We reached the chapel—a small stone building overgrown with ivy. Beautiful in an eclectic sort of way.
"Kellan's in position," Rowan said, touching his ear where a small comm device was hidden. "We're ready."
We didn't have to wait long. Simon appeared ten minutes later, another guard with him. Younger, meaner looking.
"Right on time," Simon said. "I knew you couldn't resist playing hero. You told them. I could tell by the way they kept looking at me during dinner. I figured I’d kill you both before doing the same to your parents."
"Do you think it’ll be that easy?" Rowan asked.
"I do." Simon smiled. "See, you royal bloodlines are always underestimating us."
"Us?" Rowan asked.
"Those of us who were born as non-royals. Those who had to fight for scraps while people like you and her parents lived in luxury." His expression twisted. "Taking her was supposed to level the playing field. Naomi here was going to carry my child, turning my lineage royal. But that bitch Omega ruined everything when she tried to run."
"So you killed her." I hissed at him.
"I made an example of her. And I would have killed you too if you weren’t so damn important to the plan. I should have killed you back then." He pulled out a knife. "But I'm going to fix that mistake now."
He moved. Fast. But Rowan was faster.
ROWAN
Simon was well-trained. Military, probably. He knew how to fight. But he'd never fought an Alpha protecting his mate. I met him head-on, deflecting the knife strike and driving my fist into his solar plexus. He grunted but didn't go down, spinning to slash at my ribs. The blade connected. Not deep, but enough to sting. Behind him, Kellan emerged from the trees, taking on the second guard.
"Get Naomi out of here!" I shouted.
But she was already moving, backing toward the chapel entrance. Simon tried to follow her, and rage exploded through me. I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the stone wall of the chapel.
"You don't get to touch her," I growled. "Ever again."
He kneed me in the stomach, breaking my grip, and we went down in a tangle of fists. He was good. Better than I'd expected. But I was motivated.
Every punch I landed was for the Omega he'd killed. For years Naomi had spent not knowing who she was. For the child growing inside her that he'd threatened.
I heard Kellan fighting behind me, the sound of bodies hitting the ground in grunts of pain. Simon got his knife back, slashing across my shoulder. Blood bloomed hot and wet.
"You're going to die here," he panted. "And then I'm going to kill her slowly. Make her beg for me to mate her instead."
I caught his wrist, twisted, and snapped the bone. He screamed. The knife fell. I picked it up and drove it into his chest. Once. Twice. Three times. He stared at me in shock, blood bubbling at his lips.
"You're already dead," I said quietly. "You just don't know it yet."
I pulled the knife out and watched him collapse. Behind me, Kellan had the other guard pinned. One brutal movement and the guard's neck snapped.
Silence. Then footsteps. Naomi emerged from the chapel, her eyes on Simon's body.
"Is he…" she swallowed.
"Dead," I confirmed.
She moved closer, staring down at the man who'd haunted her nightmares for years. Then she spat on his corpse.
"Good," she said.
And walked away.
The cleanup took hours. Edgar's pack security handled the bodies. Simon and his accomplice would be burned, their ashes scattered to the wind.No ceremony. No honor. Just erased. It was more than they deserved.
