_ A Villain’s POV

~Luis's Point Of View~

I hate them all. Down to my core… to my very being. 

For seventeen years, I played the role of the victim. The poor, pitiful cousin, nephew, and in-law, trapped in a wheelchair—half a man, robbed of a future. 

I let them pity me. I let them think I was broken, helpless and a shadow of the boy I used to be. 

But they don't know the truth. 

Eight years ago, I made a deal with the devil himself. 

He came to me on a night when the moon was hidden, and the forest was silent. Oh, he was a shadow darker than the night and darker than man's wildest thoughts.

'Do you want power? Do you want freedom? Do you want revenge?'

Of course, I said yes. 

The terms were simple, almost laughably so. Two souls a month for ten years. In return, he would heal me, make me stronger than I had ever been, and grant me the power to destroy the Montenegro family. 

It was an offer I couldn't refuse. 

The first time he healed me, I felt every broken piece of my body knit back together. My twisted arm straightened, my legs regained their strength and my voice returned. I stood for the first time in years, the pain of rebranding burning in every vein in my body. 

Witnessing his malevolent power had been beyond me. I fell on my knees. 'Master! I'd cried, my body quivering like a leaf caught in a storm. 

The very significance of his presence overwhelmed me… his aura—suffocating and intoxicating all at once. Shadows twisted and danced around him, alive with an energy I couldn't comprehend.

His voice was cold, yet so soothing. If I found a metaphor for it, it'd be like the edge of a blade dipped in honey. That kind of chilling danger. The type of death that made its victims willingly beg for it.

"Do you understand now, Luis? What I offer you is more than freedom. It is dominion. Power beyond your mortal grasp."

I couldn't look at him directly. His form was a combination of light and darkness, shifting and impossible to define. The air around him sizzled with raw energy, and every nerve in my body screamed to flee, but I couldn't move. 

I didn't want to.

"I will do anything," I whispered, gripping the ground like it was another Messiah. "Anything you ask of me, Master. Just… grant me the power to destroy them."

A low chilling laugh filled my ears after. Oh, how euphoric it felt to hear the devil's laughter.

It wasn't cruel, but it wasn't kind either. "Good. Very good. But power comes at a price, Luis. Are you prepared to pay it?"

I nodded, tears pouring down my face. "Yes. Anything."

His shadowed hand extended, and as it brushed against my forehead, searing heat and freezing cold coursed through me simultaneously. I screamed, the pain tearing through my very soul. But beneath the agony was something else—strength. 

Pure, stringent strength.

When it was over, I lay on the ground, panting and shuddering all over. My master stood over me, his presence still overwhelming.

"Rise, Luis. Your journey begins now. Bring me two souls each month, and I will give you everything you desire."

I pushed myself to my feet, unsteady but emboldened. The air felt different now, strong like the power that pulsed through my veins. My master's form began to fade, but not without a final warning. 

"Do not fail me."

From that moment on, I was no longer the broken boy they had left to rot. I was something more. Darker. Unstoppable. 

Ten years seemed like an eternity, but I'd already completed eight. Just two more years, and I'd be free to unleash my wrath upon this family.

I could remember four years ago when Axel rejected the Alpha position. I was furious… boundlessly mad that he could be so dismissive of a position—a throne my father had died for.

The one his father sliced his own brother's neck and massacred his entire family over. 

Yet, Axel dared to reject it like it was some piece of garbage. Was he meaning to say my father had died for nothing? 

Even if he didn't want to be Alpha, he could have at least held the post for me. He could have led the pack, kept it functioning, and made sure everything was in place for when I'd finally assume my rightful place.

It was just four damn years. Four fucking damn years, and I'd come to relieve him of the burden. But no—just like his father, he was also selfish.

He was no better than the people he ranted to me about constantly. He'd go on his expeditions and leave me all alone here, then arrive to bore me with his stupid rebellious take on his equally stupid family.

Argh… I hate them all!

I remember wanting to finish him once and for all. Axel—if he wouldn't be useful to me, I might as well save myself from his whinings and kill the bastard. 

He was still alive thanks to my master. 

'Do not let them know. Hide your strength. Wait. Watch. And when the time is right, strike.'

So I did. 

Now, for eight years, I've been living a double life. By day, I sit in that cursed wheelchair, my body limp, my voice silenced and my eyes dull. They saw me as nothing more than a relic of their sins, a burden they're too ashamed to cast aside. 

But by night, I was something else entirely. 

I hunt. 

The first soul was the hardest. It was a rogue wolf who had wandered too close to the pack's borders. I lured him into the forest, pretending to be the same helpless Luis they all knew. His surprise was almost comical when I stood before him, whole and powerful. 

His screams were melodious as they echoed through the trees while I ripped his soul from his body and offered it to my dark master. 

After that, it became easier. 

The forest became my hunting ground. Rogues, drifters, even unsuspecting humans who strayed too close to our territory. They were all just pieces on my board, sacrifices for a greater cause. 

And now, I have two years left. 

Twenty-four more souls to collect before the deal was complete. Before I was truly free. Before I could bring this cursed pack to its knees and take charge to set things right. 

I had grown stronger with each soul I took. My senses were sharper and my strength was unmatched. I'd learned to control shadows, to move through the darkness like a phantom. I'd become a predator in every sense of the word. 

But it was not just about power. It was about revenge. 

I remembered the night it all began—the night Tomás Montenegro murdered my father. I remember the way his claws tore through flesh, the way his eyes burned with cold rage. I remember my screams, the stroke that followed, the years of torment that came after. 

And now, I will make him pay. 

Tomás. Ana. Álvaro. Even Axel, the so-called black sheep. They were all complicit. They all turned a blind eye to the horrors of this pack, to the sins of their beloved Alpha. 

But they won't see me coming. 

I'd spent years working in the background, planting seeds of doubt and discord. I'd whispered in the ears of rogues, stirring their hatred for the Montenegro name. I'd watched their every move, cataloged their weaknesses, and bided my time. 

Even now, as Axel comes to visit me, I play the part of the broken cousin. He sits beside me, spilling his secrets, his frustrations, his dreams. He thought he was different from the rest of them, that he was better. 

But he wasn't. 

When the time comes, Axel will fall just like the others. 

For now, I will continue to play my role. I'd let them think I'm harmless. But soon, the truth shall come to light. 

The Montenegro family's reign was coming to an end. 

And I, Luis, the forgotten cousin, will be the one to bring it crashing down.