Chapter 58 Consequences

Chapter 58 Consequences
Lucienne's Point of View

Taking our prisoners upstairs, Elizabeth’s face twisted into a mask of desperation. “Reject her!” she demanded, her voice shrill. “Choose Beatrice instead. She’s been trained for this position her entire life. You grew up with her—you know her! She’s everything a Luna should be. Not some—some Gamma!”

Her words grew more frantic as she continued. “Beatrice loves you! She’s ladylike and graceful; everything Lucienne isn’t!”

Elizabeth was giving me whiplash. First, she mistook Marc and Cole’s Lycans for my parents, recognising that I am a princess. Then she called me a mere Gamma as if what she said previously was non-existent.

Marc and Cole both laughed the sound deep and mocking.

“You’re delusional,” Cole said bluntly.

“As is Beatrice,” Marc added, his tone filled with disdain. “To think we’d ever give up our fated mate for something far less.”

“As if we’d give up our fated mate for anyone else,” continued Cole. “Unbelievable!”

Elizabeth’s mouth opened and closed, her desperation giving way to a flicker of panic. Rodney remained silent, his head bowed as if resigning himself to whatever fate awaited him.

“Let’s go,” I said, stepping back. “We’ll deal with them upstairs.”

As soon as we stepped into the large room, Elizabeth spied Michaela, standing next to my mother.

Elizabeth’s shrill voice shattered the silence. “You traitorous bitch!” she screamed, her face twisted with fury as she glared at Michaela. “You’ll pay for betraying us, you filthy coward!”

Michaela’s jaw tightened, but she held her ground, eyes meeting Elizabeth’s with quiet defiance.

“You’re nothing but a pathetic excuse for a wolf!” Elizabeth spat, her insults tumbling out in a venomous stream. “A worthless, backstabbing—”

I’d had enough. I let my Lycan aura roll over the room, silencing Elizabeth mid-rant. Her mouth continued to move, but no sound came out, her voice smothered by the oppressive weight of my power. The sudden quiet was a blessed relief.

“Much better,” I muttered, shooting her a cold glance before turning to Marc and Cole.

My father came over to stand in front of Rodney. His aura filled the room, crackling with dominance. His expression was cold and unrelenting as he stepped toward Rodney. “You will answer my questions,” Father said, his tone brooking no argument. “And if you lie or hesitate, I will know.”

Rodney flinched under my father’s power. Even though a rogue could resist an Alpha's commands because they weren’t bound to the pack, he couldn’t withstand the oppressive weight of Father’s presence. His defiance faltered, his lips trembling as he tried to maintain a facade of strength.

“Who orchestrated the abduction?” Daemon demanded, his voice sharp as a blade.

Rodney swallowed hard, his gaze flickering between Daemon and the ground. “It—it was Beatrice,” he stammered. “She… she wanted Elizabeth out of prison and needed my help. She paid me to get my rogues involved.”

The room went deadly silent, but it didn’t last. Beatrice pushed herself up from the floor, her face contorted with rage as she turned on Rodney.

“You could have said no, you disgusting, pathetic excuse for a man!” she screamed, her voice filled with venom. “Everyone here should know what a sick freak you are!” Her words echoed around the room, drawing gasps from the captured rogues.

“You think no one noticed your obsession with Lucienne? Always skulking around, watching her like some deranged animal?” Beatrice’s voice rose, each word dripping with malice. “You’re obsessed! And it’s revolting! She wouldn’t give you the time of day if you were the last rogue alive!

“You think you’re so clever, hiding it? You’re not! Everyone knows you’ve been fantasising about her, talking about her like she belongs to you! All the while, you were fucking me and my mother. You’re a sick fuck, Rodney—sick and pathetic!”

Rodney’s face darkened, his jaw tightening as the weight of her words hung in the air. The other rogues shifted uncomfortably, muttering amongst themselves.

Beatrice let out a bitter laugh, her eyes flashing with fury. “Lucienne would rip you apart if she knew the things you’ve said—the things you’ve done! You’re nothing but a coward hiding behind your twisted little fantasies!”

I couldn’t take much of Beatrice’s shrilled voice, and I didn’t want to think about what Rodney wanted to do to me. It was probably as bad as I had imagined. Noticing how uncomfortable I was through our bond, Marc and Cole pressed me between them. Taking a deep breath, I extended my aura to silence Beatrice, as well as keeping it on Elizabeth.

“Who gave you the wolfsbane-laced bullets?” Daemon continued, his icy gaze boring into Rodney.

“A Blood Witches,” Rodney admitted reluctantly. “She supplied them, and Beatrice gave them to Dwayne. He sneaked out of the pack to meet her and smuggled them in. With those, we ambushed and took Lucienne on her way back to the pack.”

At the mention of my name, Marc and Cole both growled, their feral rumble vibrating through the room. Their wolves were barely restrained, their protective instincts blazing. The captured rogues cowered, some trembling so hard they nearly collapsed.

Daemon’s expression didn’t change, but his aura pulsed again, forcing Rodney to continue. “The plan,” Rodney said, his voice cracking, “was for Beatrice to replace Lucienne as your Luna. Elizabeth was supposed to control everything from behind the scenes. They wanted you two to reject her and… and take Beatrice as your mate.”

The words were barely out of his mouth when Marc and Cole’s growls deepened, reverberating like thunder. I felt their anger rolling off them, a storm of fury so potent it made the air crackle with energy.

“For what reward?” my father pressed, his voice steady but venomous.

Rodney hesitated, his gaze darting to Marc and Cole as if he feared their reaction more than Daemon’s. “Money… and Lucienne,” he muttered, barely above a whisper.

The words set Marc and Cole off. Their growls erupted into snarls, and both of them took a menacing step forward. The captured rogues flinched, their heads bowing lower as if trying to make themselves invisible.

“Enough,” Father commanded, his tone like a whip crack. Marc and Cole stilled though their eyes burned with a murderous fire.

“Tell me about this Blood Witch.”

Rodney shifted uncomfortably, the tension in the room thick enough to choke on. “The Blood Witch… she’s Brodie,” he said finally. “Brodie is Darius’ daughter, just like Kree and Beatrice. They’re half-sisters.”

“How did you get involved with the Blood Witches?”

“I met Kree through Darius, who was one of my contacts before he was killed and she was imprisoned. Brodie and I helped Kree escape, but Brodie and I weren’t a part of Kree’s plans. This was why we weren’t there when Kree was defeated and killed.”

My mother came up to stand beside my father, her eyes narrowed. I could see the storm brewing behind them. “How many more of Darius’ children are out there?”

Rodney shrugged helplessly, his fear of my parents battling his uncertainty. “I—I don’t know. Darius couldn’t keep it in his pants,” he sneered bitterly. “But Brodie might know. She was closer to him than most.”

Elizabeth let out a sharp gasp, her face pale with shock and fury. “You’re lying!” she screeched. “Darius would never—”

“Would never what?” Rodney interrupted with a mocking laugh. “Betray you? Please. He was a liar and a cheat, Elizabeth. Fated mate or not, you were just another tool in his plans.”

Elizabeth’s face contorted with rage, but she fell silent under my parent’s glare.

“Does Beatrice have access to magic?” Mother asked, her tone cutting through the tension.

Rodney hesitated but finally shook his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “She hasn’t been trained, but… it’s hard to say. She’s Darius’ daughter. The potential is there.”

Mother’s lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes hardening. “Well, at least she won’t get a chance to find out,” she said grimly.

The weight of the revelations settled over the room, leaving everyone silent. My mother and father exchanged a glance, their shared anger and determination unspoken but palpable.

“This is far from over,” Mother said, her voice resolute. “We’ll deal with Beatrice and whatever remains of Darius’ legacy. The Blood Witches will not rise again.”

My mother stepped back, her expression cold, and my father took a commanding step forward, addressing the gathered prisoners with a tone that left no room for argument. His voice carried the weight of absolute authority, cutting through the tension in the room like a blade.

“Very shortly, guards from the Supernatural Council will be arriving to take all surviving prisoners into their custody,” he began, his piercing gaze sweeping over the rogues and traitors who were shackled and subdued. “Due to your actions, your freedom ends today. I sentence you to life imprisonment.”

He paused, letting the words sink in. The room was silent, save for the faint sound of shifting chains as a few of the captives squirmed under his scrutiny.

“The prisons run by the Council of Alphas are nothing compared to what awaits you. These prisons were not built with ordinary means—they were made with the combined power of the Supernatural Council. Combining the strongest magics of the Witches, the Fae, and the Dragon-Shifters, these facilities are unbreakable, inescapable, and utterly unyielding to even the most desperate attempts at freedom.”

The room remained heavy with his words, the prisoners exchanging fearful glances, their arrogance and bravado dissolving under the weight of his declaration. My father straightened his voice to a low, commanding growl as he delivered his final warning.

He turned slightly, his voice now carrying a sharper edge as he concluded, “Make no mistake—there are no second chances. The crimes you have committed have ensured that.“