Chapter 105 Chapter 105
Chapter 105 Chapter 105
Machiavelli’s eyes wandered beyond his daughter, beyond her mates, all the way to the warriors dragging Hadeon through the village to imprison him before a final debate could be held on what to do with him.
A muzzle was put on Hadeon as a precaution, but the warriors had dosed him with a strong tranquilliser laced with a few drops of wolfsbane, ensuring he’d be far too weak to shift into his wolf or access his tainted Alpha’s Roar again.
They intended to keep the dosage steady to avoid any more destruction at his hands.
He growled, “So it’s true. It was all him.”
Suki nodded in her father’s arms.
“I may never let you out of my sight again,” Machiavelli said, squeezing his daughter tighter.
Suki pulled away, taking his shoulders and gripping tightly. “I’m safe, I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.” She sighed. “You can thank my mates for that.”
He looked up at Reynard and Brendan. With tear-stained eyes, he choked out, “Thank you. Thank you for saving my daughter.”
Reynard bowed his head. “Don’t thank us. It would’ve been against our nature not to save her.”
“Besides–” Brendan added, crossing his arms. “–she saved us too.”
Machiavelli looked at his daughter, moving her messy hair out of her face. “Is that true?”
A nod and modest shrug. “You trained me well, father.”
He laughed, pulling her back into her hug. “That I did, but I still kept you away from all that I trained you for. I’m sorry. Perhaps I saw more of your mother in you than I realised.”
She leaned back. “Really?”
“She was brave, adventurous, and always wanted to help others.” He frowned. “When we lost her, I shut everything and everyone out. Even you,” he whispered, stroking her cheek. “I see that now. I didn’t want you to see my pain, my suffering, but in the end I left you suffering alone. I lost my mate, but you lost your mother.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks, but Suki didn’t bother wiping them away since more were certainly going to take their place.
“I focused on work, on ensuring you would be trained to be the best Beta you could be, but the second you were ready to take on the world, I panicked. I saw your mother every time I looked in your eyes. Every time I would see you scared or hurt, I saw her dying in my arms all over again.”
“Dad…”
He shook his head. “I set you down an old-fashioned path, just as my father had for me and so on. I wanted to break that standard for our family, but my fear got the best of me. I won’t let that happen again.”
Suki’s eyes widened. “Does that mean…?”
Her father smiled. “When you find the path you want to take, I will not stand in your way. I will support you entirely.”
A huge grin grew on her face. She hugged her father tightly and exhaled in relief. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, my little gem.”
‘So, would now be a great time to tell him that we both sealed the bond with her?’ Brendan asked.
Reynard rolled his eyes. ‘Go for it. But I’m not speaking at your funeral.’
Brendan scoffed insultingly down the bond.
Suki laughed. “There’s a lot I need to tell you personally, Father, but there’s also a lot we need to debrief the Alpha and the council on too.”
Machiavelli cupped a hand on his daughter’s cheek, admiring her glistening hazel eyes. “Then let’s begin.”
✧ ✧ ✧
The days following the attack were the hardest.
Some people had lost their homes. Others lost their loved ones. Yet everyone had lost their hope.
Because of Hadeon’s selfishness, no one felt safe anymore.
There was no confirmation that the blood they confiscated from the warehouse was all the blood Hadeon had drawn for his cause. He had been conspiring to carry out his plan for many years. Over that period, he could have stored away enough blood to wipe out the entire werewolf race once the formula was mastered.
Even though it wasn’t at the stage to destroy the wolf spirit entirely, it still posed a threat if the humans still possessed any traces of it, or worse – if it got into the hands of enemy packs. If someone were to take over Hadeon’s place…
It wasn’t even worth thinking about. They wouldn’t let it happen.
With the light of all that had occurred during Suki’s kidnapping and Hadeon’s incredibly detailed monologue he gave to her, expressing all of his actions, Alpha Wilder took it upon himself to personally thank Brendan for his bravery and commitment to a pack that never showed him any grace.
Zale was right all along about his judgment of Brendan’s character. His instincts and insight into people had proven that he would be a great Alpha one day.
Due to the Alpha’s thanks, the Moonstone pack was slightly more welcoming towards Brendan, who helped the warriors clean up the pack and aid the villagers in need.
Carrying a crate of bottled water, Brendan walked beside his best friend. “How long do you think it’ll take for the people to get used to the truth?”
Zale handed bottles to those who needed them and hummed, “Well, when you told me, I believed you instantly.”
“Yeah, but you had faith in me the whole time, even before you knew the truth,” he replied, rolling his eyes.
“Not just me,” Zale argued, jerking his head up ahead.
Brendan’s eyes followed Zale’s gesture to his mate, Suki, who was more radiant than ever after being fully healed.
Being able to feel her once again through the bond made him feel whole again.
She wore her fighting leathers, and the top half of her hair was split into two braids and looped together to keep from flying in her face as the wind blew through the village.
She worked alongside Cassandra and the witches, who specialised in healing and medical aid, as they helped the injured werewolves. The hospital was overfilled with various medical emergencies after the attack, and the witches were more than willing to lend a helping hand.
As was Suki.
After being healed by the stone herself, it brought a whole new connection to it for her. Like she finally understood its purpose and, most importantly, hers.