Chapter 260: My Patience Is Limited

Chapter 260: My Patience Is Limited
Avery

Orion looked around the room, perhaps hoping to find some sympathy or mercy in the faces watching him. But all he saw was cold justice.

Julian's face was filled with barely contained rage. Damian looked like he was already planning his brother's funeral. Dominic just watched me with concern, and I mind-linked him not to worry—my body wasn't feeling tired or uncomfortable yet.

"Tick tock," I said, extending my claws again and examining them casually. "My patience is limited. Talk. Is there anything else you haven't told us?"

Finally, Orion's shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Nothing more to say," he said, his voice losing its former confidence. "Just me. No grand conspiracy, no other accomplices. Just one werewolf who wanted revenge on the brother who destroyed everything he held dear."

I studied his face carefully, looking for signs of deception. But his defeat seemed genuine, with no traces of lies.

"We found that cave where you were hiding," Dominic interjected. "What was that place? What attacked you?"

Orion's expression became confused, almost vulnerable for a moment.

"I don't know," he said honestly.

"I was hiding there, thought it was just an ancient cave system. But something else lived there. Something old, angry, powerful." He shuddered, his chains rattling.

"It came from the deeper tunnels. Bigger than me, faster, claws that could tear me in half. I tried to fight back, but..." He gestured weakly at the wounds on his chest, and I noticed larger claw marks beside Clara's scratches.

"It was toying with me. Like I was a plaything. You better deal with that thing, or you'll all be sorry!"

Other matters could be investigated later. Right now, we had more pressing business.

"Well, considering you're about to die, what we do about anything is none of your fucking business!" I said, my voice returning to normal human tones.

"Sounds like you've told us everything useful." I looked around the room, meeting the eyes of every pack member present.

"Which brings us to the question of what to do with you." Orion's head snapped up, hope flickering in his yellow eyes.

"You could exile me," he said quickly. "Banish me from the territory. I'll never come back, never bother your pack again—"

Ridiculous. The fact that he thought we'd let him live was almost admirable in its audacity.

"No!" Julian's voice cut through his plea like a blade. He stepped forward, fire burning in his eyes.

"Like hell!"

I nodded slowly. Justice was justice, and some crimes couldn't be forgiven or forgotten.

"Julian's right," I said. "You murdered an innocent member of our pack, and Lyla. You tortured them, made them suffer, destroyed something beautiful and pure for your twisted pleasure."

I activated my partial shift again, claws extending, Alpha authority filling my voice.

"The sentence is death."

This needed to be done properly.

My royal Lycan bloodline manifested in all its beautiful, terrible glory—surgical claws designed for maximum damage, fangs capable of tearing through steel, muscles that could rip through metal.

I looked around the room, meeting each pair of eyes in turn.

"Wait." Julian stepped forward, his own partial transformation beginning. His change wasn't as dramatic as mine, but equally deadly. "I want to be the one," he said with unshakeable determination. "She was my mate. It's my right."

I considered this for a moment. By pack law, Julian absolutely had the right to execute his mate's killer. But looking at the raw grief and anger on his face, I wasn't sure this would be good for his mental state.

On the other hand, he needed this. He needed to feel like he'd done something for Clara.

"Together," I decided. "You start, I finish. That way Clara gets justice from someone who loved her."

Julian's face filled with gratitude as he nodded acceptance.

"Any last words?" I asked Orion, though my tone made it clear I didn't particularly care about his answer.

Orion straightened as much as his chains allowed, looking at me with contempt that might have been admirable under other circumstances.

"Just one thing," he said, his voice calm even facing death. "Damian."

His gaze turned to his brother, and for a moment, his expression almost regained some humanity.

"I'll never forgive you for what you did to me... I hate you, Damian!" He paused, the words clearly difficult.

Damian's face was written with sadness and guilt, and I saw him take half a step forward before steadying himself.

"I'm sorry," Damian said quietly, his voice barely audible. "I'm sorry things came to this. I'm sorry I couldn't save you from what you've become. But this was your choice... you have to pay for what you did!"

"But we're all monsters. Why should I be punished when you're not? The things you did before!" Orion replied simply. "But the difference is, you found people worth becoming better for. I never did."