Chapter 29
1575 Words
Justin
She crumpled like a marionette whose strings had been cut—one breath she was standing, the next she was in my arms, unconscious and pale.
There was a collective gasp from the crowd. Someone dropped a glass. Music faltered.
All eyes were on me.
I sank to my knees, cradling her limp body against my chest like she was the most precious thing in the world.
“She fainted,” I said loudly, forcing a smile and stroking her hair. “She’s just overwhelmed. It’s been a lot. The dress, the excitement, the crowd—”
No one dared question me. Not in front of Karl. Not with my his name riding on this union.
“She’ll wake up soon.” I kissed her temple, leaned in close to hide my growing panic. “Right, sweetheart? Just a little spell.”
She didn’t stir.
Inside, I was screaming. What the f**k was this? She was supposed to say yes. Smile for the cameras. Play the part.
Not collapse like a broken doll at my feet.
Then the air shifted.
Someone new had entered the room.
I turned and saw him, maskless, storming through the center aisle with fire in his eyes.
Cain.
Of course.
Fucking Cain.
Cain
My legs were still stiff from the night before.
The raid had been brutal and quiet and everything it needed to be. We freed over twenty Omegas. Cole had captured damning footage. Cash traced payments from Karl’s pack to smuggling networks in at least three other territories.
We had what we needed.
We had enough to bring Karl down.
I was half-asleep on the cabin couch when my phone buzzed.
Jordan.
“They moved the wedding to today. She’s walking down the aisle now.”
Panic gripped my chest. My blood iced.
I showerd my brothers the text, unable to form words.
Cole grabbed my phone. “We have enough to charge Karl. Go get her. We’ll handle the rest.”
I didn’t even grab a coat.
Third Person
Cain didn’t slow his stride as he crossed the ballroom, the echo of his boots against polished marble cutting through the shocked silence.
Gwen lay limp in Justin’s arms, her head lolling against his shoulder. The sight of her made Cain’s chest clench and his vision narrow. Achilles paced beneath his skin, one breath away from losing control.
“Step away from her,” Cain ordered, voice sharp, commanding.
Justin’s eyes narrowed as he turned, arms tightening possessively around Gwen. “This is my wedding.”
“No,” Cain growled, taking another step. “That’s my mate.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd, followed by murmurs. Jordan’s eyes widened from the front row. Derrick stood beside her, already shifting protectively in front of his mate. Elders stared between Cain and Justin, confused, scandalized.
Justin’s lip curled. “You’re too late.”
Cain’s eyes glowed gold. “She collapsed because you broke her spirit. I felt it,” he said through clenched teeth. “I felt every time you hurt her. And now—now you think I’ll let you parade her around unconscious for your image?”
Justin surged to his feet, shoving Gwen’s body into the hands of one of the omega attendants like she was a discarded accessory. “She doesn’t want you. She chose me!”
Cain didn’t flinch. “She never had a choice.”
The room darkened. Power flooded the space like a storm on the horizon.
Karl stepped forward, his tone dangerously smooth. “Enough. This wedding was meant to unify the Middle Moon. If you want to challenge it, Alpha or not—”
Cain held up a single hand.
And removed his bracelet.
The moment the silver band left his wrist, everything changed.
Marks—ancient, royal, and glowing with primal energy—flared to life up his arms, crawling across his arms and neck in luminous streaks. His aura exploded outward, pressing down on the room like a tidal wave. Every wolf in the hall stilled. Every Alpha lowered their eyes. Betas and Omegas dropped to their knees.
Even Karl flinched.
“I am Crown Prince Cain Devereaux of the Capital City Pack,” Cain said, his voice thunderous, absolute. “Rightful heir to the Alpha Court. Firstborn of Selene’s bloodline. The Capital does not kneel to Middle Moon. Middle Moon kneels to me.”
Stunned silence.
Jordan gasped. Derrick immediately dropped his head in a bow.
Justin took a faltering step back.
Cain strode past him without another word and knelt beside Gwen. Her lips were pale, her lashes still. Gently, he reached out, brushing a hand against her cheek. Her skin was cool. Too cool.
“I’ve got you now,” he whispered, to her, to Achilles, and to Akira—wherever she was in the void.
He turned to face the room. “She’s coming with me.”
Karl bristled. “She’s engaged—”
“To a trafficker and a coward,” Cain cut in. “Who is currently being investigated for aiding the abduction of Omegas from at least three territories. We already raided one of your brothels. Your enforcers fled like rats.”
Gasps erupted again. Some of the elders stood. Others turned to whisper furiously.
“You’ll never get her past the borders,” Justin snarled. “She’s mine.”
Cain’s eyes burned with lethal promise. “Try to stop me. I dare you.”
He stood, lifting Gwen into his arms as if she weighed nothing. Her gown pooled against his chest, her veil drifting down like snow.
Achilles stirred within him, drawn toward her even in sleep.
The crowd parted before him, heads bowed, wolves trembling under his Alpha command.
Only Karl stood unmoved, teeth clenched, calculating.
“She will choose,” he said at last. “When she wakes, she will choose who she belongs to.”
Cain looked over his shoulder.
“She already has.”
And with that, the Crown Prince turned his back on the broken farce of a wedding, Gwen safe in his arms, and walked out into the cold winter air—where no one dared follow.
Jordan
The ballroom was still vibrating with shock long after Cain disappeared with Gwen in his arms. The wedding guests had dispersed into frantic, whispered circles. Karl and Justin stormed out moments later, trailing fury in their wake.
But I stood there, heart pounding, staring at Derrick.
My mate. My calm, dependable mate who had just bowed to a prince like a knight in a fairy tale. Who hadn’t looked surprised. Who hadn’t even blinked when Cain revealed himself.
“You knew,” I said, stepping closer, voice low and sharp.
Derrick’s jaw tensed. “Jordan—”
“You knew,” I repeated, louder this time. “You’ve always known who he was. And you never said a word.”
“I couldn’t,” he said, voice firm but not cold. “It wasn’t my secret to tell.”
“You’re not just his Beta, are you?”
He hesitated.
“You bowed to him,” I said. “Not like a Beta to an Alpha. Like a knight to a king.”
“I’m his cousin,” he said finally. “Royal blood, Beta rank. Born to protect the Alpha line.”
I reeled. “You’re royalty?”
“I am a Royal Beta of the Capital City Pack,” he said. “Sworn to serve Cain and his brothers since the day we could walk. And until two months ago, none of us had any idea what was happening here.”
I took a step back, arms folded tightly over my chest. “Start talking.”
Derrick exhaled. “We didn’t come to Middle Moon just for diplomatic relations. We were investigating whispers—rumors of Omegas being trafficked between packs, funneled into brothels and slave rings. We traced payment trails, missing wolves, false identities... and all roads led here. To Karl. And to Justin.”
My stomach turned. “You think Gwen was going to be sold?”
“No. Worse,” he said quietly. “She was going to be made the face of their legitimacy. A puppet Luna to distract from the rot underneath. And if she got pregnant—” He stopped. “She’d never have gotten out.”
“Goddess,” I whispered, sick with rage. “You’ve been working behind the scenes this whole time.”
He nodded. “Jacob—our Gamma—is undercover. He’s already found proof. Karl’s brothel was raided last night. Cain didn’t say anything because we needed Gwen out safely first. The moment she collapsed, he knew it was time to act.”
I blinked, trying to keep up with the flood of truth. “So why didn’t you tell me any of this?”
His face softened. “Because the more you knew, the more danger you were in. You saw what Karl is capable of. What Justin is.”
I looked away, throat burning. “You should’ve trusted me.”
“I do,” he said. “But I had to keep you safe.”
I stared at him for a long moment.
Then I nodded, just once.
“Then help me keep Gwen safe now. Whatever it takes.”
Derrick stepped forward and took my hand.
“We will,” he promised. “I swear it.”
- Writer
