CHAPTER 103: CHAPTER 103 THE FURY OF A FATHER

I held my breath as the thunderous growl faded into tense silence. My fingers trembled as I reached for the door handle, turning it slowly. The heavy wood creaked slightly as I cracked the door open and peered into the hall.

No one seemed to notice me.

I slipped out quietly, the cold floor sending a shiver up my legs. My feet padded softly against the ground as I crept forward, moving toward the top of the staircase.

And then I saw them.

Beta Roy was standing at the bottom of the stairs, his entire body shaking with rage. His eyes burned red as he growled, his chest heaving. Alpha Caelen stood beside him, quiet but imposing, his arms crossed across his chest. Evelyn, my stepmother, lingered slightly behind them, her face twisted in worry and confusion.

On the opposite side of the hall stood Damon, his arms folded behind his back, his face blank and unreadable. His gaze was dark but calm, as though nothing about the situation bothered him. Alaric stood beside him, tense and alert.

Roy’s furious voice echoed again, loud and angry. "You think you can take everything from me?! You think you can kill him and walk away without an explanation?! I’m going to make you pay for this."

Damon said nothing. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t move.

But Alaric did.

He took one step forward, his body rippling with power. I saw black fur begin to spread across his arms and neck. His claws sharpened. His fangs lengthened, lips peeling back in a snarl as he stood protectively in front of Damon.

"You will apologize," Alaric growled, his voice low but clear. "You do not speak to our Alpha that way. Not unless you have a death wish."

But this made Roy snarl fiercely back at him.

Without warning, his body twisted, bones cracking and reforming as he shifted into a massive dark brown wolf. His claws scraped against the ground as he leapt forward with a savage growl aimed straight at Alaric.

But Alaric was ready. He side-stepped with unnatural speed, avoiding the attack with ease before shifting into his own black wolf. His form was sleek and powerful, eyes glowing with fury as he pounced back.

The sound of snarls filled the entire hall.

Teeth clashed, and claws tore through the air. The two wolves rolled across the floor in a violent blur, crashing into walls and snapping their jaws at one another.

I could barely keep up. My breath caught in my throat as I stared at them. The growls, the snarls, the way their bodies slammed against the marble tiles, it was brutal and terrifying to watch.

Alaric fought with precision. Roy fought with desperation.

Every move Roy made was filled with heartbreak, with pain. I could see it in the way his body trembled. In the way his roars sounded more like wounded cries than war calls. He wasn’t just angry.... he was mourning.

But that didn’t stop Alaric from pinning him down.

In a final, swift motion, Alaric tackled Roy to the floor, pressing him flat on his back. His fangs sank into the thick fur of Roy’s neck. Not deep enough to kill him... but enough to make his message clear.

Roy writhed beneath him, snarling in agony, his back legs kicking against the ground. Blood stained his fur in small streamlets, and I could feel his heartbreak from where I stood.

But I didn’t feel sorry for him. He had been aware of how his son had always treated me. I will never pity him.

"Enough!" Alpha Caelen’s voice thundered through the air.

But Alaric didn’t move, he was waiting for Damon’s order.

His jaw was still clamped down, and his eyes still glowing.

"I said enough," Caelen repeated, and his eyes shifted to gold. His body trembled as fur began to ripple beneath his skin, his Alpha aura flaring like a storm about to break loose.

But Damon finally moved. He hadn’t moved the entire time. Now he took one slow step forward, his eyes locked on Caelen. A dangerous, cold smirk tugged at his lips.

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t actually need to.

That look alone was enough to silence the rising power in the room.

Caelen’s jaw tensed, but he didn’t shift fully, but fangs and claws were already elongated. He stared back at Damon, his fists clenched at his sides, and I could feel the power in the air tensed like two storms sizing each other up.

Alaric still hadn’t moved. His black wolf held Roy down like he was nothing more than a mutt causing trouble in the pack yard.

The silence stretched, thick and heavy.

Evelyn stepped forward a little, her hands nervously clutching the edge of her shawl. "Please... this isn’t the way," she said softly, but no one listened to her. Not even her own mate.

Caelen’s voice finally broke through the tension. "Release him," he said, low and cold. "That is an order, Alaric."

But Alaric didn’t obey. His ears flicked, but his grip stayed firm. His loyalty wasn’t to Caelen. It was to Damon.

The growl that left Damon’s throat was deep and low, almost too quiet to hear. But it was enough to instill fear in the werewolves. Alaric’s glowing eyes shifted slightly, then slowly, he lifted his weight off Roy and stepped back.

Roy stayed down, his body heaving, blood matting his fur. His claws twitched like he still wanted to fight, but his spirit was broken.

Alpha Caelen’s golden eyes stayed locked with Damon’s, refusing to look away. It was only when Roy let out another pained snarl beneath Alaric’s fangs that Caelen finally took a step forward, his voice rumbling with restrained fury.

"That’s enough," he said coldly, he was neither begging nor commanding.

Still, Damon said nothing. He just tilted his head slightly, as if amused.

Alaric looked back once. When Damon gave the slightest nod, only then did he release Roy and step back with deliberate calm.