Mated To The Cold Hearted Alpha
Chapter 148

“I know,” he replied, “and I’m sorry to put you through this again, but I need to know…what her body went through.”

I studied his expression.

He explained softly, “I can’t help her if I don’t know.”

“Okay.” I ran a hand roughly through my already disheveled hair as I pulled back images I never wanted to think about again. “From the glimpse I saw into her mind and confirmation from those in the room, I think only two penetrated her vaginally but her wounds indicate her bottom was also violated, probably with claws.”

Luca’s brows went up. “You could see that…in her mind?”

“Yes,” I ground out through my teeth. In my head, my Wolf snarled furiously at the memories. “Thankfully, it appeared Hycinth was unconscious, at least during the time those two bastards defiled her.”

“What else?”

“The bruises and wounds on her body were too many to count. She had several spinal breaks that we could feel, likely incurred from multiple kicks due to the massive boot prints left behind on her back, but I suspect she had even more fractures to various parts of her body that we could not detect through touch alone.”

Vibrating with fury, Luca hissed, “They all need to die. Every last one of them.”

“They did die,” I reminded him.

“No. Not just the ones present. All of them. Both packs,” he growled.

Oh. I understood what he meant now, the fervor and unfettered hate in his eyes. I felt it too. I just wasn’t sure Lucky was mentally ready for the actuality of it. The somberness of the subject tightened my throat, making it difficult for me to ask, “Have you ever killed a pup before?”

Instantly, Luca’s expression altered. Brows pulling tight, conflict and pain reflected in his eyes. “No.”

“It’s terrible,” Ever whispered, his own response labored with emotion, caught up in memories both of us would rather forget. “You don’t want that b***d on your hands.”

“Is that what happened when you came to my old pack?” Luca asked quietly.

I nodded without elaborating further.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he considered my response. “Would you have killed Hycinth as well if she had not been your mate?”

My gut twisted, but I would not lie to him. “Yes. I intended to kill both of you as well as the pack. The only thing that stopped me was replaceing out she was my mate.”

He was silent for a long moment before admitting slowly, “It was a mistake, wasn’t it…letting them live?”

“Yes, it was” I spoke the truth, but I hated it. “I don’t know how I can let any of your old pack live now. Time and time again, they have proven they are pure evil. Just when I think I have weeded out all of the bad ones, more crop up. And in the end, my lack of action costs this pack wolves. From a peripheral perspective, even Hycinth paid the price for my choice. Dagger wanted revenge on me and maybe he would have found enough muscle to carry it out without your old pack, but it was clear, they played the most prominent role in his scheme.”

“What about Nightshade? I saw their Delta as we were leaving…in the field out back. What have you determined about them?”

I repositioned my weight on the log to make the position more comfortable. “It’s bad enough that we have to wipe out one pack; I don’t want to have to take out two, but am I making the right decision? I have already left this pack at risk by war mongering wolves. Alpha Cade seemed sincere. He said he didn’t know of the plans, and even swore fealty to me.”

Luca’s eyebrows went up.

Now wasn’t the time to get into the details of that arrangement so I only answered what he had asked about. “But I needed more than just his word. His wolves came after me and hurt Hycinth in unimaginable ways. He bears responsibility for that, and if I’m to grant leniency and let them live at the risk of our own wolves, I needed a sacrifice as proof of his loyalty.”

Luca’s expression remained neutral, both understanding and accepting my responses.

Frustration welled in my gut. “But even now, I still don’t know. There was something about that Delta that my Wolf didn’t like. It was the reason I chose him over their Beta.”

“I had wondered if it was because the Beta is Willow’s father.”

“He is,” I acknowledged. “And I was glad for a reason to pass him by, but if he had given my Wolf even a small amount of the unease the Delta did, I would have taken both of their lives without even blinking.”

“So for now, the target is only the Diamonte Pack?” Luca questioned, his voice tight. “All…of them?”

Ever leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “The pups are innocent now bu-“

“They get revenge,” Luca interrupted, already on the same page.

“It is the price we pay to coexist with nature in the way that we do,” Ever murmured. “Half animal. Half beasts.”

I could see the gears of Luca’s mind churning. “Have you ever tried it the other way before…eliminating all of the grown males and females as well as the juvenile wolves down to a certain age and then taking them. in instead, trying to nurture them out of the hate they came from?”

“I have thought about it before,” I acknowledged, thinking back to conversations I’d had with Ever. “But the question isn’t only whether the pups have enough fortitude even with a loving environment, to go against their natures as they become older, but do our wolves have enough fortitude to give them that love and attention?”

“It’s a hell of a concept to love the child of the male or female who caused so much pain or even ended the life of a mate,” Ever said. “Would you have it in you?”

“But I already do,” Luca replied softly. “I do love the daughter of the male who killed my mate.”

His words were profound in one sense, showing that the end result could be achieved, but the circumstances we were facing were different, and I wasn’t sure it was that easy. “Would it have been the same if you had known this fact about Hycinth at the very beginning of your relationship? Would you have welcomed her with open arms? It’s going to take an incredible amount of selfless love and the entire pack to have even a tiny chance of making it work. You are part of this pack now. Would you be willing to take a pup on as your own?”

Luca’s eyes widened. “Be a father? Are you serious?”

I nodded. “As I said, it will take the entire pack for an influx of pups in that number. We do not have enough mated pairs for them to bear the burden alone nor should an excessive number of pups be in any single home. This isn’t just about caring for their physical needs. It’s about forcefully overcoming their very nature.”

Ever interjected carefully, “And with a task this difficult, what are the odds we will all be successful?”

Luca turned toward him.

“It’s incredibly unrealistic to think we will have a one hundred percent success rate,” he explained, “and if just one of us fails this impossible task, who will pay the price? I couldn’t bear to think I allowed another pup into my house…only to have him end the life of my own child or another innocent of our pack…simply because the task was impossible from the start. Then who is to blame?” Even eyes glistened with the pain of this very real potential.

“I don’t know the answer to that. Maybe we just pray.” Luca held Ever’s gaze, green eyes swirling with determination. “But I can’t imagine myself doing the alternative. I don’t know if I have it in me to kill a pup or a baby even. So, if that means they live, then yes, I am willing to do whatever it takes…even become a father.”