Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Raven
Nala’s tiny fingers curled tightly around mine, soft and impossibly small. She slept soundly, her breaths slow and even, her delicate lashes resting against her cheeks. I stood beside her crib in the quiet of our room, unable to look away.
The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting golden streaks across the walls. Outside, birds chirped faintly. Peaceful. It had been two weeks since she was born. And every time I looked at her, it still didn’t feel real.
I could not believe there had been a time when I thought about an abortion, when everything felt too heavy, too dangerous, and too uncertain. There were days when I stared at my stomach and wondered if it would be kinder if I just let it go.
But now, with her hand wrapped around my finger and her lips puckering softly in sleep, the very thought hollowed me out with guilt. She was perfect, so full of life, and so fierce already.
My Nala. She stirred, letting out a soft sigh before settling again.
My chest swelled with something bigger than pride. It was love. Raw. Total. Unconditional. It was the kind that rewired everything inside me, the kind that made me want to fight every battle all over again just to make sure she stayed safe.
And gods knew how many people tried to make sure she never took a breath.
Ivy… Elias… Rielle. Their faces flickered through my mind like ghosts I hadn’t buried yet.
They had all, in their own twisted ways, tried to destroy me and her.
But they failed. Now, she was here, alive, breathing, and strong.
I brushed my knuckle along Nala’s cheek, watching her nose twitch in her sleep.
Behind me, the door creaked open. Warm arms slid around my waist, firm and sure.
Damien’s chest pressed to my back as he pulled me into him, his breath warm against my neck.
He kissed the spot just below my ear, slow and unhurried.
“Hey,” he murmured. I leaned into him without thinking, resting my head against his shoulder.
We stood like that for a while, just breathing, wrapped in a silence that felt like its own kind of magic.
My wolf purred with quiet contentment, and I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips.
It had become a familiar feeling since getting my wolf back, that soft hum inside whenever Damien was near.
Like a schoolgirl blushing over a crush she can’t hide.
Then he moved past me toward the crib, his eyes softening in that way they only ever did around her. He reached in, his fingers brushing Nala’s chubby cheek. And my heart did that thing it always did when I watched him with her.
Damien Blackwell, Alpha of the Shadow Thorn Pack, feared by so many, looked at our daughter like she was made of stars. There was a gentleness in him now, a quiet patience I hadn’t seen before. He handled her like she was a miracle. And maybe she was.
She brought out a side of him I didn’t think he knew he had. His voice was quiet when he finally turned back to me. “They’re waiting for us.” I nodded.
My chest tightened slightly, but I didn’t flinch from it. I’d been preparing for this since the day Nala was born and the trials began, ever since the Ivory Moon Pack was handed back to me.
Now came the hard part. Justice. The sentencing was today. After days of testimony, today we would speak the final word. Damien and I, standing as the leaders of two united packs.
Elias. Rielle. Elder Dawson. Aunt Tiffany. All of them had been judged. There was a quiet satisfaction in it, especially with Dawson and Tiffany, the ones who orchestrated my parents’ death.
Justice was finally within reach, and deep inside, I felt something shift. Like maybe, my parents could finally rest peacefully, like I would finally avenge them. All of them would be sentenced today before every wolf in both Shadow Thorn and Ivory Moon.
I turned one last time to look at Nala. She slept on, oblivious to the legacy she had been born into. Damien reached for my hand, and we left the room together, leaving our daughter in the care of a maid.
Outside, the pack grounds buzzed with activity. Wolves moved in formation. Scouts flanked the trees. Everyone knew what today was. We stepped out into the morning light, the air crisp and clear. And just ahead, rising like a monument carved from stone and legacy, was the Shadow Thorn Coliseum.
It was wide, towering, and circular in shape, with black columns and silver banners flapping in the breeze. It could hold thousands. And today, it did.
The roar of the crowd echoed through the stone coliseum as Damien and I stepped into the great ring.
Thousands had gathered, members of both the Shadow Thorn and Ivory Moon Packs, filling every tier of the towering arena. Flags waved above us, silver and black, and somewhere in the distance, a low horn sounded, signaling our arrival.
Damien held my hand the entire time, his grip steady, grounding. He guided me up the wide obsidian steps toward the highest platform, the place of judgment, where alphas sat. The stone beneath our feet thrummed with power, heavy with history.
When we reached the chairs carved from blackwood and iron, he helped me lower into mine, his hand resting briefly on my lower back to steady me. Then, he sat beside me, his jaw set, his eyes locked forward.
Below us, the crowd shifted. The guards emerged from the far gate, flanking four prisoners in chains: Elias, Rielle, Elder Dawson, and Aunt Tiffany.
The moment the crowd caught sight of them, jeers erupted like thunder. Wolves stood and shouted. Others growled under their breath. The tension in the coliseum became a living thing, snarling through every tier.
The four were marched to the center of the arena, bound, bruised, and exposed beneath the fury of two packs. I watched them closely, my heart calm. I had waited a long time for this moment.
Then Damien rose, and the entire coliseum fell into instant silence. His voice rang out, clear and controlled.
“Elias Blackwell,” he said, looking down at his nephew, “for your crimes, which include the attempted murder of my mate, the attempted murder of our unborn child, and conspiracy alongside Elders Mia and Malcolm, who have already been banished from this pack, you are hereby banished from the Shadow Thorn Pack.”
A stunned silence held the crowd for a heartbeat. Then Elias dropped to his knees. “Please, Uncle,” Elias said, his voice hoarse and broken. “Please don’t do this, please, I didn’t mean for… ”
But Damien didn’t so much as blink. He raised a hand, and the guards moved forward. Elias tried to crawl forward, still begging, but they dragged him back and away, his pleas swallowed by the silence of the crowd.
Damien’s face never changed. He turned slowly, locking eyes with Rielle. She stared at him as if looking at a ghost. Her lips trembled.
“And as for you,” Damien said, his voice like ice, “first, I strip you of my name. You shall no longer be known as Rielle Blackwell.” A gasp escaped her lips. One that gave me a tingling satisfaction.
“And,” Damien continued, “since your crimes were committed against humans… multiple, brutal murders, your fate no longer rests with us. You will be handed over to the human government. A delegation from Sky Pack will arrive tomorrow morning to take custody of you and hand you over to the humans. They will determine justice. As they see fit.”
Rielle collapsed onto the ground, crying openly now. “Damien,” she sobbed. “Please, remember what we had. I loved you. I loved… ”
“You’re dead to me,” Damien said, flatly.
She froze. The guards lifted her from the ground and began to haul her away, her screams echoing faintly through the arena as she disappeared through the gate. Damien reached for my hand and helped me rise, his fingers lacing through mine, strong and warm.
I turned to face the arena. The wind pulled at my hair. The sun was high now, casting a golden halo over the platform. I stood taller.
“Elder Dawson Nightbane. Tiffany Nightbane.” They looked up at me, faces drawn with fear.
“First, I have dissembled the council, ridding it of all the elders who conspired with you to usurp my right as alpha heir. They have all been exiled. And as for you. For your crimes, which include the brutal murder of my parents, Alpha Marcus and Luna Serena Nightbane, and your conspiracy to usurp my rightful position as alpha heir of the Ivory Moon Pack, you are hereby sentenced to death.”
A shiver moved through the crowd. Tiffany sobbed. Dawson stepped forward.
“We raised you,” he said. “We protected you… ”
“You betrayed blood,” I replied. “You murdered the leaders of your pack in cold blood. You manipulated our people. And you would’ve done it again.”
Guards grabbed them, dragging them out. Their screams faded behind the stone gates. And then the crowd rose. Cheers erupted with stomping and howling.
Damien stood, lifting a hand. The crowd quieted instantly. His voice carried, deep and steady. “Today marks the end of the past and the beginning of something new. From this day forward, the Shadow Thorn Pack and the Ivory Moon Pack shall embark on an era of a strong, unified alliance.”
Another wave of shock moved through the crowd. Then, slowly, there was applause. Then there was cheering, and then roaring, until the entire coliseum shook with it.
“The Shadow Thorn Pack will stand by the Ivory Moon Pack in every way. And together, we will build a strong and prosperous future for both packs. A future built not on fear, but fairness. Not on power, but peace.”
He turned toward me. His voice softened, but it still echoed across the stones. “With Raven by my side, we will lead with justice, strength, and compassion. We will create a home where every wolf has value.”
He looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. “I love you,” he said. Then he pulled me close and kissed me. And the crowd roared again, wilder this time, unified in their joy.