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H azel

The courtyard is silent.

Moonfang warriors stand at attention when we step back outside, their gazes flicking between me, Kieran, and Magnus.

Magnus stands before me, his broad shoulders squared, but there’s something different about him now. The arrogance is gone, replaced by a weight I recognize—defeat.

Mom goes to stand next to him, her hands before her, but this time, her head held high.

I let the silence stretch, making sure everyone feels it, making sure he feels it.

Then I speak.

“If Nightclaw wants an alliance, if you want my support,” I say, my voice steady but cold, “then you’ll have to earn it.”

A flicker of something crosses Magnus’ face—shame, perhaps?

He swallows hard, his gaze locked onto mine.

I feel the humiliation he made me feel like I’ve gone back in time to that day.

And something in me revels in the fact that roles were reversed.

He could have been merciful, but he didn’t choose that option.

To him, I had fallen short in every way a daughter could.

And now, he has come back with a request. If I didn’t care about Mom, I would have sent them back. But I do.

And now, I can have my revenge.

“You want me to fight for your pack,” I continue, stepping closer, letting every warrior in the courtyard hear me. “You want me to stand beside you after what you did to me?” I shake my head. “That doesn’t come without a price.”

Magnus nods slowly, as if expecting this. “Name it.”

My lips press into a thin line. “I want an apology. And I want you to step down as Gamma.”

A murmur ripples through the gathered warriors.

Magnus stiffens. “Hazel—”

“No.” My voice is sharp, unwavering. “You don’t get to negotiate. You humiliated me. You stripped me of my rank, my dignity, my wolf. And now, you want to walk back in here like none of that ever happened?” I take another step forward, my pulse pounding. “If you want redemption, prove it.”

His jaw clenches. I see the war inside him, the battle between pride and regret.

Then he drops to one knee.

The murmurs grow louder. Even Kieran stiffens beside me.

“I was wrong,” Magnus says, his voice steady but thick with something heavy. “I was blind to my own arrogance, to my own failures. I should have protected you. I should have stood by you. And for that, I ask for your forgiveness.”

My throat tightens.

I wasn’t expecting it to feel…real.

I swallow, my fingers twitching at my sides. “And your position?” I have to follow through despite the surge of emotions that bubble in my chest.

Magnus inhales deeply. “I will relinquish my title as Gamma.”

A shocked gasp spreads through the crowd.

I nod, forcing my voice to remain calm. “Good. ”

I turn to Kieran, expecting him to end this, to move on, but instead, he steps forward.

“She has every right to demand this,” Kieran says, his deep voice cutting through the crowd’s murmurs.

“But I also know that Magnus is one of the best strategists Nightclaw has ever had.” His gaze flicks to mine, careful, measured.

“Let him lead the Nightclaw warriors in battle. We can use his familiarity and tactical skill.”

I narrow my eyes. “And if he fails?”

Kieran’s lips curve slightly. “Then he remains nothing.”

Magnus exhales, nodding once. “I accept.”

“One more thing,” I say. Everyone looks at me with expectant eyes. “This seal, you must break it.”

I'm tired of ensuring the pain for others, of taking on the frustration, the discomfort, of having my wolf locked away, bound and stripped of her freedom, of our freedom.

There's panic in Magnus' eyes. Elara speaks before he does. “We knew the alliance would come at a cost, we've been looking for a way to break it and–”

“And?” Kieran interrupts.

“We have found no way…yet.”

“So, you put this seal on me so I could suffer forever?!” I almost regret my decision to accept the terms for an alliance. I can go back on my word this second because of this. But Kieran places a hand on my shoulder, his warmth easing the sting of the seal.

“We are still looking. Our healer has gone to seek the Witch of Wilfer in the Wilderness of Tral. She is the only one who has any information on the seal. She has been away for many moons. A scout has announced she lives a day away. We wanted to tell you only when we were sure.”

“Have an answer by the time the battle is over…or I will not hesitate to end you where you stand.”

It’s done.

The warriors bow their heads in acknowledgment. The past isn’t erased, but the future has shifted.

Now, there’s only one thing left.

The final battle.

The battlefield is chaos.

Steel clashes. Snarls fill the air. The scent of blood and death is thick, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop.

Kieran moves through the battlefield like a force of nature, his silver wolf tearing through rogues.

But I have only one target.

Eldon.

I find him near the ridge, his body bloodied but still standing.

His eyes gleam with something wicked as he watches me approach.

He has taken the best parts of my life. The special relationship I should have had with my Mate was ruined by his greed.

Nothing could have given me more joy than watching him sit, fat and helpless in his own blood, with a slash of my claw across his lifeless neck.

“Well, look at you two,” he says, his voice thick with amusement but weak.

I grip my blade. “We came to end it.” Kieran growls beside me.

In the blink of an eye we lunge at the same time.

Kieran’s strength is brutal, but I am faster.

I dodge, spin, slice.

He stumbles back, a deep gash across his chest, but he only laughs.

“Without me,” he taunts, “you never would have become this strong.”

My grip tightens.

“You made my life hell,” I say, my voice deadly calm. “But without you, I wouldn’t be back with my Mate.” I ran at him, my sword pointed straight at his heart.

A rogue tries to intercept my attack, but Kieran's wolf tears him down. He faces me and Eldon, who is about to take advantage of the distraction to lunge at me. I duck to avoid his slash, and Kieran’s wolf flies over me, driving Eldon's body to a nearby tree.

There're only growls and snarls of anger and blood lust from Kieran's wolf, but he doesn't kill him, yet. It’s the perfect chance.

I take out my dagger and walk toward him.

I hiss as I lean in, baring my teeth. “I'll send you to hell for everything you've done. May the Goddess extinguish your soul with her wrath.”

His eyes widen just as I drive my blade into his heart.

His body jerks.

The battle rages on around me, but for the first time, I feel free.

I turn, locking eyes with Kieran.

Eldon’s body collapses at our feet, his eyes wide with shock as the last of his breath rattles out of his lungs.

It’s over.

The war. The nightmares. The weight of his existence pressing down on mine.

I stand over him, chest heaving, my sword still embedded in his heart. The thick scent of blood fills my lungs, but I don’t move, don’t look away. I need to see this, to know that he’s really dead.

That he can never come back for me again.

A slow exhale shudders out of me.

Then a voice drags me back to the battlefield.

"Hazel!"

I turn to see Kieran has left my side and is fighting through the remaining rogues, his silver wolf tearing through their ranks with brutal efficiency. His body is slick with blood, his movements sharp, controlled. He is lethal, a force of nature with unwavering focus.

A final growl rumbles through the field as Moonfang’s warriors cut down the last of Eldon’s remaining forces.

And then—

Silence.

The battle is won.

The rogues that remain flee into the night, their leader dead, their forces broken.

The weight of it all slams into me at once.

I killed him.

I did what I swore I would.

But instead of feeling the triumph I imagined, I feel hollow.

Kieran reaches me, his chest rising and falling with exertion. His eyes rake over me, searching for wounds, for any sign that I’m hurt.

I shake my head before he can ask. “I’m fine. ”

His gaze flicks to Eldon’s corpse at my feet, then back to me.

“We did it,” he murmurs.

I nod, my fingers tightening around the hilt of my sword.

His jaw tenses, but he says nothing.

Instead, he lifts a hand and wipes a smear of blood from my cheek, his touch oddly gentle despite the carnage around us. His fingers linger, and for a moment, all I can hear is the steady rhythm of his breathing, the faint crackling of dying flames in the distance.

Then he speaks, voice low, rough. “Let’s go home.”

I almost can’t believe the estate is my home now. My life has changed so much. It almost feels like vertigo.

The gates of Moonfang open before us, torches illuminating the path as we return victorious.

The moment we step through, a roar of cheers erupts.

Moonfang warriors, Omegas, and even the Nightclaw warriors who fought beside us, stand waiting, their faces alight with relief and triumph.

Despite the exhaustion weighing on my limbs, I hold my head high.

We did this.

We survived this.

But as we move through the courtyard, my mind is elsewhere.

The seal.

I glance at Magnus, who has been walking behind me since we left the battlefield. He hasn’t spoken much, but I can feel his gaze on me. Watching. Waiting.

Now is the time.

I slow my steps until I’m walking beside him. He looks down at me, silent, expectant.

I don’t bother with small talk.

“The seal,” I say, keeping my voice even. “How do I get rid of it?”

His jaw tightens, as if he was expecting this, but still dreading it. “There’s only one way. The Witch of Wilfer has confirmed that it is only the mark of your true Alpha blooded Mate,” he confirms. “Only that can break it. Nothing I would have done–”

“Save it.”

My breath catches .

I look at Kieran walking to his court, his stride confident and dominant. My pulse is thrumming in my ears. His expression is unreadable as he speaks with his subordinates, but his hands clench at his sides.

This is it.

The final step in severing the chains that bound me to my past.

The only thing keeping me from being whole.

I go to my room to clean up. The Omegas assigned to help me get to work. I enjoy the way they make my body feel, with healing rubs and massages. My wolf purrs in satisfaction.

When I am dressed and ready to join my Mate in the dining hall, where I assume we will be celebrating our victories, Sylvia steps forward. “Come,” she says, her voice gentle but firm. “Kieran has arranged for you to specially prepare before you see him.”

I blink, caught off guard. “Prepare?”

She smiles and leans in slightly. “Trust me.”

I hesitate, but my belly is giddy with excitement at what Kieran must have planned.

So, I follow Sylva, my heart pounding with every step.