Begining of the end

Begining of the end


Flora's POV

Kael dropped to one knee, fury blazing in his eyes.

“You dare betray me?” he snarled.

My heart hammered in my chest.

“You taught me that magic reveals truth,” I said, my voice shaking but loud.

I glanced at Maverick lying behind me.

“And the truth is… he never fought for power.”

I faced Kael fully.

“He fought for people.”

More magic ignited in my hands. Kael slowly stood.
His expression darkened into something far more dangerous than anger.

“Then you’ve chosen your side,” he said coldly.

Lightning-like energy cracked through the air as he summoned another spell.I planted my feet, power surging through me.

Behind me, Maverick struggled to push himself up.

“Flora…” he whispered weakly.

The clearing trembled as Kael’s magic spiraled upward.The balance of power had shattered.And for the first time—Kael looked uncertain.

I lifted my hands.

“Yeah,” I said quietly.

“I did.”

My body ached, every breath heavy in my chest, but none of it compared to the storm raging inside me. Before I knew it Kael had escaped.
Even now, I could still see the fury in his eyes when he vanished into the shadows of the trees, wounded but not defeated. He had looked at me as if I had betrayed him. Perhaps I had. Or perhaps he had never truly seen me at all.

Malcolm stood only a few paces away, I didn't know he was there the entire time.For a moment neither of us spoke. His shoulders were slumped in a way I had never seen before. The man who had once seemed larger than life, untouchable and commanding, now looked… smaller and fragile.

The moonlight caught the silver in his hair and the shadows beneath his eyes.

“Flora,” he said quietly.

My name on his lips felt strange. It had always carried authority before, command. Now it trembled.

I folded my arms across my chest, trying to steady myself. My heart was pounding, but my voice came out cold.

“You said you had something to tell me.”

His gaze dropped to the ground. For a moment, he looked as though he might turn and walk away. Instead, he drew in a shaky breath.

“Yes,” he said.

Malcolm finally lifted his head.

His eyes met mine, and what I saw there made something twist painfully inside my chest.

“Your mother,” he said slowly, his voice rough. “You deserve to know the truth about what happened to her.”

My stomach tightened.Every muscle in my body went rigid, as though my bones had turned to stone.

“I already know the story,” I said sharply. “She died protecting the pack.”

His jaw tightened.

“That’s the story I allowed everyone to believe.”

A chill crawled down my spine.

“What does that mean?” I demanded.

He closed his eyes briefly, as though gathering the courage to step off a cliff.

“It means,” he whispered, “that I killed her.”

“Why?” My voice cracked, betraying the storm inside me. “Why would you say something like that?”

His eyes filled with something raw and broken.

“Because it’s the truth.”

The wind moved through the clearing, whispering through the branches above us. It sounded like ghosts.

“I loved her,” Malcolm continued hoarsely. “More than anything.”

My hands curled into fists.

“Don’t,” I warned.

But he kept going.

“She chose someone else.”

His voice trembled now, the words scraping out of him like shattered glass.

“Your father.”

The name hit me like a forgotten memory. I barely remembered him, only fragments of warmth and laughter before he had vanished from my life.

Jealousy burned in Malcolm’s eyes as he spoke.

“I was the Alpha,” he said bitterly. “I thought that meant something. I thought it meant she would choose me.”

His voice broke.

“But she didn’t.”

My breathing had grown shallow. Every word he spoke felt like another crack spreading through my past.

“What happened?” I whispered.

Malcolm looked up at the moon as though seeking judgment.

“We argued,” he said. “It started small. Just words. But anger… anger is a dangerous thing for wolves like us.”

His hands trembled.

“I lost control.”

My chest tightened.

“She fought back,” he continued quietly. “Not because she wanted to hurt me, but because she was trying to stop me from doing something I would regret.”

Tears filled his eyes now.

“But I didn’t stop.”

“I struck her,” he said, his voice barely audible.

My heart dropped into a cold, endless pit.

“And when I realized what I had done…”

A tear slid down his cheek.

“It was too late.”

For a long time, I couldn’t breathe.

The world felt distant, like I was watching everything through thick glass.

“You lied to me,” I said slowly.

Malcolm nodded.

“Yes.”

“You let me believe she died as a useless woman.”

Another nod.

“Yes.”

My hands shook violently now.

“Why?” I demanded, my voice rising. “Why would you keep something like that from me?”

His face crumpled with pain.

“Because I knew you would hate me.”

He stepped closer, but I instinctively took a step back.That small movement seemed to wound him more than any blade could.

“I deserve your hatred,” he said quietly. “Every bit of it.”

His voice broke again.

“But there is one thing I need you to know.”

I stared at him, my heart pounding.

“What?”

His eyes met mine, filled with something painfully sincere.

“My love for you was real.”

I froze.

“I know I have no right to ask anything from you,” he continued. “Not forgiveness. Not understanding.”

His voice trembled as tears slipped freely down his face now.

“But you were never just a responsibility to me, Flora.”

“You don’t get to say that,” I whispered.

Malcolm flinched.

“You don’t get to claim love after something like that.”

“I know,” he said softly.

He didn’t argue. He didn’t defend himself.He simply stood there, broken and waiting for whatever judgment I would give.

“I’m not asking you to forgive me,” he said.

His voice was barely steady.

“But I would give anything… anything… to spend whatever time I have left trying to make things right.”

“I can’t give you what you want,” I said.

His eyes closed briefly, as if he had expected that answer all along.

“I know.”

“But I won’t let your sins decide the rest of my life either.”

He opened his eyes again, confusion flickering across his face.

“I’m done being a pawn,” I said firmly.

The words felt like chains breaking inside my chest.

“All my life, people have been making choices for me. Telling me who I belong to. What my future should be.”

My gaze moved briefly toward the forest where Kael had disappeared.Then toward Maverick.

“But I belong to myself.”

The silence that followed felt almost sacred.

“I’m leaving,” I said.

Malcolm’s breath caught.

“The pack?” he asked weakly.

I shook my head.

“Everything.”

His expression fell.

“You can’
t survive alone.”

A faint smile touched my lips.

“You’d be surprised.”

For a moment he looked like he wanted to argue. Then he simply nodded.

“I hope,” he said quietly, “that wherever you go… you find the peace I stole from your mother.”