CHAPTER 24

Chapter 24

VIOLET’S POV

The Council chamber was packed with wolves from neighbouring territories. I sat in the front row beside Damian, my hand gripped tightly in his. Across the room, Vivian stood in silver chains between two guards, her face blank like she'd shut down completely. Beside her, Garrett was chained as well, his expression dark and defiant.

Seven Council Alphas sat behind the high table, their expressions carved from stone. The head councilor, Alpha Ethan, cleared his throat.

"Vivian Clarke and Garrett Stone, you stand accused of orchestrating the poisoning of Luna Violet, hiring assassins, coordinating attacks on pack lands, theft of pack resources, conspiracy to commit murder, and treason against werewolf law. How do you plead?"

Vivian said nothing. She just stared at the floor. Garrett spat on the ground.

"The evidence speaks for itself," Alpha Ethan continued. He gestured to the table covered in documents. "Financial records showing embezzlement. Testimony from captured rogues. Intercepted communications between you both. And eyewitness accounts of your confession during your attack on Luna Violet."

Still, Vivian remained silent.

"Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

That's when she finally looked up. Her eyes found mine across the room, and something in her expression shifted. The blank mask cracked, then shattered completely.

"Defense?" She laughed, high and sharp. "Why would I defend myself? I did everything they're accusing me of. Every single thing."

Gasps echoed through the chamber.

"I poisoned her at the ceremony," Vivian continued, her voice rising. "I hired the rogues. I coordinated the attacks. I did it all because she stole everything from me!"

"Miss Vivian…" Alpha Ethan tried to interrupt.

"No!" Vivian screamed, lunging forward against her chains. The guards held her back. "She stole Kian! He was supposed to be mine! We were perfect together! But she just had to exist, didn't she? Just had to be his stupid mate!"

My stomach twisted. Damian's grip on my hand tightened.

"Six years," Vivian spat. "Six years I spent being the other woman, the secret, the one he really wanted but couldn't have because of the mate bond. I gave him everything. I loved him when she was too weak to keep his interest. And what did I get? Nothing! Because she existed!"

"So you tried to kill her?" one of the Council members asked coldly.

"I wanted her to suffer first," Vivian's smile was terrible. "I wanted her to feel every bit of pain I felt watching Kian choose me over and over while being bound to her. The threats, the stalking, framing Julius, breaking them apart—that was art. But she just kept surviving. Kept getting back up. So yes, I tried to kill her. Multiple times. And I'd do it again if I could!"

The chamber erupted in shocked voices. Alpha Ethan slammed his gavel.

"Vivian Clarke and Garrett Stone, by your own admissions and the evidence presented, this Council finds you guilty on all charges. You are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment in the Council's maximum security facility. You will never see freedom again."

Alpha Ethan glanced at another document. "Dora Miller, your accomplice, has been sentenced to thirty years for her role in the conspiracy."

Vivian didn't even flinch. She just kept staring at me with pure hatred as the guards dragged her toward the doors. Garrett fought against his chains, cursing and spitting.

"It should have been me!" Vivian screamed as they pulled her away. "I loved him! I deserved him! Not you! Not you!"

Her voice echoed down the hallway until a door slammed shut, cutting off the sound.

I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. It was over. Finally over.

Twelve days later, I stood in the healer's wing staring at Kian through the doorway. He looked nothing like the powerful Alpha Heir who'd abandoned me at our ceremony. His skin was pale, his body thin. The healers said his wolf was permanently damaged. He'd never shift fully again.

"You can go in," Damian said quietly beside me. "I'll wait here."

I nodded and stepped inside.

Kian looked up as I entered. His eyes, once so cold, looked tired and sad.

"Violet," he said softly. "I didn't think you'd come."

"I almost didn't." I stood at the foot of his bed, keeping distance between us. "But I need this. We both do."

He nodded slowly. "I've had a lot of time to think. About everything. About the six years I wasted being the worst kind of mate."

"You were," I agreed.

"I convinced myself Vivian was what I wanted," Kian continued, his voice rough. "That the mate bond didn't matter. That you were just... there because the Moon Goddess made a mistake. I justified every terrible thing I did. Every time I chose her over you. Every birthday I forgot. Every injury I ignored."

He looked down at his hands. "I told myself you were weak. That you didn't deserve an Alpha like me. But the truth?" He met my eyes. "The truth is you were always too good for me, and I was too broken and selfish to see it."

My throat tightened, but I didn't speak.

"I don't expect you to forgive me," Kian said. "I don't deserve it. But I wanted you to know the truth. You were never the problem, Violet. I was. Every single time."

I took a breath, feeling years of anger and pain sitting heavy in my chest. Then I let it go.

"I forgive you, Kian."

His eyes widened in shock.

"Not because you deserve it," I continued firmly. "But because I deserve peace. You destroyed so much of my life. My arm. My confidence. Six years I can never get back. But I'm not letting you destroy my future. I'm moving on."

Tears filled his eyes. "Thank you. That's more than I ever…" He stopped, wiping his face. "I'm stepping down. From ever becoming Alpha. My father's naming a cousin as heir."

"That's probably for the best."

"Yeah." He smiled sadly. "Take care of yourself, Violet. Be happy. You deserve that."

I turned to leave, then paused at the door. "Goodbye, Kian."

"Goodbye."

I walked out and didn't look back.

That evening, Damian held a ceremony to honor those who'd fought in the battle. I stood beside him as he called Julius forward.

"Julius, your loyalty and service to this pack and your Luna has been extraordinary," Damian announced. "You are formally honored as the most loyal Beta in our pack's history."

The pack erupted in cheers. Julius bowed, his eyes shining.

Then Damian called Axel forward. "You saved your Luna's life multiple times. You fought when others would have fled. You're promoted to Elite Warrior."

More cheers. Axel grinned wide as warriors clapped him on the back.

After the ceremony, Axel found me. "Thank you, Luna."

"I should be thanking you," I said. "You saved my life."

"You reminded me of my sister," he admitted. "She lost a leg in an accident two years ago. Watching you survive everything, keep fighting—it gave me hope for her. That's why I watched out for you."

My eyes burned. "You'll always have a place in my life, Axel. As a trusted friend."

He hugged me tight. "Same goes for you, Luna."

The next morning, Damian and I stood at the border as Elena was escorted off pack lands. Her pack bonds had been stripped. She was banished.

Two guards held her arms as she stumbled forward, her face streaked with tears. She looked nothing like the confident woman who'd tried to destroy my life. She looked broken.

"Please," Elena sobbed, her voice cracking. "Damian, please. I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

"Keep moving," one of the guards ordered.

But Elena dug her heels in, twisting to look back at us. Tears poured down her face. "I never wanted her dead, Damian! I swear I didn't! I just wanted her gone so you could see me. So you could finally notice me after all these years!"

Her voice broke completely as the guards pulled her forward again. She didn't resist this time, just kept crying as they dragged her toward the border.

"I loved you," she whispered, so quiet I almost didn't hear it. "I've always loved you."

Then she was gone, disappearing into the trees beyond our territory. The sound of her crying faded until there was nothing but silence.

I leaned against Damian. "It's really over."

He wrapped his arms around me and held me close. "It's over. You're safe now. We both are."

I closed my eyes and let myself believe it. After everything—all the pain, all the betrayal, all the fear—I was finally, truly safe.

And I was home.