Chapter 22
I jolted upright, a gasp escaping my lips as the mind–link surged into my consciousness. The connection was weak, faint as if reaching across an unfathomable distance, but I recognized my father’s voice. There was a sorrow in his tone I’d never heard before–a sorrow that hit me with a weight that made my heart stutter.
“Malinda… my daughter… forgive me. Stay
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Chapter 22
strong… protect the pack… for our family…”
“Dad?” My voice trembled, barely more than a whisper, filling the emptiness of my room. I clung to the link, desperation clawing at my chest as if sheer will alone could keep him there. “Dad, please! Answer me! Don’t leave me-”
But there was only silence.
An unbearable void settled over me, pressing in with a darkness that felt like it would swallow me whole. I pressed my hands to my temples, willing the bond to come back, to pulse with life and strength again, but all I felt was emptiness. The powerful presence of my father, always a steady, reassuring beacon in my life, was gone.
Tears spilled freely down my cheeks as a
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Chapter 22 trembling as if I were in a nightmare. My body moved on its own, half–stumbling
toward the door. My mate, the Alpha King, Damon, was in the hallway when I flung it open, his face twisted with concern the moment he saw me.
“Damon!” My voice cracked, raw with grief, and I threw myself into his arms. “It’s my father… he’s–he’s gone. I tried reaching him, but… he’s not there. He’s just… gone.”
Damon‘ s arms wrapped around me, solid and grounding, pulling me tight against him. He didn’t say anything, just held me as I sobbed into his chest, my fingers twisting into the fabric of his shirt, my sorrow a wild, uncontrollable force. Every heartbeat was a painful reminder of the void left in my
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Chapter 22
understanding and fierce determination.
“Malinda,” he murmured, his voice low and steady. “We’re going to the Shadow Pack. Now.”
I nodded, my vision blurred with tears, my body still shaking as I gripped his shoulders. The thought of seeing what had happened- the devastation–I was terrified. But I had to go. I had to see my father. I had to know.
Without another word, Damon took my hand, leading me outside. Pack warriors were already gathered, their expressions somber yet determined, sensing the urgency in their Alpha‘ s movements. Damon‘ s wolf stood tall and powerful beside me, his intense gaze focused forward. “Stay close, Malinda. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I nodded, letting my own wolf take over as
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the need for answers surged within me. My shift came with a rush of power, and in an instant, I felt the ground beneath my paws, my senses sharp and keen. Together, Damon and I raced toward the Shadow Pack, the wind whipping around us as we pushed forward, desperate to reach the heart of my family.
As we drew closer to the Shadow Pack‘ s borders, my heart sank, the scent of blood hitting me with an almost physical force. It thickened the air, a sharp, bitter tang that stung my nose and tasted metallic on my tongue. My pace faltered, every instinct telling me to turn away, but I forced myself forward, gritting my teeth against the horror clawing at the edges of my mind. I had to see. I had to know.
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When we crossed into the pack grounds, the devastation lay stark before us, a nightmare etched into reality. Bodies–still, broken- scattered across the field, some in human form, others in twisted, mangled remnants of their wolves. These weren’t strangers; they were family, friends, people I’d known my whole life. People I’d loved and laughed with. People who‘ d protected me.
A whimper echoed in my mind, my wolf‘ s pain mingling with my own. This was my family. My people. I stumbled, barely able to process the scenes of death and destruction surrounding me.
Beside me, Damon shifted back, his expression hardened with fury. “Rogues did this,” he said, voice taut with barely
contained anger “But this wasn‘ t iust an
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random.”
I shifted, my legs weak as I forced myself upright, eyes scanning the bloodstained ground. “Why?” My voice was hoarse, strangled. “Why would they… why could they kill so many innocent lives?”
The question echoed in the air, unanswered, as I took a few halting steps forward, the scent of my mother drifting faintly on the breeze. It was laced with fear, with pain, and yet… she wasn‘ t here. She wasn’t among the bodies. A surge of panic overtook me, driving me forward, my chest tight with dread.
“Mom?” I called, my voice trembling, barely recognizing it as my own. “Mom!”
But there was no answer.
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Alpha Nathan, and he took his life to prove his control.”
A fierce resolve stirred within me, simmering beneath my sorrow, a determination I hadn’t known I was capable of. My father‘ s courage, his sacrifice–it wouldn’t be in vain. I would make sure of that.
“We‘ ll avenge him,” I whispered, my voice trembling but steady with newfound strength.
“They’ll pay for this.”
Damon’s gaze met mine, fierce and proud, his hand on my shoulder, a silent vow. “Your father’s sacrifice will not be forgotten, Malinda. We’ll make sure of it.”
And in that moment, I knew–no matter the cost, I would protect what remained of my family. of my father‘ s legacy. The Rogue
Chapter 23
Chapter 23
The air was thick with grief, suffocating, drowning me in the stench of blood and the overwhelming silence left behind. I stood beside my father’s lifeless form, his once- warm presence now reduced to a hollow shell, an echo of the strength he had once radiated. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. How could he be gone? My chest felt like it was caving in, the ache of loss ripping through me, jagged and relentless. My hands trembled, and I clenched them into fists, my nails digging so hard into my palms that I barely noticed the sting.
My wolf was a frantic, furious force within me, clawing and howling, desperate to escape and avenge the one who had been the rock in
