I cut him off, my voice shaking with fury, but my eyes stayed steady.
"I don't need you judging my relationship with Kayden, you coward who sold his soul for power!"
I looked at him—at the madness and twisted hatred in his eyes.
"You'll never understand what real love and trust are."
Finn's smile froze.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me." I gripped Kayden's gun tighter, drawing strength. "You drank vampire blood. Mixed with the wolves' mortal enemies. Became an ugly monster."
"For what? Revenge on Kayden? Payback for the pack's injustice? But the way you did it..."
I gave a deliberately cruel laugh—mockery. I had to provoke him further to find an opening.
"Only proves you're a coward."
"Too afraid to face him directly. Only lurking in shadows. Too afraid to own your ambition. Just hiding behind the banner of revenge."
"Finn Blackwood, you..."
My voice went cold. Scornful.
"You're not fit to be mentioned in the same breath as Kayden."
Finn's expression changed. An unnatural flush crept across his pallid face. The red in his eyes intensified.
"You..." His voice trembled. Pupils dilated. "How dare you?"
"I'm stating facts."
"Shut up!" Finn suddenly screamed, his face contorting. "You bitch! What right do you have to judge me?!"
"You're just a hybrid! An orphan! A—"
He drew a sharp breath. The flush faded. In its place—cold, hollow emptiness.
"Forget it." His tone shifted to something like pity. "No point arguing with the dead."
"You..." My heart sank.
Finn's pale hand shot out and clamped around Kai's throat.
"Mom—" Kai tried to call out, but the sound choked off.
"Let him go!" I raised the gun, hand shaking as I aimed at Finn. But I knew my aim wasn't good enough... He was too close to Kai. I didn't dare shoot.
"Drop the gun," Finn said, fingers slowly tightening. "Or I'll snap his neck right now."
Kai's face turned purple. His small hands weakly clawed at Finn's arm.
"No... don't..." Tears threatened to spill as I watched Kai suffer. I slowly lowered the gun. "Please..."
"Kick it over."
I obeyed. The gun slid across the floor to his feet.
