It took five days, not seven. Five days of coordinated attacks on multiple fronts, working with Crane’s financial team while Dimitri’s people fed us insider information. We orchestrated a systematic demolition of both Thorpe Industries and Ashworth Holdings—spreading rumors about insolvency, having their loans called in early, creating zoning issues for key properties, and strategic short-selling that cratered their investment portfolios. Within forty-eight hours, Thorpe’s stock had plummeted thirty percent. By day five,they’d filed for bankruptcy. Alpha Cornelius Ashworth lost over two hundred million dollars in less than a week.
By the fifth evening, both families were financially ruined. Ethan had been spotted in Virginia, trying to rally his pack, but without money or resources, his pack was abandoning him. Selene’s father, furious about his losses, had expelled her from the pack and cut her off completely. She was alone now. Powerless. Afraid. Exactly what she’d tried to make us. I knew money could be rebuilt and packs rejoined—this wasn’t permanent. But it was a start. When we finally brought them to justice, they’d already be broken.
I never thought I’d be capable of deliberately ruining people’s lives, but every time guilt crept in, I remembered Adele’s blue lips, and her whispered words: “I was so scared, Mommy.” Dimitri was right—we were parents protecting our child. I’d burn down the entire world if it meant keeping Adele safe.
The next morning,Dimitri left early for the office. Turns out handling the fallout from the Selene and Ethan saga involved a lot of paperwork. Adele and I spent the day coloring, chatting, and watching some TV. I was glad she was getting back to herself again. By evening, she was exhausted. I made some dinner and put her to bed. After that, I settled in front of the TV in the living room to catch up on the news for today.
While flipping through channels, I stopped on the primetime newscast—the kind that reached millions of viewers. And there was Dimitri, sitting across from the host, looking calm and confident as the interviewer asked him some questions.
“Mr. Ravencrest, there’s been a lot of speculation about your personal life in recent weeks. The revelation of your daughter, the conspiracy involving your wife—can you set the record straight for our viewers?”
“I’d be happy to.” Dimitri leaned forward slightly. “First, let me be clear: Isabella Garrett is my true Fated Mate. We’ve shared that bondsince we were teenagers. Circumstances and poor judgment on my part kept us apart for five years, but that bond never broke.”
My breath caught. He was saying this publicly. On national television.
“And we have a daughter. Adele. My heir. She’s four years old, brilliant, and the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Dimitri’s expression softened when he talked about Adele. “I missed the first four years of her life—something I’ll regret for the rest of my days. But I’m here now, and I will spend every remaining day making up for that lost time.”
“Your marriage to Selene Ashworth—” The interviewer was asking, but Dimitri cut her off before she even finished her sentence.
“Was a mistake.” Dimitri’s voice hardened. “A political arrangement that should never have happened. Selene and I were never true Mates, never partners in any real sense. And as recent events have proven, we were never on the same side.”
“Are you saying you’re seeking a divorce?”
“I’m saying the marriage is already over. Has been for years. We’re just making it official now.” He looked directly into the camera. “I love Isabella Garrett. I love my daughter. They are my family, my priority, and my future. Everything else is just noise. That’ll be all from me.”
And the news set ended, leaving me shell-shocked.
Five years ago, Dimitri had rejected me in front of his pack. But now, he’d acknowledged our bond in front of not just his pack, but the entire world—for anybody who would see.
And in this moment, I knew without a shred of doubt that I could finally let go. Of the fear, the resentment, the shadow of what once was. Dimitri had spent these past weeks proving, not with words but with choices, that he would always choose us.
So, I stopped holding on to the past like armor.
I let it fall away—and with it, every reason not to trust him.
Because this time, I wasn’t afraid of falling. This time, I knew he’d catch me.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Isabella’s POV
I couldn't stop replaying it in my mind.
Dimitri's face on that screen. His voice, steady and sure, telling millions of people that I was his Mate. That he loved me. That we were a family.
"I love Isabella Garrett. I love my daughter. They are my family, my priority, and my future."
There was a time when Dimitri and I couldn’t be together.
The words echoed in my head as I moved through the quiet house, checking locks and security panels even though I knew Dimitri's people had already done so three times today. After everything that had happened, I couldn't quite shake the need to verify our safety myself.
The hallway was dimly lit, most of the lights set to night mode. Adele had been asleep for over an hour now, finally resting peacefully after another day of slow recovery.
I paused outside her door, my hand on the handle, just planning to peek in one more time.
But something stopped me.
A feeling. An awareness that prickled along my spine like ice water.
