Dylan's Madness

Williams’ POV 

The howl tore through the night, chilling me to the bone. It was followed by frantic cries and hurried footsteps from the guards stationed outside the palace grounds. 

My senses sharpened, my hand tightening around Cleopatra's. We locked eyes for a brief moment before moving together, a silent understanding between us.

As we burst out of the secret chambers, the scene that met us turned my blood cold. A young girl, no older than seven, was held captive, a blade pressed dangerously against her small neck. Her wide, terrified eyes streamed with tears as she gasped for breath. 

The knife was steady, cruelly pressing into her skin, drawing a thin, crimson line of blood that trickled down her neck. Her mother, kneeling and screaming at the top of her lungs, was held back by guards who struggled to restrain her desperation.

And in front of them, unrecognizable beneath wild eyes and a twisted grin, stood the ex-Alpha, Dylan.

He looked like a man broken by his demons—a shadow of his former self. He’d been stripped of his title, held captive for his crimes, but now he was here, reeking of sweat, dirt, and madness. His gaze flicked between us, settling on Cleopatra with an intensity that promised nothing but pain.

“Williams!” he spat, his voice raw with fury and hatred. “I’ve come for what’s mine.”

Cleopatra stiffened beside me, her grip on my arm tightening. I stepped forward, my body a shield between her and Dylan. “Let the girl go, Dylan,” I demanded, my voice low and hard. “She has nothing to do with this.”

Dylan laughed, a low, deranged sound. “Nothing to do with this? Everything has to do with this! With her!” 

His eyes burned with rage as he gestured towards Cleopatra, the blade pressing deeper into the girl’s skin. 

“You ruined everything, Williams. You stole her from me. Alpha Kyle promised her to me. She was to be mine! An alliance that would’ve made me untouchable. But you—” His breath came out in ragged gasps. “You took that from me. And now, I’ll take everything from you.”

The girl's mother sobbed uncontrollably, falling to her knees as she pleaded. “Please! Please don’t hurt her! She’s just a child!”

My heart ached with each of her wails, but I kept my focus on Dylan. “You’re blaming me for your fall, Dylan?” I said, trying to keep him talking, to buy any precious seconds that I could. “You made your choices. You attacked my pack. You broke the laws.”

His grip tightened on the knife, his knuckles white. “Spare me the sanctimony!” he roared. “I want her. Cleopatra. You hand her over to me, or I’ll slit this little girl’s throat and paint the palace floor with her blood.”

My chest tightened. The surrounding air seemed to grow heavier, every heartbeat thundering in my ears. “You’ll never touch her,” I said coldly. “I’d rather watch the world burn.”

The girl’s mother screamed, her voice cracking, and I felt Cleopatra stir beside me. She stepped forward, and I immediately pulled her back. “Don’t,” I growled. “I’d rather die than see him take you.”

She looked up at me, her gaze filled with both sorrow and resolve. “Trust me,” she whispered. “I know what I’m doing.”

Every instinct I had screamed to pull her away, to protect her, but I nodded. “I trust you,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper, even as fear clawed at me.

She stepped forward slowly, her hands raised in surrender, her eyes never leaving Dylan’s. “I’m here, Dylan,” she said softly, her voice steady despite the tension crackling in the air. “Let the girl go, and I’ll come with you.”

Dylan’s eyes gleamed with triumph, his grip on the knife loosening ever so slightly. “Yes…yes. Come to me, Cleopatra. As it should’ve been.”

I prepared to move, my muscles coiled, waiting for an opening. But Dylan’s madness knew no limits. His eyes darted, suspicion flickering. He tightened his grip on the girl again, his smile slipping. “You think I’m a fool? You’ll try to trick me. No, not until you’re in my hands.”

Blood trickled faster down the girl’s neck, her whimpers stabbing through the air. I took a step closer, ready to pounce if needed. But before I could move, Cleopatra spoke again.

“I swear, Dylan,” she said, her voice hardening. “If you hurt her, I will kill you.”

His laughter was hollow, echoing through the courtyard. “Come and try, White Wolf. But until then, the game is mine.”

The tension crackled between us like a live wire, and I met Dylan’s eyes, refusing to back down. The blade in his hand hovered too close to the young girl’s throat, her small chest rising and falling in frantic gasps. I held Cleopatra back. I couldn't let her go. No.

Dylan sneered, his lips curling into a wicked smile. “Did you think you could strip me of my title, cage me like a beast, and I’d simply forget, Williams?” His words dripped with venom. “I have hated you for as long as I can remember. Always strutting around like you’re better than everyone else.”

I held his gaze, trying to remain calm even as rage built inside me. “I did what had to be done. You attacked my pack, Dylan. You broke the law. You brought this on yourself!”

His laughter was sharp and grating, echoing across the courtyard. “You think you’re righteous, don’t you?” He leaned in closer to the trembling girl, making her cry out in terror. “You had the guts to strip me of my Alpha title? To throw me into that hellhole. But look at me now, Williams. I’m still standing. And I’m here to take back what’s mine.”

Cleopatra took another step forward, but I stopped her with a hand. Dylan’s gaze flicked at her, his expression turning manic. “You think you can protect her from me? Cleopatra was promised to me by Kane. She was to be my mate. Mine! But then you came along.” He spat the words like a curse. “You ruined everything. She was mine first. I saw her first.”

My hands curled into fists at my sides. “Cleopatra is not an object to be given away, Dylan. She’s no one’s prize.”

“She’s mine!” Dylan roared, the blade pressing harder against the girl’s throat. More blood trickled down, and I felt a surge of panic. “Alpha Kane promised her to me, Williams. You stole her. You stole everything.”

Cleopatra moved forward again, her voice steady but laced with steel. “Dylan, let the girl go. This isn’t about her.”

He snapped his gaze to her, his expression a mix of longing and fury. “Don’t speak, Cleopatra. You were meant to stand beside me. To rule with me. I saw it all—what we could’ve been. But you chose him.”

Cleopatra’s voice was low but unwavering. “He is my mate, not you, Dylan.”

His grip on the knife tightened, his eyes burning with rage. “Then I’ll make you choose,” he growled. “Either you come with me now, or I’ll end her life.”

I moved before I knew it, my body tensing, ready to strike. “Over my dead body.”

Dylan grinned, a twisted glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. “If that’s what it takes.”

I lunged, but Dylan’s eyes met mine, and in that second, his knife flashed—more blood spilled.
The Alpha's Seductress
Detail
Share
Font Size
40
Bgcolor