Alpha Alec's Redemption - Chapter 167: Chapter 167

The suspense in the room is thick. You can feel it. You can almost taste it.
What Raven is suggesting sounds almost impossible. After what she’s told us about the spell, could it really be this simple? Just find a way to stop the spell without releasing Kaden?
“Is that even possible?” Jason murmurs, doubt flickering in his eyes.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out these past few days,” Raven replies. “I’ve been researching ways to deal with the spell without unleashing Kaden.”
I want to believe her. I really do. And though I still carry doubts, hope is beginning to bloom inside me… It’s a war—hope and doubt both fighting for dominance.
My eyes drift toward Alec... only to find his gaze already locked on mine. I frown slightly. That same look from last night is still there. Still lingering in the depth of his green eyes. There is hope and relief, but there is something else too. Something I still can’t name.
“My research led me to two findings,” Raven continues, pulling my attention back to her. “First: we could transfer the spell to a different anchor. But that anchor would need to be incredibly powerful—strong enough to sustain the spell long-term. At first, I thought Sadie could serve as the anchor, but like I said, no one is immortal and the future isn’t guaranteed…”
Her eyes dart to me and she gives me a look. At first, I can’t quite place it, but seconds later it clicks. She still thinks I had a premonition about my death.
She doesn’t know the truth yet, because I haven’t gotten a chance to tell her what I discovered today—that what I saw wasn’t a prophecy. It was a memory.
I make a mental note to fill her in later.
“We could always use Sadie temporarily,” Micah suggests. “Just until we find a better solution. Or better yet, anchor the spell to Xena. It would weaken her while still keeping Kaden trapped.”
Raven frowns softly, looking like she’s considering that option.
“It’s clever,” I admit. “But from what I’ve gathered, Xena would do anything to free Kaden—even sacrifice herself. If we tether the spell to her, she’ll probably kill herself just to break it.”
“Damn. I didn’t think of that,” Micah mutters.
“So, using Sadie is the better option?” Jason asks.
Alec, who’s been silent until now, growls low in his throat.
“Let’s hear the second option before we start deciding,” he says. “I don’t particularly like the idea of my mate being used as an anchor to secure an evil demi-god.”
His words make my heart stutter, and I hate how much they affect me. Maybe it’s the way he said mate. Maybe it’s the quiet protectiveness in his voice. Whatever it is—it makes something soft and dangerous bloom in my chest.
I shake my head, forcing myself back to the present.
“Raven?” I prompt her.
“Right,” she says, taking a breath. “The second option… is riskier, but it could work. First, we find the exact location of Kaden’s prison. Then, I weaken the spell just enough to create a window. And in that window, Sadie ends him.”
Shock washes over me like ice water. I blink once, twice, convinced I must have misheard. But when I glance around the room and see every face frozen in disbelief, I know I heard her right.
“By end him, you mean… kill him?” Piper asks, as if she still can’t quite grasp what Raven meant.
Raven, who isn’t fazed by the bombshell she just dropped, rolls her eyes. “Of course I mean kill him. What else would I have meant?”
Jason leans forward. “I don’t know about you, but this idea seems even more impossible than the first one.”
“Yes, and?” Raven lifts a brow. “If it works, it ends everything—for good. No more spell. No more Kaden.”
I draw in a deep breath, trying to calm my racing pulse. “You realize you're talking about killing a demigod, right?”
“I do,” Raven replies calmly. “But think about it, Sadie. The prophecy said you have the power to destroy the curse. What if destroying the curse means killing Kaden? Prophecies are never literal—they’re all riddles and double meanings. Maybe this is what it meant all along.”
Panic builds inside me. My fingers tremble against the edge of the table. My heart feels like it might beat right out of my chest.
I get what she’s saying and it actually makes sense, but killing a fucking demi-god? That’s completely crazy. It’s a fucking death wish.
“Raven,” I murmur, trying to suppress my panic. “We are not only talking about a man so evil that he was feared by other deities, but also one that is half god. Do you get that? Sure, I have powers, but I don’t think I can go up against a demigod.”
Call me a coward or whatever, but at this point, I’d rather serve as an anchor until my dying breath than go up against Kaden. He was feared for a reason. What makes Raven think I have what it takes to kill him?
Silence stretches as she stares at me for a long time. Then finally, she speaks.
“You wouldn’t have to fight him, Sadie.”
“What do you mean? You just said—”
She sighs. “I think Kaden is unconscious.”
Alec straightens. “Explain.”
“This spell has been around for probably more than a century. Think about it. If Kaden is this powerful demi-god and he was conscious, wouldn’t he have broken free long ago?”
Now that she put it that way, it actually does make sense. There is no way such a powerful man would remain imprisoned for that long. He doesn’t seem like the kind to sit around and accept this kind of punishment. He would have tried to escape and would have succeeded by now.
“So, he’s asleep?” Piper asks.
“Most likely,” Raven nods.
“That, or his powers are bound,” Alec adds.
Raven sighs. “Whether he was put into a deep sleep or his powers were bound doesn’t matter. What matters is that he can’t fight back.”
“And I can take advantage of his vulnerable state to kill him,” I murmur.
“Exactly,” she echoes.
I slump back in my chair, staring down at the now-cold plate of food in front of me. My coffee’s gone cold, too.
Raven’s voice continues. “We just need to find his location. As for the spell, I found a text that might help us weaken it just enough to create the window we need.”
I sit quietly, letting everything sink in. This is the solution we’ve been waiting for. The one that could actually end this. So why does it feel like a boulder has settled on my chest?
“Raven…”
She cuts me off. “We just need a small window, Sadie. That’s all. Just enough time to finish it—once and for all. I know you can do this.”
I look around the table, anxiety gnawing at the edges of my composure.
“I’m with Raven on this,” Micah says, tapping his fingers on the wood. “It’s the best of the two.”
My gaze shifts to Jason.
“I’m with her too.”
Then to Piper.
“This option gives permanent results,” she says. “So, I’m in.”
Finally, my eyes find Alec.
He’s already looking at me, and the heat in his eyes takes my breath away.
“I’ll choose whatever option is least risky for you,” he says, his voice soft but sure. “If Kaden’s vulnerable, I’d rather you face him like that than have you used to power that spell for the rest of your life.”
I exhale slowly, releasing the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
“Okay,” I whisper.
I guess it’s been decided.
I’m going to kill Kaden.