📖 CHAPTER 13 —
Louise sat on the cold stone floor of the dungeon, the chains around her wrists and ankles cold and biting against her skin. Her mind raced, but her expression remained calm, a mask that even the shadows seemed to respect. The torchlight flickered along the damp walls, throwing long shadows that twisted like restless spirits. She could feel it — every whisper of danger, every heartbeat of the pack, every movement above in the council chambers. And yet, the only thing she wanted was to be prepared.
Three days had passed since she'd been dragged from the council chamber, accused of treachery, and thrown into this cell. Accused by Edgar, the very brother she had once barely tolerated, now turned into a serpent ready to strike. Every lie he spun had been woven meticulously, convincing the council of her supposed betrayal. Only Lucas had dared to doubt it — and she knew his heart, even in anger, had a tether to hers that no lie could sever.
The sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor. Heavy, deliberate, certain. Louise's chest tightened, and yet she straightened, letting the cold air steel her nerves.
"Louise."
The voice was smooth, controlled, and venomous all at once. Edgar stepped into the torchlight, dressed in the ceremonial black of his station, eyes blazing with a hunger that had nothing to do with power — and everything to do with possession.
"You're here," she said softly, her voice steady. "Come to gloat?"
Edgar chuckled, a sound that made the walls seem to shiver. "Gloat? No… I came with an offer." He circled her slowly, his green eyes never leaving hers. "You could have it all, Louise. You could marry me, reject Lucas… rule beside me. The Lunaris Pack would be ours. Think of it… power beyond anything you could dream."
Louise's lips curled in disgust. "You think I would ever join you? You, the snake who betrayed your own blood? You are poison, Edgar." She spat on the floor near his boots. "I would rather rot in this cell than become your queen."
His grin faltered slightly, replaced with a flicker of genuine surprise. "You dare—"
"I dare," she interrupted, her voice rising, echoing against the stone. "I dare because I am not afraid of death, of betrayal, of lies. You think you can break me, but I am stronger than you could ever imagine. And know this, Edgar… every curse in my bloodline will follow you if you touch me or mine."
Edgar's fists clenched. "You will regret this defiance."
"Try me," she whispered, eyes blazing with fire.
It was then that Lucas and Leo arrived, escorted by Beta Felix. The air in the dungeon shifted, tension snapping like live wire. Louise could feel the temptation to rush forward, to throw herself into their arms, but she didn't. Not yet. Not until she was sure.
Lucas's jaw was tight, green eyes storming. "Louise…" he murmured, but she held up a hand.
"Mind lock," she whispered, a subtle wave of power emanating from her. Both Lucas and Leo stiffened, their minds shielded instantly. She didn't need to explain — Selene could read minds, and she suspected more than anyone. No intrusion. Not now, not ever.
Lucas exhaled slowly, understanding immediately. "I trust you," he said simply. Leo nodded in agreement.
Edgar's eyes narrowed. "What is this? Some new trick? Some demonic manipulation?"
"No trick," Louise said, standing fully now, chains rattling. "I protect what is mine. And I protect those I love. You should have considered that before plotting against us all."
The tension snapped like a wire. Kappa and Selene emerged from the shadows, faces calm, masks of civility. Yet the malice in their eyes was unmistakable.
"Quite the performance," Kappa said smoothly. "But the plan is in motion. Lucas and Leo will drink the poison tonight, and no one will suspect a thing."
Louise's lips twisted. "You think I don't already know?" Her gaze swept over them, unwavering. "Every word, every motion, every detail of your plan has been revealed to me. Your poison is useless, your schemes null. And now…"
Her voice dropped, low and lethal. "It's time to end this."
The six of them clashed in a storm of fury. Felix, Leo, and Lucas shifted into their wolf forms, the air cracking with the sound of bone and muscle reshaping. Teeth glinted in the torchlight, claws extended, howls echoing off stone walls. Louise remained human, a demon among werewolves, but she moved with inhuman swiftness, vanishing and reappearing like smoke, striking at their allies with precise, painful blows that left bruises and blood.
Selene tried to read minds mid-fight, but the lock held firm. Kappa lunged at Lucas with a wicked blade, but Felix intercepted, teeth sinking into his shoulder. Edgar roared, eyes blazing green, shifting into the full monstrous power of the Lunaris bloodline, strength and ferocity unmatched — yet untempered by truth.
Lucas dodged a swipe, countering with a brutal leap that drove Edgar back. The air filled with growls, hissing, the smell of iron and blood thick as war descended. Louise struck at Selene's ankle with a chain, pulling her down, while Leo's claws ripped through Kappa's defenses. Every strike was calculated, lethal. Every howl was a challenge, a battle cry of survival and justice.
Amid the chaos, Edgar paused, rage and confusion battling within him. "Lucas… you don't understand!" he shouted. "I am—"
"You were lied to!" Lucas roared, teeth bared, pressing forward with a savage leap, jaws snapping inches from Edgar's throat. "Kappa killed Beta Ray. Alpha Kane adopted you to protect you, but Kappa twisted everything! You weren't Kane's by blood, but you were used!"
Edgar froze, green eyes flickering with doubt. The first crack in the armor of hate.
Louise struck Selene again, knocking the seer to the stone floor. "You think love for Kane excuses murder? You've betrayed everything!" she hissed, and Selene's eyes went wide, realizing her mind games were useless.
Kappa lunged again, this time aiming a fatal blow at Leo, but Edgar, in a moment of clarity, intercepted. His teeth sank into Kappa's throat. Blood sprayed, horror flashing across Kappa's face. Edgar tore with the strength of a tormented soul, and when it was over, Kappa was nothing more than a broken, gurgling heap.
The revelation struck Edgar with the weight of an avalanche. He staggered, chest heaving. "All… lies… all lies…"
Lucas and Leo stood over him, wolf forms gleaming with fury and triumph. Louise emerged, chains rattling, eyes blazing. "You will answer for this. Not just for the lies, Edgar, but for every life you endangered."
Edgar looked at Louise, sorrow and rage and heartbreak all tangled in his expression. He reached out, trembling. "One… last moment… before it ends…"
Before anyone could stop him, he drove his teeth into his own neck, ripping out his head in one horrific, final act. Silence fell like a heavy stone, broken only by the ragged breathing of the survivors.
No cheers, no mourning, only the heavy, reverent quiet of finality. The rogue attacks ceased. The darkness that had gripped the pack for so long lifted. The chains of deception were broken.
Lucas fell to his knees, wolf form collapsing back into human, breathing hard. "Louise…" he whispered, still shaking. She knelt beside him, hands glowing faintly as she healed the minor wounds he had sustained, a soft warmth spreading through him. Their eyes met, unspoken promises and relief reflected in each other.
Leo came up behind, placing a hand on his mate Maya's shoulder, who had fought like a storm herself. "It's over… finally," he said softly, his voice trembling with exhaustion and gratitude.
Louise stood, looking over the pack that had survived, the chaos that had passed, and for the first time in days, allowed herself a small, weary smile. Justice had been done. Truth had prevailed. And though the scars would linger, the bond between packmates, siblings, and mates had never been stronger.
The capital became whole again, not through the absence of war or death, but through the courage to face the truth, the power to defend what was right, and the unbreakable strength of family. Louise's chains had fallen away, both literal and metaphorical. Lucas had never doubted her heart, and she had never faltered in hers.
The pack would rebuild, stronger, wiser, united, and unafraid — because the darkness had been confronted, and for once, it had been vanquished by the light of truth and the fire of love.