second mate 35
835 Words
chapter 35
Axel POV
My mate handled herself like a true queen, placing Alpha Ceder firmly in his place. I admired her strength, but something still troubled both of us..his daughter.
Ceder claimed she had found her mate and was spending time with him. Ivory knew he was lying. She demanded to see the girl and her so-called mate…That was when Ceder’s mate, Tory, broke.
She revealed everything. The imprisonment. The lies. The deal with rogues. And then she spoke of the scar.
When she mentioned it, something inside me went cold.
“How did she get the scar on her face?” I asked.
Tory’s voice trembled as she told the story. Kile had been thirteen, playing a zoo game on her father’s computer. She had screamed. Tory ran in and found Ceder standing over their daughter with a dagger. He believed she had been trying to access his private files.
He carved a scar from her eye down toward her ear.
That was why she wore a veil. Not out of modesty. Not out of tradition. But to hide the brutality of her own father.
I had to steady myself before speaking. What kind of father does that to his child?
“Tory,” I said carefully, “have someone bring your daughter from her room. And release her mate from the cells.”
Then I turned to Ceder.
“Ceder, you are hereby stripped of your title as Alpha. You are under arrest for assaulting your daughter, attempting to sell her to rogues, and for disrespecting the Queen..His eyes blazed. “You can’t do this.
“You have no right.”
“Oh, but I do,” I answered evenly. “You stand in my kingdom. My word is law. I am the Dragon King.”
What he did next surprised everyone.
“I reject you, Tory, as my mate. You are banished from this pack.”
She did not hesitate.
“I accept your rejection. I hope you rot.”
He must have believed she would beg. She didn’t.
The rejection tore through him instead. He collapsed to his knees, shifting into his wolf in a fit of rage. He lunged for her..
But Berry intercepted him midair. One snap of his jaws, and Ceder’s neck broke. His body fell lifeless to the ground.
It was over…Berry moved to Tory, resting a steady hand on her arm.
“Are you alright?”
The way they looked at each other told me everything. The goddess had given them a second chance. Berry had found his mate at last.
Moments later, Kile ran toward her mother. She wore no veil now. The scar was long and brutal, a permanent reminder of her father’s cruelty.
“Mother… What happened to Father? Am I still being sold to the rogue?”
“No, honey. You and your mate can be together.”..She frowned.
“I don’t have a mate. Father locked me up three days ago. He said I’d be married off once the King left.”
“NO. You are mine.”
We turned to see Nick approaching her. His voice was certain. “You are my mate. And you’re not going anywhere except with me.”
The tension shifted. One crisis resolved. Another responsibility rose.
We needed a new Alpha.
“Luna Tory,” I asked, “do you have a son?”
“Yes. He should be home soon.”
“When he returns, I will appoint him as the new Alpha. I pray he rules nothing like his father.”
I sensed movement in the woods..rogues. Watching. Waiting.
“If I were you,” I called into the trees, letting my dragon rise in my voice, “I would leave and never return. This territory is under my protection. If I scent you again, I will end you. I am the Dragon King.”
The forest fell silent. They fled…An hour later, the front door opened. A young male entered, confusion written across his face.
“Mom? Kile? I felt the pack bond break. What happened?”
“Your father is dead,” Tory said. “He attacked me after I told the truth.”..The boy went still. Then he nodded.
“He was never a good Alpha.”..I stepped forward. “You are now.”
Shock flickered in his eyes.
“I will perform the ceremony. You will swear the Alpha oath…to protect this pack with your life.”..He did. Without hesitation.
When it was done, Tory embraced her son.
“The goddess has given me a second chance mate. I’m leaving today. But I will return to check on you.”
Kile prepared to leave with Nick…The new Alpha stood tall despite the weight placed upon his shoulders.
As we departed the pack house, I felt something unfamiliar..hope.
The corruption was gone. The pack had a chance to rebuild.
And my queen had proven, once again, that she was born to stand beside a king.
- Writer
