GIFTED RILEY by Lacy Mierr

Chapter 68: Alpha’s Fall

*Nicolas*

He saw that I had remembered his story from how I shifted under his gaze. His smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Seems like I have jogged your memory, at last,” he said. I worked my jaw as I stared down at him.

“I do remember now, what happened to your family is the reason that I am the kind of king that I am today,” I said.

“Oh, good, I’m glad my tragedy was a life lesson for you. What, you no longer craved the blood of children?” he snarled.

“I would never take the lives of innocent people, especially not. children. Unlike you,” I snapped back. “I was there that night, but not to kill your family. I was hunting a rogue group of wolves. Ones who had tasted human flesh and craved it. They wanted war with the humans and I banished them for it. Once I learned that they were killing innocent people I formed a hunting party for them. After what they did to your family we managed to corner them and take them out. They do not represent who we are,” I told him my version of what he saw. I felt for him, I truly did, the sight from that night kept me up for weeks. I knew then I needed to be firmer as king. It taught me that just holding the title didn’t mean that loyalty would follow. I was in a foul. mood because of that group. I took no pleasure in killing my own.

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“I know who you are. You try to act civilized, but you are all just a bunch of animals that need to be put down. Starting with your mate.” He smirked.

“I am sorry for what happened to your family, but my remorse ends there. You have taken my mate and have killed children, and the men and women of Evermane just to get to me. This I can not allow,” I said looking around the room. I was outnumbered but the anger I felt could make up the difference.

“Allow? You talk as if you have any say here. Here I am king while you will be nothing but a broken man. listening to his world fall apart with each slowing breath. You stole my simple life, my peaceful death, and my legacy. Allow me to return the favor,” he said and then snapped his fingers. The two men beside me shifted and cold steel pierced my arms.

The burn of the silver stirred me into action. I yanked the two wielders and smashed them into each other. Stepping over their crumbled bodies I headed for Malik. I didn’t reach him as another group blocked my path. I had dispatched three of them before the silver finally caught me. A chill ran through my veins, and yet a boiling heat bubbled all around me.

I tossed a hunter towards the wall before dropping to my knees. More hunters charged at me and despite being hindered by being on my knees, I still took out more than half of them. Each blow they managed to land rocked my head. The pain was unbearable but my need to reach Riley had to be stronger. My vision was blurring but I didn’t need to see to strike a killing blow. I started to falter, my hits getting weaker. I

Chapter Al Fall

tried calling for my wolf but he was distant, unreachable.

I punched the air before crashing to the feet of Malik.

“Impressive. I brought just enough men after all,” he said before squatting down beside me.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you in here,” he said.

A pair of arms grabbed me under my arms and began to drag me from the room. I tried to get a lay of the land as we passed but it was dark and my head was spinning. So many stairs and hallways. I was fading in and out, the effects of the silver mixing with my blood.

I had no idea where we were going and I hated that I was powerless to stop it.

“Where are you taking me? Where’s Riley?” I tried yelling at Malik, but with my blurred vision, all he did was glance back at me.

I wanted to slice him from head to toe. He thought he had won, but he didn’t understand the bond between a wolf and his mate.

Finally, we stopped and I was dropped to the floor. The ground stopped my head and I curled up as I fought the wave of nausea.

Malik grabbed me by my hair and yanked me up to his bent level.

“Sniff,” he ordered me. I panted as resisted him. He pulled harder on

my hair and with the silver working too well, I gave in. When I inhaled. the scent of Riley was no longer soft, but fragrant. I sighed and rolled. my eyes at the pleasant smell.

He released me and unable to stop myself I crashed to the ground again.

“So close isn’t she? You can smell her, hear her, and yet somehow still. so far. You can’t help her and she can’t help you. She says that she means nothing to you, she’s merely a s**x *s*e for you,” he chuckled and kicked my side to turn me from my stomach to my back. I c**k my eyes open and glare at him. I watch him as he goes to one of his hunters who hands him a silver-tipped dagger. He comes back and. stares down at me. He displays the blade for me stands above me and admires it. He runs his fingers over the tip until a drop of blood runs down the side of it. Looking from the b**y tip to me and squats down to me again. He wipes the blood on my chest and shakes his head at me.

“Let’s see just how little you mean to her,” he said, a slow smile coming to his face. He inhales sharply and on his exhale, cold steel, burning pain.