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Chapter 24

Bavanda's world was no longer her own. The darkness crept in slowly at first, like tendrils of smoke slithering around the edges of her consciousness. But now, it consumed her. She could no longer tell where the visions ended and reality began.

She stood in the middle of a battlefield. The sky overhead was stained red, the ground littered with bodies—wolves, humans, creatures she couldn’t name. And at the center of it all, standing tall amidst the carnage, was herself.

Or rather, what she had become.

Her reflection in the bloodied pools beneath her feet showed glowing crimson eyes, elongated claws, and a twisted grin. She was unrecognizable, a being of nightmares, her very presence radiating terror. She could taste the iron tang of blood on her lips, feel the power coursing through her veins like molten lava.

And then came the whispers.

"This is who you are. This is who you were always meant to be."

They slithered through her mind like serpents, wrapping around her thoughts, squeezing, suffocating.

"They betrayed you. They left you. Why fight what you are?"

She tried to move, tried to scream, but her body would not obey. The vision shifted. Now she saw Avynna and Baron, their faces filled with disappointment, their eyes distant. Behind them, the pack—her pack—looked upon her with disgust. Steve stood among them, his sword drawn, his expression one of pain and fury.

"She is beyond saving. She is not our princess anymore."

Bavanda's breath caught in her throat. “No. No, this wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real.”

The whispers turned into laughter, deep and guttural, coming from nowhere and everywhere at once.

She fell to her knees, hands clutching her head. “Stop it! This isn’t true! This isn’t who I am!” Her voice was a stranded yelp.

"But it is." A new voice, smooth and sickly sweet, broke through the haze. Theresa.

Bavanda’s vision snapped back to reality—if she could even call it that. She was back in the cold, damp chamber, chained against the stone wall, her body trembling from the nightmare she had just endured.

Theresa stood before her, arms folded, a satisfied smirk on her lips. "You're resisting, but that won’t last forever."

Bavanda panted, her body drenched in sweat. “Stay out of my head.”

Theresa crouched before her, tilting her head. "I’m not in your head, darling. This is all you. Your power is awakening, your true self is clawing its way out. I’m just helping you see what was always there."

Bavanda shook her head violently. "No! You’re twisting everything!"

Theresa’s smile only grew. "Am I? Then tell me, why did they turn against you so easily? Why did your own father, your Alpha, condemn you? Why did Steve look at you with such fear?"

Bavanda squeezed her eyes shut. "Don’t listen. Don’t listen."

But the memories surged forth without mercy. The betrayal. The judgment. The execution order.

Her body trembled, confusion festering in her chest like a growing storm. The darkness was seductive, whispering promises of power, of acceptance, of never being weak again.

Theresa leaned closer, her lips barely above a whisper. "Stop fighting it, Bavanda. Embrace it. You were never meant to be an Alpha. You were meant to be so much more."

Bavanda’s breath hitched. The chains that bound her burned against her skin, but it was nothing compared to the fire growing inside her chest. A part of her wanted to scream in defiance. A part of her wanted to give in.

But she couldn't. She couldn't.

Her eyes flickered to Theresa, rage circling in those black pupils. “Why are you doing this to me?" She demanded. “I trusted you. I stood up for you when everyone else was against you. How… how could you treat me like this?”

Theresa said nothing, but her smile faltered. She looked away.

But Bavanda wasn't done. “Tell me, are they making you do this? Like they did to Loco? Are you being exploited because you don't have a choice. I can… we can help you. We can get past this. You… you doing have to do this. Loco and I…”

Theresa's control snapped. "Oh shut up already!” She flared. "Loco? You really trust him that much? You don't even know a fucking thing about him. Can you get more naive than this?”

Bavanda's lips parted, but the words wouldn't form. Theresa shot her an angry glare.

Her words dropped venom, and so did her voice. "I will do whatever I want, and you have no say in that. Just sit here and enjoy the nightmares I play for you.”

Just like that, Bavanda was drawn back, reality skipping away, overshadowed by a world unknown.

Loco stood before them, his body still aching from wounds that had barely begun to heal. The weight of exhaustion pressed on him, but his resolve remained unshaken. Nancy stood beside him, arms crossed, her expression hard and unreadable. They faced the Alpha, the Luna, and the elders—an audience that would determine Bavanda’s fate.

“I didn’t come here to beg,” Loco’s voice cut through the tense silence. “I came to tell you that she’s still out there, and I will get her back—with or without you.”

The words echoed through the grand hall. Warriors, pack members, and elders exchanged uncertain glances. Some shifted uncomfortably, while others frowned in disapproval.

“She is lost,” one elder finally spoke. “The darkness has consumed her. If we try to retrieve her, she will not come willingly. Do you want us to risk more lives?”

Loco clenched his fists. “You don’t know that.”

“She nearly tore this pack apart,” another voice interjected. “You expect us to believe she can still be saved?”

“I believe it.”

The words came from Avynna. She had remained silent, hands gripping the armrests of her chair so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her eyes, red from days of weeping, held a flicker of hope.

Baron, however, said nothing. He sat stiffly, his face carved from stone, unreadable.

Loco turned to him. “And what about you, Alpha? You would rather sit here and do nothing? Let your daughter be used as a weapon?”

Baron’s jaw tightened, but he did not reply.

The tension in the hall thickened until the doors suddenly burst open. The gathered pack turned in unison as two women strode in—one with fierce, determined eyes, the other with an expression of utter disbelief.

Gina and Rayna.

They had returned.

Their presence alone sent whispers rippling through the crowd. Baron’s sisters had been away, living in their respective packs, unaware of the horrors that had unfolded here. But now, standing before them, they looked furious.

“Tell me it’s not true,” Gina demanded, storming forward. “Tell me you didn’t keep this from us, Baron!”

Rayna’s voice was quieter but just as sharp. “You let us believe everything was fine. And now we come back to find out that our niece has been abandoned?”

“She has not been abandoned,” Baron said, finally speaking. His voice was measured, but his gaze wavered.

“Then why aren’t you fighting for her?” Gina shot back.

A murmur rippled through the room. Baron’s silence was damning.

“You have no idea what she has done,” an elder cut in. “She—”

“—is still our blood,” Rayna interrupted coldly. “Whatever she has done, whatever has happened, she is still your daughter, Baron.”

Baron exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face. “You think I don’t know that?” he snapped. “I’ve spent every moment since her capture asking myself if I failed her.”

“But you’re ready to give up on her,” Gina said, stepping closer. “That’s what this is, isn’t it?”

A charged silence filled the air. Then Steve stepped forward, his voice steady and firm.

“She’s still in there, Baron. I know you don’t want to hope. I know it hurts. But she’s not lost yet. And if you don’t go after her now, she will be.”

The weight of the words pressed down on the Alpha. His sisters stood before him, their presence a reminder of family—of what they had fought to protect. His best friend stood beside them, unwavering in his belief. And across the hall, Avynna’s tear-filled gaze met his, pleading.

Baron inhaled deeply, his mind racing through every fear, every doubt, every failure. Then, slowly, he looked at Loco.

“What do you need?”

Loco’s eyes widened, barely able to believe the shift.

Baron rose from his seat. “What do you need to bring her back?”

Loco didn’t hesitate. “Warriors. Strength. And trust that she’s not gone.”

Baron nodded once. Then he turned to his pack and uttered the words that would change everything.

“Prepare for war.”

Hey Guys please check my other stories: The Lycan and His healer mate, His Purchased Wife, 365 Days in Dmitry Cage, The fatal Lycan and his mysterious mate, Xiol's Treasured Mate, The luna and the lycan, Flash Marriage: President's Seduction, In Adonis world, Alpha's little Vampire Mate on R.a.d.i.s.h.

Also you can check Alpha Lucious on F.i.c.t.i.o.n.m.e and His Purchased wife on Readink

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Betrayed by My Ex, Claimed by His father on Goodnovel