Chapter 70

Gideon’s POV

The silence in the hall pressed against me heavily, it felt thick and suffocating. All eyes watched me—their Alpha, their leader waiting for my decision, waiting to see if I would bend beneath the weight of history, or rise above it.

Darius still knelt before me even after I scolded him harshly, his head bowed as he tried to keep his non-existent dignity, invoking the ghost of my father as if the memory of that bond might shield him and his daughter from my judgment.

For a heartbeat, I almost faltered because he was close to my father. My father’s voice, deep and steady, echoed in my mind—“Darius is loyal. Trust him with your life.”

But now my father wasn't here, he would have trusted him but now I am the Alpha and I haven't seen him because a useful asset to me and his daughter was nothing but a troublemaker.

I remembered the venom of the aphrodisiac burning through my veins. Claire, my mate’s cries when she was exiled, Raven's’s scream when Daphne struck her. The sight of her crumpled on the ground, blood trailing down her cheek.

No.

Darius was not my father’s loyal shield anymore. Daphne was no longer the Luna this pack deserved. And I would not dishonor Claire’s pain and death—or the trust of my wolves—by turning away due to pressure.

I straightened my shoulders, letting my Alpha aura pour out in a tidal wave. The torches along the wall flickered as the weight of my authority filled the chamber. Wolves bowed their heads instinctively, unable to meet my gaze. Even Daphne shrank against her restraints, trembling.

“Darius,” I said, my voice cutting through the silence. “You dare use my father’s name to excuse betrayal. You dare twist loyalty into a weapon of manipulation. For that, I will not forgive you.”

He quickly looked at me with shock, his eyes widening as the first crack of fear and defeat flickered across his face.

“You are stripped of all rank, of all privileges, of every ounce of influence you once held in this pack. From this moment forward, you are no longer an advisor, no longer an elder. You are a prisoner.”

Gasps rippled through the hall as everyone whispered among themselves. Never had such a decree been spoken to a man of Darius’s stature.

Two guards stepped forward immediately with confidence, their hands gripping his arms without any hesitation.

His lips opened as he let out a snarl. “You dare?” His voice was guttural, his mask of humbleness slowly began to crack. “I fought for your bloodline. I bled for your throne!”

I leaned forward, my voice like steel. “And now you bleed poison into it. All your hard work disappeared because of your own mistake.”

I flicked my hand. The guards forcefully made him stand up, his anger felt like a volcano, but I no longer cared. Let him rage. His time of influence was over; he will no longer be able to control anything.

Then I turned and looked at Daphne.

She stiffened as my attention bore down on her. Her hands shook against the restraints, tears streaming down her face. “Please,” she whispered. “Gideon, don’t do this, for the sake of our friendship.”

My jaw clenched. For a brief moment, I remembered the girl she had once been—ambitious, proud, carrying the weight of Luna’s training on her shoulders. But that girl had been swallowed long ago by envy, cruelty, and hunger for power and the girl I thought of as friend and companion was gone.

“You sought to harm me, your Alpha. You struck Claire—my true Luna, and Raven who has done nothing but protect this pack and me. You poisoned the bond of trust that every pack member here depends upon.” My voice rose, echoing off the stone. “That is not the mark of a Luna, Daphne. That is the instinct of a traitor.”

She started sobbing, shaking her head. “I was wrong, I am sorry. I was blinded by insecurity. I—I only wanted your love. Please, I want to change. Don’t take this from me, I really wanted to be your true mate. Just don't take everything from me.”

Her desperation cut through the hall as she kneeled, but my wolves stood still, their eyes on me, waiting for my action.

“This pack needs a Luna who protects, who cherishes the pack, not one who schemes to get the things she wants. Who takes care of them, not poisons them. You will never be Luna.”

Her knees buckled as the words struck her like lightning. “No please,” she whispered, shaking violently. “No, no, no—”

“From this day forward,” I continued, my voice hard, final, “you are stripped of your title, your future, and your station. You are no longer heir to Luna's seat. You are cast down to the lowest rank of this pack. An Omega.”

I used my power as the Alpha and took away her powers and made her weak.

Her pained screams tore through the chamber, raw and guttural, echoing like a wounded animal. The glow she had of Luna completely vanished now she looked very ordinary.

She collapsed, her chains clattering against the stone as she clawed at the floor, sobbing and begging. “Please, Alpha Gideon! Don’t do this! I’ll do anything, just please give me back my power—I’ll serve you, I’ll beg, I’ll—”

Her words tumbled, frantic, desperate and meaningless, but I did not bend as I made my mind as hard as stone about her.

I had bent a lot of times before. Allowed mercy to cloud my vision. And look what it had cost—Claire’s blood, Raven’s, Nova, Leo's and my pack members safety, my own dignity.

I will never let this happen again.

I stepped closer, my shadow falling over her trembling form as I spoke coldly. “Beg all you want, Daphne. It is too late. You carved this fate with your own hands. And I will not allow you—or your father—to ever again twist power for selfish gain.”

Her sobs broke into hiccups, her forehead pressed to the cold stone floor as she clenched her fists. “You can’t… you can’t do this to me.”

“I already have and now you can't do anything about it.”

The pack was silent, every member of the pack bearing witness.

I looked at my Beta. “Make sure their punishment is carried out. Darius will be placed in the cells, stripped of his influence. Daphne will be transferred to the Omega quarters. Neither is to leave or command another wolf again.”

Beta bowed, his voice steady. “Yes, understood Alpha.”

The guards began to drag Darius toward the doors. His eyes burned into mine with hate like he wanted to kill me, with the venom of a wolf who had tasted power too long to lose it quietly.

“This isn’t over, boy,” he spat, voice dripping with venom. “You think you’ve won—but you have only planted the seeds of your own downfall, I want to see how long you will survive.”

My wolf surged, a growl ripping from my chest. The hall shook with the force of my authority as I snarled, “Silence! You have no right to speak!”

The command slammed into him like a physical blow. His body shuddered as his voice was ripped from his throat. The guards pulled him away, his fury silenced but not extinguished.

Daphne remained crumpled on the floor, her sobs softer now, broken, hopeless. The

once-proud woman who dreamed of becoming Luna had been reduced to nothing more than a trembling shadow.

I should have felt satisfied. I should have felt peace knowing justice was served. But as I stood there, staring down at her, I felt only a hollow ache.

Because beneath all her cruelty, all her jealousy, all her manipulations—she was still my pack. And I had cut her down.

But I had to.

For Claire, for Raven and Children, for the pack I swore to protect. I turned away, my voice sharp. “Take her away.”

Two Omegas stepped forward, their expressions torn between pity and scorn. They lifted her to her feet, her body limp, and dragged her toward the door.

Her voice cracked one last time, weak and desperate. “Gideon… please…” But I did not look back.

The throne room door closed behind her, leaving only silence in her wake.

I exhaled slowly, my hands curling into fists. My wolves were safe. Justice had been served. But deep inside, unease still twisted.

Because I had seen it—just for a moment—in Darius’s eyes. This fight wasn’t over.

It had only begun.