Chapter 30
Riley’s POV
My fingers trembled as I shielded Mia with my body, her cries echoing in my ears as Alpha Alaric–my father–raised the belt again. The pain lashed across my back, fire blooming along my spine, but I barely felt it.
Something inside me had cracked open.
A voice growled in my mind, low and vicious.
“Let me out.”
I froze.
The voice wasn’t mine.
“Nyra,” I whispered without thinking. The name came to me like a memory from another life.
“They hurt us. Again. Again. And again . You won’t stop them. But I will
My vision blurred. Heat rushed through my veins, pulsing in time with my heart. My nails blackened, lengthening into curved claws. My teeth ached–no, grew. My spine stretched, bones shifting, cracking, I could feel my ears sharpening, hear every heartbeat in the room. My pupils split and narrowed, golden and gleaming like molten metal.
“Kill them.” Nyra hissed. “Make them pay?
“ I am still trapped and unable to shift, but I will give you the power.”
I shoved Mia aside, ignoring her gasp, and staggered to my feet. Blood dripped from my arm where the belt had torn skin, but I barely noticed.
I limped into the kitchen .
The moment my hand closed around the hilt of the knife. I knew it wasn’t me anymore.
We were one.
When I stepped back into the living room; the entire Vale family went still.
“Riley, put that down!” Luna Zara cried.
I didn’t answer. My grip tightened on the blade. My gaze locked onto Alpha Alaric.
“You touch Mia again , I snarled, my voice deeper , layered with Nyra’s resonance, and I’ll tear out your throat.
As I lifted my head and met Alpha Alaric’s eyes, the full force of his Alpha aura slammed into me.
The air thickened like a storm front crashing through the room. My lungs refused to expand. My limbs trembled–not from fear, but from the sheer weight of his dominance. Even Scarlett, cowering behind the couch, whimpered and bowed her
head.
“You dare raise a blade in my house?” Alaric roared. His voice cracked through the air like a thunderclap, resonating with years of unquestioned authority.
He took a step forward, and the power of his wolf surged, pressing down on everyone in the room. Luna Zara stumbled back. Mia whimpered. The chandelier trembled overbead
But I didn’t flinch.
Nyra surged within me like a wildfire refusing to be snuffed out.
“Let him roar. He’s not our Alpha anymore,” she growled. “We are
A low snarl escaped my throat–feral, unrecognizable, mine and not mine.
I took a step forward, cutting through the weight of his dominance like a blade through fog. My body trembled, but I kept walking . Nyra’s power pushed back against his aura . The pressure on my chest lessened. The fear in my limbs evaporated.
He tried again.
“Put the blade down, Riley, Alaric ordered, voice thick with Alpha compulsion.
My ears rang. My knees almost buckled–but I didn’t obey,
Instead, I smiled.
“No.”
A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face.
“I’m not that girl anymore.” I said. “The one you locked away. The one you silenced. The one who bowed her head.”
My claws gleamed under the chandelier. I held them up for all of them to see.
“This bloodline you’re so proud of? It runs through me too. But I’m done letting it chain i
Alaric’s lips curled into a sneer.
me-
“You expect me to believe this show? You’re clearly performing for attention, but it’s pathetic.
He took a step closer, nostrils flaring.
“I don’t smell a wolf on you, Riley. Not a single trace.
He tilted his head mockingly.
“Or maybe there’s something. Faint. Sickly. Like she’s dying. I’d wager you haven’t even completed your shift, have you ?”
His voice dropped into a cruel whisper.
“Keep defying me, and you might just kill your wolf before she ever gets free.”
Nyra snarled. My chest constricted–not from fear, but fury.
11ook another step.
“You were ,” I said softly, “but I don’t feel your power anymore.”
Everyone froze.
I was panting. My eyes burned. My fingers ached from gripping the knife too hard.
But Nyra was laughing-
“He’s scared now. They all are. Good.”
“Riley, please–Luna Zara tried to step between us.
I shoved past her.
“I’m done asking nicely. I’m done surviving. I want justice
“You’re going to kill someone!” Zara screamed.
Maybe that’s what it takes!”
Scarlett whimpered behind the couch.
*She deserves it, Nyra hissed . “She ruined us. Let me end her.”
My body shook. I raised the knife again.
30
+8 Pearls
“No,” Luna Zam cried, wrapping her arms around me. “Riley, please. Please don’t. I know I failed you. But I’m still n
mother.
I froze.
“You’re not,” I said flatly. “You’re just the one who gave birth to me.”
Her eyes widened in horror.
I held up my free hand. My claws gleamed under the chandelier.
“You want repayment for giving me life? Fine. I’ll give it back.”
I slammed my hand onto the table, spreading my fingers wide .
“A child owes nothing to a parent who only gave her pain .”
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