Chapter 68

Gideon’s POV

The air felt soothingly cool outside the hospital, it was almost evening time. The air felt like gentle caress against my skin like it reminded me that the world outside and in his life can instantly change and shift even if I was resting in bed.

Raven walked quietly at my side with the kids, her movements were slow and controlled since kids walked by her side so I asked beta to take the children ahead so she can walk comfortably. The children had been taken ahead by the Beta to rest, sparing them from the scene I knew was waiting for us back at the pack house.

After we arrived back I saw silence just as I expected.

The great hall which was usually full of conversation and movements now stood quiet. The wolves of the pack now stood straight by the wall, their eyes were alert and sharp. Their scents were heavy with unease. In the center, flanked by two of my men and bound at the wrists, stood Daphne.

Even chained up, she stood tall like she has done nothing wrong. Her chin was lifted, her expression proud, though her appearance betrayed her—hair tangled, clothes were simple, face smeared with mascara. She barely looked like a Luna she had once pretended to be and more like a desperate wolf clinging to illusions of power.

My wolf snarled inside me at the sight of her, demanding retribution. But I forced him to calm down, keeping my steps confident and measured as I advanced.

“Bring her in front of us,” I ordered firmly.

The Beta nodded and pulled her closer till she was standing a few feet away from me. Raven stood behind me to my right, as she watched silently but watchful. I could feel her presence steadying me, though she said nothing.

I observed Daphne, hoping foolishly in my heart that I will get to see the old Daphne who was my friend. But the moment I looked into her eyes, I knew that woman no longer existed.

“Why did you do this?” My voice echoed through the chamber, low and steady but full of command. “Why betray me, betray your pack, and sink so low as to poison me?”

For an instant, I thought she might stay silent. Then her mask cracked as she finally showed her true colours, and she snapped like a weak branch underfoot.

“Because you never loved me!” she screamed angrily, her voice raw and real, breaking against the stillness of the hall. Her voice echoed everywhere.

Gasps rippled through the wolves around us. Daphne’s eyes glistened with tears, but not because of sorrow and hurt—because of rage.

“You paraded me as your Luna, but your heart was never mine. I gave you years, Gideon. Years! I waited patiently, I tried my best, I stood by your side all the time, but you never gave me what I deserved and worked so hard for. Cold shoulders, empty words, always too busy, always distracted!” She spat the words like venom, her voice trembling with anger. Then her gaze landed on Raven. “And always looking at her.”

My pack members stirred restlessly, as they started to whisper.

My chest tightened with hurt and anger, but I stood firm. “You think love can be forced on anyone? You think affection can be taken by deception and poison?”

Her lips twisted in snarl. “What was I supposed to do? Just watch as you ignored me? As you looked at her like she mattered, when I was the one you chose first?”

“You were chosen to be my Luna because I believed in you,” I said sharply. “Because I thought you had the heart to lead beside me. But what did you do with that trust? You let jealousy consume you. You tried to harm Claire. You tried to harm children. You tried to harm me. That is not how love works, Daphne. What you did is selfishness.”

Her jaw clenched and her hands clenched into fist, her whole body trembling with fury. “I only wanted what was mine!”

“No, you wanted power,” I corrected coldly. “Not love. Not even loyalty. Just Power.”

She looked around the room as if she was searching for sympathy from the pack members. Some wolves looked away. Others glared openly at her expressing their dislike. But no one dared to try to defend her.

I took a step and stood right in front of her, my voice rising with Alpha command. “You stood as Luna. You had honor, protection, the respect of this pack. You could have carried that role for life, even without my love. But you didn't just betray me but the whole pack. I will not allow such darkness to poison my people any longer.”

The weight and seriousness of my words filled the hall. I saw pack members' heads bow in agreement, the pack responding instinctively to the authority in my tone. My wolf pressed against my skin, satisfied at their submission.

I turned toward the Beta. “She is stripped of her title as Luna. From this moment forward, she is nothing to us. Take her. Remove her from the pack house. She is cast out.”

The declaration of my decision and punishment thundered through the air, final and unyielding.

For a heartbeat, silence reigned. Then two enforcers stepped forward, seizing Daphne by the arms.

“No this can't be happening!” she shrieked loudly, thrashing and struggling in their hold. “You can’t do this to me! I am your Luna! You can’t take this away!”

No matter how much her cries rang through the hall, shrill and desperate, but my men did not falter.

“You brought this on yourself Daphne there is no choice but regret,” I told her calmly, my voice was flat with a hint of disappointment. “And you will live with the consequences no matter what.”

Her eyes, once full of rage, flickered with something else for the briefest moment—fear and worry. But just as quickly, her mask returned, and she laughed, it was a broken, hollow, bitter sound that made the hairs on my neck rise.

“You think this is over, Gideon?” she hissed. “You think you can just throw me away? You’ll regret this decision. You’ll regret choosing her.”

The wolves bristled at her venom. My Beta looked at the guards calmly and gave a sharp nod to the guards.

“Take her out of here,” I repeated.

They dragged her toward the doors. Her feet scraped against the stone floor, her body still straining against their grip, but it was useless. She was finished.

Or so I thought.

Because just as they reached the door, a voice cut through the hall. “Wait, stop.”

The sound was low, sharp, and commanding yet full of wisdom. It echoed unnaturally, carrying through the chamber like steel scraping stone.

Every wolf froze. The guards halted, my Beta stiffened, and even Raven’s posture tensed beside me.

One thing for sure the voice hadn’t come from Daphne.

It came from the beyond of the day, far shadows at the edge of the hall.

I immediately released a growl, my wolf’s instincts flaring. The presence was familiar yet powerful—someone who had slipped past our watch.

The guards raised their hackles, forming a protective half-circle in front of me.

Daphne’s head jerked toward the sound, her eyes widening, not in fear—but in recognition as she sighed with relief knowing she was finally safe.

And then, slowly, her lips curved into a smile of triumph.

“You see now?” she whispered, her voice thick with twisted triumph. “I was never alone. No matter what”

The silence that followed was heavier than stone.

And in that moment, I realized this confrontation was far from over.