The Alpha's Prize ??

Word Count: 1658

~Hunter

I've never seen Kaan moved faster as we scale down the stairs.

My heart is in my throat as we pace through the hallways. The guards have told us exactly where Kaan's parents were murdered, and now we are racing toward it like it isn't going to be horrifying sight to behold.

I have to be there for Kaan though. I can't leave his side.

Sure enough, we find his parents in the formal sitting room. They were half way through having tea, heat still wafting from the cups.

A revolted gasp catches in my throat as I take in the scene before me. Cyrus has clearly been stabbed in the back, his body lying face first on the ground. Allira, however, is slumped on the couch, her throat having obviously been slit.

My shaking hands come up to my mouth as the foul stench of blood reaches my nose.

"Oh no..."

"Holy fuck." Kaan just stands there, shocked, as he takes in the scene.

Most of the blood pooling on the floor seems to be coming from Allira, her entire front drenched in it. It takes me at least a minute to drag my gaze from the scene, focusing on Kaan's face.

He's paled, his brows drawn together while his mouth remains slightly parted. He stays in that state, even as I shake him. Once I start toward the bodies, he seems to snap out of it, grabbing my arm before my feet touch the edge of the blood puddle.

"Don't get too close," he warns.

"You're right. It will make it harder to find out who did this," I mumble. I got distracted, like I was being lured toward them despite the entire situation terrifying and repulsing me.

"We know who did this. We just have to find her." Kaan whirls around, starting off through a cluster of guards who mutter between themselves, not sure how to deal with this situation.

"You think Tay did this?" I question as I chase after him.
 
"Who else?"

Right. Who else? It could be Azura, although I doubt she would do it so brutally, and out of nowhere like this. At least Tay knows her life is slipping away, that everything has been taken from her. Maybe she went to plea to stay, but they denied her. Perhaps she got angry and lashed out.
 
"She'll be in her room," I tell Kaan before he can veer off on the wrong track.

He suddenly pauses, looking back at me. "Stay here, she may be dangerous."

"No, I'm not leaving your side," I tell him firmly.

He sighs through his nose, but eventually nods. He knows he needs my support right now, so I follow him down the hallway and to her bedroom.

Kaan barges straight in. Tay isn't in the room, but the sound of water running from her adjoining bathroom lures us to her. She's leaning over the sink, scrubbing blood from her arms.

"Tay...what have you done?" Kaan growls, taking in the sight of his sister with their parents blood all over her.

She pauses, quickly shutting off the water, her face aghast.

"I did what I had to do," she exclaims numbly.

I frown. Her voice sounds disjointed and she doesn't seem like herself. I suppose killing her own parents would fuck with her mentality.

"What did you have to do?"
 
"You wanted them gone...you said it yourself. I did that for you," she insists, towelling off her arms.

My eyes drift to the knife lying next to the basin. It's covered in blood and looks stark and horrifying against the white bench.

"They are our parents Tay? How could you kill them?" Kaan is shouting at this point, rage tinting his face red.

"They were never our parents. They didn't love us. They were going to marry me to a complete stranger is a different place and I would never see you again. They were monsters," Tay exclaims, throwing her bloodied hands around as she speaks.

"That doesn't mean you should have killed them!"

"They would have spent their entire lives trying to tear you and Hunter apart. You would never be safe." She looks at me, like I might jump in to help. "I did you a favour."

I shrink back, feeling sick to my stomach.

Her justifications as unbelievable. By the frantic look on her face, she genuinely thinks she was doing us a favour. Maybe in some demented, twisted way she is, but the answer the problem isn't violent murder. Especially of one's own parents.

"A favour? You took my family from me?" Kaan presses his hand to his chest.
 
"You still have your family! Me and Azura love you." She strides forward, but we both match it backward. "Our parents never loved us, and I know you never loved them. I know you had a plan to leave here before you met Hunter."

I look at him, something flickering in my stomach. He never explicitly mentioned it, but part of me knew. From what I could tell, him and Azura had the same plan in mind.

"Killing is not the answer. How do I know you're not going to do this to someone else?"

"I won't, I promise. I only did this because I thought you wanted it." Worry has her bottom lip trembling and her brows drawing together.

She has good reason to be worried now...

"I'm sending you away to be assessed. If you're not deemed dangerous, then you can send some time with our grandmother," Kaan states, calming down enough to be rational.

How he's not demanding she be thrown straight into a prison is beyond me. He is keeping calm because he knows that Tay doing this isn't coming from some murderous part of her. Something is going on inside her head.

"Don't do this...please. Don't take me away from here," Tay begs.

"Guards," Kaan calls out the door. "Detain her."

He could grab her himself but he doesn't want to touch him. I don't blame him. She's still covered in blood, which is starting to dry on her once pretty yellow dress.

"No!" She screams as two guards barge through the door, grabbing a hold of her. She swings her legs and rips at her arms, but it's no use. They have her in a secure grasp.

"I'll come see you in a few days to see how you are doing," Kaan says, a little quieter, almost like he's genuinely trying to console her.

Her eyes are wide and desperate as she continue to fight.

"Please Kaan, don't do this...I swear I'll never do anything to hurt you or Hunter," she pleads.

Kaan only shakes his head, holding his ground. "I can't take that risk."

"Hunter please, tell them to let me go!" She's begging me now, expecting me to feel sorry for her, to beg my mate to let her stay here and talk this out.

But I don't feel bad. At least not as bad as I thought I would. She poisoned me, she's leaving me with lasting health problems, and now, a mate whose parents who have just been taken from him.

"I'm sorry Tay," I breathe, raking my hands through my hair.

The guards drag her out into the hallway. Kaan and I remain silent, listening to the lasts of her protests before they vanish completely.

I turn to my mate. "Are you okay?"

"For now. I think I'm just numb," he mumbles, rubbing his face. Despite looking tired and stressed, he's still as handsome as ever. I want to reassure him that all of this will pass, including the grief, but I'm not sure that's the truth.

"You're going to be okay. I'm here for you," I soothe.

"They're gone." He stares at my face, but I'm not entirely sure he is looking at me. "And I'm not sad."

"You're in shock, Kaan. That's all."

"They were horrible parents. I should have been the one to kill them."

I shake my head, taking his hand. I don't know exactly what happened in their childhood, but I know it was bad. Bad enough for every one of the siblings to consider, or attempt murder. Yet, I don't want that for Kaan.

"Don't say that. You're not that kind of person," I assure him, rubbing my hand down his arm.

"We should see Azura. She will want to know about this."

"Wait." I grab him before he can rush out the room. "Take a breath."

He hesitates, eyeing me. He obliges me, though, drawing in a deep breath, letting his eyes flutter closed. There are so many emotions buried into his expression, but none that can be given my full attention right now. I need to let him tell Azura, and then come back to comfort him.

"I can't believe they are gone," he whispers, his eyes wide and dark, overwhelmed by emotion.

"Everything is going to be okay. You go see Azura, and I'll make sure everything downstairs is dealt with," I offer gently, trying to put on a smile, but I can feel it trembling.

He shakes his head. "No, you're still recovering. Let me handle it."

I may be recovering, but I feel fine. The shock helps hide all the other symptoms of my previous poisoning.

"You need to concentrate on your sister." I rub his arm tenderly. "Even though she doesn't love her parents either, doesn't mean she won't need support."

"I love you." He leans forward, kissing my forehead. It's all that he can give me right now, and I'll happily take it.

"I love you too," I breathe, before giving him a little push. "Now go."

🤎••🤎

If you want to support my writing, you can always read the COMPLETED novel on Radish (:

My latest novel, the Cold Prince, is out now on 抖阴社区! I hope you'll check it out (:

~Midika 💜🐼