Chapter 86

Words : 1204 Updated : May 20th, 2025

Never in my life have I felt the kind of fear I am feeling right now. I am Alec Ashford, the big bad alpha. Nothing terrifies me. Nothing shakes me. Well, except for the terrified scream of my daughter. "Is that Aspen?” Piper asks in confusion, her eyes now dry. She already knew that the night Sadie and I were drugged resulted in a child. Just like me, she hasn't interacted with Aspen. On her part, I think it's mainly because she's been hesitant, and besides, even if she wanted to get to know her niece, I doubt Sadie would allow it. Without giving her or her question a second thought, I get out of my office, rushing toward where the scream came from. All kinds of thoughts run through my mind as fear grips me. What if something bad happened to her? What if she is hurt? What is wrong? Why did she scream? My heart feels heavy. My chest feels like it has a boulder on top of it, crushing it and making it hard for me to breathe. My legs literally carry me as I rush to get to Aspen as quickly as I can. "Slow down, Alec," Piper's voice carries toward me, but it sounds drowned out over the loud beating of my heart. I ignore her and continue running. Soon, I am out of the back door and outside. I scan the area, looking for any signs of my daughter, but there are none. Sniffing the air around, I lock in on her scent. "Hurry up, she may be in danger," Knox urges me, his fear feeding me. He is pacing in my head in agitation. I swear, if someone has hurt her, there will be hell to pay. I know my pack wouldn't hurt a kid, especially my child. I didn't tell them about Aspen, though. I didn't think there would be a need, given she looks just like me. Knox gives me his strength. Aspen's scream comes from the training arena. I speed there, probably going faster than I've ever gone in my entire life. When I get there, my heart stops beating for a second when my eyes fall on one of my pack members, gripping Aspen's hand tightly while shaking her. "Mommy! Help me!" Tears fall down her green eyes as she screams in fear. She's trying to pull her hand away from her, but she won't let her go. A growl vibrates from my chest, and I see red. My body starts to vibrate as both my essence and Knox combine. I know what is happening. It has happened before when I was furious. Instead of shifting into Knox, we both take control and do a half-shift, where we are not fully human and not fully wolf. No one, and I mean nobody, hurts my daughter and gets away with it. We were just about to strike when the sky darkened for a moment with lightning cracking. There is a gasp from those who were there when Sadie appears next to Aspen, still in her hospital gown. I don't really know her name, but I know her. The b**h has been trying to get into my bed since Lola left three years ago. She lets go of Aspen and steps back. Her eyes keep shifting from Sadie to me as I take steps forward, walking further into the arena, closing in on my daughter and mate. Everyone scrambles away, giving us a wide berth. I don't care, though. My focus is on my daughter, who is holding tightly to her mother, still crying. "What happened, Aspen?" Sadie kneels down to her level and asks while smoothing a hand over her hair. "It hurts, mama," she cries, holding her upper arm. I approach them slowly so as not to scare her, given that I am still in my half-shift. My eyes lock in on the bruise marks on her upper hand. The anger inside surges to higher heights. I am literally vibrating with the need to tear out her f**g heart. "Where does it hurt, baby?" Sadie's voice is gentle as her eyes scan Aspen's body. "My hand and head." "And where is Martha?" "She was taking too long to make breakfast," she answers. "I got bored." I assume "b-fast" meant breakfast. I find it cute how she has shortened the word. "Tell me what happened, Aspen," I demand softly, my voice distorted by my half-shift form. She turns her head and looks at me. Unlike other kids, who shake in fear whenever they see this form, Aspen doesn't look fazed. There is no hint of fear as her eyes collide with mine. "I wanted to see a warrior fight, like in our pack. I didn't mean to. I bumped into her, and she got angry. I tried apologizing, but she didn't let me. She hurt my hand. I said sorry again, but she shook me." Her speech is distorted even more because of her crying. "You said sorry?" Sadie asks, as if she wants to clarify. Aspen nods her head. "She called me a bad word. She said my mommy didn't teach me manners, so she would do it." The air turns chilly as both mine and Sadie's fury fills the space. I could almost taste it. My eyes turn to the said b**h, and she takes a step back. Before I can do anything, the air around us crackles. Sadie appears in front of her. "Close your eyes, baby," she commands Aspen, who does as her mother tells her. Lucy must have seen something in Sadie's eyes because she tries to run away. Before she can even turn, though, Sadie grabs her face, her hands digging into the sides of her face. "I've never really liked you, Lucy," Sadie begins. So that is her name? "You were always a b**h, but today you took it too far." "She was being a brat," Laury, probably not knowing when to shut her f**g mouth, says. "Really? Let's see how you fare when you are up against someone your own size," Sadie says, her tone more menacing than I have ever heard it. She begins to speak, but it's not in English. Hell, it's not in any language I've heard before. Lucy starts screaming, clutching Sadie's hand and trying to pull them from her face. Sadie holds firm as power begins crackling in the atmosphere. Lucy continues screaming, her pain-filled screams echoing through the space. It sends chills down my spine and shivers throughout my body. Blood begins leaking from her eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. She gags from the blood coming from her mouth, but Sadie doesn't stop. She continues in that foreign language that almost sounds like she's chanting. Finally, she stops. Lucy stills before crumbling to the floor after Sadie lets her go. There is no heartbeat. Sadie killed her, but I can't really say I blame her. I was about to do the same.

Chapter 86

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