Nathan's POV
I felt like giving up. My entire body hurt, but it couldn't be compared to the pain I felt in my heart, knowing my only family had been killed, and my virginity was brutally taken by him… By A man, I had once considered my big brother when we were just boys.
Derrick was six years older than me, and as a child, I had admired him. I had looked up to him, wanting to be just like him—until one day, he was gone. I was told I would never see him again. He and his entire family had been wiped out.
I was too young to understand what had happened, but I cried into my pillow every night, missing him. He had been my best friend, my older brother in everything but blood. It took me months to finally accept that he was never coming back.
As the years went by, and I grew up to understand things, I became aware that my father had actually wiped out his entire family, including him. I was so pissed at Dad and didn't talk to him for months. All these years, I thought he was dead. I had mourned him, even built a grave in his memory. I would visit it every year on his birthday, speaking to the dirt as if he could somehow hear me.
And now, after twenty years, he was alive.
But the man who returned from the dead was nothing like the boy I had idolized. This man, the one who killed my father, who brutally took my virginity, was nothing more than a beast, a monster. It was as if he had been possessed by something else.
The sound of the door unlocking jolted me from my thoughts. Two of Derrick's men stepped inside without a word, grabbed me by the arms, and dragged me out of the bed.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, panic rising in my throat. But I already knew the answer. I was being led to my death.
Derrick's men didn't say a word as they continued dragging me. I struggled to get out of their grip, but damn, they were too strong, and in moments like this, I wished I had a wolf to fight back.
As they dragged me down the hallway, my mind raced with thoughts of escape, but deep down, I knew there was no way out. My body was too weak, my spirit barely holding on after everything Derrick had done to me. The pain in my heart burned hotter than any wound on my flesh. I had spent years mourning him, thinking he was dead, only to find out he had been alive all along—alive and filled with darkness I could never have imagined.
The large double doors ahead creaked open, and I was shoved forward into the pack hall. My breath hitched at the sight before me.
The elders of our pack stood in a semi-circle, their faces grim, their eyes filled with emotions I couldn't quite place. Some looked angry, others worried, and a few… pitying. But my gaze was drawn to the throne at the far end of the room, where he sat.
Derrick.
His once warm, boyish features were now cold and hardened. His green eyes, which had once been full of life, held nothing but cruelty. He lounged on the throne, one leg draped over the other, fingers lazily tapping against the armrest as he watched me with hate.
"You're awake," he mused, his voice smooth but laced with mockery. "I was starting to think I'd broken you too soon."
I swallowed hard, my hands trembling at my sides. "You already have," I whispered, though there was no strength in my voice.
Derrick chuckled, the sound sending shivers down my spine. "Oh, Nathan. You were always so dramatic." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Tell me, do you know why you're here?"
My heart raced. "To die?"
The elders shifted, whispering among themselves, but Derrick only smirked. "Not quite. You see, you've always been special to me, little brother." His tone was almost affectionate, but the way he looked at me made my stomach twist in fear.
"You're not my brother," I spat, glaring at him despite my fear. "The Derrick I knew is dead."
His smirk faltered for a brief moment before his expression darkened. "You're right," he said quietly, his voice filled with anger. "The boy you knew died the night your father slaughtered my family."
Derrick stood up, his presence dominating the room as he walked toward me. "I should kill you," he murmured, tilting my chin up with two fingers. "It would be the easiest way to settle this."
My heart pounded. Was this it? Was this how I was going to die?
"But…" Derrick dragged out the word, his fingers tightening against my chin. "Death would be mercy. And you don't deserve mercy."
The room fell silent. Even the elders seemed hesitant to speak.
Derrick leaned in, his lips brushing my ear as he whispered, "You're mine now, Nathan. You belong to me. Body, mind, and soul."
I wanted to scream, to fight back, but I just went speechless. What did he mean I now belong to him? Does it mean what happened in my room will keep happening?
Derrick turned away from me, facing the elders who had been silent.
"I am taking back what belongs to me," he declared, his voice echoing through the hall. "That includes this pack and its leadership. If anyone has objections, step forward and meet your death."
His threat hung in the air.
I glanced at the elders and saw fear in their eyes, fear of Derrick. But I also saw something else. Relief.
Elder Morris, the oldest among them, stepped forward and bowed. "Welcome back home, Alpha Derrick. I believe we are all relieved to see you alive and that justice has finally been served. We are grateful you did not wage war on innocent people, as none of us were accomplices."
Derrick remained silent, his expression hardened as Elder Morris continued.
"Alpha Steven ruled with cruelty," the elder admitted. "We were powerless against him. He had countless rogues under his command, and anyone who dared to oppose him met a gruesome end. Many of our fellow elders who stood against his tyranny were beheaded before our very eyes."
The room remained deathly silent as Elder Morris paused, his gaze flickering with pain as if he was remembering the events, events I remembered too well, even as a little boy.
"We do not seek to justify our inaction," he went on. "But we want you to know that you were never forgotten. We mourned your family in silence, unable to act, but always hoping that one day, justice would be served. And today, it has."
The other elders nodded in agreement, their heads bowed in respect.
Derrick's eyes darkened, his fingers twitching at his side as if weighing their words carefully. He let the silence stretch, his presence alone making the room feel suffocating.
"I did not come here seeking your gratitude," he finally said, his voice low yet authoritative. "I came to take back what is rightfully mine."
The elders stiffened as Derrick took a slow step forward, his gaze sweeping over them like a predator surveying its prey.
"This pack belongs to me," he declared. "And from this day forward, the Full Moon Pack and the Brainstorm Pack will be one."
A murmur of surprise rippled through the elders, but no one dared to protest. The Full Moon Pack had long suffered under my father's rule. Brainstorm and Full Moon Pack lands were separated by a single boundary; uniting them would make them stronger than ever before.
Elder Morris was the first to bow his head in acceptance. "If that is your will, Alpha Derrick, then we shall follow."
The other elders slowly followed suit, murmuring words of agreement.
Derrick gave a curt nod, satisfied. But then, his expression hardened as his gaze swept over the hall, his fingers clenching briefly at his sides.
"I will not be staying here," he announced coldly. "This place holds nothing but brutal memories." His voice was sharp, leaving no room for argument. "I will rule, but from the Brainstorm Pack. Tonight, I return to the Brainstorm Pack."
The elders exchanged glances but did not object.
Derrick slowly turned back to me, his frown deepening, shadows darkening his already cold expression. His piercing gaze locked onto mine, sending a chill down my spine.
"And you," he murmured, his voice laced with hate, "are coming with me."
My entire body went rigid, my breath caught in my throat.
No.
I wanted to scream, to fight, to run, but I knew it was pointless.
There was no escaping him.