MATED TO THE BEAST ALPHA BROTHERS
Chapter 61: child of sacrifice.

Chapter 61: child of sacrifice.

A sharp gust of wind swept across the battlefield, stirring the dust and blood-soaked ground as Zareth stumbled back. His breathing was ragged, his body battered from Haelyn’s...no, Keres’

..relentless assault. Victory had been within reach, but now he found himself mere moments from death.

Then, something...someone...moved.

A blur of darkness. A figure, neither man nor wolf, stepped between Keres and Zareth.

Haelyn’s light-infused staff slashed through the air, colliding with the figure’s outstretched arm. A deafening crack echoed through the silence as the energy flared...only to fizzle. The creature did not recoil. Did not scream. Did not burn.

Keres narrowed Haelyn’s glowing eyes.

"What in the name of the gods are you?" she snarled, the voice a haunting blend of hers and Haelyn’s.

The creature cocked its head, its piercing, unnatural gaze locked onto her. "You are not ready to know me yet." Its voice was guttural, an eerie whisper laced with something sinister. "But you will."

In a fluid motion, the creature grabbed Zareth and vanished in a swirl of shadow. The undead wolves retreated as if commanded, their forms dissolving into the night.

A chilling silence followed.

Keres...still inhabiting Haelyn’s body...stood frozen, her grip on the staff tightening until her knuckles turned white. The rage inside her was suffocating, clawing, demanding.

She had almost had him.

Almost.

A growl of frustration tore from her throat. "Who keeps interfering?!"

No answer came. Only the wind, the distant crackle of dying flames, and the sound of approaching footsteps.

The Omnisciense arrived first, their ethereal presence casting a strange glow upon the battlefield. The Wolf King followed, his golden eyes weary yet desperate.

Then...

"Child?" The Wolf King’s voice was soft, hesitant, filled with a longing that had been buried for too long. "My dear child."

Keres turned sharply, her expression darkening.

She laughed. A cruel, empty sound. "Child?" she echoed, voice laced with venom. "I’m not your child." Her lips curled into a snarl. "You gave me away like I was nothing. So don’t...don’t you dare...call me that."

The Wolf King took a step forward. "I regret it," he admitted, his voice rough with grief. "I should have fought for you. I didn’t know...I didn’t know it would go so wrong."

"I don’t care!" Keres spat, the raw fury in her voice making the ground tremble. Her mother’s staff pulsed in her grip, radiating power, reacting to her emotions. "Your regrets don’t bring back the life I lost. They don’t erase what was done to me."

He lowered his head. "I know."

She turned away sharply. There were more important matters than the apologies of a man who had abandoned her to a monster.

"Who was that?" she demanded, voice edged with frustration. "That thing that saved Zareth. Why did my staff not destroy it?"

The Omnisciense exchanged glances before one of them spoke, their voice like wind whispering through the trees.

"It was a creature forged from the combined power of Zareth and Nemesis," they revealed. "A being neither living nor dead. Neither human, wolf, nor anything this world has seen before."

Keres exhaled sharply. "A new enemy."

"A powerful one," another Omnisciense confirmed. "One that will not fall easily."

Keres rolled her shoulders, irritation prickling her skin. "And what do they want? What are they building all this power for?"

The Omnisciense’s answer sent a chill through the air.

"They seek your son, Haelyn’s child."

A muscle in Keres’ jaw twitched. "Why?"

"The blood of the boy carries an unfathomable power," the Omnisciense continued. "Born of both Haelyn and Archer, he is the key to what Nemesis and Zareth desire. If they sacrifice him, their victory will be absolute."

Something inside her snapped.

A cold, fierce protectiveness rose in her chest. Haelyn’s son. Her son.

Her hands curled into fists.

"They won’t touch him," she vowed darkly. "I’ll make sure of it."

The Wolf King stepped forward again. "I want to see him," he said, hesitant but firm.

Keres glared at him. "Why?"

"Because he is my grandson." His voice was raw with emotion. "And because I will not let another child of my blood be taken from me."

For a moment, silence stretched between them.

Then...

A sudden, frantic sound broke the tension.

A set of hurried footsteps. A ragged breath.

"Haelyn!"

Nyx.

She stumbled into view, her face pale with terror, her body shaking. "Help me," she gasped.

Keres spun, her gaze sharp. "What happened?"

"He’s coming," Nyx panted, eyes wild with fear. "Zareth is coming."

Keres’ eyes flickered with fury. "Let him," she said, the challenge in her voice unmistakable.

The night air grew heavy. The battle wasn’t over.

It was only beginning.

"You reckless fool!"

Nemesis’ voice shattered the tense silence of the dimly lit chamber. Her eyes burned with fury as she glared at Zareth, her nails digging into the stone armrest of her throne. The room trembled under the weight of her rage.

"If I hadn’t sent him to save your pathetic hide, you’d be dead!" She pointed a sharp, accusing finger at the creature standing beside him...its hulking, unnatural form shifting in the shadows.

Zareth clenched his jaw. His body still ached from the fight with Haelyn, but the sting of defeat burned far worse than any physical wound. He had been so close.

"That child," Nemesis snarled, pacing like a caged beast. "We need to get our hands on that child."

Zareth exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Neither of us can defeat them without him."

Nemesis spun to face him, her dark robes flowing like smoke around her. "His blood will complete our one-man army." She gestured toward the creature that had dragged Zareth from the battlefield. "A hundred more like him, and not even the gods will stand against us."

Zareth barely spared the creature a glance. His mind was elsewhere...on the woman who had possessed Haelyn, who had wielded power far beyond what she should have.

"Ugh! Why does your stupid dead Luna keep interrupting?!" Nemesis snapped, crossing her arms.

Zareth’s expression darkened. "She has a grievance against me."

Nemesis scoffed. "Oh, you mean because you killed her and your unborn child?" Her voice dripped with mockery, her lips curling in amusement.

Zareth froze. A flicker of something...shock, horror...crossed his face. He turned to her slowly.

"What?" His voice was quiet, strained.

Nemesis leaned back against her throne, tilting her head. "Oh? You didn’t know?" She let out a cruel laugh. "She was your wife, Zareth. Shouldn’t you have noticed?"

His hands clenched into fists. "You’re lying."

Nemesis arched a brow. "Am I?" She took a step forward, voice softening in a way that only made it more menacing. "She was carrying an Alpha, Zareth." Her words were like venom dripping into an open wound. "Your heir."

His mind reeled. No. That can’t be possible.

But...

A memory struck him like a blade to the chest.

Her eyes, wide and filled with tears. The way she had looked at him as he let her go. Her lips trembling, her voice desperate as she screamed...

"Please, Zareth! Save me...save us!"

"Us."

His stomach twisted.

His grip slackened, and he stumbled back, shaking his head.

No. No, I would have known.

Wouldn’t he?

His chest tightened painfully. Did she try to tell me? Did I...

He exhaled sharply. No. He couldn’t afford to dwell on this. He had made his choices.

Nemesis, seeing the turmoil in his expression, rolled her eyes. "It’s too late to cry about it now." Her tone was sharp, dismissive. "Instead of wasting time chasing that worthless daughter of yours, get us some damn leverage so we can take the child."

Zareth barely heard her. His mind was a storm of rage, guilt, and something he refused to name.

Keres had been pregnant.

And he had sacrificed her.

His fingers curled into his palm until his nails dug into flesh.

The chamber suddenly felt suffocating.

He needed air.

He needed something...someone...to bleed.

Before Nemesis could say another word, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the chamber, his mind locked on one thing.

If he couldn’t have the child yet...

Then he would make sure Haelyn paid the price.