Alpha's Dark Desires-Chapter 174: Preparations

Kane’s POV

Fuck—it hurts like a bitch.

Pain clawed through my chest, relentless and unyielding. It wasn’t just the usual ache of the mate bond—it was something worse, something twisted. Like my very soul was being ripped apart, burned alive in an agony I couldn’t stop.

I gritted my teeth, my claws sinking into the armrests of my chair, splintering the wood beneath my grip. My wolf howled in my head, a raw, guttural sound of rage and suffering.

She’s fucking someone else again.

I felt it. Every thrust. Every moan. Every moment she gave herself to another male—it was like being gutted from the inside out.

My breathing was ragged, my vision darkened at the edges. The mate bond was a cruel fucking thing, forcing me to feel every betrayal like it was carved into my own skin. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t her fault. It didn’t matter that this wasn’t her.

What mattered was that it was happening.

And Ace—that bastard—was the one touching her.

A deep, guttural growl ripped from my throat, my hands trembling with barely contained fury.

"I swear," I gritted out, voice thick with rage, "when I get my hands on him, I will rip him apart."

But that wouldn’t fix anything. That wouldn’t stop whatever was happening to her.

My wolf was on edge, pacing, snarling, demanding blood.

Find her. Take her back. Kill anyone who gets in the way.

I slammed my fist into the desk, sending papers flying, my breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps.

She was mine.

Mine.

And I was going to get her back. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

The witch knelt before the table, her fingers sifting through the ashes of what had once been the bundle of herbs and bones she had burned down moments ago. The scent of charred magic lingered in the air, thick and acrid, making my wolf snarl in agitation.

She took a handful of the ashes and began sprinkling them over the open maps we had laid out. The moment the dark powder touched the parchment, something shifted. The air in the room grew heavier, charged with an unnatural energy that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

Dean stood on the other side of the table, arms crossed, his jaw clenched as he watched the witch with barely contained impatience. He didn’t trust her—I didn’t either—but if she could lead us to Elena, I’d tolerate her presence for now.

The ashes spread unnaturally, moving as if carried by an invisible force, swirling and gathering over one specific area of the map. My eyes narrowed as the markings burned into the paper, forming a dark stain in a region we hadn’t checked before.

"There," the witch murmured, her voice thick with power. "That’s where she is."

I clenched my fists.

Ace.

The bastard had her.

Dean’s lip curled in disgust. "Fucking knew it."

The witch stood, brushing the remaining ash from her hands. "I’ve done my part. Now, unless you’d like me to do more, I suggest you let me go."

I turned my head sharply toward her, my eyes glowing with the barely controlled rage simmering beneath my skin. Let her go? Not a fucking chance.

"You’ll leave when I decide you’re no longer useful," I growled. "And right now, you’re still useful."

She huffed, crossing her arms, but she didn’t argue. Smart choice.

My gaze snapped back to the map, the location burned into my mind. I was coming for her.

And when I got my hands on Ace—

I was going to tear him apart.

"She said she was trapped in an illusion... Can you break it?" Dean asked, his voice edged with urgency.

The witch smirked, clearly enjoying the fact that we needed her help. "I can, but I’ll need certain herbs and ingredients to do it."

Dean exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down his face. "Figures. And I’m guessing if we just storm in there now, we won’t see a damn thing, will we?"

She nodded. "Exactly. You’ll walk right past her, never even knowing she’s there."

That only pissed me off more. Ace had gone through this much effort to hide her? Fucking coward.

I turned to my beta, Luke. "You’re going with her."

He stiffened. "Are you serious?"

I shot him a sharp look. "Do I look like I’m in the mood to joke?"

Luke scowled but nodded begrudgingly. He didn’t trust witches any more than I did, but right now, we didn’t have a choice.

The witch, of course, looked entirely too amused. "Don’t worry, wolf. I don’t bite."

Luke muttered something under his breath, but I was already done paying attention to their bickering. My focus was on the map, on Elena, and on how soon I could get my hands on Ace and rip him apart.

"Okay, I’ll go tell my warriors," I said, turning toward the door.

Dean snickered behind me. "Don’t think wolves like to see their leaders weak," he taunted, his gaze flickering to the hand I had pressed against my chest.

Yeah, it still fucking hurt. Every time Elena took another man, my body reacted like it was being torn apart from the inside. It was the mate bond, rejecting what she was doing, punishing me for it. But I refused to show weakness, especially not in front of Dean.

I forced a smirk, dropping my hand like the pain didn’t exist. "You’re one to talk. Last I checked, you’re barely holding your shit together."

Dean’s smirk faltered, just for a second. A crack in his usually unreadable expression. Good. I wasn’t the only one suffering.

********

This was going to be a rough week.

With all the preparations that needed to be made, I knew I couldn’t just charge in blindly, no matter how much I wanted to storm in and take Elena back right now. Every instinct in me was screaming to act, to tear through whoever stood in my way and get her away from him.

But that wasn’t how this would work.

I had to be strategic. If I walked into this without a plan, I’d be walking straight into a trap. Ace wasn’t stupid—he had Elena hidden behind an illusion, surrounded by his warriors, and gods know what else. If I wanted to get her back, I had to be ready for an ambush. I had to outthink him, outfight him, and make sure there was no way in hell she’d ever be taken from me again.

Even if that meant killing him.

I clenched my fists, exhaling sharply. Every second that passed felt like a taunt, like Ace was daring me to come and take Elena back. But I couldn’t—not yet.

I turned to Dean, who was watching me closely, his usual cocky smirk nowhere in sight. He was pissed, and rightfully so. He hadn’t held back in telling me that this was my fault. That my darkness had infected Elena, twisting her into something insatiable, leaving her vulnerable in the worst way possible.

I hated that he was right.

"The witch will need time to gather her ingredients," Dean reminded me, crossing his arms. "And we need to be fucking prepared. You might be desperate to get her back, but if you go in half-cocked, you’ll be dead before you reach her."

"I know that," I snapped. My chest still ached, the pain of the bond cutting through me like a hot blade, but I forced myself to shove it down. I needed to think.

"Then start acting like it," Dean shot back. "Ace isn’t some low-level fucker you can just rip apart. He’s calculating, and he has her under his control. Do you really think she’s going to just run into your arms when you get there? You’re the reason she’s like this."

His words hit hard, but I refused to let it show.

Instead, I turned away, rolling my shoulders, trying to ease the tension locking up my body. Ace wasn’t my only problem. If I left the pack unprotected to go after Elena, what was stopping another rogue attack? What was stopping Ace from using her as bait while he destroyed everything I had built?

No, I couldn’t rush this. I had to be ready.

"Get the warriors prepared," I ordered, looking at Dean. "We’re going to need more than brute force to get through whatever illusion she’s trapped in."

Dean exhaled, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "Took you long enough to get your head on straight." Then his expression darkened. "But if we wait too long, Kane... she’s just going to keep getting worse."

I knew that. Fuck, I knew that. But if I let my emotions control me, I’d lose everything.

And I wasn’t about to lose her. Not again.

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