Standing in the grand foyer of the Hayes estate, I watched my Gamma guards
secure restraints around Richard and Martha''s wrists. The crystal chandelier
overhead cast dancing shadows across their pale faces, making them look like
the ghosts they were about to be in werewolf society.
Finally. The thought burned through me with savage satisfaction. After all these
months of political games and careful maneuvering, justice is finally within
reach.
My phone buzzed with Tyler''s update: Jackson secured. Both women safe.
Heading back to base.
Relief flooded through me like cool water on burning skin. Ava and Sophia had
seeded in their part of the n, and now Jackson was where he belonged-in
chains. The memory of that bastard suggesting Ava be his mistress made
my hands clench. If Tyler hadn''t already secured him, I might have shifted right
here in this pretentious hallway.
"Alpha King!" Richard''s voice cracked like thin ice. "This has to be some kind of
misunderstanding! Jackson''s just young and ambitious-he would never-
"Richard." I cut him off, my voice carrying the weight of absolute authority. "Sarah
Rivers heard everything. Every detail about how you framed William. Every word
about your conspiracy."
The color drained from his face so fast I thought he might copse. Good. Let him
feel a fraction of the terror William had endured these past months.
Martha stepped forward, desperation making her voice shrill. "We can exin
everything! There are circumstances you don''t understand-
"Exin what?" I let my eyes sh gold, just enough to remind them what they
were dealing with. "Exin how you nned for an entire patrol to die? Exin
how you destroyed an innocent man''s life for political gain?"
These pathetic excuses for wolves thought they could manipte me, use my
daughter as a pawn in their sick game. The rage simmered just beneath my skin,
my wolf demanding blood. But this wasn''t the time for personal satisfaction. This
was about justice, about clearing William''s name and freeing him to reunite with
his family.
I turned away from their pleading faces. Let them rot. Right now, I had a promise
to keep to the woman I loved.
The drive to Shadow Creek prison felt both endless and too short. Sarah sat
beside me in the passenger seat, her hands twisted together in herp, knuckles
white with tension. Through the window, the familiarndscape of Shadow Creek
territory rolled past-forests and meadows that had once been William''s to protect.
"He''ll be so surprised," Sarah whispered, her voice barely audible over the
engine. "I haven''t told him I was leaving Hayes territory. He''ll think something
terrible happened."
I nced at her profile, noting the dark circles under her eyes, the way her
shoulders carried months of umted stress. This woman had sacrificed
everything to stay close to her imprisoned mate, enduring the Hayes family''s
maniption and lies.
"He''s going to be free in less than an hour," I said gently. "After that, nothing else
"will matter."
Including the fact that I''m about to ask for his blessing to marry his daughter. The
thought made my chest tight with an unfamiliar nervousness. I''d faced down
hostile Alphas, negotiated with foreign powers,manded armies-but asking
William Rivers for Ava''s hand felt more terrifying than any of it.
The prison walls appeared ahead, gray stone rising against the afternoon sky like
a monument to injustice. How many innocent wolves had suffered behind those
walls? How many lives had been destroyed by corruption and political games?
Not William''s. Not anymore.
20. HIS GIF, HIS WITE
The warden met us at the entrance, his face carefully neutral. He''d received my
orders an hour ago-full release, all charges dropped, official pardon from the
Alpha King himself. But I could see the curiosity burning in his eyes. William
Rivers had been the most high-profile prisoner in Shadow Creek history.
"Cell block seven," the warden said, leading us through corridors that reeked of
despair and disinfectant. "He''s been... well, he''s held up better than most. Never
lost hope, even when things looked darkest."
That''s where Ava gets her strength.
The cell door swung open with a metallic ng that echoed off stone walls.
William sat on the narrow cot, reading a worn book that must have been read a
hundred times. When he looked up, I saw where Ava had inherited her fierce
green eyes.
He was thinner than I remembered, graying at the temples, but his posture
remained proud. Prison hadn''t broken him. Nothing could break a man like
William Rivers.
"William." I stepped into the cell, Sarah close behind me. "You''re free."
For a moment, he didn''t move. Just stared at us like we might disappear if he
blinked. Then his gaze found Sarah, and something cracked in his controlled
expression.
"Sarah?" His voice was rough with disuse. "What are you doing here? Is Ava-"
''She''s fine," Sarah rushed forward, falling to her knees beside the cot. "More than
fine. William, it''s over. The truth came out. We have the proof, and their
conspiracy is finished."
Watching them cling to each other, a warmth spread through my chest that had
nothing to do with victory and everything to do with justice. This reunion, this
moment of pure, unadulterated relief-this was what Ava had fought for. And I had
helped her achieve it.
"Truly free?" William asked, his arms tightening around his mate. "Not just a
temporary reprieve?"
"Completely exonerated," I confirmed. "The real conspirators are under arrest.
Your name has been cleared, and more than that-you''re being recognized as the
hero you always were."
William''s eyes found mine over Sarah''s head. "Thank you," he said simply. "I
know this wasn''t easy, and I know Ava-"
"Ava never gave up on you," I interrupted. "Not for one second. She''s the one who
found the evidence that cleared you. She''s the one who never stopped fighting."
Pride and love warred in William''s expression. "That''s my girl."
And soon, she''ll be my wife. The thought sent warmth through my chest, followed
immediately by nervous anticipation. I still had to ask this man''s permission to
im his daughter permanently.
One step at a time.