Chapter 29
29
Author’s POV
Kael slammed his palm against the bar, his voice hoarse with fury. “That’s bullshit! The law already gave Riley five years- she’s paid her dues!”
Ronan’s icy expression didn’t waver, “ Paid ? She served her time and walked out alive. My sister will spend the rest of her life in a hospital bed, barely breathing. And you want to call it even?”
His voice dropped, low and venomous. “As long as Tessa remains trapped in that shell, Riley’s debt is far from paid?
“ Shin up!” Karl growled. His eyes were bloodshot, his voice rasped from the strain. “Riley was beaten in prison. She was mocked, stabbed, forced to kneel until her knees bled. Her leg was shattered. You ever seen someone go from a bright–eyed.
girl to.., to that? Cold. Quiet. Hollow. She was sunshine. Now she’s shadow. How is that not enough?!”
He staggered backward, knocking over a stool behind him. His balance was gone, but he didn’t notice. His chest heaved with every breath. “She’s a cripple now. Is that what you wanted?! Are you happy?!”
Something flickered in Ronan’s gaze–guilt? No. Not guilt. But something like a flinch passed behind his eyes .
He shouldn’t feel anything for her.
She hurt Tessa. She ruined everything. She was the reason for the endless nights spent by a motionless body in the Frosthelm. medical ward.
He had no right to pity her.
He swallowed it down. “She deserved every second of that sentence. Don’t compare a few bruises to my sister’s ruined future. Tessa was brilliant. She was meant to lead, to innovate, to serve the Pack Council with honor–and Riley stole that .”
Ronan’s voice turned cruel. “And don’t forges, Karl–it was you who testified against her. You backed Scarlett. You helped bury her. You think she’s forgotten that? You think she doesn’t hate you for it?”
Kael flinched like he’d been slapped.
He had hoped Riley would come out of prison with new perspective. Stronger. Wiser.
He hadn’t known she’d come out broken.
The anger erupted again–white hot. He swung at Ronan.
Ronan dodged easily , stepping aside like a breeze. Kael slammed into the bar , panting, dizzy.
“ More ,” he gasped at the bartender. “Give me something stronger.”
The man poured silently. Kael grabbed the glass and downed it, liquor spilling from the corners of his mouth.
Ronan sat beside him, knuckles white around his own drink. He looked calm, but his thoughts were chaos.
Riley… why couldn’t you have just stayed the perfect little prodigy you were meant to be ?
The music throbbed around them. Lights spun, people laughed, bodies danced–but the world outside was crumbling.
Back at the Vale manor, things weren’t much better.
Scarlett sobbed tito Luna Zara’s arms. Her delicate frame trembled with each breathless hiccup.
Zara stroked her hair gently, but her eyes glinted with disapproval .
Alpha Alaric’s face was carved from stone. He pointed at Riley, voice thunderous. “You pushed her. You wanted to paralyze her like you did Tessa That’s what you’ve become. A savage. A threat. Kneel and beg for forgiveness.”
Riley stared at him, numb,
She didn’t even flinch when he called her savage.
Pears
29
She’d stopped expecting kindness from him long ago.
But still something twisted inside her. Something old and sharp and buried deep.
“You watched Scarlett shove Tessa five years ago . You did nothing. You watched me get sentenced for it. Again, you did nothing. And now , you let her throw herself down a flight of stairs just to frame me again, and still–you. Do. Nothing.”
Her voice was calm. Too calm.
Alaric’s face darkened with rage. “How dare you-
“Am I really your daughter? Or was I just some mistake you never wanted to claim? You protect Scarlett like she’s your blood. Maybe she is.”
The words hit like a slap.
Alaric’s composure shattered. He roared, snatching his belt from around his waist.
Zara gasped. Scarlett clung tighter to her.
He raised the leather and brought it down hard.
The crack of impact echoed through the room.
Riley didn’t scream, She didn’t cry. She only staggered back, her shoulder ablaze with pain .
The second strike came. Then the third.
She dropped to her knees, arms bracing her weight, body trembling.
Mia burst into the room. “Alpha, please! She’s already injured-
“ Move ,” Alaric snarled.
Mia didn’t move. She knelt beside Riley, shielding her with her own back. The next blow landed on her.
Riley gasped. “Mia, don’t-
“You’re the Alpha’s daughter, Mia whispered. “You don’t deserve this.”
That’s when it happened.
Riley’s eyes widened,
Something inside her cracked– no , awakened.
Her blood ran hot, her vision doubled. The lights blurred. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. The pain vanished, replaced by something primal.
The scent of anger. The tang of iron. The feeling of her bones pulling, reshaping.
Her woll
For the first time in five years, the creature inside stirred.
And it was furious.
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