Chapter 243

~ Doris ~

So this is it. After eighteen long years, Lucious is finally going to pay for taking Gab away from us.

Today, justice is finally being served for everything that monster did to me, to Blade, and to every woman who was made to hate herself because of his cruelty—just like Sandra.

The weight of the past crashed over me, and tears streamed down my face as painful memories flooded my mind.

I ran forward, channeling the power flowing through my veins until my hands glowed with a bright silver light.

Mom ran beside me, her own hands shining with a golden glow. We looked at each other as we ran.

In that silent moment, we both knew we shared the same unwavering purpose.

The moment we reached Lucious, we attacked at the same time. I went for his right arm while Mom went for his left. We extended our claws and slashed down with all our strength.

The attack was clean. Both of Lucious’s arms were cut off, hitting the blood-soaked ground with a heavy thud.

“No! You can’t kill me! I have to become the Alpha of the Moon Pack!” Lucious shrieked in agony as blood poured from both of his shoulders.

At this point, we weren't just going to end him; we were going to give him the most painful death imaginable.

“This is for all the innocent ladies who suffered because of your evil deeds, and this is for ripping my son away from me for eighteen years!” I spat directly into his mangled face.

“And this is for poisoning my wife and me!” Dad roared, rushing forward like a tempest as his claws flashed, cleanly severing Lucious’s remaining leg.

Gab suddenly pushed himself to his feet. The deep silver wound on his stomach was already closing as his werewolf healing took over. He walked straight toward the whimpering, armless Lucious. Without a moment’s hesitation, Gab extended his razor-sharp claws, drove his hand deep into Lucious’s chest, and ripped out his still-beating heart.

He held the bloody heart in front of Lucious’s fading eyes and crushed it in his hand.

“This is for raping my mother, and for every horrible thing you did to me and my family!” Gab growled.

Lucious let out one final, gurgling cry before falling silent.

Julius rushed forward, his eyes filled with years of grief.

“This is for killing my best friend and my brother, Blade!”

With one powerful sweep of his claws, he cut off Lucious’s head.

At long last, what was left of Lucious lay motionless on the blood-soaked grass.

We stood in silence for a long moment. No one moved. Our eyes remained fixed on Lucious and his men’s lifeless bodies, scattered across the blood-soaked ground.

“Finally, the monster is dead and justice has been served!” Ryder’s voice roared across the clearing, breaking the silence.

The tension melted away, replaced by a wave of pure relief. We wrapped our arms around one another, sharing tearful hugs as we struggled to catch our breath.

I collapsed onto my knees right there on the ground, heavy tears rolling down my cheeks. We had waited for this justice for what felt like an eternity.

Now, we could finally live freely, peacefully, and happily in the werewolf world.

Gab walked over, gently lifting me up from the dirt and pulling me into a fiercely protective embrace. Jason and Jasmine threw themselves into the huddle next, followed closely by Ryder, Dad, Mom, and Kiara, locking us all in a massive, warm family embrace. Julius stepped in too, wrapping his arms around the family he had fought so hard to protect.

When we finally pulled away from the collective hug, the clearing grew quiet.

I noticed Roman sadly turning around, his head bowed and his shoulders slouched as he began walking away into the trees all by himself.

“Where exactly do you think you are going, Roman?” Ryder called out, his expression turning incredibly serious.

Roman paused, turning back slowly to face us. He couldn't even bring himself to look up at anyone, keeping his eyes firmly locked onto his dusty boots.

“I was leaving so I wouldn't spoil the family's peace,” he whispered softly. “I am going to hand myself over to face my proper punishment for my past actions.”

“Oh, yes, we will definitely give you your punishment,” Ryder said, his voice firm but carrying a sudden, unmistakable warmth. “But only after we help you fight to recover your lost pack and officially bring you back into the brotherhood. Your seat at the table has been vacant for far too long, brother.”

Roman snapped his head up, his eyes wide with shock and pure happiness. He instantly dropped to his knees in front of us, his voice thick with emotion. “I... I don't deserve this kind of kindness.”

“Oh, yes, you're right, and it’s definitely not for free. You owe us big time,” Ryder teased, rubbing his chin as he pretended to think of the harshest punishment possible.

“Maybe his punishment should be cooking for the entire family for a whole week,” I added with a mischievous smile.

“Nah, absolutely not! Roman cannot cook to save his life—unless you want everyone using the toilet more often!” Dad chimed in, causing the entire clearing to burst into a loud, roaring fit of laughter.

Mom grinned, nudging Ryder playfully. “Maybe he should be forced to write you a love letter every single day for a year.”

“I completely agree with this!” Gab said, a massive smile spreading across his face.

“It’s a cool idea. It’s going to be incredibly fun to watch,” Jason teased, elbowing his brother.

Kiara burst out laughing, shaking her head at her father’s expense. “That would be a terrible idea, because I don’t think my dad has a single romantic bone in his body to ever compose a love letter! Except if you want my dad to send you a random, awkward message like, 'I love you because your hair is attached to your head.'”

The whole group burst into laughter at Kiara’s impression. Even Roman couldn’t help but laugh, a genuine smile finally spreading across his face.

“So now everyone is just standing around making fun of me, huh?”

“Alright, all of you,” Ryder said with a laugh, raising a hand to quiet everyone. “I’ll decide on the official punishment later. But first, we need to go home. The brotherhood is going to throw a huge party to properly welcome our long-lost brother home!”

We all nodded and began walking away. Then I looked back one last time. A flock of vultures had already descended on Lucious’s mangled remains, tearing at his flesh as their wings beat against the blood-soaked ground.

The man who had once inspired fear was now nothing more than food for the creatures of the wild.