Semua Bab Echoes of Hate: Bab 71 - Bab 80

DANE. The thud of fists against flesh echoed across the training field, punctuated by sharp grunts and the dull smack of bodies hitting the dirt. Dust rose in lazy swirls beneath the weight of stomping feet, clinging to sweat-slicked skin. Finch and I stood at the edge of the sparring field, watching as Danish, our Head Warrior, barked orders over the chaos, his voice carrying like a whip crack.Ten new warriors had just been promoted from the junior ranks, and it showed in the way they threw themselves into the fights. Some moved with fluid control, their footwork sharp and precise, while others were still a bit raw—wild energy with little refinement, throwing punches that left them open for counters. But what they lacked in polish, they made up for in grit.“They’ve got fight in them,” Finch muttered, his arms crossed as he studied the pair grappling in the dirt.“More than fight,” I said, watching one young warrior twist free of a chokehold and slam his opponent onto his back with

DANE. The curtain was heavy in my hand as I pulled it back just enough to peer out into the auditorium.Row after row of seats stretched forward, each tier rising higher than the one before it, built to hold five hundred bodies if it came to that. And today, it did. The air was alive with the low hum of voices as people filed in, shoes tapping against the polished floor, whispers brushing against the vaulted ceiling. The sound was steady, building, like a storm before it broke. I could feel the weight of this pressing against my chest.My heart was heavy. These weren’t faceless strangers awaiting judgment—these were my pack members. Pack members that I was responsible for. Ones who had broken loyalty to me, to us. Alphas liked to tell themselves that responsibility didn’t stretch this far, that each person chose their own path. But when things like this happened, when poison grows under your nose, you can’t help but taste the bitterness of failure. I knew I did.Beside me, Aria was a

DANE. Now that we have heard Kelly’s testimony, the photographs of Aria and Piper's injuries were displayed.The lights dimmed just slightly as the projector flickered to life, casting harsh truths across the wide canvas of the screen so that those in attendance could see.The first photo showed her on the hospital bed, pale but unbroken, eyes closed. Then the angles shifted, the details magnified, and my rage roared up like wildfire.Lacerations scored across her arms and side. Ragged lines in the skin that gaped and bled. The Corantin prevented natural werewolf healing, so the photographs showed just how bad they were. The light on the wounds made the redness look as if someone had painted anger across her. By the time that these were taken, bruises had spiraled out where fists and boots had driven into her.Two punctures punched into the soft curve of her side—clean, deliberate holes that sank deep enough to threaten organs but landed just shy of killing. They were calculated. The

DANE. I couldn’t fucking believe what this trial had turned into. It was supposed to have been simple, yet it was anything but.If there was a single bright thing in the center of the mess, it was the mark on my neck. Her canines had sunk in there like a claim, and the memory of the it pulsed under my skin, reminding me of its certainty. I didn't care that she had done it to protect me, to protect whatever fragile, stubborn thing we called our bond. If anything, that was why I would wear it like armor: proud and guilty at the same time. She still wanted our bond even after everything that I had done to her.It was as if the universe was listening to my thoughts or some shit because I heard my voice echoing in the auditorium.“You’ll fight me until you can’t. And when you finally break, when you surrender—I’ll be there to show you what all of my whores like. You’ll be begging me not to stop. You’ll beg for my dick like a good little bitch. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll give you a taste.”The

ARIA. I stood on the stage and felt like every eye in the auditorium was hooked on me. I was equal parts embarrassed and positively furious. The two feelings were so intertwined I couldn't distinguish them.Dane was there. Of course he was. I had been seeing him differently for a while now. Not the vengeful shadow from the beginning of our time together, but the man who tried, painfully and imperfectly, to be better. We had grown closer. We had started moving past the wounds that had torn us both apart. I was learning to let go of the second-guessing.When I looked at him now, I saw that Dane. red jaw, hands balled at his sides, the kind of shame that didn't mask itself with bravado. Not the asshole who lived on revenge. The real Dane. The one who showed up, who owned what he'd done and tried to stitch it back together. That had been between the two of us.Until Samuel got a hair up his fucking ass and decided to drag it into the light.The weight of a thousand eyes settled on my shou