Chapter 80 – The Breaking Point
The weight of the ballroom felt heavier with every breath Rowan took.
He hadn’t released Giselle since the moment she completed the bond. His mate. His true mate.
The bond pulsed warm beneath his skin, her scent finally clearing the fog that had warped his mind. But there was still one thread left unraveled—and he wasn’t about to let it fray any further.
He turned sharply toward the guards stationed along the perimeter. “Take Elder Malric and Rhea into custody,” he commanded, his voice ringing with absolute authority.
A few of the warriors sprang into action, moving toward the stage with careful precision.
But when Rowan’s gaze scanned the platform, his stomach dropped.
Rhea was gone.
He growled low in his throat, the sound echoing like thunder off the stone walls. “Where the hell did she go?”
Elder Malric blinked, looking around in feigned confusion. “She was just here…”
“Don’t play dumb with me,” Rowan snapped, taking a step toward him. “Where is she?”
Elder Malric raised his hands slowly. “I don’t know, Alpha. I swear it. I am as surprised as you are.”
“Convenient,” Rowan said coldly. “She vanishes the second we expose her—and you expect me to believe you weren’t in on it?”
“I expect you to believe facts, not paranoia,” Elder Malric bit back. “If anything, her disappearance proves *her* guilt, not mine.”
Rowan snarled, but the crowd was watching, hanging on every word, every expression.
Elder Malric adjusted the sleeves of his robe and took a breath before stepping to the front of the stage. “If I may,” he said, his voice projecting clearly. “I have nothing to hide.”
The ballroom quieted again. Even Rowan waited.
“I *did* try to keep Rowan from the rogue,” Elder Malric admitted, not looking at Giselle. “But I did so to protect this pack. The rogue uprisings… the attacks… Giselle was one of them. A wolf without allegiance or honor. What was I supposed to think? That she meant well?”
Giselle’s hand tightened in Rowan’s. “I never meant harm to your pack,” she said, her voice unwavering.
Elder Malric ignored her. “I did what I thought was necessary. But I swear to you all now—I had no further dealings with the rogues. I did not work with them. And I had no idea what Rhea was planning.”
Rowan’s eyes narrowed. “Then explain Elia.”
Elder Malric flinched. It was subtle, but Rowan saw it.
“Elia?” Elder Malric repeated.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Rowan growled. “She’s gone. Vanished from the packgrounds without a trace.”
Elder Malric hesitated before slowly replying, “Elia is in hiding.”
That earned murmurs from the crowd.
“She came to me,” Elder Malric continued, “worried that someone was after her. She said she’d been tricked—coerced into leading Giselle out of the dungeons under false pretenses. She feared retribution from *you*, Rowan.”
“I never would’ve hurt her,” Rowan ground out.
Elder Malric met his eyes. “She didn’t know that.”
Rowan studied him, searching for the lie. But Elder Malric looked genuinely tired—worn beneath the weight of his choices.
“And now she’s just gone?” Rowan asked.
“She left before any of this began. She hasn’t contacted me since,” Elder Malric replied. “If you don’t believe me, search my quarters. Tear apart my records. I’ll not stand in your way.”
Beta Kalen stepped up behind Rowan, his voice low. “He might be telling the truth, Alpha. I’ll put warriors on the hunt for Rhea. And we’ll check the perimeter—maybe she slipped out in the chaos.”
Rowan nodded, though his jaw remained tight.
Rowan turned his gaze back to Elder Malric, the anger still simmering in his chest despite the elder’s measured words.
“Even if it turns out you’re telling the truth,” he said, his voice low but sharp, “and you had nothing to do with the rogues or Rhea’s betrayal… you still tried to tear me away from my mate.”
He stepped forward, keeping Giselle close at his side, his arm curling protectively around her waist.
“You deliberately withheld information, twisted circumstances, and manipulated those around you to push for a Luna you thought was more ‘suitable.’ You nearly made me destroy the bond that was fated to save me—save all of us. That’s not something I can overlook.”
Elder Malric’s expression tightened, but before he could speak, a soft touch brushed against Rowan’s chest.
Giselle.
Her hand pressed gently there, grounding him.
“Rowan,” she said softly, her voice calm and resolute, “he didn’t know me. He didn’t know my heart or my intentions. He only did what he believed was right… for the pack.”
Rowan shook his head, eyes narrowing. “That doesn’t excuse what he’s done.”
“No,” she agreed gently, “it doesn’t. But it does make it more understandable.”
Rowan glanced down at her, something inside of him softening beneath the weight of her compassion. The storm in his chest eased slightly at her words, though it didn’t fully fade.
Across from them, Elder Malric stood still, his eyes fixed on Giselle. Something shifted in his expression—gone was the rigidity, the cold calculation. In its place was a flicker of something else.
Acceptance.
Respect.
It wasn’t a full apology. But it was the start of something different.
Rowan took a long breath before lifting his gaze to the remaining pack members. “This night has taken a turn none of us expected,” he announced. “But the truth has been brought into the light, and justice will be dealt accordingly. For now—” his voice dropped with finality “—this gathering is dismissed.
The crowd began to murmur and shift, but before anyone could turn away, a young female warrior stepped forward from the edge of the crowd. Her eyes were wide, but determined.
“Alpha…” she said hesitantly, drawing all eyes to her, “we came here to celebrate your union tonight. And it may not have turned out the way the Elders planned—but your true mate is standing right next to you.”
A few others nodded, murmuring agreement.
She took a step closer. “If this bond—this union—is what the moon goddess ordained, then we should celebrate that. We should honor it.”
Rowan blinked, surprised at the warmth growing in his chest at her words.
Giselle looked up at him, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
For the first time that evening, Rowan let himself smile back.
Maybe, just maybe, the pack was finally beginning to see the truth.
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