Chapter 54: Judgment

Chapter 54: Judgment
By the time I returned to the packhouse, the softness of the morning had faded.

The scent of wildflowers still clung to my hands, but the atmosphere inside the main hall was anything but gentle. Warriors moved like shadows—quiet, purposeful, tight-lipped. A council meeting had been called. I didn’t need to ask why.

Kael.

I found Dax in the war room, leaning against the edge of the long oak table, arms crossed, face carved in stone. Jack stood across from him, flanked by Pierce and three elders I didn’t recognize—probably Ironfang defectors looking to curry favor.

Dax’s eyes found mine the second I entered. Something in his shoulders relaxed, just barely.

“Alina,” Jack said, giving me a curt nod. “We were just getting started.”

I took my place beside Dax. He didn’t speak, but his hand brushed mine under the table—quick, grounding. I laced my fingers with his, silent support.

“We’ve debated the matter for over an hour,” one of the elders said. A thin, silver-haired man with sharp eyes and a bitter mouth. “Kael is a liability. A threat. He needs to be executed before he finds a way to destroy us.”

Dax growled. “He’s not going anywhere.”

“Not today,” the man replied, “but the longer we keep him alive, the more time we give his allies to act. You heard Aldric—Gideon wasn’t without powerful friends.”

Jack cleared his throat, his tone neutral. “And yet, Kael is no longer their leader. Gideon is gone. The Ironfang have submitted. Executing him now… it could be seen as unnecessary retaliation. We need to think of the bigger picture.”

Dax’s jaw ticked. I could feel the war inside him, the line he walked every day—Alpha-in-waiting, son of a cautious leader, mate to a woman who begged him to hold on to his humanity.

I tightened my grip on his hand.

“I want to speak to him,” I said suddenly.

Everyone looked at me.

Jack blinked. “Alina—”

Dax turned to me slowly. “You don’t need to—”

“I do,” I said, meeting his gaze. “For both of us.”

There was a long silence. Then Jack nodded once. “Fine. But you won’t go alone.”

“I’ll go with her,” Dax said immediately, his voice steel.

We left the war room without another word.

The path was quiet. Dax didn’t speak, but his hand never left mine. When we reached the cold stone tunnel leading into the lower levels, I paused.

“Let me go in first,” I said.

Dax’s eyes narrowed. “Alina—”

“I need to do this. Please.”

He didn’t like it. I could see it in the way his body tensed, the way his eyes searched mine for any excuse to say no. But finally, he gave a sharp nod.

“I’ll be right here,” he said, voice low.

The door creaked as I opened it, the hinges shrieking against the silence.

Kael sat slumped in the far corner. His eyes lifted when he saw me.

“Well,” he said, voice rasping. “The queen returns.”

I stepped inside, closing the door behind me.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I said. “I’m not here to gloat.”

“No?” His lips curled. “Then why?”

I moved closer, standing just beyond the reach of his chains. “Because I want to know why. Why follow Gideon? Why torture your own kind? What did you think you were fighting for?”

Kael’s expression didn’t change. But something flickered in his eyes. A shadow. A memory.

“You think you understand loyalty?” he said. “Gideon saved me when I was young. He took me in when my pack abandoned me. I owed him everything.”

“He didn’t save you from anything. He stole you away from your family and made you a weapon to use against them.”

His smile faded. “You think Dax is any different? He’s just better at hiding the monster.”

I felt no fear. Only sadness.

“No,” I said quietly. “Dax fights his darkness every single day. And that’s what makes him stronger than you.”

Kael leaned back against the wall, laughing bitterly. “You’ll see. One day, he’ll snap. And when he does… I hope you’re not standing too close.”

I turned to leave.

“Alina,” he called out.

I paused in the doorway.

“You love him,” he said. “But you can’t save him.”

“I’m not here to save him,” I said without turning. “I’m here to stand beside him while he saves himself.”

And then I left, slamming the iron door shut behind me.

Dax was waiting just outside. When I stepped into the hallway, he pulled me into his arms without a word, holding me like he needed to feel my heartbeat to calm his own.

“What did he say?” he murmured.

“Nothing meaningful.” I whispered. 

Dax was silent for a long moment. Then, quietly, he said, “We make the decision tomorrow.”

I nodded against his chest.