Chapter 24 THE EXECUTION AT THE GATE
When Serra pulled away, her lips were swollen and tasted of copper. Their breathing was loud enough to drown out the hum of the electronics in the room. But within that chaos, the shards of broken, panicked glass in Dorian’s eyes had been swept away. In their place was a clarity harder than steel, colder than ice.
Dorian rested his forehead against hers one last time. This was not a goodbye; it was a sealing of souls.
"You brought me back," he said, his voice no longer trembling. It was deep, authoritative, the voice of a king. "Now watch."
Dorian hopped off the table. He didn't bother buttoning his torn shirt. The seal on his chest glowed like silvery moonlight; it was no longer a shame to be hidden, but a weapon to blind his enemies.
"Valeria," Dorian said, turning to the command console. His voice whipped through the room. "Status."
Valeria didn't take her red-rimmed eyes off the screen. Her voice was professional, but deep fear lay beneath it. "Gate shield is at 4%. Vespera has prepped a battering ram. Kael... Kael is still not moving."
"Drop the shield," Dorian ordered.
Lukas jumped in his chair. "What? Are you insane? They'll flood in!"
"You heard me," Dorian’s gaze pinned Lukas to his seat. "Drop the shield only at the main gate. I am inviting them in. I want them to crawl out of their holes and step into my domain."
Dorian reached into a hidden compartment in his boot and pulled out a long, silver-coated blade. He tested its edge with his thumb; a drop of blood beaded up.
"Lukas," he said, twirling the knife. "Hack into Vespera’s broadcast. How long can you hijack that signal?"
Lukas cracked his knuckles, shaking off the shock and shifting into work mode. "I can hijack it, but I’ll have sixty seconds max before they block me. Their system is military-grade."
"Sixty seconds is enough to destroy a kingdom and build it anew," Dorian said. "The moment I step out those doors, I want to see only one thing on every phone, every tablet, and every screen in the Pack."
"What should I show?" Lukas asked, his hand hovering over the 'Enter' key.
Dorian looked at Serra. That wild, fearless grin—the one that would haunt his enemies' nightmares—appeared on his lips.
"Me," he said. "And this." He slapped his hand over his chest, onto the glowing seal. "Show them what the Alpha they thought was weak really is. Let them know the monster has returned."
(THE DEATH MARCH)
Dorian headed toward the massive double doors leading to the courtyard. Before placing his hand on the handle, he stopped and turned to Serra. He extended his hand.
"Come with me, Luna," he said. "I will not leave you in the tower, shivering behind me. You are my shield. You will stand beside me on the battlefield."
Serra looked at his hand. It was the hand of a man offering her his soul, treating her as an equal. She took it without hesitation. Her grip was strong, her nails digging into his palm.
"Lead the way, Alpha," Serra said.
Together, they pushed the heavy oak doors open.
The air outside smelled of burnt flesh and ozone. The courtyard was filled with Vespera's mercenaries. But when the doors swung open and Dorian and Serra appeared at the top of the stairs, hand in hand, bearing the marks of war and passion, a wave of silence spread through the crowd.
Vespera stood in the center of the courtyard, next to Kael’s motionless body. She held a bloody sword. Seeing Dorian, she smiled; it was the smile of a fool who thought she had won.
"Finally," Vespera shouted, her voice echoing across the courtyard. "The coward Alpha comes out of his den. Surrender, Dorian, and maybe I'll let your cousin breathe his last breath in peace."
Dorian didn't say a word. He just sent a mental signal to Lukas.
Now.
In that instant, the massive screens in the courtyard, the soldiers' phones, the monitors inside the palace—all of them static-ed out. Vespera’s image cut to black. It was replaced by a close-up of Dorian.
The camera wasn't focused on Dorian’s face, but on his chest.
The Origin Seal.
The seal shone on the screens with a blinding silver light. It wasn't a mark of a curse; it was the source of raw power from the Shadow Age, the stuff of legends. Everyone in the Pack knew instinctively what that seal meant: Absolute Authority.
Vespera staggered back as she saw her own image vanish from the giant screen behind her, replaced by that terrifying power on Dorian’s chest. A wave of unease rippled through her soldiers. Even the mercenaries sensed that what stood before them was no ordinary Alpha.
"Surrender?" Dorian’s voice filled the courtyard, not from the speakers, but projecting directly from his lungs with raw acoustic power. It was so loud that the soldiers in the front row had to cover their ears.
Dorian began to descend the stairs, his steps slow and lethal. Serra was right beside him, her eyes locked on Vespera.
"Your mistake, Vespera," Dorian said, his voice growing louder with every step. "You mistook my mercy for weakness. You mistook my seal for a leash."
Dorian stopped ten meters from Vespera. Vespera raised her sword, but her hands were trembling.
"Attack!" Vespera screamed at her soldiers. "What are you waiting for? He's alone! Kill him!"
But no one moved. The aura radiating from Dorian settled over them like a physical weight.
Dorian raised his hand, palm facing up.
"Kneel," he said. It was a whisper, but it hit like a sledgehammer.
Dorian suddenly clenched his fingers into a fist.
A visible shockwave erupted from the seal on his chest. This was the Red Alpha power Serra had given him in the tunnel, mixed with years of accumulated hatred.
The wave slammed into Vespera. The woman flew backward as if slapped by an invisible giant, smashing into the palace walls ten meters away. The sound of breaking bones cracked through the silent courtyard.
Dorian didn't walk toward the crumpled Vespera. Instead, he went to his cousin, Kael, lying on the ground.
He knelt beside Kael. He placed his hand on his cousin’s bloody chest.
"Get up, brother," Dorian said, his voice softening. "The war is just beginning."
Kael groaned in pain, cracked his eyes open, and saw Dorian’s glowing seal. His bloody lips quirked into a grin. "Show-off..." Kael whispered.
Dorian looked up at the frozen mercenaries. His eyes were pure lava.
"Run," he said. "And tell your masters that Volcan has returned."
The soldiers dropped their weapons and scrambled toward the gate, running in panic toward the gap in the shield. It wasn't a retreat; it was a rout.
Serra came to Dorian’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder. The courtyard was cleared. Victory had been won with blood and fear.
But Serra knew. This wasn't the end of the war. Vespera was just a pawn. The real player, upon seeing this power, would make a much bigger move.