Chapter 11 - The Fall of a Tyrant
The silence that followed in the grotto was absolute.
Dominic Valen lay crumpled against the stone floor, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The aura of terrifying dominance that had once made nations bow had vanished, leaving behind a hollow, defeated man weighed down by his own ruthless sins.
Cael stepped over the fallen king, his broadsword resting casually across his shoulder. He looked down at Dominic with cold, steady indifference.
"Your reign of terror is over, Dominic," Cael said, his voice echoing off the ancient rocks. "The northern packs have watched you murder, manipulate, and hoard power for too long. The council will hear of everything tonight."
Dominic glared up through bloodshot eyes, his voice trembling with bitter rage. "You... you think a pack of howling savages will listen to a rogue and a runaway omega? I am the Alpha King!"
"You were a king built on fear," Lena said, stepping out of the glowing pool, her hand resting firmly on her stomach, now radiating a healthy, natural warmth. "A true king protects his people. You only protected your ambition."
Footsteps echoed from the entrance of the grotto.
Through the rock fissure stepped a dozen tribal elders and high-ranking northern beta generals—men and women who had whispered in secret for years, waiting for a sign, waiting for the ancient prophecies of the White Wolf to return.
Commander Victor groaned, slowly regaining consciousness against the wall, only to find himself surrounded by the very elders he had lied to on Dominic's behalf.
"Arrest him," the head elder commanded, pointing a weathered finger directly at Dominic Valen.
The royal guards who had fled earlier now stood hesitant at the threshold, realizing the tide had irrevocably turned. Seeing their king stripped of his mystical authority, they stepped aside, letting the elders bind Dominic’s hands in heavy iron shackles.
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As Dominic was dragged away into the freezing night, swearing vengeance under his breath, Lena watched him go without a single ounce of fear in her heart.
The shadow that had hung over her life since the day the royal heralds arrived at her parents' cottage had finally evaporated.
