The Mafia King's Deadly Returned

Chapter 5

XANDER'S POV

I push through the crowd, my eyes desperately searching for Seraphina, but she is nowhere to be found. Suddenly, someone wraps their arms around me from behind and for a brief second I think it's her, but when I turn around, I find Liza standing there with a smile.

"Come on, Xander, it's been so long since we spent time together," she says, grabbing my hand, but I immediately pull away. "How dare you touch me?" I snap before ignoring her completely and continuing my search.

That's when I notice a waitress staring at me nervously. The moment I approach her, she lowers her head in fear. "Have you seen my Luna?" I ask.

She trembles. "L-Luna left, Alpha." My entire body freezes. "What?" I growl. "Liza insulted Luna in front of everyone... and she told her about the curse."

For a moment I can't breathe. Seraphina knows. She knows everything. Panic immediately takes over. "Find her!" I roar at my warriors as I storm out of the palace.

"Search every road, every corner of the kingdom!" Without wasting another second, I jump into my car and begin driving through the dark roads, my heart pounding violently against my chest. A terrible feeling refuses to leave me.

Then suddenly, my eyes widen in horror. Far ahead on the empty road, a motionless figure lies on the ground beneath the moonlight. "Seraphina!" I slam on the brakes and run toward her. She is lying there completely still.

"Luna!" I drop to my knees beside her, shaking her shoulders desperately. "Wake up... Seraphina, look at me!" But she doesn't move. Fear unlike anything I've ever felt grips my heart.

My hands tremble as I lift her into my arms. Her body is cold and limp. "No... no, no, no..." I whisper brokenly, pressing her against my chest. "Please don't do this to me." Tears burn behind my eyes as I carry her to the car.

A few minutes later, I am standing outside the emergency room of the pack hospital, my clothes stained with dust as I pace restlessly through the hallway. Every second feels like torture. My eyes remain fixed on the closed doors where the doctors are examining Seraphina.

"Save her..." I whisper under my breath. "Please save her." For the first time in years, I feel completely helpless. Then the doors finally open. A doctor walks out slowly, his expression grim.

The moment I see his face, dread settles deep inside my chest. "Alpha..." he begins hesitantly. "We did everything we could." My heart stops. "What are you talking about?" I demand. "She's fine. Tell me she's fine." The doctor lowers his gaze. "I'm sorry, Alpha." My breath catches. "Luna is gone."

The world shatters around me. The word barely leaves my lips. "No!" My legs give out beneath me and I fall to my knees. It feels as though someone has ripped my heart out of my chest. Pain unlike anything I've ever experienced consumes me.

Tears blur my vision as memories of Seraphina flood my mind her smile, her laughter, the way she looked at me as if I was her entire world. A broken sound escapes my throat. I don't care who sees me. I don't care that I'm an Alpha. I sit there on the cold hospital floor and cry.

Then suddenly, the waitress's words echo inside my head. Liza insulted Luna... she told her about the curse... My tears slowly stop. The grief inside me transforms into something darker.

My fists clench until my nails cut into my palms. "Whoever took you away from me, Luna..." I whisper, "I will make them pay." I rise to my feet and storm out of the hospital. The drive back to the palace is a blur.

My wolf is going insane inside me, demanding blood. By the time I arrive, the party is over. The grand hall stands nearly empty. Most of the guests have already left. Then I hear voices coming from the sitting area. My mother and Liza are laughing together as if nothing happened. As if Seraphina's death means nothing. I stop in the shadows and listen.

"Remember this," my mother says arrogantly while sipping her tea. "That worthless girl actually thought she could become my son's mate." Liza laughs. "She really believed she belonged here." My mother smirks. "Even my dog has a better bloodline than that girl."

The last thread of my control snaps. The temperature in the room suddenly drops. My aura explodes through the palace. Both women freeze. Slowly, I step out of the shadows. Liza's smile vanishes instantly. "X-Xander..." she stammers. "Y-you're back." My mother's confidence also disappears when she sees my face. "Son..." she begins carefully.

I continue walking toward them. My eyes are glowing dangerously. "Did you enjoy it?" I ask quietly. Both women exchange nervous glances. "Enjoy what?" Liza whispers. I stop directly in front of them. "Her humiliation." My voice is cold enough to freeze blood. "Her tears." The entire palace begins trembling under my Alpha aura. Liza takes a frightened step backward. "Xander, listen to me-"

"Silence!" I roar. The force of my voice sends both women stumbling backward. Blood instantly trickles from their mouths. Fear fills their eyes. For the first time, they realize how serious I am. My mother shakes her head.

"Xander, that girl was never worthy of you!" Her words only fuel my rage. "She is..." I growl. "...my luna." The windows throughout the hall begin cracking. My wolf surges forward violently.

"Xander..." Liza sobs. "Please..." But mercy no longer exists inside me. The Alpha King who once showed restraint is gone. All that remains is a mate who has lost the woman he loves. I throw my head back and release a terrifying wolf roar that shakes the entire palace.

The sound explodes through every wall and corridor. The ground cracks beneath us. Chandeliers shatter. Both women scream as the overwhelming force crashes into them.

Their bodies collapse onto the floor. Motionless. Blood spreads across the marble beneath them. I stare at them without emotion. There is no satisfaction. No relief. Because nothing can bring Seraphina back.

I walk back into the hospital with heavy steps, my chest tightening with every breath as if the air itself is refusing to enter me properly, and the moment I reach the reception I already feel something is wrong before anyone even speaks, the silence is too careful, too rehearsed.

I grab the edge of the counter and demand sharply, "Where is Luna's body? I told you no one is allowed to move her without my permission," my voice echoing down the corridor, and the nurse flinches before lowering her gaze, whispering nervously, "Alpha... her grandmother came earlier... she took the body."

I don't even process the words, my mind refuses to accept them, and then everything inside me snaps as I slam my fist on the counter and roar, "What do you mean she took her? Who gave her permission? Who the hell thinks they have the right?"

The machines beep louder like they are reacting to my rage and a doctor rushes in trying to calm me, "Alpha please... we tried to stop her but she had legal custody papers... we couldn't-" but I cut him off, stepping closer, my voice dangerously low now, "You are telling me a woman just walked in and took a body from my hospital without my consent?"

The doctor swallows hard, "She said she is the only family... and that you... you were not her husband officially in records," those words hit like a bullet, sharp and humiliating, and for a moment I stand completely still, breathing heavily, fists trembling, my eyes burning red, because Luna is gone and even her body is gone from me, as if the universe is mocking me twice, and then I turn away abruptly, not trusting myself to stay another second or I will destroy everything in that building,

I walk out without another word, my footsteps heavy, my guards silently following behind me but I don't look at any of them, I feel like I'm walking through a tunnel with no end, the world muffled, unreal, and when I reach my car I slam the door shut so hard it shakes, my hand gripping the seat until my knuckles turn white, and I whisper to myself through clenched teeth, "Who gave them the right... who took her away from me..." but there is no answer, only silence pressing back.

When I reach my palace the entire place feels lifeless, cold marble floors reflecting nothing back at me, I walk straight to my room ignoring everyone calling my name, and the moment I enter I freeze because something feels wrong again, something missing, and my eyes scan the room until they land on the floor near the bed, and there it is Seraphina's pendant.

The one she always wore, the one I once saw around her neck when she stood silently looking at me as if she already knew everything would end badly, and now it lies there abandoned like she was never real, like she was just erased, and my throat tightens instantly, my breath breaks.

I slowly walk toward it as if approaching something sacred and cursed at the same time, I drop to my knees and pick it up with shaking fingers, staring at it while my mind replays everything her silence, her tears, her fear, the way she looked at me before everything collapsed-and suddenly it becomes too much, my chest caves in and I whisper brokenly, "Seraphina... what did they do to you... what did I let happen..." my voice cracks on the last word.

I press the pendant against my forehead like it can somehow bring her back, like metal can undo death, and then I break completely, sitting on the floor with my back against the bed, my head lowered, my shoulders shaking as tears finally fall without permission, and I laugh once bitterly through it all, whispering to the empty room, "I'm an Alpha... I rule everything... but I couldn't even keep one girl alive... I couldn't even keep her body." the room stays silent like it is judging me, and in that silence

I press the pendant tightly against my forehead as tears continue falling without control, my shoulders shaking while the silence of the room feels heavier than any punishment I have ever endured. I stare at the floor and whisper brokenly, "It's all my fault... Luna, if it wasn't for my curse, you would still be alive. You disappeared because of me. Everything happened because of me."

My fingers close around the pendant until it hurts, as though I deserve the pain. "You paid the price for my freedom," I mutter bitterly. "You died because I existed." Suddenly a calm voice echoes through the room, cutting through my grief. "No, Alpha. This is not your fault."

My head jerks up instantly and I see the Oracle standing near the balcony, her silver robes moving gently despite the still air. I stare at her through tear-filled eyes and let out a hollow laugh. "Not my fault? Luna is dead because of the curse attached to me. How can you stand there and say that?"

The Oracle looks at me with ancient sadness before replying softly, "Because I have seen the truth. Luna's fate was written long before either of you were born. Her death was not your choice, nor hers. It was destiny."

I shake my head violently. "No. There had to be another way." The Oracle steps closer and says, "There was never another way. The prophecy demanded a sacrifice. Luna had to die for your curse to break. Her death was the only key capable of unlocking your freedom." Her words hit me harder than any blade.

I lower my gaze to the pendant in my hand. "Then fate is cruel," I whisper. "It took the only innocent person in this story." The Oracle nods sadly. "Fate rarely cares about innocence. But because of Luna's sacrifice, the curse that haunted your bloodline has finally been destroyed. The chains that controlled your destiny are gone. You are free now, Alpha. You may choose whoever you wish as your mate. No prophecy binds you anymore. No curse controls your future."

I laugh again, but this time the sound is empty and broken. I look around the room, at the pendant, at the place where Luna should have been, and whisper, "Everyone keeps calling this freedom, but what kind of freedom is bought with her life?"

The Oracle remains silent while fresh tears slide down my face, because in that moment I realize something unbearable, the curse is gone, the prophecy is fulfilled, and I finally have everything I was supposed to want, yet it means nothing because the girl whose death gave me this freedom is no longer here to see it.

The Oracle watches me silently before saying, "Do not forget who you are, Alpha. I warned you from the beginning that Luna was a sacrifice. I told you not to love her."

I lift my head and stare at her through my tears. "I am an Alpha, so what? Does that mean I have no emotions? No heart?"

The Oracle sighs softly. "The curse is gone now. You are free. You can finally marry Liza, the woman your mother chose for you."

A bitter laugh escapes my lips as I tighten my grip on Luna's pendant. "You think I can replace her?"

The Oracle remains calm. "Luna fulfilled her purpose. She was never meant to stay." I immediately shake my head. "You are forgetting something. An Alpha only has one mate."

The Oracle replies, "Your bond died with her." I step forward, my voice firm despite the pain. "No. Luna is my mate. Whether she is alive or dead changes nothing. The curse may be broken, but my heart still belongs to her."

I press the pendant against my chest and whisper, "There will never be another woman in her place. Not anyone. Luna was my mate, my destiny, and the only woman I will ever love."

TO BE COUNTINUE...!!!