Chapter 249

Chapter 249
Steven's POV

When I saw Hollis plunge that knife into Hazel's abdomen, my heart completely stopped!

Even knowing how strong she was, how resistant to silver—seeing that blade sink into her flesh made my blood run cold.

This bastard had completely lost his mind. His eyes were wild, pupils blown wide, his movements erratic and unpredictable. He wasn't just an abusive Alpha anymore; he'd become a rabid wolf who needed to be put down. Even if we hadn't come for the challenge, he would have needed to be dealt with.

He was a liability to everyone around him.

When Hazel ripped his heart straight from his chest, I immediately rushed to her side, pulling the knife from her stomach. I expected her to collapse, but instead, she turned to face the pack.

Every instinct in me screamed to gather her in my arms, to tend to her wound, but I knew she needed this moment. This was her rightful claim, her victory to declare.

I forced myself to step back, staying close enough to catch her if she faltered.

"Does anyone question my position as your new Alpha?" Her voice rang out, powerful and commanding.

You'd never guess she was bleeding from a knife wound. She held her father's heart high above her head before crushing it in her fist and tossing the remains to the ground like garbage.

No one spoke. Every member of the pack dropped to their knees, baring their necks in submission. The silence was deafening.

"If any of you choose not to follow me and my mate," she continued, "you are free to leave. However, these lands will not be maintained. We've traded them for an expansion of our current territory. Anyone who chooses to join Wayward Home Pack will be transported to our new lands and provided with housing and food until you can establish yourselves."

I was grateful we'd brought Callum and Dr. Bell along. The logistics of registering and relocating all these people would be a nightmare.

As soon as Hazel finished speaking, I couldn't restrain myself any longer. I scooped her into my arms and carried her to Dr. Bell, who immediately began cleaning her wound.

"You were incredible, baby. I'm so fucking proud of you," I whispered against her hair.

She looked around at the pack members, her brow furrowing.

"These people are starving, and there doesn't seem to be adequate housing or clothing. As usual, Alpha, we have our work cut out for us."

Dr. Bell finished examining her wound. "Luna, you're already healing. Thank goodness for that immunity of yours, or this would have been much more serious."

"Let's go talk to everyone," Hazel said, then turned to me. "How many can we transport today?"

I glanced back at our vehicles. "Forty to fifty at most. We'll need to prioritize—the elderly and those with pups should go first."

For the next several hours, we loaded those needing immediate medical attention into the first vehicle, sending them back with Dr. Bell. The second and third vehicles transported the weakest elderly members and families with infants who desperately needed food and supplies. I had Callum and Carter accompany these vehicles back to our territory.

Though I appreciated Carter's assistance with the challenge, he had his own responsibilities to attend to.

Hazel and I planned to stay overnight, allowing more people to leave with the vehicles our team would send tomorrow. Once everyone had been either settled or transported back to our pack, we began searching the packhouse for anything salvageable.

The kitchen had been completely destroyed. The refrigerator and freezers were broken, food rotting inside. I sent warriors out to hunt, and they returned with several deer. We built fires and, with help from pack members, at least managed to provide everyone with meat for the night. Hazel and I waited until everyone else had eaten before taking our portions. These people needed the nourishment more than we did. Tomorrow, our convoy would arrive with food and clothing for the new members.

That night, we searched through the Alpha's bedroom and office.

We discovered money he'd hidden away, stockpiles of food (which we distributed the next morning), and files on pack members. These would need to be transported back and sorted through when we had time.

"There must be over a hundred thousand dollars here," Hazel said, staring at the stacks of cash we'd found behind a false wall panel. "What the hell was he doing? Why wouldn't he use this to help his pack? It makes no sense."

"Baby, your father wasn't the man he used to be. I don't know how long he's been like this, or if he was always this way. But at least now we can fix his mistakes."

As dawn approached, I finally managed to find some bedding and create a makeshift sleeping area on the floor.

"Hazel, come lie down. We've got another busy day tomorrow. We need to get some sleep."

She came to me, curling against my chest as I wrapped my arms around her.

"Is there anything here you want to take with you?" I asked, rubbing her shoulders and back.

"No. There's nothing here that belongs to me or my mother." She sighed heavily. "Are we ever going to catch a break? It feels like we're constantly taking on more and more. Like the mountain we're climbing never ends."

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It won't always be like this. Look at what we've accomplished already, baby. We've built a pack where people are happy and healthy—something many of them never experienced before. We're building homes and businesses to help our pack thrive. We're helping our members find mates so they can build families and have the lives they've always wanted." I chuckled softly. "Is it exactly what I imagined? No. I never thought sprites would be part of my life or my pack. I certainly didn't expect to be absorbing a second pack just months after establishing our own. But we're doing it."

I tilted her chin up, making her meet my eyes.

"We can do anything together. That's what we're doing right now—creating a better life not just for ourselves, but for our pack, for our future children. It's hard now, but it will be worth it. With you by my side, I know we can never fail."

I kissed the tip of her nose, and she looked up at me with a smile. "When did you get so wise?"

I grinned down at her.

"Well, according to my beautiful mate, I'm old. And with age comes wisdom."

Just as I'd hoped, my precious mate finally burst out laughing.