Chapter 96
Chapter 96:
“They were ambushed,” she said softly. “A Rogue leader with a silver bullet — aimed at Dallas’s heart. My dad didn’t hesitate. He threw himself in front of it p>
I covered my mouth, a wave of nausea rolling through me. Silver was a death sentence. A slow, agonizing burning of the blood.
“He took the strike meant for Dallas,” Azalea whispered. “Dallas carried his body back three miles through enemy lines. He made a blood oath to watch over my mother and me. My mom was human, Adella. Sick with cancer. Dallas sat by her bedside every single day for six months until she passed. And then he took me in p>
She turned back to me, her eyes fierce. “The Elders screamed. They said a Marshall shouldn’t raise a half-blood orphan. They wanted to send me to a foster Pack. Dallas told them that if they tried to take me, he would burn the Council to the ground p>
Tears pricked my eyes, hot and fast. Braydon had painted a picture of a mindless beast — a tyrant who collected broken things only to use them. But the truth was so much more devastating.
Dallas wasn’t a monster. He was a man drowning in survivor’s guilt.
I thought of my own father. They said he was a hero who had guarded his Pack, saving it from peril more times than anyone could count. For years, I had wielded that heroic memory as a shield against the shame of losing everything. Now, hearing of another Alpha displaying the same fierce loyalty, something deep within me stirred — a longing for the father whose memory had nearly faded, and a recognition of that same spirit in the man I had begun to trust.
“He thinks he’s broken,” Azalea said, her voice cracking slightly. “He thinks his soul is too stained for a mate. That’s why he pushes people away. That’s why he’s so hard on himself p>
𝖲𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗌 𝗈𝗇
The image of Dallas — strong, stoic, terrifying Dallas — holding a dying friend and swearing to protect a child broke my heart into pieces.
“He loves you, Adella,” Azalea added, looking at me with an intensity that mirrored her adoptive father’s. “I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you. But he’s terrified that his darkness will taint you p>
I wiped the tears from my cheeks, a fierce, quiet strength surging through me. The doubt Braydon had planted withered and died, replaced by something fiercer — a protective love that surprised me with its force.
I didn’t need a perfect Alpha. I needed him.
“Take me home,” I said, my voice trembling but resolute. “Please, Azalea. Take me to him p>
Azalea studied my face for a moment, then a small, genuine smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She started the engine, the roar of the car matching the thunder in my chest.
“You got it, Mom,” she teased, though her eyes were shining.