Chapter 50: Chapter 50

NOAH

The ten days I spent without Evie were pure torture. I could sense she was alive, but not well, through our bond. The fact that I couldn’t locate her made me feel like I’d failed as both a mate and an alpha.

It was as if a piece of me had died. When Cole mind-linked me with the news that he’d found the vampire king’s castle, a spark of hope ignited within me. I was already en route to the location when he showed me my beautiful mate, safe and sound, standing in front of him.

Remi was a blur as he raced toward our mate and surrendered to her. When Remi finally relinquished control and allowed me to shift, relief washed over me as I saw my mate with my own eyes and touched her with my own hands. I hadn’t noticed at first that she was shirtless.

That sight ignited a new wave of fury within me. My mind was consumed with one thought: finding the vampire king and Russell, and making them pay for what they’d done to Evie. I couldn’t feel or express anything else.

I knew I was hurting Evie by not kissing her. I knew our reunion was a letdown for her. I couldn’t articulate what I was feeling, and I couldn’t allow myself to feel the emotions she needed from me.

All I had room for was rage and relief. When I finally accepted that Evie was safe and we were together again, I knew what was coming: all the guilt and self-loathing I’d suppressed in order to focus on finding my mate. I blamed myself entirely and despised myself for what happened to Evie.

We both had a long road ahead of us. But for now, my focus was on one goal: killing Russell Winters. I led my warriors into the vampire king’s castle. We swiftly dealt with the vampires inside the compound.

We were all driven by fury and a thirst for revenge for our luna. The vampire king was hiding in his throne room like a coward. I sniffed the air and instantly knew that Russell was in there with him.

Suddenly, the vampire princess, Gena, appeared in front of the throne room. We locked eyes, each trying to gauge the other. I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, remembering what Evie had told me.

“Why are you here?” I demanded.

Gena raised her hands in a gesture of peace. “I’m not here to fight,” she said. “I want to help you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why should I trust you?”

“Because I hate my father as much as you do,” she replied. “And I want to see him fall.”

I hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. But if you betray us, I’ll kill you myself.”

Gena nodded. “Understood. Follow me.”

We followed her into the throne room, ready for whatever awaited us.

Gena pushed a hidden panel on the wall and a secret door to the throne room opened. She stepped back from the door silently. I nodded at her and signaled my wolves to storm the throne room.

The vampire king was seated on his throne, surrounded by guards. Russell was off to the side in his human form. I relished tearing the vampire guards apart, throwing their body parts across the room.

My warriors took care of the rest as I shifted. I strode up to the vampire king’s throne. He shrugged off his velvet robe and tossed it to me. I glared at him and draped the robe over my shoulders, covering my privates.

“You’ve started a war you can’t hope to win,” I growled at the pale, sickly-looking vampire.

He had long black hair braided away from his face. He was short and muscular, adorned in extravagant clothing and jewelry. His eyes were blood-red and his fangs were permanently extended.

“I assure you, Alpha, that was not our intention,” the vampire hissed in a strange accent.

“Really? You kidnapped and held my luna captive, and you didn’t expect a war to break out? You didn’t expect my entire pack to come for their luna?” I retorted.

“I was not aware that she was your luna, Alpha.” The vampire king glared at Russell.

I knew he was lying, but I also knew that the vampires were cowards. They wouldn’t have acted against me unless they had a cover story ready. They were more than willing to throw someone else under the bus to save their own skins.

“What can we do to resolve this conflict?” the vampire king asked.

“I want Russell Winters,” I demanded.

“Done,” the vampire king replied without hesitation, causing Russell to look at him in fear.

“And I want your assurance that you will never come near my luna or my pack again, on penalty of death,” I added.

The vampire king nodded. “You have my word, Alpha. We bear you no ill will.”

I nodded toward my wolves, and two of them shifted and seized Russell.

“I hope for continued peace, Your Highness,” I said.

“Us as well, Alpha,” the vampire king replied.

I approached Russell, my fist connecting with his face with all the force I could muster. He staggered back, kept upright only by the support of my wolves. I seized his face, my fingers digging into his chin.

“Blood Moon will show you no mercy,” I warned him, my voice a low growl.

He was smart enough to be scared. We hauled Russell out of the compound, dragging him back to our pack house. We descended immediately into the dungeon.

Russell was hoisted up by his wrists, his feet dangling above the ground. Greyson, Jack, and Sawyer joined me in his cell, each eager for their turn.

“Russell, you are sentenced to death for the abduction, imprisonment, and harm of our Luna,” I declared.

There would be no exile, no trial, and certainly no mercy. Today was Russell Winters’ last day. I unleashed my fury on Russell, my fists reducing his face to a bloody mess.

I tore off his shirt, just as he had done to my mate, and seized a knife. I carved into his skin, mirroring the claw marks on Evie’s body. Russell’s screams echoed through the cell as he writhed in agony.

I handed a whip to Sawyer, giving him and my brothers the green light to exact their own vengeance. Once everyone was satisfied with Russell’s punishment, I ordered his execution. Greyson, my beta, would do the honors.

He shifted. I freed Russell from his bonds, commanding him to do the same. Russell’s wolf, Gage, was as beaten and broken as his human form. Greyson made short work of the execution.

I left the cleanup to my beta and gamma. Thankfully, Sawyer had recovered quickly after the vampire attack. Our pack’s skilled medical team had saved his life, and his wolf healing had taken care of the rest.

By the third day, Sawyer was back on the search mission. He felt almost as guilty as I did about losing Evie. I was too consumed by self-loathing to harbor any anger toward Sawyer.

I trudged up the stairs to the top floor, knowing I needed to check on Evie. I didn’t understand what was happening to me. I was filled with dread at the thought of seeing my mate.

She had been gone for so long; I should have been desperate to be with her. It felt like Remi and I had braced ourselves so much for Evie’s inevitable death that we couldn’t accept that she was still alive.

I knocked softly on Evie’s door and pushed it open. She was sitting in the middle of her bed, freshly bathed and dressed in her comfortable clothes. She looked up at me but didn’t move.

Her face was swollen, her eyes red from crying.

“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

She stared at me, her expression blank.

“No,” she replied.

“I’m so sorry, Evie. I should never have let you out of my sight,” I confessed, rooted to the spot in the doorway, unable to move closer to her.

“Did you deal with him?” she asked, her voice hard.

“He won’t trouble you ever again,” I assured her.

“Are you satisfied now?” she shot back, her gaze piercing.

I lowered my gaze, the weight of my actions in the bayou hitting me.

“No, I’m not. I’ll never be content knowing I failed to protect you. I promised you from the start that you’d always be safe, that no one would harm you. I failed,” I admitted, my voice thick with self-loathing.

“You found me,” she pointed out.

“I should never have lost you,” I countered.

“Noah, I wasn’t angry with you before. I wasn’t upset or disappointed when I was kidnapped. It wasn’t your fault, do you understand? It. wasn’t. your. fault. But now? Now I’m furious. You left me alone in the bayou, something you swore you’d never do. You abandoned me then, and that’s the only time I’ve ever felt let down by you,” her words sliced through me, but I knew I deserved them.

“I don’t know what to say, but I’m sorry,” I muttered.

Evie rolled her eyes, her pain evident.

“Just go, Noah, and don’t come back until you’re my Noah again,” she dismissed me with a wave of her hand.

My determination shattered, falling around me like shards of glass. She was there, pointedly ignoring me, her gaze darting around the room to avoid meeting mine.

I couldn’t help the frustrated growl that escaped me as I stormed out, the door slamming shut behind me with a resounding echo.

I found myself slumped against her door, unable to leave her alone and vulnerable. I had already stationed a guard outside her window, a precaution to ensure no one could ever sneak in again.

I had also placed three guards at the pack house’s main entrance, a measure I had never felt necessary before. I had always trusted our border patrol enough not to need such close protection. But now, I was painfully aware of our vulnerabilities.

I commanded a total overhaul of the front gate and the construction of a security fence around the entire pack house compound. I brought in a security company to install cameras and alarms on every window, door, and even the elevator.

The elevator now required an access code, and a separate code was needed to reach our floor. Each pack house entrance was now guarded by three patrol wolves, with additional patrols on either side to secure the windows.

Only a select few—Sawyer, Greyson, Jack, Lucy, Molly, and Mack—had the access code to our floor, apart from Evie and me. The elevator doors slid open, and Sawyer stepped out, having dealt with the aftermath of Russell’s execution.

He was dedicated to guarding Evie every moment he could. He didn’t say a word to me. He just took his position in front of the elevator.

I leaned my head against the wall, my gaze fixed on the ceiling. I would stay here as long as it took to ensure Evie’s safety.

I might not be the mate she deserved at the moment, but I would make damn sure she was protected.