Chapter 19
Silverstone’s pov
I stepped forward, my eyes glowing with power. “The sentence has been passed. As is our way, the execution will be carried out immediately, under the light of the full moon.”
The pack formed a larger circle, creating a ritual space. Two strong Betas moved to flank Marcus gripping his arms. He begged for mercy but no one listened to him.
They seized him by the arms, dragging him towards the edge of the clearing. The condemned Marcus stumbled along. silver chains still searing his flesh with wound sores from the previous injury he had the day I met him in the cell. No doubt. Marcus was going through a lot of pain.
But it was nothing like the pain my father must have gone through nothing like the pain I was through.
They arrived at an ancient oak, its massive trunk scarred by countless previous executions. Marcus was forced to his knees
before it.
I approached, my form rippling as I partially shifted. My voice was low and solemn.
“Let justice be done.”
In one swift motion, a knife slit Marcus‘ throat. Blood sprayed, staining the oak’s roots. Marcus‘ eyes widened in shock, then slowly dimmed as his life ebbed away.
The pack watched in grim silence as their former Beta slumped to the ground. I stepped back, my face a mask of cold
resolve.
“It is finished. I declared.
“May this serve as a reminder – betrayal will never be tolerated in our pack, not under my watch!”
A mournful howl rose from the gathered wolves, marking the end of the grim ceremony.
The execution had left me drained, and I longed for the comfort of my secret lover’s embrace.
Klein had requested to see me earlier but I was carried away by Marcus‘ case. Thankfully everything was settled now, I picked up my phone and just as I was about to call Klein, his call came in.
“Klein dear, I was just about to call you.”
“I guess we were both thinking of each other,” he let out a soft groan.
“I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve miss you too, my love”
We hadn’t seen each other in a while, we hadn’t had time to properly converse. It has just been from one crisis to the other. “Meet me at the old house on the outskirts of the pack, I have something for you.”
I smiled for the first time in a while. Jared had gone out of town too. He said he needed to finalize things for the land he just acquired for the pack.
It was perfect for me, at least I didn’t have to worry about him spying on me.
I got to the old house and my eyes scanned everywhere for Klein but he was nowhere to be found.
I stood in the secluded glade, moonlight filtering through the leaves. My eyes traveled through the house in search of Klein, for a while I was scared. What if something bad happened to him again? What if Jared had sent some people to attack him? A lot of things ran through my mind.
As I traveled through my thoughts with a mix of anticipation and caution, I had a loud voice from behind me, it was strange. yet familiar.
“Thank you for honoring my invitation, Silverstone” I turned to see who it was.
It was Klein.
Suddenly, strong arms encircled my waist from behind. My body tensed for a split second before relaxing as I recognized his touch and scent.
“Klein?” I breathed, a smile spreading across my face.
His lips brushed against my ear as he whispered, “I’ve missed you, my Luna”
I turned in his arms, facing him. Our eyes met, conveying a depth of emotion that words couldn’t capture. The weight of my responsibilities as Luna seemed to lift, if only for a moment.
Klein’s hand cupped my cheek gently.
“Are you alright? I know tonight couldn’t have been easy!”
I leaned into his touch, allowing myself this moment of vulnerability.
“It’s done, I murmured.
“The late Alpha has gotten the justice that he deserves.”
As we stood there, embracing in the moonlit clearing, the troubles of the pack seemed distant. For now, it was just the two of us, finding solace in our arms.
Klein pulled back slightly, his eyes searching my face.
“I wish I could have been there with you, as your mate,” he said softly.
“To support you through it all
I sighed, my fingers tracing the lines of his jaw. “You know we can’t risk exposing our relationship. Not yet. The pack is still too fragile, especially since Jared is still out there, roaming as a free man.”
He nodded, he understood me but he was clearly frustrated.
“How long do we have to keep hiding, Silverstone? I want to stand by your side openly.”
I leaned my forehead against his chest, inhaling his comforting scent.
“Soon, I promised.
“Once things settle down, we’ll find a way.”
He tilted my chin up, meeting my gaze.
“There’s something else, isn’t there? What Marcus said about Jared…
My expression darkened. “I wish he had something to prove his accusations, but he didn’t.”
“But what if-”
I cut him off with a fierce kiss, silencing him. When we parted, we were slightly breathless.
“Let’s not talk about the pack tonight, I murmured. “I need this. I need you.”
Klein hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He took my hand, leading me deeper into the old house where we could be truly alone.
As we walked, the weight of leadership seemed to fall away from my shoulders. For now, I was just a woman in love, stealing precious moments with my secret mate under the cover of darkness.
As we ventured deeper into the woods, the atmosphere between Klein and I shifted. The stress of the day’s events began to melt away, replaced by a growing tension of a different kind.
I felt anew, maybe because I was beside the man that loved me unconditionally in my past life. I craved him, my whole body wanted him.
I looked at him, admiring how handsome he was, the moon goddess indeed blessed him, and making him my mate in this life was even perfect.
As we walked further, we had a loud crash in the wood, it was like someone was watching us.
