The Rejected Mate's Secret Heir

Chapter 18: The Final Stand

The stone steps of the high nursery tower felt endless as Elena sprinted upward at supernatural speed, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.

Behind her, the heavy, thunderous footsteps of Alpha Max vibrated through the stone walls, his royal aura flaring with terrifying, murderous rage.

Don't touch my son. Don't you dare touch my son! Elena’s mind screamed repeatedly, her eyes blazing with a brilliant, silver light as she pushed her new royal wolf speed to its absolute limit.

BANG!

Elena slammed her palms against the heavy mahogany doors of the nursery, throwing them wide open!

The sight inside made her blood run below freezing.

The two royal guards posted outside the nursery were unconscious on the stone floor, paralyzed by dark potion mist. Inside the room, near the open stone balcony that overlooked a sheer three-hundred-foot cliff, stood Lady Freya.

Freya looked completely unhinged. Her elegant red dress was torn and filthy, her dark hair wild, and her eyes wide with manic, desperate madness. In her shaking right hand, she clutched a sharp, obsidian dagger covered in dark runes.

And standing just two feet away from her, backed up against the low balcony wall, was Jaxon.

The five-year-old boy was holding his wooden toy sword, his electric blue eyes narrowed in a fierce, fearless glare at the crazy woman in front of him.

"Stay back, evil lady!" Jaxon yelled brave and loud, his small voice echoing across the tower room. "My mommy and big guy are going to lock you in the dungeon!"

"Shut up! Shut up, you little bastard!" Freya shrieked, tears of pure rage spilling down her cheeks as her obsidian dagger trembled in the air. "You took everything from me! I was supposed to be Queen! I was supposed to bear Max’s heirs! You and your wolfless mother ruined my life!"

"Freya!" Elena’s voice boomed across the room like a crack of thunder.

Freya whirled around, her manic eyes locking onto Elena and Max as they stepped into the room.

Max stepped in front of Elena, his massive frame radiating a pressure so dark, heavy, and lethal that the glass windows in the nursery began to crack under the force. His twin silver blades hummed with violent intent.

"Drop the dagger, Freya," Max commanded, his voice vibrating through the floorboards like a death sentence. "Step away from my son, or I will feed your flesh to the rogues."

Freya let out a bitter, psychotic laugh, taking a fast step backward—pulling Jaxon closer to the dangerous edge of the open balcony. "Do you think I'm afraid of dying, Max?! I spent five years waiting for you! I served your pack, managed your nobility, and loved you! And you cast me aside the moment this parasite crawled back into your life!"

Elena took a cautious, steady step forward, keeping her hands visible and her voice deceptively calm, though her silver eyes burned with raw, maternal fury.

"This isn't about Max, Freya," Elena said softly, drawing Freya’s attention away from Jaxon. "You didn't love him. You loved the throne. You loved the power and the title. And you helped Richard attempt to murder a five-year-old child to keep it."

"He is not a child! He is a monster!" Freya screamed, raising the obsidian blade high above her head, her body lunging toward Jaxon in a final, suicidal attempt to strike! "If I can't have the throne, no one will!"

"NO!" Elena roared.

FLASH!

Before Freya’s blade could even descend an inch, Elena moved like a silver flash of lightning across the room.

She intercepted Freya in mid-air, her slender hand shooting out and slamming around Freya’s throat with unbelievable, supernatural force!

CRACK!

The sharp obsidian dagger shattered into harmless black dust against Elena’s silver aura as Elena slammed Freya heavily onto the marble floor, completely pinning the noblewoman beneath her knees.

Freya gasped frantically for air, her dark eyes wide with paralyzing terror as she looked up into Elena’s glowing silver eyes—eyes that held the terrifying, ancient power of the Crescent Moon lineage.

"You called my son a bastard," Elena whispered, her voice dripping with an icy, lethal resonance that made Freya tremble uncontrollably. "You threatened his life in my home."

Max rushed to the balcony, instantly scooping Jaxon into his arms and pulling the boy tight against his chest. Jaxon wrapped his small arms around Max’s neck, letting out a soft sigh of relief.

"You okay, little prince?" Max murmured roughly, his large hand gently cradling the back of his son's head.

"I'm okay, big guy," Jaxon whispered back, looking over Max’s broad shoulder. "Mommy caught the bad lady!"

On the floor, Freya choked, tears of panic streaming down her face. "P-Please... Elena... mercy..."

Elena looked down at the pathetic, broken woman beneath her hands. For five years, Freya had taunted her, called her useless trash, and plotted her death. But standing here now, fully awakened as a true Queen and mother, Elena felt no desire for petty slaughter.

Elena slowly released her grip on Freya’s neck, standing up to her full height and looking down at her with absolute disdain.

"Death is too easy for you, Freya," Elena said coldly. "You wanted power so much? You can spend the rest of your life reflecting on your failure in the dark."

Commander Caleb and four elite royal guards rushed into the nursery, their swords drawn.

"Take her," Max ordered without looking back, his voice cold as iron. "Strip Lady Freya of her noble title, banish her name from the pack archives, and lock her in the subterranean cells for life."

"No! Max! Please! Mercy!" Freya screamed frantically as Caleb’s warriors dragged her away, her voice fading down the long, dark stone stairwell until absolute silence returned to the tower.

The room fell quiet, filled only by the warm breeze blowing in from the open balcony.

Max turned around, holding Jaxon safely against his hip. He walked toward Elena, stopping just inches away from her. His icy blue eyes were soft, overflowing with intense pride, love, and a deep, unshakeable reverence.

"You saved him," Max murmured softly, his voice thick with emotion.

Elena looked down at Jaxon, who reached his tiny hand out toward her. Elena immediately took her son into her arms, hugging him tight against her chest as tears of immense relief finally spilled over her cheeks.

Max didn't hesitate. He wrapped his massive arms around both of them, pulling Elena and Jaxon flush against his chest, enveloping them in his warm, protective embrace.

For the first time in five long years, Elena didn't push him away. She leaned her head against Max’s shoulder, closing her eyes as the warm, golden thread of their mate bond hummed peacefully between their hearts.

The shadows were gone. The traitors were fallen. And standing high above the Bloodmoon territory, their family was finally whole again.