Chapter 5

Penelope's POV

"You do not have to hide anymore, Penelope," my father said, his voice deep and steady.

He stood in the center of Blue Gem Plaza, looking like a mountain that could not be moved. I stepped off the private aircraft and walked right into his arms. The air here was different. It smelled of thick pine and heavy, ancient power. With every breath I took, the wild panic inside my wolf, Aria, started to quiet down.

I buried my face against my father's heavy coat. For three long years, I had to pretend to be small. I had to smile while people insulted me. Now, the heavy weight in my chest finally broke. I let the tears come.

"I am right here," my brother, Cooper, said. He stepped up next to us, his eyes bright blue and full of dangerous light. He looked ready to tear the world apart. "Nobody can touch you here."

"I am home," I whispered. My voice sounded small, even to me. "I am finally home."

My father held me tight for another moment, then he pulled back. He checked my face, his large hands resting on my shoulders. He was the Lycan King, but right now, he just looked like a father who was hurting. The sadness in his eyes was too deep to hide anymore.

"Let us get out of the cold," my father said, guiding me toward the royal hall.

We walked into the great room where a massive fire burned in the stone hearth. The warmth hit my skin, but it could not chase away the chill inside me. Cooper paced back and forth near the long table, his fists clenched tight at his sides. He kept looking at the door, as if he expected the Blue-Claw Pack to follow me.

"Tell us everything," my father said. He sat in his heavy wooden chair by the fire. "Do not leave anything out."

I took a shaky breath and stood near the flames. I forced myself to speak the words out loud. I told them how Julian treated me. I told them about his demands, his cruelty, and the way he looked at me like I was nothing but trash.

"He wanted your heart," I said, my voice dropping low. "Julian wanted to cut it out for his lover."

Cooper stopped pacing. His face turned completely white, then it flushed with dark, dark red. He raised his fist and brought it down hard on the edge of the mahogany table. The thick wood split right down the center with a loud crack. Pieces of timber fell to the stone floor.

"Those bastards," Cooper snarled. His alpha aura flared out, turning the air in the room thick and freezing cold. "They dared to treat a princess of the royal court like an animal? Father, give me the guard. I will take our warriors and flatten the Blue-Claw pack before the sun comes up."

"Sit down, Cooper," my father commanded. His voice was low, but it carried a weight that forced my brother to stop. The king did not look at the broken table. He kept his eyes on me. "We will make them pay every single debt. But my daughter comes first tonight."

My father reached into his coat and pulled out an old box made of dark sandalwood. He opened the brass latch and lifted a thick piece of parchment. It was an ancient scroll, glowing with a faint, silver light that smelled of the moon.

"This is a mate bond dissolution scroll," my father said, holding it out to me. "Use your spirit mark. Sign it, and you will never belong to that man again."

I stared at the paper. My hands started to shake as I reached for it.

Cooper let out a rough sigh and stepped closer to me. His anger seemed to melt into pity. "Father made that scroll the exact day you left us for Julian. He knew the Blue-Claw pack was too weak for you. He knew that alpha would only bring you pain."

I looked from my brother to my father. All this time, while I was suffering in silence, my family was waiting for me. They had already built my bridge back home before I even knew I needed it.

I took the scroll and unrolled it on the remaining half of the table. The ancient runes etched into the paper seemed to pulse, waiting for my choice.

I am Penelope. I am the daughter of the Lycan King. I am a princess of the Rogue Pack. I spent three years bowing my head to people who were beneath me, but that version of me died today.

"Aria," I whispered into the quiet room.

I called on my alpha power. A bright spark of silver fire gathered at the tip of my index finger. The flame burned with my wolf's pride, hot and clean. I did not hesitate. I pressed my burning finger directly onto the center of the mate contract runes.

The silver fire flashed, blinding me for a split second.

Then, a horrible ripping sensation tore through my chest. Aria let out a loud, agonizing howl inside my mind. It felt like someone had hooked a chain around my soul and yanked it out through my ribs. The pain was so sharp I doubled over, grabbing my shirt right over my heart. My knees hit the floor.

"Hold on, Penelope," Cooper said, kneeling quickly beside me to catch my shoulders.

I gasped for air, waiting for the burning in my chest to stop. The pain lasted for a few long seconds, and then it vanished. A strange, beautiful lightness filled the space where the bond used to be. The invisible tether that connected my mind to Julian was gone. I could not feel his emotions anymore. I could not feel his presence in the world.

I stood up straight, wiping a drop of sweat from my forehead. I looked at my father and smiled.

"I am free," I said.