CH 19 - Thane

THANE POV I knew I f****d up the second Persefone’s eyes met mine. Honestly? I wasn’t even shocked. I had a f*****g talent for turning everything around me into s**t eventually. You know those alchemists able to turn metal into gold? Yeah. I did the opposite. I turned happiness into hell. Always had. The bedroom door slammed behind Persefone. The sound echoed in my head long after she was gone. Or it probably was my very own heart shattering on the wooden floor. Silence swallowed all three of us afterward. We looked at each other and exactly what I expected stared back at me from my brothers’ eyes. Aiden stood up first, it could have seemed he was doing it slowly, but it was not. It was controlled, furious. Pluto surged so hard beneath his skin silver flashed violently across his throat while his breathing turned rough and uneven. Keres looked just as bad. Samael had surfaced completely now, claws digging into the mattress beside him hard enough to shred fabric while his eyes glowed faintly in the darkness. And me? Ferus was trying to claw his way straight out of my f*****g ribs. 'I will not let her go' The snarl rattled violently through my skull. Guilt twisted sickly in my stomach. My own wolf was turning back against me. Because Persefone cried. Just one tear slipping down her face while trying to pretend she didn’t care. And somehow that image hurt worse than watching somebody bleed out. I’d never seen her cry before. Not like that. Not because of me. And fuck... it hurt. “You f*****g i***t,” Aiden snapped. His voice cracked through the room sharp and vicious, so full of rage and blame it made another wave of nausea surge violently up my throat. I didn’t answer. Mostly because he was right. Keres surged to his feet too, pacing once before dragging both hands aggressively through his short hair. “What the f**k is wrong with you?” he growled. “You saw her face.” “She needs to stay away from us.” “Bullshit.” My jaw tightened hard enough pain shot through my skull. “It’s not bullshit and you know it.” “Oh yeah?” Keres snapped viciously. “Then explain why the f**k you looked ready to die the second she started crying.” Because I was already too f*****g far gone. But it didn’t matter. I didn’t matter. Ferus snarled violently beneath my skin while rage and shame twisted together so badly I couldn’t separate one from the other anymore. Aiden moved closer until we were nearly chest to chest. “You hurt her,” he spat. “You’re acting like a f*****g asshole. I can’t believe you of all people are doing this. After everything we’ve done. After everything we’ve seen.” The disgust in his voice carved straight through my ribs. “I don’t even recognize you anymore.” That one came quieter. Somehow it hurt worse. “I know.” A low, vicious growl rolled out of Aiden’s chest before he shoved me backward hard enough my shoulders slammed violently against the wall. The impact cracked wood behind me. I barely felt it. I could barely feel anything but the knife twisting in my guts. Aiden grabbed the front of my shirt before I could fully lunge back at him. His hands were shaking in rage. “You made her cry,” he snarled right in my face like he still couldn’t f*****g believe it. And that— that hurt worse than the shove. Because beneath the anger? Aiden looked devastated. Like I’d betrayed something between us too. Ferus thrashed violently beneath my skin. Shame crawled hot and ugly up my throat. Then Keres moved, joining us. Samael surfaced hard enough claws flashed silver while Keres shoved Aiden back away from me with enough force to make him stumble. “Enough!” he barked. “Both of you need to get your s**t together before you completely lose your f*****g minds.” But he looked wrecked too. Breathing uneven. Eyes glowing. One bad second away from shifting himself. I'd done this to her, to us. “She’s terrified,” Aiden snarled right over him. “Her wolf is gone and the first thing she hears after waking up is this asshole talking about rejection.” “And what exactly was I supposed to do?” I snapped back finally, years of anger and exhaustion ripping straight out of me raw. “Tell her this is some f*****g fairytale? Tell her her life magically gets better because three rogues showed up with a mate bond?” “Yes,” Aiden roared. “Because right now she probably thinks we don’t f*****g want her.” The words hit like a punch straight to the throat. Because that— that had never been the problem. Wanting Persefone Savage was the entire f*****g problem. Goddess. I wanted her too much. If things were different... If I’d been another wolf. Another man. Maybe this could’ve been something good. But I wasn’t. Neither were my brothers. And that was exactly why I knew we would destroy her. Keres stepped between us before either of us could lunge again. Barely. Samael was close enough to the surface silver fur kept flashing across his jawline every few seconds. “We don’t get to decide for her,” he growled. “Yes we f*****g do if keeping her alive means she hates us.” The room exploded. Aiden lunged again. This time I hit him back. Hard. The wall cracked loudly beside us while Pluto and Ferus slammed against each other beneath our skin viciously enough to make the entire room feel too small. Then electricity ripped through all three of us. Agony exploded down my spine instantly. I hit the floor hard beside Aiden while Keres cursed viciously somewhere near the bed. Oh f**k. Not again. Golden sparks crawled violently across the carpet around us before a familiar scent hit me through the pain. My heart lurched stupidly inside my chest. Persefone. For one completely pathetic second I thought she came back anyway. Even after what I said. Even after I hurt her. Hope hit so fast it almost made me sick. Then I looked up. Luna Kai stood in the doorway instead. Pure rage rolled off her in violent waves while electricity snapped around her body hard enough to light the room gold. And honestly? Part of me almost wished she wouldn’t stop frying us. Would’ve f*****g deserved it. Maybe then Ferus would stop trying to tear himself apart inside my ribs. “You boys are getting real comfortable fighting around my daughter.” Golden electricity snapped violently around Luna Kai’s arms while her glowing eyes moved slowly between the three of us one by one. Mother wolf. Terrifying f*****g mother wolf. Aiden tried pushing himself upright first when the pain loosened enough to breathe again. Bad idea. Another wave of electricity cracked through him instantly hard enough to slam him back into the floor with a curse. “I saw my daughter cry,” Luna Kai said quietly. The softness in her voice scared me more than the lightning. “And somehow,” she continued coldly, “judging by the pathetic male ego display I just walked into, I’m guessing the three of you had something to do with it. Am I wrong?” Nobody answered. What the hell were we supposed to say? Sorry? I’m a self-destructive asshole and my wolf emotionally imploded all over your daughter? Fantastic conversation starter. Keres swallowed roughly beside me before finally speaking. “We care about her.” Luna Kai laughed once. Cold. Mean. Sharp enough to cut skin. And honestly? I completely understood why wolves feared her. “And yet here we are.” That one landed straight between my ribs. Because she was right too. Ferus paced violently beneath my skin. Agitated. Miserable. Luna Kai’s gaze shifted toward me last. Worst f*****g luck of my life. “You,” she said quietly. Oh good. Personalized murder. “If my daughter sheds one more tear because of you boys, hybrids will be the least of your problems.” Every protective instinct inside Ferus wanted to rise against the threat automatically. Instead shame crawled slowly up my throat like poison. Because she wasn’t wrong. Not even a little. Aiden finally managed to push himself upright carefully, jaw tight. “The hybrid will come back.” Luna Kai’s expression hardened instantly. Good. At least somebody else understood how serious this s**t was. “It almost got her once already,” Keres added roughly. “And if someone inside your territory drugged her—” “I know exactly how serious this is,” Luna Kai cut sharply. Electricity snapped violently across her knuckles again. “And I promise you right now,” she continued coldly, “if anybody touches one of my children again, there won’t be enough left of them to bury.” The room went completely still. “Including the three of you.” Every single one of us believed her. Then her eyes narrowed slightly. “And trust me,” she added coldly, “you do not want my mates finding you here after training while you’re acting like this.” Ferus snarled instinctively at the word mates. Mine. Wrong f*****g timing. Luna Kai ignored it completely. “Go home,” she ordered. “Get your s**t together. I won’t be this kind next time.” Aiden’s jaw flexed visibly but surprisingly he nodded first. Probably because arguing with an enraged electric Alpha female sounded like a terrible survival strategy. Smart. For once. Luna Kai stepped aside from the doorway slowly. Dismissal. Clear dismissal. And none of us missed it. The walk out of Bloodclaw territory felt like dragging broken glass through my lungs. Nobody talked. Nobody even looked at each other. God this bond was becoming unbearable. We shifted the second we crossed the border line. Then we ran. Fast. Feral. Angry. Branches snapped beneath our paws while dirt exploded behind us and cold wind tore through silver fur hard enough to sting. Still not enough. Nothing was enough. We were all losing our f*****g minds. My own traitorous instincts slammed through me so violently I nearly missed a turn through the trees entirely. Because Ferus wanted to go back already. Back to Persefone. Back to the girl currently sitting somewhere inside Bloodclaw territory probably hating me now. Good. She should. That would make this easier. Wouldn’t it? A bitter sound almost escaped me even in wolf form. Bullshit. Nothing about this would ever be easy again. Not after her. Not after I knew what it was like being next to her without her wanting to punch me. Yet, now I knew what it felt like hurting her too. That expression followed me the entire f*****g run home. And whose fault was that? Mine.