Chapter 576
Ragnar’s frantic, bloodthirsty snarls slowly quieted into a low, protective rumble at the touch of our mate. I exhaled a jagged breath and rested my head against her shoulder, letting the tears fall — hot, silver-tinged drops of grief and betrayal that I had held back for a decade.
I placed my hand over hers where it rested on the swell of her pregnant belly. The hatred threatening to consume me solidified into something cold and unbreakable.
“Everything I do,” I whispered hoarsely into the night, “is for you and for him.”
Adella POV
Dawn broke over the Marshall Estate, casting long, pale shadows across the black-and-white marble of the grand foyer. The air was thick with the scent of old wood, leather, and the cold, emotionless authority of the Elders’ Justicars. Clad in obsidian-trimmed tactical gear, they stood in absolute silence.
I stood firmly beside Dallas’s wheelchair. The warmth of his hand in mine was my anchor against the chilling reality of what we were about to do.
The heavy oak doors groaned open. Two Justicars dragged Dosha into the light. The moment the heavy silver handcuffs clamped onto her wrists, the sickening hiss of burning flesh filled the room. The silver suppressed her shift, leaving her Inner Wolf howling in desperate, trapped agony.
Knowing she had lost everything, Dosha’s eyes locked onto Dallas with pure, unadulterated venom.
“You think you’ve won?” she spat, her voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling. “You’re nothing but a crippled Lycan. An empty shell who can’t even complete the Marking on his own mate.” She turned her manic gaze to me. “And you — you’re only staying for the Marshall fortune. He’s half a man, and you know it.”
A dangerous, low growl vibrated in Dallas’s chest, but before he could unleash his command, I stepped directly in front of his wheelchair, shielding him from her toxic words.
“He is more whole than any Alpha I have ever met,” I declared, my voice ringing with an icy calm that surprised even me. “We share a mate-bond witnessed by the Moon Goddess herself — a connection that a traitor like you, someone who uses silver against her own kind, could never comprehend.”
Dosha flinched, the sheer force of my conviction stripping away her last shred of bravado. She opened her mouth to speak, but the Justicars yanked her chains and dragged her out of the estate forever.
As the heavy doors clicked shut, Azalea Sterling stepped forward from the shadows. Her posture was rigid, radiating the formal authority of the Alpha Regent.
“The Elders have reviewed the Memory Crystal and the ledger,” Azalea announced, her gaze softening slightly as it settled on Dallas. “They have voted unanimously. Your position as permanent Alpha King is confirmed. Marcus Hyde’s faction has been stripped of all power. The Pack is yours, Dallas.”
Dallas gave a curt nod, his grip on my hand tightening. The war was over.
Dallas POV
The interior of the armored SUV was a sanctuary of silence as we headed toward Manhattan. The dark tinted windows blocked out the morning sun, leaving only the low hum of the engine and the faint, lingering weight of exhaustion. Beside me, Adella’s warmth was a steady anchor.