Chapter 157

ALTHEA

The moment I stepped outside the pack house, the tears finally blurred my vision.

I didn’t sob. I didn’t collapse. I simply walked—one foot in front of the other—while my chest ached so badly it felt like I’d forgotten how to breathe properly. The wind cut against my damp cheeks, carrying the distant sounds of the pack behind me, but none of it felt real.

Everything hurt.

Every word he’d said replayed in my head like a curse.

Betrayal runs in your blood.

History repeats itself.

I wrapped my arms around myself as if I could keep my heart from splintering any further.

“Althea.”

I stiffened at the voice behind me.

I didn’t turn.

Beta Braxton’s footsteps slowed as he caught up, his presence careful now—no longer the sharp, commanding Beta who had delivered devastating news, but a man who suddenly didn’t know where to stand.

“I’m not here to stop you,” he said quietly. “Or drag you back.”

I swallowed hard. “Then what do you want?”

“To explain,” he said after a pause.

I laughed softly, brokenly. “That’ll be a first.”

He sighed. “Alpha Collin… he has anger issues.”

I finally turned, disbelief flashing through my tears. “You think I didn’t notice?”

“That rage,” Braxton continued, ignoring my tone, “is the reason Blood Moon still stands. It’s why enemy packs think twice before crossing our borders. It’s why rogues don’t settle here.”

“So we’re all just meant to endure it?” I asked bitterly.

“Yes,” he said honestly. “We endure it. Because when he’s angry, he’s unstoppable.”

I shook my head. “That doesn’t excuse what he said to me.”

“No,” Braxton admitted. “It doesn’t.”

I took a shaky breath. “I won’t let anyone talk ill about me. Not him. Not you. Not anyone.”

Braxton studied me carefully.

“I fought rogues,” I continued, my voice trembling but strong. “I protected my pack when their Alpha failed. I bled for wolves who later turned their backs on me. And I will not stand here and let my past be used against me like a weapon.”

“I know,” Braxton said quietly.

I scoffed. “Knowing doesn’t change anything.”

“No,” he agreed. “But the matter isn’t staying inside Blood Moon.”

My stomach dropped. “What do you mean?”

“The king has summoned all parties,” he said. “This goes beyond pack politics now.”

The world tilted.

“The king?” I whispered.

“Yes.”

My hands began to shake.

The king’s chambers were vast, carved from ancient stone and power older than memory. The air inside was heavy with authority—every breath tasted like judgment.

I stood beside Alpha Collin, though it felt like I stood alone.

Alpha Damon was across from us.

I hadn’t seen him in years, but the sight of him made my skin crawl. He looked exactly as I remembered—cold eyes, proud posture, and a mouth too quick to twist the truth into something convenient.

“My king,” Damon said smoothly, bowing just enough to appear respectful. “Dark Moon had no involvement in the attack.”

The lie fell effortlessly from his lips.

I clenched my fists.

Collin’s aura surged beside me, heat and fury rolling off him in waves. I could feel it pressing against my skin, making it harder to breathe.

“You expect us to believe,” Collin said, voice low and deadly, “that rogues suddenly gained military coordination on their own?”

Damon scoffed. “Or perhaps Blood Moon seeks to blame others for its own failure.”

The room went still.

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

The king’s gaze sharpened. “Choose your words carefully, Alpha Damon.”

Damon inclined his head. “I mean no disrespect. But accusing my pack without proof is reckless.”

“You provided weapons,” Collin snarled. “You provided routes.”

Damon’s eyes flicked briefly to me.

Then he smiled.

“Your Alpha is grasping at shadows,” Damon said. “Perhaps he should look closer to home.”

The implication hit like a punch.

I felt everyone’s eyes on me.

Collin went rigid.

“I refuse to claim responsibility,” Damon continued calmly. “And I will not accept blame for soldiers I do not recognize.”

The lie rang loud and hollow in the chamber.

Something snapped beside me.

Collin stepped forward.

The king’s guards tensed immediately.

“You should watch your back, Damon,” Collin said, voice echoing through the chamber. “Because if I find even one thread tying you to this—”

“Alpha Collin,” the king warned sharply.

Collin didn’t stop.

“I will tear Dark Moon apart,” he finished coldly. “Stone by stone. Wolf by wolf.”

The threat hung in the air—open, undeniable, terrifying.

Damon’s smile faltered.

I couldn’t breathe.

Collin’s eyes were glowing red again, brighter than before, his rage spilling unchecked. I had seen this look once before—in stories, in whispers, in nightmares.

This was the monster they warned me about.

And standing beside him, marked by him, bound to him, I felt smaller than I ever had.

Not because I was weak.

But because no matter how hard I fought, I was still trapped between two Alphas who saw me as nothing more than a reminder of betrayal.

I pressed a hand to my chest, silently begging my lungs to work.

Because if Collin lost control here—

There would be no coming back.

And I wasn’t sure if I would survive standing this close to his fury.