Removing A Worm

KAIDAN

Two hours had dragged by since I abandoned her in the shadows of the stone corridor, but the passage of time offered no relief. My life had shattered, and the jagged pieces were still cutting into my sanity. I paced the sprawling expanse of our private sitting room, my heavy boots thudding against the imported rugs in a restless rhythm. A crystal tumbler of dark, potent whiskey was locked in my grip. I threw my head back and downed the burning liquid in one swallow. The alcohol seared my throat, but it did nothing to suppress the feral urge to let my wolf loose. I wanted to shift. I wanted to tear this ancient estate down to its foundational stones, race out into the night, and shred the massive pines of the surrounding forest into splinters just to feel something break under my claws.

Instead, I forced myself to walk from one end of the room to the other. I poured another glass, gripping the crystal so hard my knuckles turned stark white. I wanted to fling the cup against the wall. Better yet, I wanted to hurl it right into her face.

Ryk’s voice cut through the tense silence from behind me. "You need to stop drinking now. Put the bottle down so we can sit and think about a solution with clear, logical minds."

"Solution? You heard the high priestess, Ryk. There is no solution. We are bound to her for life. The magic is ancient. We have to claim her. We have to mark her if we want any chance to ascend to the throne." Cy countered, his tone laced with a grim finality.

"Unless she dies. That is the only actual solution." Ryk stated the words coldly.

Cy’s gaze shifted from his twin to me. "And she is not going to die anytime soon. She is our mate. We have to accept it."

The crystal glass shattered in my hand. Shards bit deep into my palm. I ignored the sting, stepping over the scattered glass to face them directly.

"No, we do not have to accept a damn thing. We are not going to. There is no way we are claiming a fragile human girl as our mate. I refuse to allow her into our inner circle, into our lives, and into our home." I winced as a fresh wave of disgust rolled through my stomach. The mere fact that she was currently upstairs, occupying one of our luxurious guest rooms, made my blood boil to the point of steaming. She was probably up there right now, looking around, admiring the lavish bedding and ornate furniture her parasitic blood magic had secured for her. Humans never brought anything but ruin. Until I watched her body carried out of this Royal Keep, I would not know a moment of peace.

I set my jaw. "This is not just going to happen. I will think of a way out of this trap, but this is going to be her only night in this house."

Cy started in his typical pacifying cadence. "Kaidan. I am sorry for your loss. I truly am. But it has been years. You have to let go of this blinding hatred. You cannot cancel the existence of the human race because of the actions of one person."

Cy took a slow step forward, keeping his voice level. "I do not care about the girl upstairs. If, by some miracle, she stops being our mate tomorrow, then she becomes a nobody to us. But right now, she is our mate. Our ascension, our crown, and our future are tied directly to her existence. We cannot just dismiss her because you hate humans. We cannot risk everything because of your past trauma."

My wolf acted before my rational mind could catch up. The anger exploded. In a fraction of a second, I crossed the distance between us. My hands shot out, grabbing Cy by the collar of his shirt. I meant to hoist him off the floor and slam him into the wall, but he did not budge. He planted his feet, absorbing my charge with pure alpha dominance. My grip tightened around his collar until the fabric strained. A lethal growl ripped from my throat. My wolf glared raw venom into his eyes, daring him to challenge me. Cy remained unmoved. He looked back at me with an unbothered, stoic expression. His calm demeanor infuriated me even more.

They both understood the volatile anger that consumed me whenever this topic surfaced. With this new, twisted reality forced upon us, they should have known better than to push me.

I dropped my hands, stepping back.

"I am going to bed now." I did not wait for either of them to formulate a response. I turned on my heel and stalked toward the archway.

"Let us just sleep on it. I am sure by morning, we will all be able to think more clearly. And Kaidan, please do not do anything stupid." Ryk's voice echoed after me as I reached the foot of the grand staircase.

He knew a dark, stupid plan was already solidifying in my mind. He knew I would never bow to this fate and allow this nightmare to drag on a second longer than necessary. I gave a stiff nod and started climbing the stairs.

I had barely set foot on the second-floor landing when her scent slammed into my nose. It was sweet, ethereal, and undeniably otherworldly. The scent hit my system like a drug. My wolf roared to the surface, thrashing fiercely against my mental barriers. My instincts screamed at me to go to her room, to cross the hall and claim what was ours. My legs fought my conscious mind, pulling me in her direction. My palms fisted so hard my joints popped. It took every ounce of willpower I possessed not to punch a hole straight through the drywall.

I made it into my master suite and threw the heavy deadbolts, locking myself inside to fight my own biology. I stripped and stepped into the freezing spray of the shower. That was when my control snapped. I drove my fist into the solid marble wall. I punched the wet stone repeatedly. The sharp impacts echoed in the enclosed space. My knuckles bruised, split open, and bled down the drain. My wolf whined a pathetic, gut-wrenching noise of protest. I hated him. I hated the beast inside my soul. How dare he feel a mate bond toward a human?

It was well past midnight when I finally stepped out and collapsed onto my bed. I had consumed countless cups of coffee, but the caffeine was useless against the crushing weight of exhaustion. I had been awake for more than a hundred and twenty hours. My body screamed for rest, but I fought to keep my eyes open. I knew the terror that waited for me in the dark.

My eyelids drooped. I fought the heavy pull, but my resistance crumbled.

The transition was instant. I was plunged into a sprawling, bottomless ocean of thick blood. The metallic stench burned my nostrils. I thrashed my limbs, kicking frantically to keep my head above the churning crimson waves. It was no use. The liquid was too dense, too heavy. It dragged me under. I opened my mouth to scream for help. The hot blood rushed past my lips, filling my throat, clogging my lungs, and drowning me from the inside out. I was dying in the dark.

I woke up with a fierce start.

My chest heaved as I gasped for real air. Sweat coated my flushed skin. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. My entire body shook with uncontrollable tremors. A bitter wave of humiliation washed over me. I hated this weakness. I was the future Alpha King of the Lunaris Enclave, and here I sat, trembling in the dark like a terrified five-year-old child. The ultimate insult was knowing the reason for my nightmare was sleeping soundly just a couple of doors down the hall.

I glanced at the digital clock on my bedside table. I had not even slept for five minutes.

My blood ran cold. If I was supposed to accept her as my mate, this would be the rest of my life. I would rather die. I would rather drag my soul through the mud and commit the unthinkable than allow that future to come to pass.

I kicked the tangled sheets away and got to my feet. I marched out of my room and headed down the silent corridor. I did not need to ask the staff which room she was assigned. The infuriating, magnetic pull of my wolf guided me straight to her heavy oak door. I slid the master key into the lock, fighting the intense urge to submit to the bond.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

She looked like a fragile dove. She was sleeping peacefully in the center of the massive mattress, the thick covers drawn up securely over her chest. The irrational, primal part of my brain—the part that belonged solely to the wolf—wanted nothing more than to climb into the bed, pull her small frame against my chest, and hold her safe through the night.

I physically shook my head, rattling the insane urge from my skull. I crossed the room in three long strides and mounted the bed, straddling her waist.

Her eyes flew open. Panic instantly shattered her peaceful expression. She opened her mouth. The scream formed on her tongue, but it died in her throat the exact second my large palms clamped viciously around her neck.

Her eyes widened in pure, unadulterated terror as the reality of her execution set in. She thrashed fiercely beneath my weight. Her hands flew up, fumbling and clawing at my wrists, desperately trying to pry my fingers from her crushing windpipe.

But she was not the only one feeling the pain.

The harder I squeezed her neck, the harder an unseen force compressed my own heart. A crushing, agonizing weight slammed into my chest. My vision blurred into a smear of dark colors. The mate bond was retaliating, punishing me for murdering my own soulmate. I gritted my teeth against the mounting agony. I had to finish this fast. If I hesitated, the magical backlash would radiate through the estate. My brothers would feel it, storm the room, and pull me off her.

I poured every ounce of my alpha strength into my grip.

Her thrashing slowly lost its frantic rhythm. Her lungs gave out. Her desperate hands slipped from my wrists, falling uselessly to the mattress. Her body went limp.

I released my grip and sucked in a ragged breath. A wave of grim relief washed over me. It was done. The impossible knot was severed. I would never be shackled to her again.

I climbed off her still form. My boots hit the floor.

The instant my weight settled on my feet, my legs buckled. I crashed hard onto my knees. The pain exploding through my system was unbearable. This did not feel like a bond being magically severed. It felt like hell. It felt like liquid fire and crushed pepper were being pumped directly through my veins. Every nerve ending in my body screamed in torment.

I grabbed the edge of the nightstand, fighting to pull myself up. I had to get out of her room. I staggered toward the hallway, dragging my boots across the carpet. With every step, my muscles turned to lead. My vision darkened at the edges. The agonizing fire burned hotter, melting me from the inside out. I reached my door and stumbled inside.

The minute I crossed the threshold, the last shred of my strength evaporated. My legs gave way, and I slammed onto the hardwood floor. The excruciating pain peaked, and total darkness took over.