MATED TO THE BEAST ALPHA BROTHERS
Chapter 67: Bound by Blood and war not love.

Chapter 67: Bound by Blood and war not love.

Darkness clung to the corners of the chamber, flickering torches casting jagged shadows across the stone walls. Tiago Frost leaned against the grand oak table, his fingers tracing the hilt of his dagger, a cruel smirk curling at his lips.

"They’re weaker than ever," he mused, eyes locked on the parchment before him..a map of the Beast Alpha territories, each marked with vulnerabilities he had been waiting years to exploit. "Archer and Artemis... they took my sister from me. I will take everything from them."

Across from him, Nemesis stood poised, her crimson cloak barely concealing the predatory gleam in her eyes. "And yet, revenge alone won’t be enough, will it?" she purred, stepping closer. "You want more than just their suffering. You want power. You want the throne that was denied to you."

Tiago’s fingers curled into a fist. "That throne was mine by right. And now that Arthur’s pack has crumbled, nothing stands in my way."

Nemesis chuckled. "Nothing except the Beast Alphas."

His jaw clenched, but he said nothing. She had him there.

"I can give you the leverage you need, Tiago," she continued, her voice a whisper of temptation. "Join me, and together, we will not only destroy Archer and Artemis, but we will shatter their entire bloodline."

Tiago considered her words, the fire of vengeance warring with his own ambitions. "And what do you get in return?"

"Your loyalty," she replied simply. "Your strength, your armies. You will have your revenge, but under my rule. We break them from the inside, fracture them beyond repair."

Tiago exhaled slowly. He had spent years in the shadows, waiting, gathering, plotting. Now, the time had come. "Fine. But Archer and Artemis are mine to kill."

Nemesis smirked. "Oh, I wouldn’t dream of taking that pleasure from you."

Meanwhile, deep in the heart of the Beast Alpha stronghold, Archer and Artemis stood face to face, the air between them crackling with unresolved fury.

"You never let it go, did you?" Archer growled, fists clenched. "Valeria’s death... you still blame me."

Artemis’s lips curled back in a snarl. "How could I not? You stole her from me! You couldn’t stand that I loved her, and in the end, you killed her."

"It was an accident!" Archer roared, his voice raw with years of guilt. "I never meant for her to die, Artemis. She stepped between us!"

Artemis’s golden eyes burned with fury. "And now history repeats itself. First Valeria, now Haelyn. You don’t deserve her. Just like you never deserved Valeria."

Archer’s patience snapped. He lunged, fists colliding with Artemis’s jaw. The force sent Artemis stumbling back, but he recovered instantly, claws unsheathing as he tackled Archer to the ground.

The two brothers tumbled, growling and snarling like the beasts they were. Blood splattered against the stone floor as claws raked across skin, fists slammed into ribs. They shifted between human and wolf forms, neither willing to back down.

"ENOUGH!" The voice that rang out froze them both in place. Haelyn stood there, eyes blazing with fury and pain. "You’re tearing each other apart for a past you can’t change! What about now? What about the war that’s coming? Will you kill each other before our real enemies do it for you?"

Archer and Artemis panted heavily, their bodies aching, their rage still burning..but her words struck deep.

"Figure it out," Haelyn spat before storming away. "Before it’s too late."

She hated that they had been fighting ever since Artemis had tapped into his ancient ancestry beast and for what?! Over their dead lover? Over her? There were more freaking important things that needed solving.

Beyond the Beast Alpha stronghold, another storm brewed.

Marius stood atop a hill, watching the Wolf King’s castle from afar. His lips curled in contempt. "For too long, the old ways have ruled. It’s time for a new reign. My reign."

Beside him, his generals knelt. "What are your orders, Alpha?"

Marius smirked. "We take the kingdom. And we take it now."

Far to the north, within the ancient ruins of the Moonstone Keep, Keres sat across from the Wolf King.

"I should have never forced you to marry him," he growled, his voice thick with regret,sorrow and anger.

Keres smirked. "And yet, here I am, father. Dead,you pushed me into my grave"

His golden eyes darkened with hurt. "It was a mistake. A reminder of my greatest failure."

Keres leaned forward. "And you? You were never the king you claimed to be. You betrayed your own daughter And now, your enemies are closing in. So tell me... will you keep this up, or will you use me to save yourself?"

The Wolf King stared at his daughter for a long moment. Then, at last, he sighed. "What do you propose?"

Keres smiled. "A war. And a war needs a queen."

"And I am that Queen.." one thing the Wolf king didn’t know was that the last thing Keres had needed after returning from hell to reign in the human domain was the wolf king’s approval.

The world was on the edge of chaos. And no one...neither the Beast Alphas, the Wolf King, nor the rising enemies..was ready for what was coming next.

The torches burned bright against the cold, looming walls of the Wolf King’s palace. The scent of blood and steel tainted the air, thick with the weight of an inevitable war. Shadows stretched and shifted as Marius’s army descended upon the gates, fangs bared, swords drawn, ready to carve their way through the fortress.

Keres stood at the heart of the grand hall, her dark cloak billowing as she faced her father. The Wolf King, regal and unyielding, his silver eyes hard as steel, met her glare with equal intensity.

"You would stand against me still?" His voice was deep, laced with quiet fury. "After everything?"

Keres scoffed, her lips curling in a smirk. "I stand where I choose. You taught me that, remember?"

Before the Wolf King could reply, the doors burst open. A gust of wind carried the scent of war into the hall, and with it, the mocking voice of Marius.

"Such a touching reunion." Marius strode inside, his wolves swarming behind him, their eyes glowing with the thirst for carnage. "I almost hate to interrupt, but I do have a kingdom to take."

The Wolf King turned, his face impassive. "You should have brought more men."

Marius laughed. "Arrogance doesn’t suit a man at the edge of ruin." He stepped forward, his own power crackling through the air like an impending storm. "Your kingdom is a relic, old man. You should have surrendered while you had the chance."

Keres’s fingers twitched, her power coiling inside her like a caged beast. She had no love for her father, but she despised Marius more. He reeked of ambition, of desperation disguised as confidence.

"You talk too much," Keres muttered, and before Marius could respond, she moved.

She was a blur of darkness, her claws extending mid-strike as she tore through the first wave of wolves. The air thickened with the metallic scent of blood as bodies fell, ripped apart by her fury. The Wolf King moved with equal precision, cutting down his foes as if he were harvesting wheat.

Marius, unfazed, merely grinned. "Ah, how delightful. Father and daughter, bound by blood and war."

Keres’s eyes burned. "Shut up and fight, coward."

Their battle was chaos. Fangs met flesh, claws tore through armor. The ground became slick with blood. Marius fought with ruthless efficiency, but Keres was faster, sharper. She was death incarnate, a regal queen of destruction.

But Marius had numbers.

His wolves swarmed them like locusts, dragging them down, forcing the Wolf King to retreat further into the palace.

Outside, the night was restless. A storm brewed, but it wasn’t of the sky.

Nemesis sat upon her throne, her fingers drumming against the cold stone armrest. She had felt the disturbance almost instantly, an itch at the back of her mind. The kind that signaled something was very, very wrong.

She closed her eyes, reaching out, her senses threading through the chaos of the battlefield until she saw it.

That fool.

She shot up, rage coiling in her veins. "That bastard!"

Her voice thundered through the chamber, making the shadows tremble. Marius had ignored her orders. She had told him to wait, to be patient. But he was nothing more than a mongrel who couldn’t see past his own greed.

"If he dies, he deserves it." Her fingers curled into a fist, nails biting into her palm. She exhaled sharply, regaining control. "But if he lives..."

A dark smile twisted her lips. If he lived, she would kill him herself.

Back in the palace, Marius barely dodged the Wolf King’s blade, laughing as he wiped blood from his cheek. "You’re good, I’ll give you that," he mused. "But you’re also old."

The Wolf King didn’t reply, only lunged again, his blade singing through the air. Marius blocked, but the force sent him staggering.

Keres used the moment of distraction. She moved like lightning, her claws tearing into his side, drawing a guttural snarl from his throat.

Marius’s eyes darkened. "You’ll regret that."

Keres smiled, baring her fangs. "Try me."

The battle was far from over. And in the shadows, Nemesis watched, waiting.