Alphas' Proud Mate novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Kali’s POV

The world feels distant, as if I’m trapped in a dream–floating, no, sinking–caught between reality and darkness. A sharp, relentless throbbing pulses through my skull, and my body feels unbearably heavy.

Am I dreaming? Is this what dying feels like?

The last thing I remember is the betrayal–the wicked cackle of that old woman and the greedy voices of those bastards, plotting to sell me off like a damn object.

I should have known. I should have learned my lesson. But I didn’t.

And now… there’s a sound.

A noise so foreign in this desolate place, yet so familiar it stirs something deep inside me. Whimpers. Choked sabs. The distinct sound of flesh meeting flesh–a body hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

What…?

I try to move, but my limbs refuse to obey. My eyelids flutter open weakly, my vision blurred, the edges swimming in darkness. There’s movement–no, a shadow. A figure stands tall, fists striking down with brutal force, beating someone into the dirt.

A man.

Through the fog in my mind, a name lingers

on the tip of

y tongue.

Jack?

Could it really be him?

Did he hear my desperate, pathetic plea through

bond? Did he run miles

to

save

– Me?

The

believed? If he’s here, was I wrong to push him away?

Would I still reject him?

about this mean he truly cares? That maybe, just maybe, he isn’t as cold as I once

I fight to keep my eyes open, but my vision is still blurry. The scent in the air–it isn’t intoxicating as it should be. It’s familiar, yes, but not quite Jack’s. And yet… something about it stirs recognition deep within me.

I strain to listen, my body still too weak to react, but I catch part of a conversation.

The woman–damn her. Her voice quivers with terror. “Who–who are you?” she gasps between sobs.

“Why are you doing this to us?” one of the men chokes out, his voice thick with pain.

A low, cold chuckle follows, sending a shiver down my spine–though not as intense as the chills Jack’s voice would bring me. Then, a deep, unyielding voice–one laced with something dark and dangerous–replies,

“Call me Fury.”

My breath catches.

Fury?

The name echoes in my mind. His voice–it should be familiar. It is familiar. But it’s not Jack.

Who is he?

“Because I’m here to teach you a lesson–one you’ll never forget in a hurry.” His words drip with malice, with the kind of rage that promises destruction.

I hear bones cracking, pained screams filling the air, and the old woman’s frantic pleas grow weaker. My head is spinning, my consciousness slipping again, but a smile tugs at my lips as I let the darkness take me.

In my mind, I picture Jack standing there like my knight in shining armour.

Maybe… maybe I don’t have to fight alone anymore.

A sharp, pounding ache in my skull drags me out of unconsciousness.

A deep groan rumbles from my throat, and I curse under my breath, pressing a hand to my temple. “Shit,” I mutter, squeezing my eyes shut. “That bitch must have hit me harder than I thought.”

I don’t know how long I’ve been out, but one thing is clear–my dreams were humiliating. All of them had been about Jack. Him storming in like some hero. Him carrying me away from danger. Him whispering in my ear that he’d come for me, making my cheeks heat with frustration. Why the hell was my head filled with him?

Ugh. Disgusting.

I try to sit up and immediately realise something’s wrong. My head wasn’t resting on cold dirt like I expected. It was on something firm. Warm.

1 freeze.

Slowly, I crack my eyes open, my breath hitching when I see what–or rather who–I had been using as a pillow.

Fuck. The warrior.

Not just any warrior.

Him.

The one from Jack’s pack. The one who, unlike the rest of those bastards, had kind eyes. The one who stopped me from settling the score between those two mates that day. The one who told me not to interfere because Jack hadn’t introduced me as his Luna.

But why was I disappointed that it was him and not Jack who had come for me?

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