Chapter Fourteen
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Chapter Fourteen
–
The silence in the chamber stretched so long it felt alive – thick and heavy, a presence all its own. Not a single breath stirred. I could hear the echo of my heartbeat pounding against my ribs, each thud louder than the last. My limbs trembled from the weight of what I’d just spoken, from peeling back the layers of pain and betrayal in front of them all – but I held my ground. I hadn’t bared my soul for pity.
I wanted justice.
—
my aunt, the
Elder Theon’s gnarled fingers gripped his cane like a lifeline, his mouth drawn in a hard line. He looked toward Vivienne High Luna regal and terrifying in her stillness. Draped in robes the color of moonlight, she hadn’t moved an inch throughout my testimony. Her expression was unreadable, carved from ice. But I knew her. I saw the storm swirling beneath that calm facade – fury, sharp and slow–burning.
“You suffered all that…” a younger elder murmured, voice rough with disbelief. “And still, you never reached out to us?“}
A breath escaped me
–
not quite a laugh. It was too hollow for that. “I made my choice,” I said simply. “And I paid for it.“} Vivienne stepped forward, the quiet click of her heels striking like thunder. The room seemed to hold its breath as she descended the dais, stopping directly in front of me. Though she held no weapon, her presence alone made every elder sit straighter.}
“You were a child,” she said, her voice low, but steady. “You followed your heart. And he–Damien–used that trust against you.“}
I swallowed hard. My throat burned raw, but I said nothing. There was nothing left to say. “You were not weak, Selene. You were loyal. And your loyalty was repaid with cruelty.”}
–
not here.>
Her words hit something deep inside me, something tender and aching. But I blinked the tears away. I wouldn’t let them fall Vivienne turned to the council, her voice rising, cold steel in velvet. “You’ve heard her truth. What we’re dealing with is not a political scandal. It’s a moral wound. A betrayal so profound, it offends the very spirit of our law.“}
One of the older elders cleared his throat. “Damien cannot walk away from this untouched. He abandoned his mate. His child. And laid claim to his brother’s widow without so much as a council blessing. That alone is an abomination.”>
Another added, voice sharper, “He left her in the mountains during her most vulnerable season. Five moons, and no word. No food. No protection. That is not just cruelty – it’s a death sentence.“}
Vivienne turned back to me, and her tone softened. “Selene, what would justice look like… for you?“}
I held her gaze, my voice even though my hands had curled into fists at my sides. “I don’t want revenge. I want recognition. I want the truth known – stripped bare for all to see. Let him be brought low the way he left me. Let him lose the power and respect he traded me for.“} Murmurs rippled through the circle like a current.
Vivienne nodded once, her chin high. “Then let it be so.”
She stepped forward, voice ringing with the weight of authority. “Damien of Stormveil is hereby stripped of his Alpha title. The council of Nightfang will no longer recognize him as heir, nor ruler. He will be summoned to answer for his crimes, and until then, he is rogue – in the eyes of every pack under this council.“>
The proclamation struck like a thunderclap, silencing the murmurs.
let out a shaky breath. My knees threatened to buckle, but I didn’t fall. I wouldn’t–not now. Vivienne reached out and steadied me, her grip firm and grounding.}
“You’re not alone anymore,” she whispered.}
And for the first time in what felt like lifetimes, I let someone hold me up.
But even with her touch anchoring me, my mind pulled me back–to that final, bitter season. To the moment I finally understood the truth. Damien had left with Elara after his brother’s funeral. He promised he would return. Said he only needed to escort her back to Nightfang, to ensure she was safe. I believed him – fool that I was. I clung to hope with bleeding fingers, waiting in the cabin he’d found for me in the northern mountains.
Days passed. Then weeks. Then moons.
Five moons.
My body still ached from childbirth. My daughter was barely old enough to hold her own head up. I kept thinking – maybe something had gone wrong. Maybe he couldn’t get away.”
But he never came back.
And then, the letter arrived.
The messenger didn’t even look me in the eye as he handed it over. His words were clipped, “From Alpha Damien of Nightfang.” Alpha.
I tore the seal with shaking hands.
Damien had been crowned Alpha of Nightfang. And his Luna… was Elara.
The letter said he was raising her children his brother’s children as his own. That it was his duty to preserve the Nightfang line. There was no apology. No explanation.
Just cold, formal words.
And that was when the last of my hope died.
(didn’t scream. I didn’t cry. I simply packed what little I had, wrapped my daughter against my chest, and disappeared into the night. No
C
goodbyes. No trace.!!
The memory faded like smoke as Vivienne led me from the center of the chamber. Behind us, the elders began murmuring again – about trials, and exile, and the weight of the verdict.
But I didn’t care.
Let them debate.
I had already lived through my judgment.
And now?
Now it was time I rose from the ashes.
