Chapter 22
JUDGE
Over a week later
The ride back was long, with many days of open road, the world stretching out around us as we made our way back to the train station, where Rust parted ways. Diana doesn’t know, but he will be in charge of tending to Selene.
I’m still uncertain what to do with her.
Why did she say it was an accident? In all honesty, it feels like something that doesn’t matter right now.
She’s chained up while I make my decisions and get through what comes next, and on the off chance it was an accident, her chains are at least quite loose.
It didn’t take away from the feeling of Diana's arms wrapped around my waist the entire time, her body pressed against my back. She didn't fight me once. Didn't tense up every time I shifted gears or leaned into a turn.
She just held on.
And through the bond, I felt something I hadn't expected.
Lightness.
Not happiness, exactly. She's still too guarded for that, still too tangled up in everything that's happened.
But the constant weight of her fear has eased.
The sharp edges of her suspicion have softened.
When we stopped to rest, sleeping with Gnash on guard, she didn't flinch away from my touch.
When I pulled her against my chest at night, she leaned into me instead of holding herself rigid.
She’s probably far from admitting it, but I know it’s attached to an affection for me that’s burrowing deep.
For that, I do feel guilty.
I stand back inside the war room, with the peace of my omega the last thing on my mind.
The newest letter from Grimm sits open on the table, his intelligence reports spread out beside it.
Skinner stands to my left, his scarred face impassive as he studies the maps.
Beast is on my right, silent as always, his hawk shifting restlessly on the perch near the window. She’s a good bird, I admit.
"What are you going to do?" Skinner asks, his voice like gravel scraping stone.
My gaze returns to the letter again, at Grimm’s careful handwriting, his precise assessment of the situation. That Titan had made a deal with some groups in the Rockies, and one of the conditions was bringing them my head.
It’s not as if a threat like that has my balls in a knot; I’m used to that shit. It’s the fact that it was made in blood. He managed to get a mole inside Dominion, which means he’s actively targeting me.
I can’t tolerate that on sheer image alone.
“It’s time for Scarlet Offering,” I say.
Skinner's expression doesn't change, but I see something flicker in his eyes. Anticipation, maybe.
"And the omega?" Beast speaks for the first time, his voice low and rough.
“In the likelihood I don’t return, she gets the protection of my patch,” I say.
“It’s half the fucking reason I went for her, other than for myself.
She’s safest here, for the rest of her days.
For now, I want to let her be among the pack of us,” I continue, more evenly now.
"Let her see how we operate. Let her understand what it means to be part of Dominion—not just my omega, but one of us. Then we’ll leave in a week’s time. ”
Skinner raises an eyebrow. "You think a week is enough to get ready?”
I look back at the map, at the territories marked in red, and at where Titan was seen last. “I think we’ve been preparing for long enough. Let’s just get it fucking done with. One way or another, this ends soon.”
The truth is, I don't know what happens after Scarlet Offering.
I've planned for victory, mapped out every contingency, every possible outcome, every move Titan might make, and how to counter it.
But war is chaos, and chaos doesn't care about plans.
Things go wrong. People die. Even alphas who think they're invincible.
And I look at the black rose on my hand that’s healed perfectly, thanks to whatever fucking weird-ass magic she used in it.
I’m killing Titan, one fucking way or another.
It’s why witchy helped me so much, it’s probably why she gave Diana the black rose.
Everyone going will know that if I die, all they have to do is carve out the little pod underneath my ear that’s underneath another small black rose, and then apply its contents to my skin.
Cut off the entire fucking neck of the hydra that is Bayou’s Maw.
"Alright," Skinner says finally. "We'll make it work. And if shit goes sideways, we’ll get her out. No matter what else is happening. She's your mate, which means she's our priority too."
The words hit me harder than I expected. Loyalty runs deep in Dominion, and my people take care of their own.
Diana is one of us now.
Whether she's ready to accept that or not.
I tap the map where we are. “I want a full inventory of our weapons and supplies by tomorrow morning. Beast, check in with our scouts and your birds—I want eyes on every road leading to where we’d meet. If he so much as sneezes, I want to know about it."
They both nod and rise to their feet, Beast’s steps twice as heavy as Skinner’s
"One more thing. Spread the word that Diana is to be treated with respect. Anyone who makes her uncomfortable answers to me personally. No mention of Roxy to her under any circumstances.”
Skinner's lips twitch, not quite a smile, but close. "Understood."
They leave without any more words, and I'm alone with my thoughts and the weight of everything that's coming.
One week.
That’s what I can give Diana to show what her life could be. To let her breathe, to let her see that Dominion isn't just cages and violence. That she has family, loyalty, and a place she can grow old.
And then Scarlet Offering.
I rub the surfaces of my hands, where there’s slight scar tissue on the hand without the tattoo. I used any leftover bath water to soak my hands. I saved an extra vial for myself to take with me.
I don’t want to not return, but one way or another, everything is going to change.