Chapter 144: Come back to me

Dorian felt like his guts were being twisted open, as if his heart was being clawed out.

He ripped his mouth away from Alyssa’s just as blood splattered from his lips, dripping down the side of his mouth. Yet, even through the pain, he refused to release his hold on her.

He knew the disaster that would unfold if she failed to regain control of her powers; she was capable of leveling the entire mansion to rubbles, just as she had destroyed the villa in Ashgard.

"Alyssa," he whispered her name through gritted teeth, clutching his chest with one hand while his other hand gently stroked her cheek. "Come back to me, baby. Please."

After what felt like an eternity, Alyssa’s eyelids fluttered shut. She sucked in a deep breath, regaining full control of her emotions.

Gradually, her temperature cooled, leaving her skin slick with cold sweat. The tremors finally subsided.

When she opened her eyes once more, the crimson glow had faded. Behind them, to Dorian’s absolute bewilderment, the crack in the window had vanished.

He quickly wiped the blood from his chin and pulled her close. Relief flooded him when she didn’t push him away, and he momentarily forgot about the pain that had struck him when he kissed her.

Alyssa let out a long exhale, snuggling her face into his warmth despite her earlier resolve to remain distant.

"I’m sorry," she murmured softly.

"No, don’t do that," Dorian shook his head. "You did nothing wrong."

"I lost control of my powers."

"It wasn’t your fault," he assured her. "You did nothing wrong, my love. I am the one who should be begging for your forgiveness."

He pulled back just a fraction to cup her face, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. "I didn’t kiss Elvira. I know how it looked when you walked in, but I didn’t."

"I know you didn’t," she nodded. "I saw her force it. I’m not mad at you."

Unaware of the pain she had unintentionally inflicted on him when he kissed her, she took his hand, guiding him toward the couch and sinking into it beside him.

"Pandora and Henna told me you were in here with Elvira," she said. "Alone."

Dorian silently gauged her expression. When she just stared back at him without a trace of accusation, he took her hands in his.

"I just questioned her," he admitted. "That’s the only reason I ordered Jake and the others out, not because I wanted to be alone with her."

Alyssa stared at their joined hands for a moment, her mind racing through a hundred conflicting thoughts. Slowly, she slipped her fingers out of his grip.

"I think it’s time you tell me what really happened the day Elvira died," she said, looking straight into his eyes. "Now that you know she’s alive, you can’t keep avoiding it. I want to hear the truth from you."

Dorian stared at her, knowing she was right. He owed her the full story, and she deserved total honesty, especially now that the shadow of his past had returned in the flesh.

"Okay," he nodded. "I’ll tell you everything."

...

FLASHBACK

One fateful morning, years before the war, Dorian was returning from the annual Alpha Summit.

It was a gathering he hosted every year, where the subordinate Alphas under Wintercrest, alongside foreign Alphas from other realms, convened to maintain treaties and enjoy a week free from pack duties.

He had rushed back the moment the summit ended, desperate to see Elvira and their newborn son. He had never been away from her for a full week before, and the ache of missing his mate and infant child had been overwhelming.

During the long drive from the airport to the estate, he had repeatedly tried calling her line. Every single call went straight to voicemail. Growing uneasy, he dialed Jake and Alec; neither picked up. Anthony and Pandora were away on a trip.

Panic settled in his chest as he slammed his foot down on the accelerator, sending the vehicle speeding down the winding forest roads. He refused to let his mind wander toward the nightmare that something might have happened to his mate or his son.

He drove through the gates of the estate, sending gravel spraying in every direction as he pulled up to the front mansion. The moment he noticed the crowd gathered in the driveway, his paranoia spiked into dread.

He didn’t even bother turning off the engine before throwing the car door open and stepping out.

The dense crowd parted as he strode through. And there, kneeling in the center of the cobblestone, was Elvira, clutching her wailing newborn infant tightly against her chest.

Fury began to boil in Dorian’s blood. Before he could move, Jake and Alec rushed out from the crowd, grabbing his arms to hold him back.

"WHO DID THIS TO HER?" he roared, his voice echoing across the grounds. "WHY IS MY MATE ON HER KNEES?"

"Luna Elvira has broken the sacred bond, Alpha!" Jake yelled out over the rising murmurs of the terrified crowd. "She has betrayed you!"

Dorian froze, the golden hue of his eyes slowly bleeding into black coals. Jake’s words bounced off the walls of his skull like a deafening echo.

"What?" he hissed out.

"She engaged in a sexual affair with your cousin, Joffrey Lowell," Jake reported, his face grim. "The baby she holds is not yours. He’s Joffrey’s son. Joffrey confessed everything to the elders when she refused to flee the territory with him. A test was done, and it was confirmed. The warriors are searching for him already..."

Jake’s voice faded into static as Dorian turned his head, locking his blackened eyes onto Elvira.

She had the audacity to look up and meet his gaze, her face devoid of remorse. When Dorian looked into the eyes of the woman he had cherished, he didn’t see his mate; he saw a stranger, and the madness swirling in her gaze.

A vicious roar suddenly ripped from his throat as he began to transform.

His body expanded, his bones snapping, twisting, and contorting as he summoned the terrifying form of the Void–the monstrous fusion of his Lycan and demon form.

The crowd shrieked in terror, scattering in every direction as their Alpha went feral. Chaos broke out, the air turning thick with dread.

Jake and Alec knew there was no force on earth capable of holding back the Void in this state. Furthermore, the Wintercrest law for a mate’s infidelity and betrayal was death. So they made no move to stop him.

Seeing the beast towering over her, the madness in Elvira’s eyes finally gave way to terror. She scrambled to her feet, clutched the screaming infant to her chest, and fled.

She shifted into her Lycan form, securing her baby safely between her jaws, and tore recklessly through the forest.

Dorian pursued her, driven by the crushing agony of her betrayal and the unbearable realization that the child he had loved was not his own.

By the time Elvira broke through the tree line toward the jagged cliff known as Winter’s Peak, her strength was completely exhausted. The baby was screaming hysterically, and her lungs burned for air.

She collapsed, shifting back into her human form. She was so close to the edge of the cliff that small pebbles tumbled into the abyss below. There was nowhere left to run.

[Dorian, please!] she cried out through the mind link as the beast loomed over her, its black eyes burning like hellfire. [It was an accident! Just let me explain!]

[YOU BETRAYED ME!] Dorian’s demonic roar vibrated through her mind. [YOU BROKE OUR SACRED BOND]

[Please!] Elvira wept, cradling the screaming baby. [Just let me explain!]

[The punishment for your crime is death!] Dorian growled, his massive claws digging into the cliffside rock. [But I will not spill the blood of my mate with my own hands. Instead, I choose to sever the bond. I, Dorian Hellborne, Alpha King of Wintercrest, hereby reject you...]

Elvira screamed suddenly, scrambling to her feet in panic. "NO! I WILL NOT LET YOU REJECT ME! IF YOU SEVER THIS BOND, I WILL KILL MYSELF!"

Dorian assumed it was a desperate bluff to stop him. But as he completed the rejection, her demeanor suddenly shifted.

She stopped crying abruptly. Her lips slowly curled into an eerie smile of pure insanity.

Before Dorian could react, she stepped off the edge of the cliff, plunging into the abyss below with the shrill cries of the baby echoing after her.