Page 22 of Surprise Baby for My Fated Alpha

Luna’s breath hitched, and I could see the shock register in her eyes, but I had to keep going. She needed to understand.

"It was two years after Miranda was born," I began, my voice growing distant as the memories clawed their way to the surface. "Katherine and I ... we were happy. I thought we were safe, too."

I turned away from the window and faced Luna, my chest tightening as I spoke. “We’d been careful, or so I thought. I didn’t know Axel, Marcosias’ father, was already watching us. He wanted power. Control. He saw Katherine as leverage because of her connection to me."

I walked closer to Luna, feeling the weight of every word as it left my mouth. "It happened on a night not so different from this one. We were at the estate. I was in my office when I heard ... a sound, like something heavy crashing upstairs. I ran. I ran as fast as I could.”

The memory of that night was burned into my mind, a nightmare I relived over and over.

“When I got to our bedroom," I continued, my voice barely holding steady, "the door was already open, hanging off its hinges. Katherine ... she was lying on the floor, blood everywhere. Her throat was slashed, her body torn apart. I couldn’t ... I couldn’t recognize her face.”

Luna gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in horror, but I pressed on, the images flashing in my mind as if they were happening all over again.

“There were claw marks all over the walls, the floor. The scent of wolves was thick in the air. I knew it was Axel. He wanted me to find her like that. He wanted to send a message. To break me. And it worked.”

I could still hear Katherine’s last gasps for breath, the way her body twitched as I knelt beside her, helpless. “I held her, Luna.I held her as she bled out in my arms, but there was nothing I could do. I failed her. She was ... she was gone before I could even get help.”

I clenched my fists, anger and guilt rising like a tidal wave. “Axel took everything from me that night. And the worst part? Miranda was in the next room, asleep in her crib. They could have taken her too, killed her like they killed Katherine. But they didn’t. Axel wanted me to live with the fear. He wanted me to know he could take her anytime he wanted.”

Luna was crying now, silent tears streaming down her face as she listened. I hated myself for dragging her into this, for exposing her to the horrors of my world. But there was no turning back now.

“I had never known rage like the kind I felt after Katherine’s murder. It was all-consuming, a fire that burned so fiercely inside me, I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t think of anything else but vengeance. The thought of her lying there, her body destroyed by those wolves, haunted me every waking moment. I swore I’d make them pay.”

“I can’t even imagine the pain you must have gone through.”

I leaned forward, elbows resting on my knees, looking directly into her green eyes. "It wasn’t enough to just mourn. That wouldn’t bring justice. Axel was brutal, but predictable. And I knew exactly where to find him."

Luna’s breath caught. “Where?”

“His clan had a stronghold deep in the woods outside of Silverpoint. The territory was dangerous, filled with rogue wolves and traps meant to deter anyone stupid enough to enter. But I didn’t care. After Katherine, nothing scared me anymore."

Reliving every moment of that night - the adrenaline, the fury—it all came flooding back.

“I tracked him for weeks, like an animal. I followed the scent of blood, his pack’s movements, until finally, I cornered him. Alone. He had no idea I was coming.”

Luna’s eyes widened. “What did you do?”

I smiled grimly. “I waited until nightfall. Axel was in a clearing, by a fire. He had a bottle of whiskey in his hand, celebrating, probably, thinking he had won. He was talking to one of his men, bragging about how easily they took Katherine. How I was nothing compared to him. How they planned to come for Miranda next.”

My fists clenched just thinking about it. I could still hear Axel’s smug voice in my head, taunting me even from the grave.

“I snapped. That’s when I shifted. I didn’t wait. I charged at him, took down his guard first—ripped his throat out before he could even react. The sound of his gurgling blood filled the air, but Axel didn’t even flinch. He just stood there, smiling at me, like he’d been expecting me all along."

I stood up, pacing the room, as the memory overwhelmed me. “He laughed, Luna. He fucking laughed when he saw me.”

Luna gasped softly, her hands gripping the arms of the chair, as I continued.

“He said, ‘I was wondering when you’d show up, Blackwood. Took you long enough. We left her in a pretty state for you, didn’t we?’"

I stopped pacing, my fists clenched at my sides. “That’s when I lost it. I wasn’t thinking, wasn’t human anymore. I lunged at him, claws out, teeth bared. Axel didn’t even try to run. He just stood there, waiting. He believed he could take me out.”

I paused, my breathing heavy, reliving the raw violence of that night.

“When I got to him, I tore into him. I didn’t stop. I slashed his chest, his face, anything I could reach. He tried to fight back, but I was too fast, too far gone. I broke his ribs, crushed his windpipe, and then … I snapped his neck.”

I looked at Luna, the weight of what I’d done heavy in my eyes. “But even then, it wasn’t enough. I didn’t stop. I kept tearing into him, until his body was nothing but a bloody mess. By the time I was done, there was nothing left of him to recognize. He died like an animal.”

Luna’s face had gone pale, but she didn’t look away. Her voice was shaky when she spoke. “Did it help? Did it make you feel … better?”

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