Aria’s POV
I sat among them in silence. The Alphas gathered around me in the meeting hall. Their murmurs were low, but I knew they were talking about me. Their eyes flickered toward me every other second, and when they thought I wasn’t looking, they whispered behind their hands.
I could feel their eyes on me-sizing me up, judging me, and silently wondering how I survived what I did. I didn’t need to hear their words to know what they were thinking. After all, what happened at the treehouse wasn’t something easily forgotten. Word had spread, carried on swift winds, and everyone in the room knew exactly what had transpired.
Still, I sat up straight, clutching Edward tightly to my chest, my back rigid with confidence. I would not show them any weakness. Not today, not ever. They could stare all they wanted, but I didn’t care for their gossip. I had endured far worse than their judgmental glances, and today, all I cared about was one thing: Denderick.
He had left home that morning without much explanation. When I asked him where he was going, he simply smiled, kissed me, and said, “Today, we vanquish all our enemies.” His cryptic words lingered in my mind as I sat there, waiting for his surprise.
Then, as if on cue, the door to the hall swung open with a loud creak.
Every head turned toward the entrance, and the whispers died instantly. I gasped softly as I saw Denderick standing in the doorway. But it wasn’t just him. Behind him, he dragged a crumpled form using a rope tied around its neck. The form barely resembled a man. My stomach twisted, though I already knew who it was.
Denderick walked forward, his footsteps echoing in the silent hall. He hauled the battered body with little effort, and as he reached the center of the room, he threw the form onto the floor with a heavy thud. The sound echoed through the space, causing everyone to flinch.
“I apologize for being late,” Denderick announced. “I had some very important matters to attend to.”
As he spoke, the crumpled form groaned, shifting slightly on the cold stone floor. The room was deathly quiet, everybody holding their breath. Slowly, the figure on the floor lifted his head, revealing the grimy, bloodied face of Logan.
Gasps erupted from the Alphas around me. The shock rippled through the room, and I could see several men sit up straighter in their chairs, their eyes wide with disbelief.
But I wasn’t surprised. I had known all along that Denderick would catch him. It was only a matter of time.
Logan looked worse than I had ever seen him. His black hair was brown now, matted with dirt and blood, hanging in greasy clumps around his gaunt face. His eyes were sunken deep into his skull, wild with a madness that had clearly overtaken him. His clothes were torn and filthy, his skin covered in bruises and cuts. His hands were bound in front of him, though the bindings weren’t necessary; he was too weak to stand, let alone fight back.
Denderick didn’t waste time. He stepped forward, standing over Logan’s pathetic form, his voice rising as he spoke.
“This man, Alpha Logan,” Denderick began, “is guilty of unspeakable crimes against all of us.”
He looked down at Logan with disgust. “He kidnapped twenty-five women, kept them in a pit for weeks, torturing them, trying to get them pregnant with his children. Out of those twenty-five women, only two survived-Sara and Naomi. Thank the Moon, they are currently responding to treatment at my pack house. He did all this in a bid to have an heir who would secure his stay on the throne.”
A murmur of outrage swept through the hall, but Denderick wasn’t finished. “He murdered countless other werewolves, including Liam, my beta. He orchestrated brutal attacks on innocent packs, burned homes to the ground, tore families apart by kidnapping their wives, their daughters and their sisters. All because of his greed.”
Denderick’s voice grew louder, filled with venom. “He conspired to overthrow me, to enslave my pack, to bring chaos and destruction to us. His list of crimes is endless.”
The room erupted. The Council of Alphas began shouting, their faces twisting with anger. Some spat at Logan’s feet, others shook their heads in disbelief, and the collective roar of their anger filled the hall like thunder.
Logan, however, didn’t react. He simply grinned.
It was the grin of a madman, a man who had lost touch with reality long ago. His cracked lips stretched into a twisted smile, and his eyes gleamed with a sick amusement. He didn’t care. He wasn’t sorry. He reveled in their anger.
Alpha Kieran, one of the older, more respected Alphas on the Council, stood up. “It’s time we place judgment,” he declared.
Alpha Callum nodded in agreement. “Yes. I propose that Logan’s pack is given to Denderick to rule over.”
The other Alphas murmured in agreement.
Alpha Kieran turned back to the man on the ground. “That’s right. And Logan is to be sentenced to death by hanging for his crimes!”
The room fell silent. The verdict was swift and absolute. There would be no mercy for Logan.
But Logan’s reaction was anything but what I expected. He didn’t beg for his life, didn’t cry out in protest. Instead, he chuckled-a low, maniacal sound that angered me even further. He grinned even wider, his eyes glowing with madness. He looked around the room as if he was in on some terrible joke that no one else understood.
I stared at him, my heart pounding with rage. I hated him. I hated everything he had done, everything he had taken from me. I couldn’t sit still any longer.
I stood up and walked toward him. The other Alphas fell silent, watching as I approached the man who had brought so much pain into my life. I knelt down in front of him, meeting his wild eyes.
“You remember me, don’t you?” I asked. “Do you remember the crimes you committed against me? The way you assaulted me, the way you tortured me, and tried to break me and my son?”
His grin remained, though his eyes flickered briefly, like a shadow passing over them.
I leaned closer to him. “I hope you rot in hell for what you did.”
Logan chuckled again, a dry, rasping sound, as if my words meant nothing to him. He didn’t care. He was too far gone, too lost in his madness to understand the gravity of what was happening.
But I didn’t need him to care. I just needed him gone.
The doors opened again, and two guards entered the hall, their footsteps heavy on the stone floor. They walked over to Logan, grabbing him by his arms and hauling him to his feet. He sagged between them, barely able to stand, but his grin never wavered.
As they dragged him toward the door, I watched in silence. I felt no more anger or hatred for him. Only peace.