sound raw and agonized. The pain of seeing her like this tears through my skin, through my bones. I scoop her into my arms and sprint toward the pack house, the world blurring around me as fear drives every step.