Page 86 of Knocked Up By My Fated Alpha
We stood like that for a while, just breathing, wrapped in a silence that felt like its own kind of magic. My wolf purred with quiet contentment, and I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips. It had become a familiar feeling since getting my wolf back, that soft hum inside whenever Damien was near. Like a schoolgirl blushing over a crush she can’t hide.
Then he moved past me toward the crib, his eyes softening in that way they only ever did around her. He reached in, his fingers brushing Nala’s chubby cheek. And my heart did that thing it always did when I watched him with her.
Damien Blackwell, Alpha of the Shadow Thorn Pack, feared by so many, looked at our daughter like she was made of stars. There was a gentleness in him now, a quiet patience I hadn’t seen before. He handled her like she was a miracle. And maybe she was.
She brought out a side of him I didn’t think he knew he had. His voice was quiet when he finally turned back to me. “They’re waiting for us.” I nodded.
My chest tightened slightly, but I didn’t flinch from it. I’d been preparing for this since the day Nala was born and the trials began, ever since the Ivory Moon Pack was handed back to me.
Now came the hard part. Justice. The sentencing was today. Afterdays of testimony, today we would speak the final word. Damien and I, standing as the leaders of two united packs.
Elias. Rielle. Elder Dawson. Aunt Tiffany. All of them had been judged. There was a quiet satisfaction in it, especially with Dawson and Tiffany, the ones who orchestrated my parents’ death.
Justice was finally within reach, and deep inside, I felt something shift. Like maybe, my parents could finally rest peacefully, like I would finally avenge them. All of them would be sentenced today before every wolf in both Shadow Thorn and Ivory Moon.
I turned one last time to look at Nala. She slept on, oblivious to the legacy she had been born into. Damien reached for my hand, and we left the room together, leaving our daughter in the care of a maid.
Outside, the pack grounds buzzed with activity. Wolves moved in formation. Scouts flanked the trees. Everyone knew what today was. We stepped out into the morning light, the air crisp and clear. And just ahead, rising like a monument carved from stone and legacy, was the Shadow Thorn Coliseum.
It was wide, towering, and circular in shape, with black columns and silver banners flapping in the breeze. It could hold thousands. And today, it did.
The roar of the crowd echoed through the stone coliseum as Damien and I stepped into the great ring.
Thousands had gathered, members of both the Shadow Thorn and Ivory Moon Packs, filling every tier of the towering arena. Flags waved above us, silver and black, and somewhere in the distance, a low horn sounded, signaling our arrival.
Damien held my hand the entire time, his grip steady, grounding. He guided me up the wide obsidian steps toward the highest platform, the place of judgment, where alphas sat. The stone beneath our feet thrummed with power, heavy with history.
When we reached the chairs carved from blackwood and iron, he helped me lower into mine, his hand resting briefly on my lower back to steady me. Then, he sat beside me, his jaw set, his eyes locked forward.
Below us, the crowd shifted. The guards emerged from the far gate,flanking four prisoners in chains: Elias, Rielle, Elder Dawson, and Aunt Tiffany.
The moment the crowd caught sight of them, jeers erupted like thunder. Wolves stood and shouted. Others growled under their breath. The tension in the coliseum became a living thing, snarling through every tier.
The four were marched to the center of the arena, bound, bruised, and exposed beneath the fury of two packs. I watched them closely, my heart calm. I had waited a long time for this moment.
Then Damien rose, and the entire coliseum fell into instant silence. His voice rang out, clear and controlled.
“Elias Blackwell,” he said, looking down at his nephew, “for your crimes, which include the attempted murder of my mate, the attempted murder of our unborn child, and conspiracy alongside Elders Mia and Malcolm, who have already been banished from this pack, you are hereby banished from the Shadow Thorn Pack.”
A stunned silence held the crowd for a heartbeat. Then Elias dropped to his knees. “Please, Uncle,” Elias said, his voice hoarse and broken. “Please don’t do this, please, I didn’t mean for… ”
But Damien didn’t so much as blink. He raised a hand, and the guards moved forward. Elias tried to crawl forward, still begging, but they dragged him back and away, his pleas swallowed by the silence of the crowd.
Damien’s face never changed. He turned slowly, locking eyes with Rielle. She stared at him as if looking at a ghost. Her lips trembled.
“And as for you,” Damien said, his voice like ice, “first, I strip you of my name. You shall no longer be known as Rielle Blackwell.” A gasp escaped her lips. One that gave me a tingling satisfaction.
“And,” Damien continued, “since your crimes were committed against humans… multiple, brutal murders, your fate no longer rests with us. You will be handed over to the human government. A delegation from Sky Pack will arrive tomorrow morning to take custody of you and hand you over to the humans. They will determine justice. As they see fit.”
Rielle collapsed onto the ground, crying openly now. “Damien,” she sobbed. “Please, remember what we had. I loved you. I loved… ”
“You’re dead to me,” Damien said, flatly.
She froze. The guards lifted her from the ground and began to haul her away, her screams echoing faintly through the arena as she disappeared through the gate. Damien reached for my hand and helped me rise, his fingers lacing through mine, strong and warm.
I turned to face the arena. The wind pulled at my hair. The sun was high now, casting a golden halo over the platform. I stood taller.
“Elder Dawson Nightbane. Tiffany Nightbane.” They looked up at me, faces drawn with fear.
