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Holden feels his leg weaken in despair at the fact that there was no way out of this, he’s been caught. The whole room peers

to his brother. at him with disgust and whispers passed around appalled that he could do tha

Elise didn’t recall that she was holding her breath throughout the whole ordeal until Holden’s desperate voice rang throughout the room.

“I didn’t mean to do it; she provoked me; it was my birthright, and they both got to enjoy it while I rotted in the darkness, but I didn’t mean for Hayden to die, I swear!” He pleads desperately.

But his words didn’t move the elders; only disgust showed on their faces, some ridden with guilt that they had thought to even trust this monster.

“You are a killer, and you don’t deserve anyone’s forgiveness; you lied, and you will pay for what you did to Hayden, Hayden who was kind and ready to sacrifice everything for the people he loved; this punishment isn’t even enough for you.”

Elise says with a lone tear that runs down her face. She watches as Holden scrambles backward, looking for a place to run when Jax and Michelle are brought into the room, holding him off as Brady puts the chain on him, cuffing Holden, who shouts.

“No! You dare cuff me, your prince?! I am supposed to be your king, not this false witch! Unhand me!” He growls at Jax, who looks like he is trying his best not to snap his head off at that moment.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Beta Holden, heed your sentence,” one of the elders’ voices boomed as they all turned to the table, Holden’s eyes glowering with rage as he pushed down to his knees.

“You are sentenced to life imprisonment in the dark dungeons of the Black Mountain Pass for the wicked atrocities that you have inflicted on your kin and your king, which is treason of the highest order; you will never see daylight again.” The elders order a final decision that the court agrees with.

“No, you can’t do this to me! This isn’t over!” He screams as two other beta guards take him away from Jax and Michelle’s hold; they pull him up from his kneeling position. He brawls and struggles against their hold, his legs flailing around to fight the grip of the hefty guards holding him.

Elise closes her eyes, and a wave of relief floods her system as she can finally breathe. She hears the sound of steady steps gainirig closer to her as she opens her eyes to see Rygan in front of her.

His gaze was soft and unwavering as he stared at Elise unabashedly with no shame; even when the elders spoke, his gaze didn’t move from her frame. “We thank you for coming, Your Highness; we would have believed him and thrown Luna Elise in jail.”

–and you

tone.

would have faced my unending wrath if you had done so.” He speaks with a dark intensity and promise in his

“M-My lord?” The male questions confused.

“Because you would have been imprisoning the mother of my child… Whatever faults you are thinking of were from my mistakes, and Hayden was kind enough to look past my *ty,” ***e muttered, his hands raised to clean the tears on her face like he hadn’t just shocked the whole room.

“But my heart has always belonged to her, and I was a fool to let her go… never again, and even none of your armies could have stopped me from the wrath of war that could have ensued, as I do anything for her,” he mutters, no hesitation or shame as he claimed her right in front of the Calhan pack.

14:52 Sun, Sep 8 B.

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Elise moves away from his hold, shocked he could say that, but she is still overwhelmed by it all as she makes a line for the exit but stops when her gaze locks with Alvira, who’s been watching her through the whole ordeal.

“You said the truth… why?” she wondered with a cold and bleak studying gaze on Alvira. She sees the left side of her face has been permanently damaged and burned from the fire, a constant reminder of her sins.

“You had all the chance to kill me; you should have after what I did to your son, but you didn’t; you let me live for my daughter, and I was given a chance to see her again; it was that or I would be subjugated to Rygan’s alpha voice, so I chose the best; I have nothing left than my daughter,” she says before guards take her away.

Elise still felt that simmering anger in her heart, but Alvira was paying for what she had done. She watched as she was taken out of the building and she went back to the prison, where she would continue to serve her life and end punishments.

The trial was finally over, and now they had all left the halls of the court to the high balcony overlooking the city where the crowd had camped and waited for the verdict.

The crowd was in shock at Holden’s treason, and Elise watched the pain morph on Abby’s face as she looked at the chained Holden detained for the whole pack to see. A boy she grew up with, she never knew he would be so evil to his brother; she watched as Abby wept for the loss of Hayden because of his brother’s greed.

“I’m glad I came in time,” Rygan calls me a hushed link; it felt like they were the only ones in the world at that moment as

their as

locked. gaze the roar of the crowds had zeroed down to silence

*Thank you for coming for me,* Elise says with sincere gratitude, her eyes softened with a gaze that made Rygan’s heart warm. His body itched to touch her. His wolf thrashed to take in her scent.

*For you, El, always, even when you do not want me close, I will always make my way back to you.* Just when she thought her love for this man couldn’t get any more, he pieced together her broken heart once again to be there.

With her gaze fully locked on Rygan, she didn’t fully notice that Holden had been looking at her with so much contempt and thirst for vengeance, and in the last moment, he managed to get himself free as he pushed against the delta guards, his hands dipping into the pocket glove of his tunic.

He raises a knife and runs to Elise; the moment he raises his knife to stab her, Rygan comes in front and blocks the knife with his body, taking the hit.

He hissed when he felt the knife indent his right shoulder; the crowd gasped in shock at Holden’s attack. Holden was shocked at Rygan’s raw strength. They all witness a terror-filled scream from Holden as he hears a c**k to his wrist and one of his legs till his bone splinters out.

“Agh! You beast, why did you block my attack? I would have killed her!” Holden argues as Rygan lands a blow to his face. He raises his hands to chase another blow, but Elise stops him in time.

Her body trembled as her eyes were on the bleeding wound, now darker than before; she knew those symptoms anywhere. Her trembling hands covered Rygan’s wound, and not only that, but she saw his blood turn gray, which horrified her. “Stop Rygan! You’re wounded, poisoned!” She calls with panic as she takes his hands and leads him away from the crowd and into the palace.

She didn’t mind the line of guards she’d passed, as they must all be confused to see a six-foot male trail behind her, and not just any male but the alpha of the Black Moon pack.

“Go to Abby’s clinic and ask for the Nightbane, fast,” she urged quickly to Jenna before she pulled Rygan further into the hallways.

f

Elise felt like she was going insane, like something feral had taken over screaming, “Protect, protect!” As she takes Rygan’s to her room.

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“El, I’m alright.”

“No! You are not alright; you have been poisoned with wolfsbane, the same thing that Hayden was, and “his body trembled as she stuttered. “I cannot lose you; I can’t-”

Rygan watched her as this beautiful female was breaking down in panic because of him. Because of how afraid she was to lose him, his wolf whined to be close to her, how he’s missed her these last few weeks and could do nothing about it but wait and give her time.

It was like a born reflex as Rygan swooped down, taking her lips into his as he kissed her dearly as his life depended on it, his body deprived of her taste, now he felt could die peacefully.”

And Elise stiffened at the first touch. “I rejected you, remember!” She stuttered out tearfully, but Rygan’s grip kept her from escaping his hold.

“On paper,” he remained “Now look me in the eyes as you reject me, Elise,” he tells her.

But she was speechless; how could she, when she was so in love with this man, when her heart burned so much by just looking at him? And Rygan could see that affection all too well.

“You see, you can’t,… Paper burns, but my love for you does not Elise; I could give my life for you, because I am yours, and I love you,” he confessed, and her body warmed instantly. This time he bent down, pushing his lips towards her in an earth- shattering kiss that rocked her feet till it wobbled, making her whimper out and open up for more access.

Her tongue rolled into his mouth, tears mixing in with the kiss as they heated breaths in haste like they had no time yet all of eternity. Elise gave out a groan as she quivered in return to his kiss, and Rygan felt like he was home in her embrace and warmth.

Finally home to his mate.