Chapter 56 You are forgiven, Damon

Chapter 56 You are forgiven, Damon
Jesse 

Her father stepped forward before anyone else had the chance to speak.

The entire hall was still vibrating from what had just been revealed on the projection screen, from the silence that followed it, from the way every single person in the council had been forced to sit through the collapse of a lie that had been dressed up as truth.

Adeline stood frozen in the center of it all.

For a moment, I simply watched her reaction.

Because I wanted to see how long she would keep standing before reality finally forced her down.

Then her father moved.

The slap came suddenly.

Loud enough to echo through the hall, sharp enough that even the elders shifted in their seats.

Adeline’s head turned slightly with the impact, and for a second there was complete silence again, like the room itself was holding back its response to what had just happened.

“You wretched girl,” her father said, his voice rising with fury that had clearly been building for far too long. “I asked you over and over again.”

He stepped closer to her, his expression twisted with anger and disbelief.

“You dare lie against the King,” he continued, each word cutting sharper than the last.

Adeline did not respond properly at first.

She just stood there, stunned, her hand slowly rising toward her face as if she was trying to process the reality of what had just happened to her in front of everyone.

Her confidence, the same one she had walked in with, the same one she had tried to hold onto even when the evidence started turning against her, was now gone.

Completely gone.

“I…” she started, but the word broke halfway, her voice losing strength immediately. “I didn’t…”

Her father did not let her finish.

“Enough,” he snapped.

The guards reacted instantly.

I did not need to give another order.

The moment I raised my hand slightly, they moved forward and surrounded her without hesitation.

“Imprison her immediately,” I said coldly.

The words landed without emotion.

Without conflict.

Without any space left for discussion.

“No, Alpha,” she said suddenly, her voice breaking as she stepped back slightly, her eyes widening as she realized what was actually happening now. “Please—”

But it was already decided.

The guards took her by both arms and restrained her firmly.

She struggled slightly, but it was not the resistance of someone who still believed they could win.

It was the panic of someone who had just realized they had already lost.

The council remained silent as she was taken away.

No one intervened.

No one questioned it.

Because there was nothing left to question anymore.

I turned slightly, my attention shifting away from her as she was escorted out.

“From this moment,” I said calmly, addressing the room, “all collaboration with your pack is suspended until further notice.”

Her father stepped forward immediately after hearing that.

His posture changed completely.

Not aggressive anymore.

Not defensive.

But submissive.

“A-Alph—Your Majesty,” he corrected himself quickly, lowering his head. “Please… do not punish the entire pack for my daughter’s foolish mistakes.”

I looked at him for a moment.

Just a moment.

And then I let out a slow breath.

“Foolish mistakes?” I repeated quietly.

My tone was calm. “My reputation was not slightly affected,” I continued, stepping forward slowly now. “It was dragged through the council. It was questioned in front of every elder here. And if I did not have proof—”

I paused, letting the silence settle properly before continuing.

“I should have your entire family executed for this.”

The room went completely still.

Even the elders did not move.

But I continued anyway.

“And yet I am still being generous,” I said, my voice firm again, “because of your first daughter, Mia.”

That name shifted the atmosphere slightly, even if no one dared to show it openly.

Her father lowered his head further.

“Now leave,” I said finally, turning away slightly. “Before I change my mind.”

He did not argue again.

He did not speak again.

He simply bowed deeply, his entire posture now carrying the weight of shame, before being escorted out by the guards who were still holding Adeline.

The hall slowly began to empty after that.

The council members remained seated for a moment longer, still processing what they had just witnessed, still adjusting to the fact that the situation had resolved in a direction no one had fully predicted when the meeting began.

I did not stay long after that.

There was no reason to.

The matter was closed.

And for the first time that day, something in my chest actually settled properly.

Not relief exactly.

But satisfaction.

Controlled satisfaction.

Because everything that had been uncertain had now been corrected.

I stepped out of the council hall and walked through the corridor with steady steps, my thoughts already shifting away from the meeting and toward what came next.

Then I saw her.

Mia.

Standing further down the corridor.

Talking to Damon.

I slowed slightly.

I stopped just far enough away that they could not see me, but close enough to hear their voices clearly.

Damon was speaking first.

His tone was low, heavy, like someone who had already accepted punishment in his mind even if it had not fully reached him yet.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice carrying regret. “I shouldn’t have betrayed him like that.”

There was a pause after that.

A long one.

Then Mia responded.

Her voice was softer than I expected it to be.

Not dismissive.

Not angry.

Just understanding in a way that made something inside me tighten slightly without immediate explanation.

“I understand,” she said quietly.

That alone made my expression shift slightly.

Damon exhaled slowly, like he had been holding something in for too long.

“I didn’t think it would end like that,” he admitted.

Mia didn’t interrupt him.

She simply listened.

Then she spoke again.

Her tone stayed calm, almost reflective.

“Love is a beautiful thing,” she said softly, “but it can also drive people to do things they normally wouldn’t.”

I stayed still where I was, watching and listening.

Something about the way she said it made the words feel heavier than they should have been.

Not directed at anyone.

Not accusatory.

Just… true in a way that made it uncomfortable.

Damon didn’t respond immediately.

And neither did I.

Because for a moment, even I understood what she meant more clearly than I expected to.