Alpha Kane

Zara’s condition was normal. Aside from bruises on her neck, shoulders, and arms, she was unharmed. She was a she-wolf, she will get well soon, her wounds will heal quickly on their own.

Relief spread like warmth, unraveling the cold terror in my chest.

There were no broken bones, only broken nails and bruised knuckles. Although the sight of her injuries enraged me, I was proud of the way she fought.

Her loss of consciousness was primarily due to claustrophobia, and the doctor assured me she would regain consciousness soon.

The hospital, where we placed her, was one of the hospitals I often donated to. The CEO was a close acquaintance of mine and, at my request, kept the news secret, so we didn’t have to call the police.

Olfie brought me her phone. Knowing her password, I unlocked it and saw that her father had sent her several messages.

I knew he’d be worried and suspicious, so, trying to imitate her writing style, I wrote to her father. Hoping he wouldn’t guess it was me and not Zara. I spent the whole night outside the hospital, chain-smoking.

The stress was killing me, and I needed an insane amount of nicotine to relax.

I called Sophia, told her about the situation, and told her to come to the hospital. I knew she was her friend, and she felt comfortable in her presence and enjoyed her company.

After all, I was her Alpha, and she would never open up to me the way she did to her. That same day, I was finally allowed in to see her after she regained consciousness. Brave, she turned out to be much braver than I expected.

As I cracked jokes, I knew deep down she must have been terrified after such an incident.

I didn’t want her to feel vulnerable or drag this out too long, to the point of risking her falling into despair. But I made one thing clear: I would find a man who dared raise a hand against her, and he would answer for it.

Kissing her forehead, I kissed her meaningfully, knowing they would give her more smiles than I ever could.

She was spring, and I was like an eternal frost that could simply freeze all her flora. I wanted to protect her from the darkest part of me.

"Ceysir, stay here. No one enters her room without my permission," I told him.

"Don’t worry, sir." He thumped his chest.

I went with Olfie to the Pack’s torture room, my beta Hunter already there. The man was brought there, and I was going to interrogate him.

He screamed incessantly, protesting his innocence to Hunter’s, begging, and swearing. We’ll see how long this lie will hold up once I have him in my hands.

Entering through the metal door, I rushed toward the man Beta had tied to a wooden chair.

"Turn on the light," I ordered Beta. The flashlights illuminated his hideous face, and he immediately closed his eyes, trying to shield himself from the blinding light.

The stench of his hideous face made my blood boil, and I wanted to rip his head off.

Zara had certainly done a fair amount of damage to him. His nose was broken, and bruises were visible on other parts of his face and temple.

His arms, legs, and chest were bound with strong ropes. I stopped right in front of him, grabbed him by his short hair, and jerked his head up so he could look me in the anger-filled eyes.

"Aaaaahhhh! Let me go, I don’t know anything..."

Fear crept into his eyes, fear of the unknown. He wasn’t a professional in this dark business; I could tell by the various shades of horror flickering across his face and the panic in his eyes.

"Where were you taking her?" I asked, my thumb pressing into his eye and beginning to press it in.

He screamed again, his voice cracking like a broken record. "Someone asked me... You have to believe me."

It was quick; you’d think it would take time to break him, but he was already talking, or perhaps justifying himself. "Who?" I hissed slowly, lowering my face and jabbing my finger into his eye, making him scream like a banshee. "...I don’t know, I swear... believe me... they only spoke to me on the phone."

Either he was lying, or he was telling the truth. We were going to find out.

They didn’t find his phone, as there were no cell phones at the event, so Azbial’s security searched his house and confiscated the phone from his apartment.

"Hunter, bring his phone." I snapped my fingers, and Beta came over, handing me the smartphone.

After checking to see if it was password-protected. "What’s your password? Let’s see if you’re telling the truth or lying?"

He shook his head, his left eye remaining half-closed.

"I can’t, please. They’ll hurt my family," he pleaded in his annoyingly raspy voice, struggling against his restraints.

"Who are they? How can I be sure you’re not lying?" I tapped my foot on the ground and waited. The man was persistent, and this... He was starting to irritate me.

He kept shaking his head, and my patience snapped. I was saving it only for Zara now; I had little for the others.

"Hunter! Get the pliers," I ordered, stepping back. His eyes widened with obvious fear.

Grabbing another metal slowly sat down in front of him and leisurely spread my legs. I was going to watch and enjoy the show.

Hunter arrived with a pair of pliers; his face was emotionless as he handed me the tool, awaiting my instructions.

"Remove his nails, start with the middle finger, and take your time." That bastard had broken two of Zara’s nails, and I was about to return the favor, three times as many.

"Let the show begin."

It took him four nails and a relentless scream to tell us the password.

Relaxed, I sat there and entered the password he’d given me.