Chapter 94
JAKE'S POV
The forest was eerily quiet as I led my men through the dense woods, the moonlight casting long shadows across the path. We were tracking the lead, one that could finally bring us face-to-face with the man who had been orchestrating this entire nightmare. I had left Priscilla back at the pack house, safe with Chris and Fatima, despite her protests. She wanted to be here, to fight alongside me, but I couldn’t risk it — not with the babies depending on her.
The scent trail was faint but distinct. It led us deeper into the forest, past the familiar boundary markers of our territory. Whoever this man was, he knew our land well. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were walking straight into a trap, but we had no choice. We had to find him. The name Jona had surfaced recently, whispered by those who knew of his infamy. He was once the leader of a rogue group known for their brutality and cunning, a man whose reputation sent chills down even the most hardened warriors.
“Jake,” one of my men, Marcus, said in a low voice as he caught up to me. “Are you sure about this? We’re far from home, and this feels... wrong.”
I nodded, clenching my jaw. “I know it does. But we don’t have a choice. If we don’t take him out now, he’ll keep picking us apart.”
We pressed on, the tension building with each step. The forest grew darker, the trees thicker, until it felt like the night itself was closing in on us. I smelled smoke and blood — a warning sign I’d learned to trust. My instincts screamed at me, but before I could react, a sharp whistle pierced the silence.
“Down!” I yelled, but it was too late. Arrows rained down on us, swift and silent. Marcus fell, an arrow lodged in his throat, his eyes wide with shock. The others scattered, trying to find cover. I felt a sharp pain in my side and looked down to see an arrow jutting from my abdomen. The searing agony told me it was poisoned.
“Get out of here!” I roared to the remaining men, but the world was already spinning. My vision blurred, and the forest floor seemed to rise up to meet me as I collapsed. The last thing I heard was the muffled sound of laughter, cold and mocking, before everything went black.
**** *****
I awoke to the sensation of ice-cold water splashing over my face, shocking me back to consciousness. I sputtered, gasping for breath as I blinked against the dim light. The room was cold, the walls rough and jagged like the inside of a cave. My wrists and ankles were bound to a wooden chair, the ropes biting into my skin.
“Well, well, look who’s finally awake,” a familiar voice said, dripping with sarcasm. I turned my head, wincing at the pain in my neck. Andrew stood before me, a smirk on his face, looking every bit the traitor he had proven himself to be.
“Andrew,” I growled, my voice rough. “What the hell is this?”
Andrew chuckled, stepping closer. “Isn’t it obvious, Alpha? You’re the guest of honor. We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”
I strained against the ropes, but they were tight, unforgiving. “Why are you doing this? You were part of my pack. I trusted you.”
He rolled his eyes, leaning casually against the wall. “Oh, spare me the heartfelt speech, Jake. Trust was your mistake. I’ve been following someone far more deserving of loyalty.”
“Who?” I spat. “Who are you following, Andrew?”
Before he could answer, the door creaked open, and a man stepped inside. He moved with a predatory grace, his presence filling the small room. As he stepped into the light, I studied his face, trying to place where I knew him from. There was something familiar about his sharp features, the curve of his mouth.
“Ah, I see you’ve met Jona,” Andrew said with a grin, gesturing to the man.
Jona. The name I had heard in whispers, the leader of the rogues, the man who had been terrorizing my pack. But as I looked into his eyes, a wave of recognition hit me. It wasn’t just familiarity — it was something deeper, something unsettling.
“You...” I started, narrowing my eyes. “I know you.”
Jona laughed, a harsh sound that echoed off the stone walls. “Do you, Jake? Or are you just starting to put the pieces together?”
I strained against the ropes, glaring at him. “Stop playing games. Who are you?”
He stepped closer, crouching down so that we were at eye level. “The name’s Jona,” he said, his voice dripping with venom. “But that’s not the name I was born with. That name... it disgusts me.”
Jona’s expression twisted into a snarl. He punched me hard across the face, the force of it splitting my lip. “Jacob,” he hissed. “I left that name behind, just like our father left me and my mother.”
I coughed, spitting out blood. “Our father?”
“Yes,” he snapped, his voice filled with bitterness. “Your father, my father — the great Alpha who couldn’t be bothered with his other son. He bought my mother’s silence, sent us away like we were trash. And when she got sick, when she needed help, he did nothing. He let her die alone, while you and your perfect little family thrived.”
I stared at him, stunned into silence. I had no idea. I’d never heard a whisper of this. “Jacob... I didn’t know.”
He laughed bitterly. “Of course you didn’t. Why would you? You were the golden boy, the beloved son. You got everything, while I got nothing. Not even a name I could bear to keep.”
I shook my head, trying to make sense of it all. “So this is about revenge? You’re willing to destroy the entire pack, to kill innocent people, just because of our father’s mistakes?”
Jona’s eyes darkened, filled with a hatred so deep it seemed to swallow him whole. “This isn’t just about revenge, Jake. This is about taking back everything that was stolen from me. You don’t deserve the pack, the legacy. You don’t deserve any of it.”
“You’re wrong,” I said quietly, meeting his gaze. “I didn’t choose this life. But I’ve fought for it. I’ve bled for it. And I won’t let you destroy everything I’ve built.”
Jona’s expression twisted with fury. He punched me again, harder this time. I felt the crack of my nose breaking, the rush of blood flooding my mouth. “You don’t get a say in this, brother,” he sneered. “By the time I’m done, you’ll wish you had never been born.”
He turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him. I slumped in the chair, my head pounding, blood dripping from my wounds. The revelation was a heavy weight on my chest. I had a brother. A brother who hated me enough to destroy everything I loved.
And now, I was his captive.
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