Chapter 69

Gideon’s POV

The hall was still heavy with the echo of that single command: Wait.

Every wolf in the room stood still, ears forward, eyes looked toward the far shadows. My own wolf growled just beneath my skin, claws itching to fight. Whoever had dared interrupt my judgment had stepped into dangerous ground.

Then, from the shadow, the figure emerged.

At first, I was not able to recognise him. His gait was slower than I remembered, weighed down by age, his shoulders hunched slightly from years of battle and duty.

But when his face lifted and the torchlight struck silver across his weathered features which were full of wisdom and slight edge of cunningness, recognition slammed into me.

Uncle Darius. Daphne’s father.

My father’s most loyal advisor.

He was the one who was praised as the “Shield of the Alpha Line.”

Everyone let out a surprised gasp and stepped back instinctively as if to clear the path for him. His presence was strong since he carried the weight of history, the shadow of old battles fought at my father’s side. I had grown up seeing him as unshakable, a pillar of loyalty.

But the sight of him here, now, after Daphne’s betrayal… my chest tightened. Something was wrong.

He didn’t stride with dominance or challenge. Instead, he lowered his body deliberately, slowly, until he was now kneeling on the cold stone floor, head bowed humbly.

“Alpha Gideon,” his voice cracked with his old age, but he spoke with pure sincerity that silenced the whole pack. “Please spare my daughter.”

The wolves stirred uneasily. Even my Beta stood frozen beside me, even he was clearly caught off guard.

Daphne’s eyes widened in surprise at her father’s gesture, and for once, she seemed relieved yet rattled. But now she decided to say nothing, and only watch.

“Uncle Darius, What brings you here?” I asked, my voice like a blade scraping stone. “You step forward after all this time not to condemn her, but to shield her?”

He pressed his palms flat against the ground. “She is my blood. My only daughter. I beg you, Alpha—punish me in her place. Take my life, my honor, my title. But let her remain in the pack.”

The crowd began to whisper again as everyone exchanged worried glances. They were torn between respecting the old warrior or feeling disgusted by his plea for his daughter.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him cautiously. “Do you think her crimes vanish because you kneel? Do you think your service to my father earns her immunity from justice?”

He then looked me in the eyes, I felt very weird looking at his eyes. His eyes didn't look like the man who was broken but his eyes were now sharp and full of calculation as I watched him closely.

“I served your father faithfully for a few decades, I have worked hard for this pack.” he said softly, his words and voice sounded very pitiful yet convincing. “I have bled for this pack. I carried your father from battle when he was struck down. I swore loyalty not just to him, but to his bloodline. And I have never wavered. Will that loyalty be repaid with the destruction of my family and my daughter? With the exile of my child?”

My wolf growled inside me tensely. The weight of his words pressed against my chest like a threatening knife, not because they carried truth—but because they carried the same manipulation as Daphne.

He was using my father’s memory as a shield to save his daughter. He was using guilt as a weapon to weaken my resolve.

And the wolves around us had different reactions, some looked around uncomfortably and some nodded agreeing with the words he spoke.

That realization lit a spark of fury in me.

“You dare to use my father's name?” I snarled angrily, my Alpha tone breaking through the air, silencing every whisper as everyone just stared at us. “You dare to twist and use the memory of my father to excuse your daughter’s sins?”

Darius only flinched but did not lower his head this time. “I know what she did was terrible and I can only ask for mercy. For one chance. She is misguided, yes, but she is still young. You knew my Mate—her mother. She died when Daphne was just a baby. She grew without guidance, without balance. Her mistakes are my failures of not being able to raise her properly, Gideon. Punish me for them. Not her.”

I can tell he was putting on a show with the mask of grief, polished like a weapon honed for battle.

I studied him carefully and closely.

His tone, his posture, even his timing—none of it rang true. A wolf like Darius didn’t simply crawl from the shadows when his daughter faced exile. No. This was too clean, too rehearsed like he knew this day would come.

And Daphne’s reaction… that smile earlier was an expression of relief, the glimmer of recognition in her eyes when the voice had first called out. She had known he would come and save her.

This wasn’t desperation to survive.

It was a strategy to make me change my mind.

“You speak of failures,” I spoke slowly as I started circling him like a predator. “But tell me, Darius—where were you when your daughter schemed behind my back? When she poisoned me? When she attacked my child in my pack? When she made me lose my mate completely?”

His jaw tightened, but he remained on his knees. “I did not know she would become this worse.”

“Did you really not?” I pressed, my voice sharp and cold. “Or did you simply just turn away? Pretend to be blind, so you could keep your precious legacy and reputation intact?”

He didn’t answer immediately as if he didn't expect me to argue with him. That pause told me more than words ever could.

A bitter laugh escaped me. “You think I am blind, old wolf? That I cannot see the strings you’ve been pulling to be in power? You raised her. You forged her ambition. And now, when she stands exposed, you crawl forward to cloak her in your shadow to hide your guilt and shame.”

The way I spoke to Darious made everyone stunned in silence, it was thick enough to choke on.

Daphne finally spoke as she saw even her father was not able to convince me, her voice trembling with anger. “Father—”

“Quiet!” My Alpha voice command lashed through the hall, as she quickly closed her mouth shut. Her eyes widened as the force of my authority wrapped around her, leaving her trembling in her restraints as she quietly looked down.

Darius’s gaze darkened knowing he didn't like the way I spoke to his daughter. For the first time, I saw a flicker of something dangerous beneath his carefully worn mask. A flash of pride wounded, of control slipping.

And I knew then.

This wasn’t just Daphne’s game completely. This was his plan as well.

My father’s once-loyal advisor was no longer a shield. He was a dagger in the dark which was ready to strike me if he had to..

I let the silence stretch, the pack holding its breath. Then I spoke, each word deliberate, heavy with command.

“You beg for mercy in your daughter’s name. You kneel, you weep, you speak of loyalty. But loyalty is not measured in the past, Darius. It is measured in the present, my parents had given you everything to pay back for saving my father's life and now I don't owe you anything.”

I stepped closer until my shadow fell over him. “And right now, your loyalty is in question, if you really want to prove your loyalty let me punish Daphne.”

Gasps rose again, but I didn’t stop looking at him calmly but then I thought for a moment.. “You want me to punish you for her? Fine. But it will not erase her sins. It will not shield her

from justice. She stands guilty, and she will answer for her crimes. If you wish to join her in disgrace, then so be it. But make no mistake—I will not allow your old debts to chain my judgment.”

Darius’s eyes burned into mine, and for the briefest moment, his facade cracked. I saw the truth—the fury, the calculation, the venom.

And it confirmed every suspicion gnawing at me. He wasn’t here to save his daughter.

He was here to save himself. And I intended to uncover why.