Page 64 of My Brutal Alpha

As I continued evading him, attacking with less priority, I could sense his irritation mounted, and because of it, he kept pushing and pushing. He didn’t allow himself to stop out of fear of seeming weak.

Surely, he wouldn’t allow himself to be humbled by his son—and a disrespectful, uncooperative one at that.

Running him in circles to the point of him beginning to stumble, I didn’t let up as those old memories rose to the surface of my mind.

Psyching him out with a dodge, only to lunge at him and bite at his leg, I recalled the time he made me stand on a stump only big enough to accommodate one of my feet for hours, all because I questioned something he said. He left me there for hours, making me maintain that stance until I was too tired to stand and eventually collapsed. When I inevitably did, he cracked me across the face and told me to do it again the following morning.

As he yelped and tripped up, hurrying to escape my next bite, I couldn’t help but consider how pathetic he looked then—how weak and at odds with the ruthless, cruel man he was to me before.

The man who hit his son at any minor inconvenience and pushed him around all because he wouldn’t fight back…because he couldn’t fight back. The one who took pride in beating me into submission and felt like a stronger man because of it.

It all seemed so unlikely then.

At that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder how he ever lifted a hand against me before.

At the next yelp that escaped him while I swiped against his side, forcing him back with my teeth bared at him, I saw flashes of his face in the back of my mind—that scowl. The tightening of his features every time he hit me. Every time, he armed his punches with extra visceral anger.

With him staining my mind, I moved in, snarling at him before I lunged again and hooked my jaw around his neck.

As I bit down, I pictured my younger self. Unshackled. Free. Happy.

The warmth of his blood filled my mouth as he let go of a high-pitched whine before his chest heaved with shallow breaths.

I did it for him. And I did it for my current self—the one who gained so much and had more to lose than ever before.

But instead of those things being weaknesses, they made me stronger.

Letting go of his neck as he released those labored breaths, I moved my face closer to my father’s slowly, muzzle tight, as I growled lowly at him in warning. It was his final chance to concede. To surrender.

Just barely, he was alive despite his wounds. While his lungs were weak and his heart raced to the point of skipping a few beats, he still had enough life to keep going. Instead ofshifting back, he remained in his wolf form to heal first rather than risking further damage by initiating the transformation.

With a near-deafening silence around us, I switched back, returning to my usual state as I kneeled before him, eyes fixed on his beaten and bloodied form.

Gaze raking over him, I could only see him as a weak, broken thing. He wasn’t my father. Not anymore.

He certainly wasn’t my alpha, either.

“I’m sparing your life, but only so that Mom isn’t left alone with nothing else in the world. Even if she helped you with all this, I won’t condemn her to that pain. That’s my mercy to both of you,” I said, voice steady and unwavering. “Not that you deserve it after everything you put me through.”

As those golden eyes looked at me while he heaved in through pained breaths, I could see the faintest hint of remorse in them. The realization that not only did he lose to his son, but he lost so much more than that, and he would only continue to if Kody were to ever get his hands on him.

“I shouldered and endured more than my share thanks to you. I felt like I was nothing…worthless and far too screwed up to ever get anything right. But the one thing I did right was trust my gut and get away the moment I had the chance,” I began, teeth grit as I spoke, and I gave myself that closure, knowing he never could. “I got away from your iron grip, and with time, I found people and things worth keeping—all of which you can’t take away from me. I refuse ever to let that happen. I freed myself once before, but I know now that wasn’t enough because I didn’t make myself painfully clear.”

The broken, useless wolf laid out on the ground and panted as the pain from healing began, slowly closing wounds and mending bones piece by agonizing piece.

I leaned closer, fisting his honeyed fur with authority. “So let me say it plainly now. I’m free of you. Completely and irrevocably free of your demands, expectations, and punishments. You were nothing to me then and nothing to me now. If I see you back here again for any reason at all, I won’t hesitate to finish the job. That’s my promise to you and myself.”

Unable to move, Dad could only pant and whine through the pain. But by then, I didn’t care. I was done with it. Even as he began to crawl away helplessly, looking to get away, I didn’t spare him another glance.

Letting go of his fur, I pushed away, feeling lighter than ever.

Turning to face the others, I found their silent yet reverent faces looking back at me. The respect was clear as day and more appreciated than they would likely ever know.

I met Sebastian’s eyes, and with a single nod, I could feel the animosity between us vanish at once.

Giving Zoe’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, he moved away from her and motioned for the others to follow. Wordlessly, the guys went along with him, and the sound of their footfalls retreating filled the space until they vanished completely.

At the same time, my wolves yipped and howled as they ran off through the trees, preparing a celebration of their own beneath the moonlight.

---