Chapter 70

Ryan's POV

I could not believe that Jacob had threatened Alyson. I was ready to destroy him, I had been wanting this moment ever since I found out their history.

That beast was imprisoned and sleeping beneath my lair. As soon as all grew quiet in the castle, I snuck down to meet the man who'd threatened me and my mate.

I walked into the room of his cell without any guards. I knew that I could kill him; I'd won against him in the games while trying not to kill him while he was in better health, so killing him now should be easier.

He was laying on his side, but abruptly whirled up to his feet. He did look healthier than he'd been in a couple weeks. He needed to be put down as soon as possible.

"Hello, Ryan. How good of you to visit." He spat on the ground, aiming for my feet although it missed. "How the blood taste from your mate? I drank all of it in her past life, so tasty."

My rage seared inside me. Rupert was out of control, and I shifted, lunging at the bars. He backed away from them inside his cell. I had not opened the door, and so I was prevented from ripping into him.

"You want to fight?" He taunted my wolf form. "Let me out, and let's face each other. I'd love another opportunity to kill you."

I shifted back to a man to open the door.

"You'll make a terrible Alpha. The Pack loved me, and I would take back my position. I'm already feeling better, maybe I just needed some extra rest. I will rise back up."

I knew it would be against the rules to kill him without consulting the elders, but I needed this threat to be gone. I was already Alpha, and this man was still a threat to me and my mate even if he were locked away.

I took the keys and unlocked the door.

He was already shifting the moment he could, but I was faster. Our wolves flew at each other, colliding face to face ripping at each other, snarling, and then falling back to circle one another.

I was the bigger wolf, but his black wolf was nearly as large as mine. I could sense how powerful his wolf was over him, I could see it burning in his enraged eyes.

He lunged at me abruptly, and I flailed to fight him off of my neck. He latched on, and ripped at my throat before I knew he had landed a good enough bite.

In a moment, I wondered if it were a mistake to let him out. What if he could kill me? What would he do to Alyson?

I could never allow it.

My dense fur and skin sliced open, but I managed to pull myself away. I could not waste another moment, I trapped him, with my brute force I struck his wolf to the ground, and tore my fangs into his snout, and down to his throat. With all my might, I ripped into him, tasting the warm blood as I found his jugular.

He spluttered and whimpered as a pool of blood gathered around him. He was still snarling and trying to bite my legs, but I kept out of his reach. He was dying fast now.

He shifted back to a man. "This is not the ways of Alexander!" He yelled at me.

But I didn't care because nothing he'd ever done respected the ways of our Clan. I watched him bleed to death. Finally, the light and last bit of fury and self-preservation left his eyes.

In his last breath, he shifted back to his wolf. The large black creature was soaked in shiny blood that was an ocean of red covering the ground.

I felt at my own neck for the wound that I had thought might be my end. It was only bleeding a little- a wound that could be stitched and tended to properly, and it would likely scar.

I left Jacob dead in the dungeon. I told some of the servants to clean up the mess and call the embalmer for a proper burial. I would still have him buried as was the ways of Alexanders. Even for those that commit heinous crimes.

A doctor came and tended to my wound. It would be freshly stitched and enflamed for my wedding in two days, but I hardly cared about that. The wound would heal as Alyson and I healed in our open love story and status.

We would never have to worry about Jacob again. I sent a servant out to tell Alyson, even if it were late.

He was hardly gone for long when I could smell her. She'd come immediately.

She cried out when she saw me and my stitched-up neck, running to me. "What happened? You're hurt?"

"He's dead. I killed him so you wouldn't ever have to be afraid to sleep in my lair once it is your home." I said. "He didn't go down without a fight."

I saw a glimmer of disappointment in her eyes. Perhaps she wanted to kill him herself, or perhaps she at least wanted to see him fall and take his last breath. But I was glad I had done it instead of her, because for a second, I thought he had gotten me. Jacob had still been very dangerous, and I had to protect her.

But her concern was for me, and she was looking at the stitched on my neck and making sure that the doctor did a fine job with it.

"I can't believe it," she said as she rubbed ointment over delicate injury. "It's over. He's gone."

"It's the beginning," I said. "We can be free now."

She smiled, but it was only half-hearted. "Are you happy?" I asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I'm relieved if anything. But all of this is so terrible, it never should have been this way."

My jealousy reared again in my insides. "Why? because he was supposed to be your mate?"

She shook her head, and leaned into me, kissing me lightly, till I wrapped my arms around her. "No, I'm sure I was meant to find you. It's just so unfair it had to happen this way, but I think it's all for good in the end. I'm glad I was never his mate. I saw how he treated my sister."

My muscles relaxed as I absorbed her words.

"I love you, Ryan," she whispered. "And I think this was meant to be, even if I can't smell that your my mate. I think the Moon Goddess tricked me. She took away my ability to smell the fated match, but not my ability to fall in love and choose a mate. And I choose you."