Chapter 68 Sixty eight

Chapter 68 Sixty eight
Howard.

I’m deeply affected by Nora’s pain. Her suffering resonates within me in a way I never expected, and every time I look at her, I can see the weight she is carrying. It is as if the anguish she felt the day she discovered her mother’s lifeless body has returned, only this time, it has been accompanied by the devastating knowledge that her mother was murdered.

For the past two weeks, Nora has isolated herself. She has chosen silence over conversation, even with me. I have tried to respect her need for solitude, though it has been difficult to watch the woman I love retreat further and further into herself. I check on her every day, sometimes more than once, but most of the time, I find her sitting quietly, her eyes swollen from crying. Whenever she notices me, she wipes her tears and insists that she is fine.

She isn’t.

And I know it.

There are moments when I want to force her to talk to me, to make her release everything she has been keeping inside, but I know that would only make things worse. Nora has endured enough people deciding what she should do and how she should feel. If there is one thing I have learned through everything that has happened between us, it is that loving her means allowing her to make her own choices.

Her suffering has become my own burden. I want to alleviate her pain and give her the justice she seeks for her mother and her pack. I want to see the light return to her eyes, the laughter return to her voice, and the woman I know come back to me.

But I also know that I cannot rush her healing.

I owe her everything.

Not only because I want her forgiveness, but because she deserves nothing less after everything I have put her through.

As much as I’m compelled to despise my father for his deceit, I am also indebted to him for leading me to Nora, even if our meeting was also fated by our roles as mates. That doesn’t erase what he has done. He concealed the truth from Nora and allowed her to live with a lie about her mother’s death. He watched her suffer without giving her the truth she deserved.

A part of me wants to see him jailed.

Another part of me is furious that I ever called him my father.

But his recent severe injury has postponed any action against him, and for now, there are other matters that demand my attention.

Herman.

I stand among several Alphas in the interrogation room, watching the man who has caused Nora so much suffering.

He is finally here.

Captured.

Cuffed.

And for the first time, the man who spent years intimidating everyone around him no longer looks powerful.

Herman is on his knees before us, his hands restrained behind him. His clothes are disheveled, and the arrogance that usually accompanies his presence has been replaced by a guarded expression. Even now, however, there is something in his eyes that makes my blood boil.

I hate him.

I hate him for what he did to Nora’s mother.

I hate him for the way he treated Nora.

I hate him for the years of lies and manipulation.

Most of all, I hate the fact that Nora had to hear the truth from someone else because Herman never had the courage to admit what he had done.

Greenbell’s Beta, Jack, stands a few feet away from him. He stares at Herman with disbelief and disappointment.

“I really can’t believe you’d do such a thing to your wife because of power,” Jack says, shaking his head. “After everything she had done for you. After putting a shelter over you and your children, how could you repay her like this?”

Herman doesn’t answer. His eyes remain lowered. I take a step forward, and his gaze briefly lifts toward mine. The moment our eyes meet, he looks away.

Good.

He should be afraid.

Because if the Alphas in this room were not here, I don’t know if I could control myself.

I want him dead. Not quickly.

I want him to experience the same helplessness he inflicted on Nora’s mother. I want him to understand what it means to have everything taken away from you while you are powerless to stop it. But I know I can’t allow my anger to dictate what happens next. The law must run its course.

Herman will face the consequences of his actions, and whatever punishment the law determines, he will have to endure it.

Still, there is a part of me that craves something beyond justice.

I want retribution.

I want him to suffer.

I clench my fists as I stare at him.

Herman shifts uncomfortably beneath my gaze.

“You have nothing to say?” I ask.

He remains silent.

I let out a bitter laugh. “Of course, you don’t.”

Herman finally raises his head.

“What do you want me to say?” His voice is quieter than I expected.

“The truth would be a good place to start.”

His jaw tightens. “I have nothing else to say.”

I take another step toward him. “You murdered her.”

Herman’s eyes flicker.

“You destroyed her life.”

He says nothing.

“You destroyed Nora’s life.”

His expression changes at the mention of her name. That is enough to fuel my anger again.

“You don’t deserve to speak her name.”

Jack steps between us slightly.

“Howard.”

I look at him.

“We’ll get justice,” Jack says firmly. “But we have to allow the authorities to handle this.”

I know he’s right.

I force myself to step back.

“Take him away,” Jack orders.

Two warriors move forward and grab Herman by the arms. He struggles briefly, but there is nowhere for him to go. They drag him toward the door while his feet scrape against the floor.

As he passes me, he looks at me one final time.

There is fear in his eyes.

I don’t feel sorry for him.

The door closes behind him.

The room gradually empties.

I remain standing where I am, staring at the spot where Herman had been kneeling only moments earlier.

Jack walks toward me.

He looks exhausted.

The past fifteen days have been brutal for everyone. Too much has happened in too little time, and none of us have had the opportunity to truly breathe.

“What happens now?” I ask him.

Jack sighs tiredly before answering.

“Well, after Herman has been sentenced, the rightful Alpha will take her place.”

I look at him.

“Nora.”

He nods.

“She is the rightful leader of Greenbell, Howard. She is old enough now, and the pack belongs to her.”

I glance around the room.

Nora’s name seems to linger in my thoughts.

She has lost so much.

Her mother.

Her childhood.

Her sense of security.

And now she is being handed the responsibility of leading the very pack that has been a source of so much pain.

“She isn’t in a state for that kind of meeting right now,” I say.

Jack nods.

“Of course not. She can make that decision whenever she’s ready.”

I release a slow breath.

That is exactly how it should be.

No one should force Nora into anything again.

“She’ll need time,” I say.

“She will get it,” Jack replies.

Alex and I leave the room together.

The moment I step outside, the atmosphere changes. I look around the premises of Greenbell, and for the first time, I truly notice how different it feels.

The place looks like it has forgotten what happiness feels like.

Herman didn’t just hurt Nora and her mother. He hurt their home too. He took away the joy and liveliness that once existed here and replaced it with fear, control, and uncertainty.

But now that he is gone, things can finally change.

Greenbell can breathe again.

Its people can heal.

And Nora can decide what kind of leader she wants to become.

Alex walks beside me in silence as we make our way toward the exit.

Then I notice someone approaching.

Miles.

For a brief moment, irritation rises inside me simply because of his presence. My instincts still react whenever I see him, but I refuse to let that anger control me.

Miles stops in front of us.

His expression is different from what I’m used to seeing. There is no challenge in his eyes. No provocation. Instead, he looks genuinely concerned.

“Hey,” Miles says. “How’s Nora doing?”

Alex glances at me.

He knows I’m not going to answer immediately.

“She’ll be okay,” Alex says. “Thanks to Howard for being there for her.”

He looks at me with a small smile.

I exhale slowly.

“She’s going through a lot,” I finally say. “But she’s a fighter. She’ll fight through it, and she’ll be okay.”

Miles nods.

“I know she will.”

He hesitates before extending his hand toward me.

“Thank you for being there for her.”

I stare at his hand for a moment.

For months, I had seen Miles as a threat. I had convinced myself that he wanted to take Nora away from me, and perhaps a part of me had been right to feel threatened. But right now, there is no hostility in his expression. Only concern for Nora. I take his hand and shake it.

I wonder if maybe I had been the only one fighting this battle all along.

Miles releases my hand. “Take care of her,” he says with a gentle smile.

I meet his gaze. “I will.” And this time, I mean it with every part of me.



The rest of the journey back to Direwood was quiet.

Alex and I had plenty we could have discussed, but neither of us seemed particularly interested in filling the silence. My thoughts kept returning to Nora. I knew she was waiting for me at home, and even though I had barely been gone for a few hours, I already felt the need to see her.

“How are things with Nora?” Alex finally asked.

I turned toward him and shrugged.

“I don’t know, exactly. She hasn’t been herself, and I can’t just push my own burden onto her when she has her own,” I admitted. “She seems to love it when I’m around, but I don’t know if I’m fully forgiven yet.”

Alex studied me for a moment before giving me a reassuring smile.

“You will get a hang of it, both of you.”

I sighed.

“I hope so.”

I knew Nora better than most people did. She was a forgiver. Her heart was enormous, sometimes to the point where I worried people would take advantage of her kindness. She had always struggled to give up on the people she loved because she chose to believe there was still good in them.

She had believed in me at my worst. She had believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself and then I had pushed her too far.

I had hurt the very person who had loved me when I least deserved it, and I knew I couldn’t expect her to simply forget everything because I had finally realized how much she meant to me.

Still, I believed that someday Nora would forgive me.

Not because she owed me forgiveness, but because I knew the kind of heart she had.

The rest of the journey passed quietly. When we arrived at Direwood, I headed home directly, even though it was the middle of the day and I still had several responsibilities waiting for me. For once, none of those things mattered as much as seeing Nora.

I made my way to her chamber and pushed the door open.

She wasn’t in bed like I usually found her. The door leading to the balcony was open, and the curtains moved gently with the breeze. I stepped outside.

Nora was standing by the railing, looking out over the backyard.

For a moment, I simply watched her.

She looked fragile. The past few weeks had taken something from her, and I could see it in the way she carried herself. Yet, when she noticed me, she turned and smiled.

“Hey, you,” Nora said softly.

Those two simple words shouldn’t have affected me as much as they did.

But her voice still had that effect on me. It was soft and familiar, and hearing it reminded me of everything I had nearly lost.

I walked toward her and stopped beside her, placing my hands on the railing just as she had.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

I lifted a hand to her cheek and gently caressed it with my thumb.

Nora leaned into my touch and closed her eyes as she released a tired sigh.

“Barely holding on,” she admitted.

My heart tightened. I pulled her into my arms. It was the least I could do for her during this difficult time. She wrapped her arms around my torso and exhaled against my chest.

“Exactly what I needed,” she whispered.

I kissed the top of her head and rested my cheek against her hair.

“I’m here for you. Always,” I assured her.

We stayed that way for a while, neither of us needing to say anything else. I could feel the tension slowly leaving her body, and for those few moments, I wished I could keep the rest of the world away from her.

Eventually, Nora pulled back.

“How was the meeting?” she asked.

Her expression became serious again as she returned to the railing and avoided my gaze.

“Ah, Herman,” I said, taking a breath. “He confessed to what he was suspected of, and he will be taken to court next week. I promise you, he will get what he deserves.”

“Hell is what he deserves,” Nora replied with an eye roll.

I couldn’t help chuckling.

“We’ll give him that, then.”

She finally looked at me again and smiled. “Thank you,” she said softly.

I smiled and nodded. Then she asked the question I hadn’t expected.

“How’s your dad?”

I stared at her for a moment.

That was Nora.

Even after everything she had learned about Claude, even after all the pain surrounding her own mother and Herman, she still had enough kindness in her to worry about someone else.

“He’s fine, probably,” I answered with a shrug. “I haven’t gone to see him today.”

Nora sighed and nodded. She looked ahead again, appearing lost in thought.

I watched her calmly. There was something different about the way she looked at me.

Then she spoke.

“I forgive him.”

I gave her a puzzled look.

“Who?”

“Your father,” she clarified. “I forgive him.”

My brows drew together. Before I could respond, she looked directly at me.

“I forgive you too.”

For a second, I couldn’t breathe. I jerked back slightly as my heart began pounding.

“You do?”

Nora nodded. “I do.”

Her voice was sincere, and there was no hesitation in her eyes.

“Don’t make me regret it,” she added.

I shook my head immediately. “I swear you won’t.”

The words came out more emotionally than I intended. “I’m so sorry for ever being a dickhead. I love you. I fucking love you.”

Nora reached for me. I pulled her toward me and pressed my lips against hers. The moment our lips met, everything inside me seemed to settle. I had missed this. I had missed kissing her. I had missed the feeling of holding her close and feeling as though I was finally home.

Her arms wrapped around my neck, and her fingers tangled in my hair as she melted into the kiss.

My heart felt as though it were flying. Nora had forgiven me. She was willing to give me another chance and I swore to myself that I would never waste it. She eventually pulled back, disconnecting our lips, and we looked at each other.

We smiled.

It was the first genuine smile either of us had shared in a long time.

“I’ll give you the world,” I promised her. “The moon. The fucking stars. It’s yours. I’m yours.”

She smiled and somehow, I fell in love with her all over again.

For a few peaceful moments, we remained wrapped in each other’s arms. Then my phone rang. I let out an exasperated sigh.

Nora chuckled.

“It might be important,” she said, nudging me toward my phone.

I already had a feeling I knew who it was.

I pulled it from my pocket.

“Hello?”

“Okay, lover boy,” Alex said on the other end. “Don’t forget the trial meeting in ten minutes about Damon, Karen, and Selene. Nora needs to be there to testify if possible.”

I glanced at Nora.

The peace we’d just found was already being interrupted by another problem.

“We’ll be there shortly,” I replied before ending the call.

Nora watched me expectantly.

“It was Alex,” I told her.

“What did he say?”

I hesitated.

“We have a trial meeting in ten minutes. It concerns Damon, Karen, and Selene.”

Nora’s expression changed immediately.

“I can come.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know.”

I stepped closer and placed both hands gently on her waist.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “I haven’t been out in what, one week? Two weeks? I think I need to stop hiding away.”

I studied her face. “If you come, you don’t have to say anything unless you want to.”

“I know.”

“Then we’ll go together.”

She smiled.

“Okay.”

Nora disappeared into the room to change, while I waited outside.

A short while later, she emerged dressed and ready. I took her hand, and together we made our way to the trial room. 



Selene stood before us with her head bowed, her hands trembling visibly. Beside her stood Karen and Damon, both of whom looked considerably less confident than they had before entering the room. Nora remained beside me, her fingers tightly intertwined with mine. I could feel the tension in her body, and although she had insisted on coming, I knew this was not easy for her.

I leaned closer to her and lowered my voice. “Hey.”

She turned her eyes toward me.

“They will never hurt you again,” I assured her.

For a moment, she simply stared at me. Her eyes were filled with emotion, but she eventually nodded and gave me a faint smile. I leaned over and pressed a brief kiss against her lips before turning my attention toward the three people standing before us.

I rose from my seat and faced Selene first.

“Since when did you start working for Karen and Damon?” I asked, keeping my voice controlled despite the anger building inside me.

Selene swallowed nervously. “I… I didn’t mean to.”

“Speak clearly.”

“Karen forced me,” she stammered.

My eyes narrowed. “How?”

Selene’s lips trembled.

“She threatened to hurt my mother.”

I stared at her.

“She threatened your mother?”

Selene nodded, tears gathering in her eyes. “She said she would hurt her if I didn’t do what she told me. She’s the only family I have left.”

For a brief moment, I said nothing. I understood fear. I understood what it meant to have someone you loved used against you. But understanding her circumstances did not erase what she had done.

“You were spying on my wife,” I said.

Selene lowered her head. “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you report Karen’s threats?”

She began crying harder. “I was scared.”

Alex, who stood beside me, stepped forward.

“You could have come to us,” he said. “You could have told Howard what was happening.”

Selene shook her head.

“I thought she would really hurt my mother.”

Her sobs filled the room, but I remained unmoved. I had sympathy for her situation, but my anger was still burning too strongly. She had become a pawn in their malicious game, and they had used her to spy on Nora because they considered my wife a hindrance to their plans.

I turned toward Karen. She immediately avoided my gaze.

“Is that true?” I demanded.

Karen remained silent.

“Karen, I asked you a question.”

She finally lifted her head. “Yes.”

The simple admission intensified my rage.

“You threatened her mother so she would spy on Nora?”

Karen’s voice trembled. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“You always have a choice.”

Damon shifted beside her. I turned toward him. “And you? You knew about this?”

He looked at Karen before answering. “Yes.”

I laughed bitterly.

“Of course, you did.”

I had trusted these people once. I had considered Karen someone who understood my family and Damon someone whose blood relationship to me meant something.

Instead, they had conspired against me.

They had lied to me about Scott.

They had manipulated me and now they had targeted Nora.

Karen took a shaky breath.

“We only did it because we needed somewhere to go.”

My brows furrowed.

“What are you talking about?”

Karen exchanged a nervous glance with Damon.

“We made a bargain with Gray.”

The room became quiet.

“Explain.”

Karen swallowed.

“We needed refuge in his pack.”

“And what did Gray want in return?”

She hesitated.

“He wanted to reach Nora.”

My entire body went rigid.

“You helped Gray because he wanted access to my wife?”

Karen nodded reluctantly.

My hands curled into fists.

The thought of Gray getting anywhere near Nora made my blood run cold. After everything that had happened, after the danger he had already brought to my family, I couldn’t comprehend how they could have willingly helped him.

“You knew what he wanted to do?”

Damon finally spoke.

“We didn’t know everything.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

My voice echoed through the room.

Damon fell silent.

I began pacing.

Disbelief, anger, and the overwhelming desire for retribution fought inside me. These were people I had once allowed into my home. People who had been close enough to my family to know exactly what could hurt us.

And they had used that knowledge against me.

I should have killed Gray instead of leaving him blind.

The thought came without warning.

Plucking his eyes out hadn’t felt like enough for what he had intended to do to me and my family. Even though Void Pack had been cancelled from every event and gathering, I still felt as though I should have done more.

But now I had Karen, Damon, and Selene standing before me.

They had played their parts in the same scheme.

“Guards,” I ordered.

The warriors immediately stepped forward.

“Take them all to the pit dungeon and assign hard labor upon them.”

Nora’s fingers tightened around mine.

I looked at her briefly before turning back to the prisoners.

My anger had not disappeared, but I forced myself to remain composed.

“Torture them,” I added coldly.

Karen’s face drained of color. Damon’s expression hardened. Selene began crying again.

But I wasn’t finished. I stepped closer to Damon.

“Before then, where did you take Scott?”

Damon’s eyes met mine, refusing to say anything. 

“Where is my son?”

Still silence. My patience was disappearing.

“Damon.”

He swallowed.

“You think putting me in that dungeon is going to make me talk?”

I stared at him. “You’ve already lost.”

A faint smile appeared on his face. “You think you’ve defeated me?”

Damon’s expression became darker.

“Don’t think you’ve defeated me, and don’t think I’ve given up. I’m still coming for that Alpha throne because you don’t deserve it.”

Nora shifted beside me.

Damon continued.

“You don’t deserve Nora. You don’t deserve Scott. You deserve hell.”

My anger surged. I stepped toward him, but Alex caught my arm.

“Howard.”

I looked at him.

“Don’t.”

I took a deep breath.

Damon smiled as though he had achieved exactly what he wanted.

“You’ll watch me take away everything you own, Howard. Just watch me.”

The guards pulled him away. I watched him disappear through the doorway, my jaw clenched. He had no idea what he was up against and I would protect everything that mattered to me.

I turned toward her. She was watching me with concern. I reached for her hand and held it tightly.

No matter how many people tried to destroy what we had built, I would not allow them to succeed.

Not anymore.