Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Kael’s POV

The city blurred past my windows. Red lights. Stop signs. Speed limits. I ignored them all.

Mother’s message had been three words. "Please come home."

I already knew what I’d find.

Father.

It was always him.

The Blood Crown estate gates swung open automatically. I didn’t slow down. The tires screeched against the driveway. Gravel sprayed. I was out of the car before the engine died.

The front door was unlocked.

Wrong. So wrong.

I burst inside. The foyer was dark. Silent.

Then I heard it.

CRACK.

The sound of leather against flesh.

My blood turned to ice. Then fire.

I ran toward the sound. Through the hallway. Past the portraits of ancestors who’d built this empire on blood and bones. Through the living room archway.

And stopped.

The scene before me made my stomach revolt.

Lucian was on the floor. Curled into himself. His shirt was torn. Blood seeped through the fabric. Fresh welts covered his back. His arms. Everywhere.

Father stood over him. Belt raised. Face twisted with rage.

And Mother—

God, Mother.

She was crumpled in the corner. Her silver hair was matted with blood. One eye was already swelling shut. Tears streamed down her face.

She was trying to crawl toward Lucian. Trying to shield him.

"YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT!" Magnus roared. The belt came down again.

Lucian didn’t even scream anymore. Just took it. Like he always did.

Something inside me snapped.

"ENOUGH!"

I crossed the room in three strides. My hand shot out. Caught the belt mid-swing.

Magnus whirled on me. Those red-gold eyes blazed with fury. Tyrant—his wolf—lurked just beneath the surface. Ready to destroy anything in his path.

"Stay out of this, boy." His voice was a growl. "This doesn’t concern you."

"Like hell it doesn’t."

I ripped the belt from his grip. The leather burned against my palm. I didn’t care.

Magnus lunged at me. His fist connected with my jaw.

Pain exploded across my face. I staggered. Tasted copper.

But I didn’t fall.

Fenrir surged forward. My vision went gold. Power flooded my veins.

I grabbed Magnus by the throat. Slammed him against the wall.

"Touch them again," I said. My voice was barely human. "And I will kill you."

For one second—one beautiful second—I saw fear in his eyes.

Magnus Blood Crown. The Alpha King. Afraid of his own son.

Then he kneed me in the stomach.

Air rushed out of my lungs. My grip loosened. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Magnus shoved past me. Kicked my shin hard enough to make me stumble.

"This isn’t over," he snarled.

Then he was gone. The front door slammed.

Silence.

I stood there. Breathing hard. My jaw throbbed. My shin ached.

None of it mattered.

"Kael..."

Mother’s voice. Broken. Small.

I turned. She had crawled to Lucian. Was cradling his head in her lap. Her fingers stroked his hair. Blood smeared across her knuckles.

"It’s okay," she whispered. Not to me. To him. "You’re okay. You’re going to be okay."

But Lucian wasn’t okay.

His eyes were glassy. Unfocused. His body twitched with pain he couldn’t feel properly anymore.

Because he was high.

I could smell it now. That bitter, chemical undertone mixed with his blood. Wolfsbane. The drug that had already stolen everything from him.

"Help me get him to his room," Mother said.

I nodded. Couldn’t speak.

I bent down. Slid my arms under Lucian’s broken body. He was lighter than I remembered. Smaller. Like the drugs were eating him from the inside out.

He groaned as I lifted him.

"Sorry," I muttered. "I’ve got you."

Mother walked ahead. Opened doors. Cleared the path.

We moved through the house in silence. Past rooms filled with expensive furniture and empty promises. Past photographs of a family that had never really existed.

Lucian’s bedroom was at the end of the hall. Mother pushed the door open.

The room smelled like him. Like medicine and sweat and something dying.

I laid him on the bed. Carefully. Like he might shatter if I moved too fast.

His eyes found mine. Dull. Empty.

"Kael." His voice was a rasp. "You came."

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