Page 33 of Betrayed By the Alpha

"Well, get up! Come on. I haven't even started with you. You call yourself an Alpha? Weak and spineless, just like your father." Zach rushed forward again, but just when he was going to grab Bruce, he spun around, knowing the wizard would vanish and appear behind him. He was lucky he was right because this time, Bruce had a stake ready to stab Zach in the heart.

Zach swiped his leg across the floor, knocking Bruce down to the ground. The knife fell out of Bruce's hands. Zach kicked it further away before pouncing on him immediately, delivering a heavy blow. A crack was heard, and blood spilled out of Bruce's broken nose.

"This is for the innocent people you've hurt!" The punch landed with a thud. "Albert Hill." He dug his claws into Bruce's eyes, emitting a scream for him as he was blinded. "And my father!" Zach drove his hand through Bruce's chest to catch his beating heart. "Do you have something else to say, Bruce?" he questioned, moving his hand deeper.

"Asshole, I can't see a thing," Bruce cried in pain. "Okay, calm down... you don't have to do this. Isurrender. I surrender myself. Take me to the station." He raised his arms, but Zach didn't want to let go.

"I should take you to the station. It is, after all, my duty as a black ops member, but you failed to perform many of your duties, didn’t you? Your duty as a friend, a citizen of Bellefleur, and the Mayor."

"Stop," Bruce choked.

"I think, for once, I'm going to forget my duty, and I don't care about the consequences." Zach tightened his grip on the beating heart. "Goodbye, Bruce." He pulled it out. Bruce dropped to his knees immediately and fell to the floor, dead. Zach looked at the lifeless heart in his hands, then threw it at Bruce's face. He had to find Hayley. He hoped she was down in the basement like Bruce said.

"Zach?" When he looked up, he found Hayley standing by the door. She was still dressed in her pajamas, which were now coated in blood. He didn't know what she had been through with Monroe, but he was glad she looked unharmed. He frowned when he saw the blood drip from her hand.

"You're bleeding," he pointed out, walking over to her.

"Don't worry. It’s not mine. It’s Monroe's." Her eyes moved over to Bruce. "Is he dead?"

"Yes," he answered, then pulled her close for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her tight, burying his head in her neck. He whispered, "I'm so glad you're alive."

"If I died, who would make your life miserable?" She hugged his waist. "It's fine. I wasn't hurt. They were going to kill me, but I managed to use my nails, and after a while, I was able to cut through the rope."

Zach pulled back. "I'm just glad you're okay."

She pulled back to look at his face. "Is it weird that I find you sexy with your wolf face?"

Zach’s eyes widened, remembering that he was still half man and beast. "Yeah, a bit weird," he answered and snapped his face back. His ears tickled. Zach listened and got the distant sound of sirens. Ryder was on his way. "Let's get out of here," he said, pulling back.

"Okay," she said, following him.

When they left the house, a few cars were just pulling up on the driveway. Ryder got out of the car, along with Tolliver and a few members of the black ops.

"Hayley, I’m glad to see that you’re safe. Where is Bruce?" Ryder asked. "What happened to you guys?"

"Bruce is dead. You can feed his heart to the vultures if you want," Hayley answered. "But if you check the basement, you'll find Monroe unconscious. Also, I think there are other people down there. I didn't check, but I heard voices coming from there." Ryder and Tolliver shared a look.

"Come on, guys," Ryder said to his men, and they proceeded in.

Chapter 17 - Zach

A few weeks later

They were gathered in court, all waiting for the judge to deliver a verdict on Mr. Monroe. The trial had been going on for hours now, and usually, Zach would have lost interest by now. However, he was committed to staying the whole day for this one. He was going to drag Monroe to jail personally. He would ensure Monroe ended up in the dirtiest cell with the worst cellmate.

When the judge looked up, everyone sat up straight. Hayley gripped Zach's hand, squeezing it tight. He looked over at her, a bit worried. He reached out to stroke her back, calming her until she finally let go.

"Mr. Monroe, you have been found guilty of all charges. I hereby sentence you to ten years in prison. After that, you will be stripped of your powers, have your memory wiped, and will be removed to the human world."

"Wow," Greta muttered. "I am clocking sixty soon, and even I can't remember the last time someone was banished from Bellefleur."

"I have never been so happy," Hayley whispered in Zach's ears. She was seated at the front with Zach and Greta by her side, watching as Monroe was taken away. He begged and struggled with the guards tasked with dragging him away. During the trial, he’d stared down at his fingers the entire time. He was too ashamed to look at the people. Zach wished he had. He wanted to look him straight in the eye when the judge pronounced the judgment.

Monroe was being sent to the red world, a prison section that housed the most dangerous criminals. Zach doubted that Monroe would last there for ten years. The man was a lawyer who had sent many inmates to jail. "He won't last a year in there," Zach told them.

***

After Bruce was defeated and Monroe arrested, another election was held, and the people decided that the best person to lead was Zach. He had never considered becoming the Mayor, and he was going to refuse the position, but Hayley had convinced him to accept—to rule for his father and her father, whose lives were cut short. He had been summoned by the three elders who represented the wizard clan and appointed the Mayor.

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