Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 907: Proud Of You

"Ahh!" Angus screamed in agony as the last of the runes on his body vanished. He could feel it. It was as though the unnatural strength had been ripped straight out of him and now, for the first time in years, he was nothing more than an ordinary wolf.

"It is done, my queen," Lila announced once the priests finished their chants.

Queen Seraphira released her magic and instantly the vines binding Angus splintered apart. Angus didn’t even attempt to fight anymore. The moment the restraints vanished, he crumbled onto the floor like a broken man.

To everyone’s surprise, a sob escaped his mouth. Angus Richmond began to cry. It was not the tears of a proud king, but the desperate weeping of a man finally realizing his end had come and it looked nothing like the glorious future he once envisioned.

"How could you do this to me?" Angus asked Seraphira, his tear-filled eyes fixed entirely on her.

"He’s trying to manipulate her," Violet growled, already moving forward before he could somehow guilt her mother into doing something foolish like pitying him.

This time it was Griffin who stopped her.

"This is your mother’s fight," he told her. "I’m sorry, but you’ll have to trust her."

Seraphira stared down at Angus with a completely apathetic expression, yet deep inside her heart still ached at the sight of him broken before her. They were mates after all. A bond like that did not disappear so easily.

But she would no longer allow her emotions to blind her judgment.

She told him with a quiet voice, "Eighteen years ago, you broke me the same way."

Angus immediately scrambled to his feet and rushed toward her. Thinking he was about to attack, Lila stepped in, murderous intent flashing in her eyes, only for Seraphira to raise a hand and stop her.

Instead, Angus dropped to his knees and grabbed Seraphira by the legs.

"I’m sorry," he pleaded desperately. "I didn’t know any better. I was stupid. I didn’t realize what we had." His grip on her tightened. "But you can’t leave me alone, Seraphira. She’s going to kill me!"

His frightened eyes darted toward Violet whose expression openly screamed that she was more than willing to finish the job herself.

Seraphira remained unmoved.

"You cannot slaughter countless people and then fear death when it finally comes for you," she said calmly. "The blood you spilled cries out every day for justice and this is simply where your road ends."

"And besides," her eyes sharpened, "you only want me now because I can protect you. If you still possessed those dark powers, I have no doubt you would kill me the same way you intended to kill our daughter."

Perhaps because she struck too close to the truth, Angus lashed out.

"Then you should die too!"

His claws slashed viciously across Seraphira’s face.

Shouts of alarm broke out in the hall.

"Mother!"

"Your Majesty!"

Angus would have probably attacked again had he not suddenly been hurled across the throne room by an invisible force.

The killing intent in Lila’s eyes was terrifying as she slammed Angus violently against the pillar before lifting him several feet into the air and dropping him without mercy.

Angus crashed onto the floor with a sickening thud, the breath leaving his lungs in one painful gasp as he groaned.

Queen Seraphira slowly straightened,

completely unaffected. Her face was the perfect picture of cold acceptance, as though she had finally accepted the painful truth that no matter what happened, Angus would never change.

The claw marks across her face healed right before Violet’s eyes.

Violet looked horrified.

"Why?" she whispered brokenly, unable to understand it. "He’s your mate. Why?" She desperately needed an answer.

Seraphira looked toward her daughter with a wistful sadness.

"Not all villains deserve second chances," she said softly. "Some souls become so damaged that even the goddess’s gift turns into nothing but a curse."

Then Seraphira took a deep breath like someone finally setting down a burden she had carried for far too long.

"I trust you’ll handle things here. If you can’t, Lila will—"

"I can," Violet interrupted firmly, fierce determination burning in her eyes.

"Good," Seraphira replied.

Then, unexpectedly, she added, "I’m proud of you, Violet."

Immediately Violet looked upward toward the ceiling, fighting back the tears suddenly gathering in her eyes.

She was in the middle of a battlefield. She was not supposed to cry. Yet hearing those words from Seraphira healed something inside her that she never realized had been broken.

"I love you, my baby."

Seraphira walked toward her and under the watchful eyes of Violet’s mates, she pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead.

Perhaps it was the pregnancy hormones, or everything that had happened. Either way, Violet completely broke down into tears. Just like that, even the usually composed Seraphira had tears rolling silently down her cheeks, though unlike Violet, she cried quietly.

While this was happening, Angus was still sprawled across the floor trying to recover from the brutal beating Lila had given him. Lila never once took her eyes off him, glaring so intensely that it was a miracle lasers didn’t start shooting from her eyes because that would have truly been the end for him.

Knowing this was not the time to completely break down, Violet forced herself to regain control.

"You should go," she told Seraphira.

Violet knew staying here any longer would only make things harder for her mother. No matter how monstrous Angus was, the mate bond still existed and Violet didn’t want Seraphira interfering if things became too painful to watch.

Seraphira didn’t argue. Instead she lingered for just a moment longer, her eyes slowly taking Violet in one final time before she whispered,

"Make him suffer."

Then the Queen turned toward the portal and walked into it, vanishing completely. The priests who had undone the runes followed after her one by one until the portal finally closed behind them.

Only Lila remained.But even she already knew the way back.

Slowly Violet turned toward her sperm donor. She cracked her neck. Then her fingers.

A dangerous smile tugged at her lips.

It was time to have a little fun.