Chapter 26 026

Chapter 26 026
The rain was coming down hard by the time we crossed into Vael territory.

I kept my hand woven firmly with Darius’s the entire way, fingers warm where they met. Every so often, the twins fluttered quietly in my belly—almost like they sensed something shifting in the air. Freedom. Relief. The start of something that finally felt nothing like fear.

Darius stayed quiet, but he didn’t need to say anything. Every so often, his thumb traced slow circles over the back of my hand. It was an unconscious gesture, and honestly, it meant more than words. When the compound finally appeared, its lights glowing softly through the sheets of rain, something tight inside me finally let go.

Rhen’s car pulled in behind us. The two territory men just nodded once, silent, and headed to the main hall. Rhen lingered by the door, watching.

We stepped out into the rain—it soaked my hair instantly, but I didn’t care. It felt like a cleansing, a fresh start. Darius moved around the hood and sheltered me under his jacket. We hurried to our cabin at the edge of the compound, shoulders pressed close.

Inside, the familiar hush wrapped around us. A fire had already been lit—Rhen’s work, probably—and the air was thick with the scent of pine and faint herbs. I kicked off my soggy shoes and stood dripping on the rug, suddenly aware of how heavy my bones felt after such a long morning.

Darius closed the door behind us, shutting out the storm. For a moment, we just stood there in the firelight, water pooling at our feet, staring at each other.

“It’s really over,” I whispered. “The complaint. The worst of the threat. He looked... so small.”

Darius shrugged out of his jacket and hung it by the door. His shirt hugged the hard lines of his shoulders. “Not over. Just starting. The investigation will drag on. Nicholas won’t slip away quietly. He’ll pull strings, twist every story.”

“I know.” I wrapped my arms around myself, the chill settling in. “But today, he watched me stand on my own. The council listened to me—not him. That fear in his eyes... I’ve waited years to see something break through that mask.”

Darius stepped close, rubbing warmth into my arms. “You were brilliant. Steady. Clear. Most wolves twice your age would’ve cracked under those glares.”

A flush crept up my cheeks, surprising and sweet. “I was scared out of my mind. My heart was pounding so hard I thought they’d hear it.”

“Yet you spoke like you’d already won.” His voice dropped, rougher. “That’s why they believed you.”

A gentle knock sounded at the door. Rhen’s voice slipped through the wood, careful: “Alpha. Quick update, if you’re settled.”

Darius looked at me. I nodded. He cracked the door just enough for Rhen to slide inside, still soaked but efficient as ever.

“The pack’s buzzing,” Rhen started, all business. He kept his tone low, respectful. “Word started spreading as soon as we crossed the border. Most are relieved—the council’s out of our hair, at least for now. Some of the older wolves are wary. They remember the old tales about Silver Fang. About your father—” He paused, eyes flicking to me. “About the past.”

Darius’s jaw clenched. “Let them talk. The documents are public now. Edmund Vael’s name will be cleared, step by step. Anyone with questions comes straight to me.”

Rhen nodded. “Already told everyone. Training’s back at dawn. Border patrol is doubled for a week—just in case Nicholas tries something petty before the next council notice.” He hesitated, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. “Some of the younger wolves are calling Meira ‘the one who spoke truth to stone.’ Sounds dramatic, but they liked what the messengers said.”

I snorted, surprised. “That’s way too dramatic.”

Rhen grinned. “It is, but it’s good for you. Gives you ground here.”

Darius clapped Rhen’s shoulder. “Solid work today. Get dry. We’ve got a midday meeting tomorrow with the council liaison to sort out next steps.”

Rhen dipped his head and disappeared back out into the rain.

The door thudded quietly shut, leaving us alone in the warm hush. Darius turned back to me; the firelight gilded his face. That intensity in his eyes hadn’t dimmed since the chamber.

“You should change,” he said. “You’re shivering.”

“I’m not cold.” The lie came easy, but it wasn’t completely false. The shiver came from everything catching up—the hearing, my father’s face, the future pressing gently against my belly.

He didn’t push it. He just guided me toward the little bedroom, his hand warm at my back. I peeled off the wet clothes and tugged on leggings and one of his oversized shirts—still soft with his scent. He brought two mugs of herbal tea, honey glimmering in the steam.

We sat on the edge of the bed. Rain pattered on the windows, wrapping the cabin in quiet.

“I keep seeing his face,” I said after a sip. “Not angry, not plotting. Just... scared. Like he finally realized he couldn’t trade me anymore.”

Darius set his mug aside, reached for my hand. “He built his world on fear and control, but today that world took its first real hit. You did that, Meira. Not the documents. Not me. You.”

Tears stung, and I blinked them back. “Part of me still feels guilty. He raised me. Even if it was with chains, there was a roof, food, training. But the rest of me...” I pressed my hand to my belly. “The rest of me knows I wanted to see you. Hear your voice for real. But tonight… this belongs to us.

I gave a tired nod, feeling the exhaustion settle in. We moved up the bed, tossing aside damp clothes for dry sheets and bare skin. We weren’t after heat, just that feeling of being close. He curled around me, his arm resting across my waist—his hand spread out over the place where our kids were growing.

The rain faded into a whisper as sleep pulled me under. I lay there thinking about everything ahead—Nicholas and his investigation, his lies slowly coming apart, the twins on the way, and the life we’d build in Vael territory. It wouldn’t be perfect. It’d be messy. But it’d be ours.

For once, the future didn’t look like a battlefield.

It finally felt like home.