Chapter 199 She Came, She Saw, She Conquered

Chapter 199 She Came, She Saw, She Conquered
I had never had the urge to actually take a life, ever. Sure, those days, I wished my step-father was involved in some terrible accident or the other, or even wondered how I'd feel if he never returned home one day. Usually, if those thoughts sprang up, I always tried hard to suppress them. 

Because no matter how terribly I had been treated, I believed that things would get better. And if I wished them harm in any form, what would be the distinction between both of us, then? 

…until now. 

Now, at the very moment I rose to my feet and drove my claws into the neck of the monstrosity before me, I harbored every intention to kill. Saying I wanted to kill him was an understatement even. I wanted to decimate him. I wanted to wipe him from the face of the earth. 

Because how dare he hurt Caligo? How dare he hurt the love of my life? How dare he make my man fall into despair?

“How we're the same thing—” were the words the man had been speaking before suddenly freezing. I could feel his entire body go numb, his blood warm against my fingers.

The former Alpha turned back with a mixed look of surprise, confusion…

He wanted to speak, but I drove my claws further into his neck, tearing through whatever arteries might've been there. I wasn't about to take any chances. 

“Oh, you thought I was dead?” I flashed him a maniacal grin. “Too bad for you, demon, because I can heal!”

“Y-you’re a werewolf…” The man gurgled a speech, even though my claws were still deep in his neck. Just how powerful was his healing factor? I could already feel his flesh repairing itself around my hand.

What the actual hell?

“Yes,” Caligo spoke at that moment, drawing the man's attention. My glorious man walked up to his father and said with strained breathing, “You failed to account for that possibility because my instinct told me to be wary of you. Of everyone. And so I hid the fact that Rose had awakened her wolf.”

Caligo did not waste a single moment after that sentence. He held his father by the shoulder, then drove his other hand into the man's chest. Blood splattered, and I felt the old man tremble in his spot. 

Caligo did not stop. He kept pushing inward till his entire fist went in, digging a deeper hole than my mind could handle. I almost doubled over to retch, but I stood my ground. This was something I needed to witness.

“Of course, this isn't anything fatal for someone like you.” Caligo scoffed after pulling his arm from the man's chest. “But such a wound will weaken you greatly. Enough for me to hand you over to the mob outside. The entire battle and interaction were being broadcast to them, by the way. Have fun convincing them.”

With that, Caligo grabbed his father, who was slipping in and out of consciousness, out of the living room. I followed behind, watching the man's blood stain the floor up until the foyer.

We stepped outside of the house, and a gentle breeze shook me, seeping into my bones and granting me relief. Almost as if to tell me that everything was finally over. 

Ciro. Aurora. Caligo's father. 

We had finally surpassed the different types of torment they brought about. 

“My loyal pack,” Caligo's voice jerked me back to reality at that moment. He tossed his father's body down the stairs, watching the man roll along the courtyard till he finally stopped before the pack members. Their faces were shadowed and filled with menace. 

“It is just as Elder Stannis has shown you,” Caligo gestured over to one of the elderly men who stood in the center of the crowd. “My father, who once lived a life of aimless conquests, had now been brought to his feet. Not only did he spark unnecessary wars, but he also cost a lot of you precious people. Husbands. Sons. Your loved ones. They died on the battlefield for the sake of a tyrant’s amusement. As if that wasn't enough, he devised a cruel plan to create a terrible virus and enslave the entire supernatural world with it.”

“When I took over as Alpha, I promised that I would make things better. And that is what I have done today. By delivering this man into your hands, I have brought about justice for those who are no longer with us. I have also brought peace to the pack. Tonight, we celebrate because we are no longer bound by the whims of a tyrant. Tonight, we will deliver rightful punishment.”

Hearing the energetic cheers of the crowd, Caligo nodded. He then turned to look at me and outstretched a hand.

“And, all this was only possible because I had the woman of my life beside me. She was there every step of the way, enduring torment and abuse, yet still fulfilling her role as the future Luna. Rosemary Verona Mercer, you have shown that you have the wits, strength, and determination to lead this pack. And I doubt that there is a single person who will object to this.”

I held my breath in tense anticipation. I looked at Nyx. She was smiling proudly. I shifted my gaze to Nox— she looked away in guilt. The same was for Catherine. I looked at Cassian. He was grinning from ear to ear like a fool. He was ever the jester.

I looked at the Elders who had once tried so hard to have me replaced. They also bowed with respect. I saw Zara standing at the edge of the crowd too. There was a faint approving smirk on her face.

Wow…

Who would've thought that, one day, I would finally be accepted by this pack? Fully accepted by all.

Suppressing the sudden anxiety that washed over me, I took firm steps forward and arrived next to Caligo. 

What was I even supposed to say? I was scared, happy, overjoyed, nervous… it was such a terrible mix of emotions that I could almost burst out crying. 

After thinking about it for a while, I drew in a deep breath, cleared my throat, and then said, “When I was first brought to this pack, I was scared. Unsure. When I found out that this entire place belonged to werewolves, I was terrified out of my wits. Hah, I had no idea about the supernatural world before that time, so I felt like a lost fish in a boundless ocean. I felt the strongest urge to leave.”

“But, as time went by, as I interacted more and more with you all, I realized that there isn't much difference between us. We're simply people, in the end. With our own diverse thoughts, emotions, and dreams. Werewolf, human, halfling— in the grand perspective of the universe, we're one and the same.”

I smiled faintly and lowered my head to bow. 

“So I hope that you will overlook this slight physiological difference and let me lead you all as a human. As a wolf. As a halfling. I promise to carry out my Luna duties as best as I can.”

Silence descended in the courtyard for more than thirty seconds. I knew because I was anxiously counting. 

Then, someone clapped. And then someone else called too. And another, and another. Soon, the entire area was filled with a harmonious applause. The wolves cheered for me, yelling my name with glee and chanting the name of the pack.

I raised my head and looked at Caligo. We both smiled, not even needing to say anything. I already knew what was on his mind, and he knew what was on mine.

Still, he pulled me by the waist as he said, “Let's get married, my love.”

That night turned out to be one of the happiest of my life.