Cade struggles to his feet, his movements stiff and pained. “You’re making a mistake,” he tells Kieran. “You’re not ready. You’re too weak, too soft?—”
“No.” I step up beside my mate, taking his hand in mine. “He’s exactly what this pack needs. What you never were, never could be.”
Kieran squeezes my fingers, drawing strength from our connection. Around us, pack members begin filtering into the hall, drawn by the shift in power. I see faces I recognize from my childhood—people who once looked down on me, who celebrated when Kieran rejected me. But their expressions are different now as they take in our united front, full of curiosity and wonder, sometimes even hope. It’s hard not to feel bitter about everything the pack has done to me, but I remind myself that I need to be a leader to them too, even when it’s the last thing that comes easy.
“The pack has witnessed our strength,” Kieran addresses them all. “Not just in battle, but in mercy. In unity. In knowing when to stand firm and when to show compassion.”
I pick up where he leaves off, knowing that the pack needs to see us both as leaders. “The old ways of fear and control are over. We won’t cast out the weak and leave them unprotectedanymore. No more fear and paranoia, no more revenge, andespeciallyno more fae.”
The pack members exchange glances, then one by one, they begin to kneel. Not in fear or submission, but in recognition of something new—something better than what came before us. Through the pack bonds, I feel their relief, their hope for a future free from Cade’s toxic influence.
“You’re all weak,” Cade spits, but his words fall flat. Even he must feel how the pack bonds have shifted, how thoroughly his power has been stripped away. “The fae will return. And when they do?—”
“They’ll face the combined strength of Pack Jade,” I interrupt. “Not just my venom or Kieran’s leadership, but all of us together. United and stronger for our differences.”
Lord Hule, cradling his blackened arm, manages a bitter laugh. “You think your little victory here means anything? There are more of us. We’ll find another pack, another way?—”
“You’ll try.” Kieran’s voice is cold. “And you’ll fail. Because we’ll warn the other packs about your true nature. About how you prey on grief and desperation, twisting truth into lies.”
“Your bargains have no power here anymore, and you know it,” I add, letting my wolf rise close to the surface. Hule flinches at the sight of my fangs. “That bite will kill you one way or another. Leave our lands. All of you. While you still can.”
The remaining fae need no further encouragement. They flee through doors and windows, melting into shadows—all except Hule, who lingers just long enough to snarl, “This isn’t over.”
“Yes,” Kieran says simply. “It is.”
He gives a nod to me, and I know exactly what we need: a symbolic death. What I said was right—the venom will kill him one way or another, but better to make it fast. So I draw one of my cold iron daggers and, with a brief flick of my wrist, throw it right at him and bury it in his throat.
His eyes widen—then go blank as the life force leaves his body. Just like the other fae I’ve killed, he turns to ash, disintegrating in front of us. The pack members cheer, Dana pumps her fist in the air, and Gran gives me a big grin. But all I feel is a hollow sort of victory, knowing that as much as I wish otherwise, this isn’t over. There will be more battles, more fae—but at least, I reflect as Kieran takes my hand, we won’t be alone in facing them.
Two of our strongest warriors step forward to escort Cade from pack lands. He goes quietly at first, shoulders slumped in defeat. But at the door, he turns back one last time.
“Your mother would be ashamed,” he tells Kieran, a final attempt to wound. “She would hate to see what you’ve become, what you’ve done to your own family.”
But Kieran just shakes his head. “No. She would be proud. Proud that I finally learned what real strength looks like and experienced unconditional love and loyalty.” He glances at me, love shining in his ice blue eyes. “That I finally became the man she would have wanted me to be.”
As Cade is led away, his threats of vengeance falling on deaf ears, the pack begins to stir. Questions and concerns fill the air—about the corruption in our lands, about what comes next, about how we’ll defend against future fae incursions. Everyone wants answers, and they want them now, with the desperation of those who have been living in fear for far too long.
Kieran steps forward to address them, every inch the alpha he was born to be. But he keeps hold of my hand, making it clear that we face this together.
“The fae’s magic will fade,” he assures them. “Already I can feel our lands healing. But we have work to do—not just in repairing physical damage, but in building something new. Something better than what came before, a new pack.”
“A pack where everyone’s strengths are valued for their uniqueness,” I add. “Where we support each other instead of tearing each other down. Where being different isn’t seen as a weakness.”
One by one, the pack members step forward to pledge their loyalty. Not just to Kieran as their new alpha, but to both of us as their leaders. I feel their acceptance through the pack bonds—real acceptance this time, not mere tolerance.
“We owe you an apology,” Dierdre says, speaking for many. “We were wrong about you. About both of you.”
“No more apologies,” I tell them. “It’s time to move forward. Together.”
The sun is rising by the time everything is settled. Kieran and I stand on the Great Hall’s steps, watching the corruption fade from our lands as dawn’s light chases away the last traces of fae magic. The pack bonds hum with renewed strength and purpose, joined now in a unity born in hope instead of hatred or fear.
“Ready for this?” he asks softly, pulling me close. “Being the alpha’s mate won’t be easy.”
I turn in his arms, reaching up to trace the scar on his cheek. “Being your mate has never been easy,” I tease. “But it’s always been worth it.”
His answering smile is bright enough to rival the sun. As he leans down to kiss me, I feel the rightness of it all. This is where we belong—together, leading our pack into a new era.
No more running. No more hiding. No more denying what we are to each other.
