Chapter 64

I was extremely annoyed but there was nothing I could do. As much as I hated the Lycan Alpha’s condescending tone, I couldn’t help but go along with his suggestion.
Dominic was still out there waiting for me to show up so that he can kill me. Now, Rowan would have to abandon Nyla to come and rescue me. It made me sick to my stomach to imagine our poor daughter being without us even just for a few days.
“I’ll leave,” I said flatly. It had taken all of my courage to arrive at this decision.
“Suit yourself,” said the Alpha King. “I will not sacrifice anyone from my pack for your little adventure.”
“This isn’t an adventure for me. My life is in danger and you’re refusing to help me.”
“You can spin this anyhow you like but my decision is final. You will leave alone.”
“Fine!”
I marched out from his presence, half hoping that he would call me back and reconsider his stance, but that never happened. I walked out of the palace straight into the streets.
The day had begun and people were going about their daily businesses. I wondered if Freya and Gerald would be given a proper burial or if their bodies would be tossed away for vultures to devour since they weren’t Lycans.
If it wasn’t for me, both of them would still be alive. Too many people have died over the years just because of me.
“This ends now,” I said to myself as I marched on. “This madness has to end today.”
I was tired of running and hiding. If Dominic wanted me dead, he should come and kill me but I won’t go down without a fight.
As I expected, he showed up while I journeyed through the woods. I had opted to walk and not get unto a wagon because I didn’t want anyone else to be harmed because of me.
I smelled him before I saw him. He was in his wolf form, watching me from a grassy hill. He had the wolf head necklace between his teeth and the pendant dangled like a pendulum.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to find me,” I said calmly.
I was neither afraid nor worried. Today, one of us must die and it’s not going to be me.
He began to walk slowly towards me as if he was daring me to run. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of chasing me down like helpless prey, so I stayed put.
“I cannot believe that I loved you once,” he said as he continued to approach me. “Now, all I can think of is killing you and being free of this curse that binds us.”
“You should have let Freya destroy that necklace.”
“So that I can die and you can carry on enjoying your life with your new mate?”
“That’s not true. We can find another Moon Pack seer to help us destroy it. You won’t die. It’s the power of the necklace that will die.”
“Liar!” He shouted and dove towards me.
My reflexes kicked in and dodged him at the last minute. He landed on the grass behind me and turned around to face me almost immediately. My claws came out and I slashed his underbelly as he came for me again.
He rolled over suddenly and shifted back to his human form. When he ran towards me again, I tried to dodge but I wasn’t fast enough. He grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back.
“Leave me alone!” I screamed.
“Only when you’re dead,” he replied.
He slid the necklace on my neck and began to strangle me with it. I clawed at the chain but it was no use. There was no space for me to even slide my fingers in and free myself.
“This is for me and my brothers,” he said while he continued to tighten his grip on the necklace.
My lungs were on fire and my eyes were starting to bulge out of my head. I thought about my sweet daughter, Nyla, who was waiting at home for me. And Rowan…
I could feel myself losing consciousness but as darkness began to close in on me like a vignette, I saw Rowan’s wolf, running in our direction. I had never seen him in wolf form before but I recognized him instantly.
He was a majestic giant wolf with light brown fur and golden streaks. His long sharp fangs were bared and dripping saliva. His claws scraped the ground as he ran, hitting the earth with heavy thuds.
Even if this was my imagination, it made me happy. I was filled with pride and love for my mate as I imagined him rescuing me from certain death.
Suddenly, he was on us, knocking both of us to the ground and attacking Dominic before he had the chance to recover from the surprise intrusion. I gasped for breath and clawed the necklace away from my burning neck.
I hadn’t imagined him after all. Rowan was truly here!
“You bastard!” He shouted at Dominic. “I should have killed you the last time.”
“And now you’re going to die with her,” replied Dominic.
He charged at Rowan but he was met with a set of sharp teeth that ripped the skin off his belly. He managed to jump on Rowan’s back but he was shaken off immediately like a pesky fly.
Before he could get back on his feet, Rowan pounced on him and began to tear him apart with his claws and teeth. It was a gruesome sight but I couldn’t feel sorry for Dominic.
When Rowan was done, all that was left of Alpha Dominic of the Woods Pack were flesh, blood and gore.
“Are you all right, my love?” He asked me, coming to stand by me where I lay on the ground.
I nodded. “I thought I imagined you. How did you know where to find me? How did you know I was in danger?”
“Last night, I felt your distress. I was feeling so restless when I woke up this morning and I knew that I just have to come and find you. I smelled you as I approached this woods.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. “If you hadn’t come, I would’ve – “
“Don’t say it, please. I don’t want to imagine what my life would be without you.”
I stood up and wrapped my arms around his large neck. His fur was soft and warm and smelled of him.
He licked my neck and I giggled. I felt so safe with him, so loved.
“Let’s go home,” he said softly.
“What about him?” I asked and nodded towards what remained of Dominic.
“What about him?” He repeated.
“Well, I don’t think we should just leave him here like this.”
“So, what do you want us to do then? Take him back home with us?”
“Of course, not. Maybe we should send a message to his pack and let them know what happened to him.”
“And start a war? Not a chance. We’ll leave him here with that horrible necklace.”
“Or better yet, bury him with it.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” he agreed. “I’ll dig.”
He used his gigantic claws to dig a grave beside Dominic’s remains. When he was done, he pushed the dead Alpha’s mangled body into the pit. I threw the necklace in and Rowan covered the grave with the sand he’d dug up.
“And that settles it,” he said when he was done. “You no longer have to worry about this evil werewolf coming after you anymore.”
I sighed happily. “I can’t believe it’s finally over. This was Freya’s prediction. We had to go through a dangerous situation to finally be reunited with each other.”
“What about her? Why didn’t she destroy the necklace?”
“Dominic killed her before she could. It was horrible.”
“Well, that’s over now. We can finally live happily ever after as they say in fairy tales.”
I smiled at him. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. “Thank you for coming for me.”
He smiled back. “There’s a better way for you to thank me, you know.”
“I know,” I said. “Let’s go home so I can thank you properly.”
“Now, that’s what I like to hear.”
His Betas who followed him belatedly met us on the way back. We all returned to the Highlands together on a high note. I felt relieved and fulfilled at last.
“Thank goodness, you’re back!” Said Nyla’s nanny, running towards us. She looked terrified.
“What is it, Doris?” I asked her fearfully. “Is Nyla ok?”
“No, she’s not. Her health has gotten worse. I fear she may not make it through the night!”