Nicholas’s POV

The dark, twisted forest completely swallowed me.

I walked entirely barefoot through the freezing, jagged dirt. The sharp rocks violently sliced into the thick soles of my feet. I completely ignored the sting. I absolutely couldn’t feel the physical pain. My massive body was entirely numb to the freezing cold.

That sick, ancient pull heavily dragged me forward. It was a massive, invisible hook violently buried deep in my chest. It aggressively tugged at my incredibly dark, toxic blood. It was completely intoxicating. It was entirely undeniable.

My heavy combat boots were left entirely behind in the dark tent. My lethal tactical gear was completely gone. I didn’t have a single weapon on my massive body. I didn’t need one. My bare, heavily scarred hands were absolutely deadly enough. My inner wolf was completely unhinged. He violently paced inside my dark mind. He aggressively bared his razor-sharp teeth. He completely demanded extreme violence.

I stepped completely out of the heavy, warm glow of the camp’s perimeter fires. The suffocating darkness instantly wrapped around my broad shoulders.

I was entirely alone.

The freezing wind violently whipped through the massive pine trees. It howled like a dying, completely broken animal. And then, it carried a dark, horrific scent straight to my nose.

Blood.

I completely stopped in my tracks. My massive chest heaved with slow, ragged breaths. My glowing golden eyes violently pierced the suffocating blackness of the woods.

I smelled fresh, hot copper. It violently mixed with the bitter, sharp stench of pure panic and stale sweat. It was incredibly heavy. It aggressively assaulted my highly sensitive wolf senses. It wasn’t just a faint trace. It was absolutely overpowering.

I slowly walked deeper into the thick, terrifying trees. The heavy shadows completely clung to my skin.

The dark scent of death grew incredibly stronger. It was completely suffocating. I aggressively stepped over a massive, rotting log. My golden eyes immediately locked onto the thick trunk of an ancient oak tree.

It was completely covered in dark, sticky blood.

The crimson liquid heavily dripped down the rough bark. It violently stained the frozen ground. It wasn’t just a few random drops from a minor wound. It was an absolute massacre. Massive, thick pools of dark blood completely soaked the freezing dirt. Violent, jagged splashes entirely covered the surrounding green bushes. The leaves were completely painted red.

But there was absolutely nothing else.

There were no bodies.

I stared intensely at the bloody, destroyed clearing. My heavy jaw clenched so tightly my teeth physically ached.

Not a single piece of torn flesh. Not a single shattered bone. Not a single shredded uniform. Just gallons of violent, dark blood completely painting the forest floor.

Normal, starving rogues didn’t do this. Mindless beasts fought violently, ate their absolute fill, and left a massive, rotting mess of corpses behind. They didn’t completely clean up their brutal kills. They didn’t meticulously drag massive bodies away just to leave a terrifying, bloody stage behind.

This was incredibly deliberate. This was a dark, twisted game.

Pure, lethal psychological warfare.

The violent beast inside my chest let out a completely deafening, terrifying roar. I entirely knew exactly what this was. I already had the absolute, dark suspicion heavily burning in my mind since the moment Roman showed me that blurry photograph in my war room.

I completely knew who left this bloody trail.

My father.

He was violently mocking me. He was aggressively showing off his dark, terrifying control. He completely wanted me to see the absolute slaughter of my men. He wanted me to violently remember the suffocating terror of my brutal childhood. He wanted to entirely crush my absolute authority.

"You complete bastard," I growled darkly. My deep voice was pure, lethal ice. It violently vibrated through the freezing air.

I aggressively stepped right through the massive puddle of dark blood. I didn’t care that it heavily coated my bare feet. I completely welcomed it. The hot blood violently soaked into my skin.

I forcefully pushed deeper into the absolute heart of the heavy forest.

The bloody trail was entirely clear. It was a violent, twisted path perfectly leading me entirely away from my massive army. He wanted me completely isolated. He absolutely wanted the Mad King entirely alone in the dark, far away from my heavily armed guards.

My massive fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turned entirely white. My nails aggressively bit into my palms.

Violent, dark memories aggressively flashed behind my glowing golden eyes. The heavy, sickening crunch of my mother’s delicate neck. The hot, dark spray of her innocent blood completely blinding me. The heavy, suffocating scent of my father’s sick, arrogant triumph as he violently stood over her broken body.

I violently failed to completely kill him that night. I was just a terrified, heartbroken kid. I let my absolute rage blindly control me. I let him entirely slip into that freezing, dark river. I completely blamed myself for years. I built a massive, bloody empire entirely on top of that crushing guilt.

Not tonight.

Tonight, I was the Alpha King. I was the most terrifying, lethal monster in the entire underground werewolf empire. I had an absolute purpose.

Suddenly, a soft, beautiful warmth violently flickered deep in my chest.

The mate bond.

It completely pushed through the heavy, suffocating darkness. It gently brushed against my violently raging soul. Irina. She was heavily sleeping back in my massive stone castle. She was entirely safe in our warm bed.

I had a completely beautiful, fragile mate. I had a perfect, innocent son. I had a tiny, vulnerable pup violently growing in Irina’s womb.

They were my absolute world. They were my entire reason to violently fight.

If I violently died in this freezing forest, my father would completely destroy them. He would aggressively march his bloody rogue army straight into my heavy territory. He would absolutely slaughter my loyal men. He would violently tear Irina completely apart just to punish me. He would entirely erase my precious family from existence.

The absolute thought of his bloody, filthy hands touching my beautiful mate made my hot blood violently boil.

Pure, unchecked fury entirely consumed me. The heavy fear completely vanished. The suffocating dread was entirely replaced by a dark, absolute need to kill.

I walked for what felt like endless, agonizing hours. The dark woods felt entirely endless.

Finally, the massive, ancient trees slowly started to thin out. The heavy, suffocating brush completely gave way to cold, hard rock. The violent, bloody trail finally stopped.

I stepped heavily out of the dark tree line.

I was standing entirely at the absolute edge of the forest. The land suddenly dropped off into a massive, terrifying gorge. A violent, raging river aggressively crashed against jagged rocks far below. It was the exact same heavy, dark water that had completely swallowed him years ago. The loud roaring of the water violently filled my ears.

The heavy moonlight violently broke through the thick, gray clouds. It cast a harsh, pale glow entirely over the empty clearing.

I completely froze. My massive chest stopped moving.

There was a figure standing directly in the absolute center of the clearing.

He had his broad, heavy back entirely turned to me. He wore a dark, thick overcoat that violently whipped in the freezing wind. His massive shoulders were completely relaxed. He was casually looking entirely out over the violent, raging river. He stood perfectly still. His dark posture was entirely, completely arrogant. He didn’t look like a starving rogue. He looked like a dark, twisted king waiting for his violently ruined kingdom.

The freezing wind violently shifted.

The dark, heavy scent violently hit my face. It aggressively invaded my lungs.

It was stale sweat. It was cheap, bitter gin. It was the absolute, horrific stench of rotting flesh and pure malice.

It was entirely unmistakable.

The dark, terrified little boy deeply buried inside me violently flinched. The absolute nightmare of my childhood was physically standing right in front of me.

But the massive, terrifying Alpha King completely took over. My glowing golden eyes burned with pure, absolute murder. My heavy muscles entirely locked into place. My massive fangs violently pushed through my gums. I was absolutely ready to violently tear his fucking throat out. I was ready to completely bathe in his blood.

The massive man didn’t turn around. He didn’t even slightly flinch at my heavy, aggressive presence. He didn’t reach for a lethal weapon.

He just stood there entirely in the freezing moonlight.

"You’re finally here, son."