Chapter 55: Checkmate

Leo

The soft glow of my desk lamp cast long shadows across the walls of my study, the faint scent of leather and paper lingering in the air. Stacks of documents cluttered the surface—territory reports, patrol schedules, grievances from the lower ranks. The mundane weight of leadership.

But my eyes weren’t on the papers.

My fingers curled around the document in my hand, tightening as my mind drifted elsewhere—back to the night I stepped out of the shadows and into the light of my throne room.

The day I revealed myself.

I exhaled sharply, leaning back in my chair as the memory unfolded in vivid clarity.

**Flashback**

“Speak. And make it worth my time,” I had growled.

One Alpha cleared his throat hesitantly, stepping forward with forced confidence. “Your Majesty, we—”

I lifted a hand, silencing him instantly. My gaze swept over them with calculated precision.

“You dare insult my throne,” I drawled, my tone laced with amusement, though my wolf burned with fury underneath. “Calling me an immature King who hides behind his Beta? I must admit, that’s bold. Stupid, but bold.”

Murmurs rippled through the room, but the second I turned my head, silence fell like a blade.

I took a slow step forward, letting my presence weigh down on them. “I rule as I see fit. If that makes you uncomfortable, you are free to challenge me.” My lips curled into a smirk. “But we all know how that would end, don’t we?”

No one moved. No one spoke.

“Since you are so concerned with how I handle my throne, I’ll make something clear. Disrespect will not be tolerated. Consider this your first and final warning.”

I turned slightly, my eyes locking onto the one man I had been waiting to confront—my uncle.

He stood at the far end of the room, his arms crossed, his face impassive. But I saw it. The slight twitch of his fingers. The way his jaw clenched when I met his gaze.

I smirked.

“You look uncomfortable, Uncle.”

A few heads turned in his direction, confusion flickering through the ranks. He had played his part well, keeping his connection to me hidden. But now, it was time for the truth to come to light.

My uncle lifted a brow, his expression smoothing into something amused. “Uncle?” He chuckled. “I don’t recall having a nephew.”

I hummed, tilting my head. “No. But you recall meeting a stranger and making him a very interesting offer.”  

He had met me twice before, unaware that he had stood before his own nephew.  

Unaware that the same man he had tried to recruit into his pathetic coup against the ‘invincible Alpha King’ had been the very ruler he was plotting to overthrow.  

I still recalled every word he had said that day. The casual drawl in his voice. The way he had leaned in as if speaking to an equal, offering me a place by his side.  

His face didn’t change, but the silence in the room grew heavier.

“I met you twice before,” I continued, pacing leisurely. “You approached me, spoke of plans to overthrow the invincible Alpha King, unaware that you were plotting against the very person you came to meet.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw.

I stopped directly in front of him, lowering my voice so only he could hear. “Tell me, Uncle… what exactly were you thinking?”

His lips parted slightly, then—just as quickly—he smirked. “Thinking? That you were nothing more than another lost wolf willing to be swayed by power.” He shrugged. “I was wrong.”

The audacity.

I chuckled darkly, my wolf clawing for control. I spoke calmly, my voice devoid of emotion.  

“Lock him in his quarters.”  

Murmurs had erupted, shock rippling through the room.  

My uncle had let out a low, amused chuckle, but there had been something tight in his jaw. “You wouldn’t dare.”  

My gaze had never wavered. “You will not leave. You will not see anyone. You will not step outside until I say so.”  

The guards had moved immediately, seizing him by the arms. He hadn’t fought them. He hadn’t struggled.  

But his eyes had burned into mine.  

I turned sharply, and the room fell silent once more.

“Dismissed.” My voice was final, a command none dared to challenge.

One by one, the Alphas lowered their heads before filing out. I didn’t move until the last one had gone.

Then, through the mind link, I reached Zane.

“Gather the council. I’m done indulging their complaints.”

Zane’s amused voice filtered through my mind. 

“Finally revealing your face, huh? I bet half the unmated she-wolves will be fantasizing about you.”

My wolf growled. The very idea of anyone taking Ivy’s place had his fury surging.

Zane chuckled as he noticed the stretched silence. “Relax, I’m only joking.”

I exhaled sharply. “Not funny.”

His tone sobered slightly. “Does this mean you’re staying?”

I hesitated.

“The thought of returning to my kingdom without my Queen is ridiculous,” I said firmly. “I will come back fully when I bring my mate and your Luna along.”

Then, I cut the link.

I turned, making my way toward my chambers, but as I passed a familiar hallway, I halted abruptly.

My old chamber.

Gory memories rushed back in an instant—blood, screams, a twisted body.

My fists clenched at my sides. No matter how many years passed, no matter how many renovations were made, nothing erased the horror that lingered in these walls.

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to move past it, storming down the opposite wing.

I had just reached my chamber door when Zane’s voice cut through the link. “Your Majesty, our patrol guards caught a whiff of rogues… we suspect they are Malrik’s men.”

I didn’t wait for him to finish. I spun on my heels, my pulse thrumming.

“Gather the men. We leave immediately.”

My hatred for rogues ran deeper than any Alpha’s.

Dina had used them to infiltrate my kingdom. They had killed my parents.

I had sworn to rid the world of every last one of them.

And yet, Malrik kept recruiting more.

This wouldn’t end until he died.

—

The hunt was swift, brutal.

The rogues scattered the moment we arrived, but we were faster. Stronger.

Claws tore through flesh. Snarls and screams filled the night.

One by one, they fell.

And then—I saw her.

A lone she-wolf, cornered, her back to a tree. Unlike the others, she didn’t cower.

She bared her teeth, her stance defiant.

I took a step forward, my smirk slow and deliberate.

Before I could speak, a loud, guttural growl erupted from deep within the forest.

The air changed.

The remaining rogues fled.

I tilted my head, amusement curling in my chest.

Then, in a whisper only she could hear, I murmured—

“Checkmate.”