“You did a shoddy job, Father.” I let disgust drip from every word. “I just don’t understand why you continued to hunt down the hybrids. You could have stopped there, but you targeted even more innocents. You destroyed more lives. You covered my hands with blood. You covered the hands of the alphas who believed you in blood, as well.” My voice drops, going cold and hard. “You are not fit to lead this pack when you’ve made murderers of us all.”
“Stand down!” Alaric’s voice shakes with fury and desperation. “I will not allow you to destroy this pack and our mission.”
“What mission?” I spit the words at him. “The massacre has been investigated. The truth is out now. You made us kill innocent hybrids so that you could cover up your son’s lustful nature and his murderous intent.”
“You deceived me!” His voice rises, echoing off the arena walls. “You went behind my back, and you’re talking about morals? Zion is your brother. I am your father. How dare you accuse him or me ofsuch things! Perhaps you want to protect your hybrid mate, but that doesn’t mean you should tarnish our family’s reputation.”
“You already tarnished it when you chose to protect a monster.”
“Watch your tongue!” The roar is animalistic, frantic. He points toward the guards, toward the soldiers standing frozen around the arena. “Seize Darius and proceed with the execution of the hybrid.”
I don’t move. Don’t even flinch. I just stand there, an impenetrable wall between Violet and the threats surrounding us.
“Whoever tries to touch Violet will die before their next breath.” I don’t raise my voice, but I pour all my alpha power into it. The threat settles over the entire arena like a weight pressing down on it.
The executioners hesitate. They look between me and Alaric, uncertainty written across their faces. Good. Let them choose.
“Kill the hybrid and capture my son!” Alaric’s face is purple with rage, veins standing out in his neck. “As of now, you are no longer the alpha heir, Darius.”
A smirk twists my lips. “That is not your decision to make. You are no longer suitable to be an alpha.”
Calloway, Voss, and Strand step forward in unison, a united front.
“We voice our agreement,” Calloway says, his voice carrying authority. “Our joint investigation has revealed that Alaric is not fit to rule. He is to be judged in front of the Council of Alphas, and he will have to answer for his crimes.”
Voss speaks up next, his dark eyes intense. “We recommend that Darius step up and take over the alpha position of the Moonvale Pack.”
Alaric’s face contorts. “You dare come into my territory and threaten me?”
“Your and Zion’s actions have brought us to this point.” My voice is steady, final. There’s no going back now.
“Capture them all!” Alaric shrieks.
Nothing happens. The guards don’t move. The soldiers stand frozen. I can feel it, the shift in power, the way the pack is pulling away from him. He’s losing them. Losingeverything.
He realizes it, too. I see the moment it hits him, and I watch his face twist with rage and indignation.
Then, he shifts.
One moment he’s standing there in human form, the next he’s a massive gray wolf, larger than any other in the pack. He launches himself, jaws open wide, aiming for me.
Or for Violet behind me.
I shift in a blur of motion. My clothes tear as my body transforms, bones realigning, muscles expanding. My wolf surges forward, meeting Alaric in midair.
We collide with a sickening crack. His weight slams into me, and we crash to the arena floor, rolling in a tangle of fur and teeth. The stone scrapes against my side, but I don’t feel it. All I feel is the fire in my blood, the hunger to end this.
He goes for my throat. I twist away, and his jaws close on my shoulder instead, teeth sinking deep. Pain explodes through me, but I use it, channel it into fury. I rip free, leaving flesh behind, and rake my claws down his flank.
Blood sprays across the stone. His and mine, mixing together.
We separate and start to circle each other. My father is bigger, heavier, and his years of experience make him a formidable opponent. But I’m faster, younger. And I have her to fight for.
He lunges again. I duck under his attack and tear into his exposed shoulder, my teeth finding the vulnerable spot between bone and muscle. He howls, a sound of rage and pain that echoes through the arena.
The crowd is silent. Not even breathing. Just watching as father and son tear each other apart. From the corner of my vision, I see Zion backing toward the exit, his hand reaching for something at his waist.
Alaric throws me off with a vicious shake. I hit the ground hard, and pain shoots through my injured shoulder, but I roll and come up ready. Blood drips from my muzzle and from the wounds covering my body.
