Alpha's Rejected becomes the Lycan's Obsession-Chapter 79: Protect her with your life

Williams began the explanation, his voice solemn, every word soaked in the kind of dread that crawled beneath the skin and stayed there.

"Edwin found out the identity and story behind her father’s death. And it is not a pleasant one."

He paused, as if preparing Roman for the heaviness of the truth to come. His usually composed features were etched with a seriousness that made the room feel colder, heavier.

"Her father’s name is Carmelo Bandara. He was a dark witch, and the leader of the Goron coven."

The words hit the room like a thunderclap. Roman’s jaw clenched slightly, but he said nothing, his sharp eyes locked onto Williams, absorbing every syllable. His hand never left Tessy’s. He kept it on hers, his fingers still wrapped gently around her delicate ones, massaging them with soft circles like he could soothe away the tension clawing through his chest.

Williams continued, voice steady but grim. "The Goron coven ceased to exist twenty-seven years ago, when Carmelo died. Or, at least, that was what the world believed... until their reemergence a few weeks ago."

Roman narrowed his eyes. Something dark and ancient was slithering out of the shadows now, and he could feel it tightening around Tessy like a noose. He didn’t understand how he could feel stuff like that, but it made him furious that he couldn’t help her unless he completely understood what was going on.

Williams inhaled and pressed forward. "Carmelo, their leader, indeed died by beheading. But here’s the twisted part. He was not beheaded by an enemy or executioner. He beheaded himself. When a dark witch, especially one with the kind of power Carmelo possessed, dies by self-beheading, it means only one thing. They’re trying to take a secret to the grave. Or worse, they’re burying something... entirely."

Roman’s fingers froze on Tessy’s hand.

"In this case, I believe he did it to bury his daughter’s abilities. And for something like that to work... the blood of the one whose abilities are to be buried must be applied to the top of the blade. It’s an ancient, almost extinct ritual, used only by the most desperate witches."

A shudder slipped down Roman’s spine. He had seen strange rituals before, but this? This was something far beyond desperation.

"Now," Williams said, shifting slightly, "although it might look like a typical suicide, self-beheading by someone of Carmelo’s stature is never an impulsive act. It’s usually a calculated, strategic plan carried out with the full support of the coven. A coordinated sacrifice."

Roman’s gaze darkened. The realization of just how deep this went was dawning on him like a storm rising over the sea.

"With everything I’ve uncovered, the research I’ve done, the whispers I’ve followed, I believe your wife’s abilities and personality were concealed by her father and the members of his coven. Their goal was simple: to keep you from ever finding her. Had she possessed her full powers, you would’ve found her much sooner. Because a being of that magnitude—daughter of Carmelo Bandara, a tribrid no less—cannot stay hidden for long."

Williams’ words sliced through the silence, each one a bitter truth Roman didn’t want to hear but needed to.

"However, now that you’ve found her," Williams continued, his voice dipping into something darker, "they’ve been alerted. And they’ve switched to Plan B."

Roman’s brows pulled together. "Which is?"

"To kill her through her dreams."

Williams let the words hang for a moment, watching as confusion flickered briefly across Roman’s face.

"Is that even possible?" Roman asked, his voice low and grave. He already knew the answer. He just didn’t want to believe it.

But Williams didn’t give him the lie he craved. "It’s already happening, Rome. Look at her."

Roman turned his eyes to Tessy. She lay there, her body still and fragile, like a doll abandoned in a storm. Her face was twisted in pain, faint tremors moving through her like whispers from another world.

"She’s no longer in this realm. And from the look on her face, I can tell she’s being tormented already."

Williams paused, waiting for Roman to speak, but the king of wolves said nothing. His lips remained sealed, his jaw tight, and his eyes full of a silent kind of rage that threatened to consume everything around him.

Williams pressed on. "With the leader of the coven dead, a new leader must be appointed once Plan B is initiated. The moment you met Tessy, the coven knew it was time to commence the next phase of their plan. So, they gathered. They chose a new leader."

He looked down at Tessy, then back at Roman, his expression unreadable. "Her father is dead. The person who demanded his head... was not her father. It was the new leader. She has the head because Carmelo died burying both her abilities and his. Giving his head to anyone is a transfer of power. She didn’t just carry it—she passed it on. She gave the new leader everything that Carmelo sealed away. And in doing that, she also triggered a release of some of her powers."

Williams turned his full attention on Roman now. "I think there are things your wife didn’t tell you. Probably because she was scared. She’s human—at least she grew up in the human world. And it’s deeply stigmatizing to be associated with anything supernatural in that world."

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "The day she released that head... something must have happened to her. Something she couldn’t understand. Something that terrified her."

Roman’s eyes softened as he gazed at her again. A sad, bitter smile crossed his face. He lifted her hand—small, limp, and cold—and brought it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of her palm.

"You said she was in another dimension... fighting for her life?" Roman asked, the unease curling tighter around his chest.

Williams nodded grimly. "They pulled her in through a dream link. One that connects directly to her spirit. It’s dangerous. She’s in the heart of their world now, with no idea how to navigate it."

"How do I get her out?" Roman asked, his voice growing more desperate with each syllable.

"You can’t." Williams dropped the bombshell like a hammer and Roman stiffened. "And neither can I," Williams added quickly, anticipating Roman’s next question. "She has to go through this on her own. She has to come out on the other side—alone. Her powers are surfacing now, but without guidance, without training, her chances are very slim."

"But...?" Roman asked, catching the flicker of something unspoken in Williams’ eyes.

"There is a way to increase her chances of survival." Williams admitted. "But it’s not something you can easily get your hands on. Not with the current state of your relationship with the Moon Goddess."

Roman’s nostrils flared. "So, you’re saying Selene has it?"

Williams nodded once, solemnly.

Roman didn’t hesitate. "Trevor!"

The door creaked open a moment later. Trevor stepped into the room, brows furrowed. "You called me, Boss?"

Roman turned to him, all steel and fire. "Cancel every meeting you have. We’re going to the Bedrock of Chaos."

Trevor’s eyes widened. "Bedrock of Chaos?" He was visibly shocked. "Boss, Lazer is weakened. You can’t go to the Bedrock in your current state!"

Roman didn’t even glance at him. His eyes remained locked on Tessy. "I’ll be back, my love," he murmured to her unconscious form. "Wait for me, alright?"

"Lazer is weakened?" Williams repeated, turning to Trevor, stunned. This was news even to him.

Trevor nodded gravely. "He’s in his weakest state right now."

Roman rose from his seat, his expression unreadable. Determined. Dangerous.

Williams stepped in front of him. "Lazer is weakened, and you want to walk into the Bedrock of Chaos? Are you trying to die, Roman?"

"I can’t die, Liam." Roman’s voice was flat. Final. "Stay here with her. Protect her with your life."

With that, he brushed past Williams and stalked out of the room. Trevor followed, anxiety written all over his face. He knew the truth Roman wouldn’t say aloud—he couldn’t die, no. But what waited in the Bedrock of Chaos... was worse than death. It was pure, unfiltered torment. It was agony in its most ancient, most unforgiving form.

As the door shut behind them, the room fell into a tense silence. Williams turned back to Tessy, his expression turning complicated.

He watched her—fragile, motionless—and wondered, would he go through the Bedrock of Chaos for a woman?

He almost whispered "no" to himself, until a memory punched its way back into his mind.

Her.

The one he’d given everything up for. The one he abandoned his right to a mate to save. She was gone now, vanished from his life like smoke in the wind.

If she were the one lying there, helpless and dying?

He might go through the Bedrock for her.

Yes, he probably would, even though he knew he may not survive it.

"Dera," his lips whispered before he could stop himself. It had been five years already. He should have stopped thinking about her. But how could he stop thinking about the woman that stole his heart and senses?