Chapter 307: With Gratitude....

Ayla

The estate didn’t look like the place we’d first stepped into.

The broken stone was repaired, the walls gleamed new in the sun, and the scent of sawdust lingered in the air. For the first time since I’d seen it, it felt like a place meant to hold hope.

I stood at the window, my hands over my stomach. The twins rolled beneath my palm, restless but calm. They hadn’t surged in days. I didn’t know if that meant peace or warning, but the silence inside me felt sacred.

Behind me, Thane’s reflection filled the glass, the kind of presence that made the room smaller. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, chin dipping to my shoulder.

“Thinking?” he asked quietly.

“Always,” I said. “It doesn’t feel real yet. This place. Everything we fought for.”

“It’s real.” His lips brushed my temple. “And it’s ours.”

Outside, Damon was in front, Amani beside him. There was a new strength in his walk now....earned, not given. The weight of leadership fit him like it was always waiting for him.

Thane followed my gaze. “He’s settling in.”

“He’s ready,” I said. “He’s what Midnight Pack needs.”

“He’s what I needed,” Thane admitted. “Someone who’ll lead clean. No bloodlust, no games.”

I smiled faintly. “You’ll still check on him every three days.”

“Every two,” he said. “Maybe one.”

I laughed, quiet and small, and leaned back against him.

“Stevens?” I asked softly.

“His pack’s scattered. Damon’s sending scouts to clean up what’s left.”

“And Eric?”

Thane’s grip tightened just a fraction. “Soon. He’s not far. But he’ll meet the same end. They will be in the hole with Nikolai.”

Outside, a sharp voice carried across the field, Rhonda’s. She was waving a paper bag and shouting at someone about a “life-changing peach moonshine.” Behind her were Marla, Suki, and Jill, dragging what looked like a cooler twice their size. Mikhail trudged behind them, visibly exhausted, expression a mix of disbelief and despair.

“They found them,” Thane said.

“My old pack,” I whispered.

Rhonda spotted me at the window and waved both arms, hollering something about “family reunions” and “someone better have a damn camera.”

Emotion hit hard, fast. My chest tightened until I couldn’t breathe for a second.

Home.

After everything, after the trafficking, the council, the war…the white wolf line still breathed in the mountains.

By evening, the courtyard was a celebration. The air was warm, heavy with food and laughter.

Damon stood with Amani at the center, his new mark glowing faintly across his throat. Thane had made it official that morning: Damon, Alpha of Midnight Pack. The crowd had cheered, Amani’s eyes shining so bright they outshone the bonfire.

Cyrus and Raven were already three drinks in, arguing about who’d survive longer in a pit fight. Raven had just threatened to stab him if he kept talking when Thane raised a hand and the noise quieted.

“Today,” he said, his voice carrying easily, “we stand as one. No more packs tearing at each other’s throats. No more wolves stolen, sold, or silenced. This—” he gestured toward the estate, the mountains behind it, the gathered faces “—is where it ends. And where something better begins.”

He didn’t shout. He didn’t need to. The air itself held his authority.

The packs howled their approval, the sound rolling through the trees like thunder.

When the noise faded, Thane turned back to me. “You okay?”

I nodded, tears pricking my eyes. “I’m happy.”

“Good,” he said. “You deserve to be.”

He reached down, brushing his fingers over my stomach. The twins kicked in answer, a firm pulse beneath my skin.

“They feel that,” he murmured. “They know they’re safe.”

I smiled, a small, broken thing that felt like peace. “Maybe they’ll actually let me sleep now.”

“Doubt it,” he said, mouth curving. “They’re ours.”

I swatted at his arm, laughing through the tears.

Rhonda’s voice cut through it all, bawdy and loud: “If anyone needs me, I’m teachin’ Mikhail how to dance before he dies of boredom!”

Laughter followed her. Even Thane chuckled, a low rumble against my shoulder.

I leaned into him, closing my eyes. The bond between us hummed like a steady current.

Maybe one of our pups would carry my power. Maybe one would carry Thane’s. Maybe both. Whatever came next, they’d be born into a world stronger than the one we found.

Thane’s hand covered mine, both of us holding over my stomach. “Whatever happens,” he said, voice low, “we’ve already won.”

I looked up at him, the firelight reflecting in his eyes. “Then let’s keep it that way.”

He smiled and kissed me.

The pack howled again, a single sound that shook the trees, the mountains, the stars.

And for the first time in a long time, I believed it.

The war was done. The past buried.

And the storm, for now, slept.

Author’s Note

This chapter marks the conclusion of Lia’s Redemption as written and authorized by me.

Due to circumstances outside my control, I will not be continuing this story or releasing further chapters on this platform. If future updates appear beyond this point, please know they were not written or approved by me.

I cannot discuss details, but my creative work here is complete. To every reader who has supported this story—thank you for your time, your passion, and your faith in these characters.

If you wish to continue following me, please search for me by this pen name on other platforms. This is not the resolution I was hoping for. You readers deserve better. This was hard for me to do. I haven't slept and I have been dry heaving since Thursday night. I REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted a better outcome. A better solution. I am crying now as I write this because you readers deserve so much better. My heart is broken. I will have full control 10/2030 and I plan on using it.

With gratitude,

— Veronica White.