Chapter 302
Chapter 302:
“She is my Fated Mate,” he declared, his voice dropping to a growl that promised violence to anyone who dared challenge him. “And the future Luna of the Blackwood Pack. Any disrespect shown to her is a declaration of war against me p>
Before the shock could fully register on the faces surrounding us, Dallas turned to me. He didn’t care about the cameras. He didn’t care about the politics. He cupped my face in his large hands, tilted my head back, and brought his lips crashing down on mine.
It wasn’t a polite kiss. It was possessive, searing, and absolute. A brand.
Mine, his beast purred in my mind, loud and triumphant.
As the flashes erupted like a supernova around us, I didn’t close my eyes. I held onto him — my anchor in the storm — and realized that he hadn’t just cleared my name.
He had crowned me.
We were no longer hiding. We were ruling. And as he led me through the parting crowd toward the glass doors of the tower, I knew one thing with absolute certainty: the ghosts of my past might still be out there, but they would have to go through the Alpha King to reach me.
The adrenaline from the press conference was slowly fading, replaced by the hum of tires against asphalt. Inside the armored SUV, the world felt distant, muffled by the thick bulletproof glass. I leaned my head against Dallas’s shoulder, inhaling his scent — ozone, rain, and deep cedar. It was the only thing keeping my hands from trembling.
“You did well,” Dallas murmured, his lips brushing the top of my head. His hand rested on my thigh, a heavy, possessive weight.
“I just stood there,” I whispered.
“You stood,” he corrected firmly. “After everything they did to make you kneel p>
ո𝗲𝗐 с𝘩𝗮𝗉𝗍𝘦𝗿ѕ 𝗲𝘷е𝗿𝘆 𝗐𝗲𝖾𝘬 o𝘯
The car slowed as we approached the private entrance of Marshall Tower. But as the headlights cut through the gloom of the side street, they illuminated a silver Aston Martin parked aggressively near the curb. Leaning against it, looking like a fallen prince in a wrinkled suit, was Braydon Hyde.
My breath hitched. Dallas’s growl was instantaneous — a low rumble that vibrated through his chest and into mine.
“Stay in the car,” Dallas commanded, his hand already on the door handle.
“No.” I sat up, gripping his arm. The fear was there, but beneath it was a new, cold anger. “He’s here for me. I’m done hiding behind you, Dallas p>
Dallas studied my face for a moment, his golden eyes searching mine. Then he nodded once. “Together p>
We stepped out into the cool night air. The street was empty save for us and the man who had once been my entire world — and then my jailer.
“Adella.” Braydon pushed off his car, his eyes bloodshot. He ignored Dallas entirely, fixing his desperate gaze on me. “I saw the news. I made sure the Council had the files. I pushed for the maximum sentence for my father. I did that for you p>
“You did it to save your own skin, Braydon,” I said, my voice steady. “Don’t pretend it was nobility p>