Chapter 163

Maya’s POV-

The world seemed to slow down. It was like a movie, except I was right in the middle of it, not watching from a comfy couch. The rain was coming down hard, and the sirens were a high–pitched whine that cut through the air. People were shouting and running around, but it was all a blur. All I could see was the man in front of me.

“Mass murder?” I asked, my voice small and shaky. My mind couldn’t process what he was saying. I looked at Ivan, lying still on the ground. My hand reached to Alex, like I was trying to hold onto something real in this crazy situation. He squeezed my hand tight, but I could see the confusion in his eyes “This a mistake,” I whispered, hoping against hope. “There’s been a misunderstanding.”

The man in the black suit ignored me, starting to say those words that everyone knows from TV shows: “You have the right to remain silent…”

Then everything happened fast. One minute, it felt like we had won. The next, they were taking Alex away from me. I screamed and shouted, trying tell them they were wrong. I didn’t care that I was only wearing a jacket someone had put on me or that I was covered in blood. I just wanted them to stop. I kept thinking, “Mass murder? How?

The days after that were a blur. I couldn’t remember everything that happened. Slowly, started to understand what Ivan had meant and wht he was so happy. We hadn’t won. Ivan was sick. He had been killing people for years, making videos of it all. And in the end, he had set Alex up to take the blame. Over a thousand people. Ivan had killed them all, and now Alex was going to prison for life.

I felt cold feeling inside, like someone had twisted a knife in my chest. I looked at the papers in front of me. Six months. One hundred and eighty–two days. Four thousand three hundred and eighty hours. That’s how long Alex had been locked up. I tried everything. I used all our resurces, I begged Riley’s dad to help, use his mafia connections one last time but nothing worked.

Alex powerful, but he wasn’t above the law.

Ivan knew this and had used it against us.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep, calming breath. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, and I needed to quiet it. I had to focus. I closed the papers, the weight of their contents pressing down on my shoulders.

“They are all waiting for you to give your speech,” My father’s voice broke through my concentration. I turned to find him standing in the doorway, his expression a mix of concern and determination. I nodded slowly, my throat feeling tight.

I followed him out of the room the weight of the moment settled on me. This wasn’t just any speech. It was a chance to change everything, to stop the endless cycle of violence. For months, I had been consumed by the fight to free Alex. Failure after failure had chipped away at my resolve but the city was drowning in chaos. I couldn’t stand by and watch it happen.

So I had made a decision.

crazy impossible decision. To end the war between humans and werewolves. This city my home filled with pain, and heartbreak. It where I wanted my children to grow up, to be who they were without fear. I wouldn’t let it be destroyed. And I wasn’t alone. Riley , and Sarah been my rocks my unwavering I had failed in this battle over and over gain until eventuall to this. Getting both sides actually sit side by side after months.

As I stepped onto the podium my girls in the crowd, their filled with pride and hope. It a responsibility, but I was . The crowd before me was a both human and werewolf, their eyes filled with anticipation and uncertainty, My stood beside my mother and I hadn’t brought the twins things turned bloody. Their held a mixture pride and fear.

took deep breath, my sweeping the crowd. This it. The moment of truth.

voice trembled slightly I began, “Thank you everyone for being here. I truly appreciate your I met Natalia’s gaze, seeking support. She nodded, filled with encouragement. I took a steadying my “Countless stories been woven about werewolves, painting as monstrous creatures. But that’s not who we A wave of emotions washed over me I continued, There been too , and loss I know my words might not change the world’s of us, but this is my city, home. I refuse to live in . So, , humans, for your acceptance. See us not as the of horror, as beings striving for survival and happiness.”

The was silent, their faces a canvas of emotions.

waited, the silence stretching into eternity. Then, I turned my attention to . “We born with the wolf within us. It’s a part of who we an extension of ourselves. But we not monsters, The blood flow is enough. If the humans can us here live , one.

more hunting on either side?

took moment of catch turned to my father who nodded in agreement his eyes filled pride and understanding I continued, “With that , am dissolving packs.

announced, the words hanging in the air.

AM !

Uproar erupted from the crowd, but I waited for it to subside. “We cannot claim unity with humans while remaining divided among ourselves. No more. From now on, we stand united against any outside threat. We live as one, werewolves and humans, in peace.”

The crowd fell silent once more, the tension thick in the air. Then, a single clap broke the silence, followed by another, and another until it turned into a thunderous applause. Sarah and Riley were the first to cheer, their faces beaming with pride. Natalia’s eyes were filled with tears as she mouthed, “I’m so proud of you.”

I wiped away a tear and took a deep breath. With my head held high, I stepped down from the podium and into my mother’s embrace. The warmth of her arms enveloped me, comforting shield against the storm of emotions that threatened to overwhelm. A sense of accomplishment and hope for the future surged through me, but I knew the road ahead would be long and not without dificulties.

am so proud of you, honey,” my mother whispered, her voice filled with love and admiration. Her grip tightened around me, grounding me in the moment. When she finally released me, I turned to face my father. Our eyes met, and an awkward silence filled the space between .

It had taken us while to reach this point.

My father’s descent from his high horse had been the first step. He had actually come to help on the day of the battle and as gone far as using his resources to try and free him. It was a stark contrast to the man I had once known. Then, there was the day I had asked my mother to visit Jeremiah’s grave, the brother I never had the chance to know. To my surprise, my father had shown up, a look of unexpected emotion on his He placed the flowers he had brought on Jeremiah’s grave and sat beside me.

In that quiet moment, spoke not to me, but to Jeremiah. For the first time, I heard the raw pain and vulnerability in my father’s voice. I realized the depth of his sorrow, the extent to which Damon Thorne’s actions had shattered him. It was in that moment that I the man beneath the hardened exterior, a man broken by grief. I wondered if he would ever truly recover from Jeremiah’s death.

Unable to bear the weight of the moment, I stood up to leave. But my father’s voice stopped me. “Please don’t leave,” he whispered his filled with a desperation I had never seen in him before And so, I stayed. The words poured out of me, a torrent of emotions I had kept bottled up for years. I told him how much his absence had hurt me how I had longed for a father’s love. For the first time in my life, we touched, not in anger or violence but in a tender embrace. As he wept, I held him, letting his over me telling me just how sorry he was for being a terrible father, for being cruel, for saying that he hated me. Our mingled on my brother’s grave, a poignant testament to the complexities of our relationship and the long to healing that lay ahead.

Things between changed slowly after that. The weekly dinners I initiated, bringing along the twins were tentative towards something more The awkwardness was still palpable, a constant reminder of the chasm that had existed between us. Yet there growing of of comfort.

When I announced my to dissolve the cornerstone for unwavering support caught me off guard.

to relinquish his title Alpha rebuild from the of what remained. In that moment, saw glimmer of the man he could .

We stood silent understanding between us. I opened my mouth to speak, but before could utter a word, pulled me into a tight The warmth of his body against mine was both unexpected and comforting. Then, he words I thought I would hear from Daniel Stone, am so proud , .

A profound sense of me. A part of my heart that had empty for began to fill. The void that had consumed me slowly diminishing. And , I only one who could truly complete it.

we won a significant .

would fight the yet.

when I victorious, would bring of my home 2/2