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Calista's POV

I watched the door click shut after my mother rushed out to do his bidding as the room went super quiet for a second. Then I heard the heavy thuds of combat boots coming from downstairs. They were walking into our living room. My body vibrated in fear for a second with my head thinking of ways to get out of this mess.

I couldn’t go back to that cell. I would not survive a day in there.

I turned around to face Magnus. My hands were clenched into fists.

"What are you doing?" I whispered loudly before taking a bold step closer to him. "When they get in here, there is no way they are not going to try to take me. Paul wants me gone, and Jake... Jake will want to destroy me after what I did to him. They are going to throw me right back into that dungeon!"

Magnus didn't blink. He stood there like a huge dark shape in the middle of my little study. The man was so big that he filled the room making a long shadow that covered my desk. He fixed the leather straps on his shirt moving slowly and carefully like he did not have a worry in the world.

"Do not worry, Calista, " he said in a voice that was smooth and calm. He looked down at me, his dark eyes staring into mine with an intensity that made me catch my breath. "Let us listen to what they have to say. You are safe with me now, whether they know it or not."

Before I could say anything, the door to my study opened.

Beta Paul came in first with a wicked smile on his face like he had won. Jake was behind him. My heart jumped hard in my chest.

Jake looked pale. He was holding his side where there were big bandages under his shirt but at least he was walking. The Alpha healing was already working on him even though he was moving a bit stiffly like he was in pain.

The moment they saw the Alpha King standing there, both of them stopped moving, bowed their heads down low to show respect to the Alpha King.

"Alpha King," Paul said, his voice dripping with forced respect.

Magnus didn't bow back. He did not even nod. He just stood there. His arms crossed over his chest with his face showing no emotion.

"Paul," Magnus called. His voice made the small room shake. "Walk out. I want to talk to Alpha Jake alone."

Paul’s smug grin instantly vanished. He blinked hard, looking utterly confused. "But, your Majesty, the prisoner…"

"I said, walk out," Magnus repeated. His voice did not get louder. The room was suddenly filled with a lot of Alpha pressure. This made the air feel really thick and hard to breathe.

Paul swallowed hard. His face turned white. He did not say anything. He bowed his head, quickly turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Now it was the three of us in the room.

Jake was standing near the door with his hand on his hurt ribs. He was trying to look strong in front of the King. I could see that his jaw was shaking a little bit. Jake's eyes looked at Magnus then quickly looked away and stared at me. He gave me a hateful look.

"What is Calista doing here?" Jake snapped, his voice tight as he looked back at Magnus. “The woman is a dangerous criminal, your Majesty. She should be in jail waiting to find out what will happen to her, not standing in her bedroom like it is no big deal what she did to me.”

I did something I could not help. I burst into a laugh before I could stop it.

“Jake, are you really asking me what I am doing in my house?" I folded my arms across my chest then took a step forward. “You are the one who came into my home.”

“You are a criminal, and you should be treated like one.”

The love in his eyes were gone. It was like nothing I had ever seen. Only hate remained now.

Jake’s face flushed an angry, bright red. "You broke into my mansion and tried to murder me, you psycho! You don't have a home anymore!"

"There is no need to fight," Magnus said in his calm voice and it was like a knife cutting through the air. It stopped both of us from talking. He did not look at either of us; he just kept staring out the window. "Alpha Jake, I let you come into this house today. I did not come here to argue. I let you come up here to talk to me. Tell me what you want?"

Jake stood up straight trying to act like the boss but he looked funny doing it while holding his hurt stomach. He pointed his finger at my face.

"I want her to be punished," Jake said, his teeth gritted. "She made a fool of me. She attacked me, her leader in my own room and she almost killed me. If someone can do that and get away with it then I have no control over my own people. I want her to pay for everything she did. I want her to get the worst punishment possible.”

The room went quiet; it felt like something was squeezing the air out. I held my breath as I gulped hard.

Magnus was the King, but he was also an Alpha. He understood pack law. What if he decided that keeping the peace in the kingdom was more important than whatever connection we felt? What if he was about to hand me over?

Magnus slowly turned his head to look at me. His dark, unreadable eyes scanned my face, lingering on the dark bruise on my cheek before moving back to Jake. He nodded slowly.

"Fine," Magnus said, his voice dead and calm. "She is going to suffer."

My heart dropped straight into my stomach. I looked up at him, my eyes widening with a sudden, raw fear. No. He’s betraying me. The air in my lungs felt completely trapped, and a heavy weight of despair crashed down on my shoulders.

Magnus kept his gaze locked on me, his expression like cold stone.

"The only way for her to truly suffer," Magnus continued, his voice echoing powerfully through the study, "is for her to come to my pack. I am taking custody of her. I am going to make sure she pays dearly for her crimes against you, the Alpha of this pack, and against the Crescent Moon pack itself."

Jake’s angry expression instantly shifted. A slow, twisted smile broke across his face, his eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction. He nodded eagerly, rubbing his hands together.

"That is very good, your Majesty," Jake laughed, a cruel, mocking sound directed right at me. "That is exactly what she deserves. Honestly, I would love nothing more than to see her hanging from a pile of ashes at the execution square. Let her be an example to anyone else who thinks they can rebel."

"No," Magnus said sharply, his voice dropping an octave, becoming incredibly cold.

Jake’s smile froze. "What?"