58. Maya

London had a helicopter. I knew Rhyson had questions about it, but he held them to himself. It was because of the helicopter that we were able to leave the mountain when we did.

Emily and Gemma decided to come with us as witnesses. Whether they stayed or would return to the mountain remained to be seen, but it was touching to see them release the bond from London to Rhyson. It was a moment that I knew Rhyson would never forget—the sister he'd thought was lost to him forever bonding with him once again.

Champ had confessed to everything. The entire squad, including Emily and Gemma, had witnessed it, and it was enough to bring charges against my father and hold court.

There was one major problem we hadn't considered. The mountain needed to be protected from the packs, so we couldn't just admit that we were there for nearly a month. There was too much magic and wildness that was a danger if any outsider got ahold of it. So we'd all sworn to leave the mountain out of it.

Still, I knew London had issues letting us off the mountain, but a two-hour trip later, we were landing in the human town.

Jax and Anna had reached out, and I'd had a chance to thank Janelle and Irene for all their help. I knew they were disappointed that the bond wasn't there, but they were happy that I had bonded with someone, and that I was happy.

Leaving the mountain felt strange. In the span of my lifetime, I'd barely spent any time there at all, but it had changed me. I'd gone in a scarred and helpless woman and come out a queen. It would be hard to put that behind me. It felt a little bit like I was leaving home.

When I walked back into the house that was once home, my head was held high. No one dared touch me. I knew it couldn't be because they suspected my mate was the king. They couldn't sense a bond. Maybe it was the baby.

Or maybe it was just me.

Or maybe word had spread throughout the pack that there was another group following behind me, and no one was to tell Bruce Callahan.

Darius, his third, stood with his eyes wide when I walked into the house. I didn't even bother to make eye contact. Instead, I walked straight into my father's study.

He rose with a snarl. "There you are. Fucking bitch. Should have known that you'd be stupid enough to come back here."

I looked at the framed piece of skin on the wall, and my stomach rolled. It had always creeped me out before, but now? I wanted to burn it. "You're done," I told him in a steady voice.

"Excuse me? You dare say something to me? On your knees, daughter. I'll need to remind you who you belong to."

"It was never you, but then I think you knew that. Did you realize, when you had my mating bond magically severed from me, that it would mean I could never swear obedience to you?"

His eyes widened, and he stilled. "Where have you been, Maya? Is that a baby I smell on you? You got yourself knocked up?"

"I've been to Shadowed Moon Mountain." Smiling, I sat in the chair and crossed my legs. Oh, how I loved this. Knowing that he would never again be able to touch me. "I know all your secrets, Daddy dearest. Did you know that Alpha Marrow's youngest brother would become king when you killed him? Did you know that Rhyson would take the crown for the sole purpose of hunting you down?"

"Champ has been running his mouth," Bruce grunted, and relaxed. "Surprised to see you're still pregnant if he got his hands on you. He's been wanting to breed you for years, and now, I might just let him. So you've been to the mountain. Is there as much magic there as I think?"

"So much more than you could ever imagine," I whispered. "Oh, Daddy, what you could do if you had even a fraction of the power on that mountain."

His eyes gleamed with greed as he leaned over the desk. "And I'm guessing you want something from me in return for a piece of that magic. Fine. What is it? Your freedom?"

"I have my freedom. Why would I come back and bargain with it?"

At that, he frowned. My father was usually a much smarter man, but sometimes, greed made him stupid. "What do you want, Maya?"

"I wanted a confession, but I don't really need it now. Not with Emily remembering the tattoo on the man who kidnapped her. It was so nice of you to frame it for me. It shouldn't take long at all to prove that this skin, and tattoo, was yours before you became alpha."

Rising, I took a step toward it. My father was faster, and closer, but as soon as he lunged forward, my mate's booming voice filled the room.

" Kneel ."

The command of the wolf king. Even my father couldn't resist it. With a gasp, he fell to his knees, and I walked right up next to him and plucked the tattoo off the wall.

"You're a smart man, Father. You knew you had to clean up your act to get what you really wanted. Power. So you cut away your past sins when you became alpha, only you couldn't quite let it go. If you had, you'd probably get to live. I never would have known that it was you, and we never would have gotten a confession out of Champ."

"You're wrong," Rhyson said as he crossed the room and kissed the top of my head.

"I am?"

"Your father was destined to die the moment I realized he'd put his hands on you."

"Maya," Bruce whispered, and I turned to face him.

"Father. I think you've met my mate, the king of the wolves." I placed a hand on my belly. I really did love watching the blood drain from his face as he realized what had happened. His path to absolute power was through me all along, and now, he would never get to touch it.

Rather than conceding, Bruce's face turned murderous. "You can't have a fucking mate. You belong to me, bitch!"

Rhyson's fist swung down, and there was a sickening crack before Bruce fell unconscious to the floor. "That is the last time he gets to even look at you," Rhyson snarled, and snatched the frame from me. "Don't touch this. I don't want you anywhere near any part of him. Is there anything in this house you want to get before I burn it to the ground?"

Resolute, I shook my head. I was done with this place.

Rhyson kissed the top of my head. "Then let's go home."

***

Rhyson

Bruce Callahan was executed two days later. There wasn't a single vote to save him among the alphas, although I didn't know if that was because they didn't think he should be saved or because they were terrified of their new king.

My predecessor hadn't executed a single alpha, and I had sent a clear message. Things would be different.

I didn't draw out his execution. We'd done a formal challenge. If he'd killed me, he could have walked free. Instead, he was dead within sixty seconds of the fight. The bastard deserved to be toyed with for hours, but Maya insisted on watching, and I wouldn't do that to her.

Afterward, I showered. When I got out, I'd expected to be alone, but there was my mate, lounging on the wall as if she wasn't late for an extremely important event.

I paused. "I knew it. This was a terrible idea. We'll push it off until tomorrow."

"We absolutely will not. This is exactly what I wanted, but there was something I needed to do before I head down. It's not like it can start without me."

"True." My entire body warmed as I looked into her eyes. I still couldn't believe that she was mine. That she was my queen. "Anything you want, baby."

"I need a palate cleanser between you executing my father and you marrying me." Reaching up, she let the slip she'd been wearing fall from her shoulders. "What do you say?"

Growling, I pulled her close to me. "Only if you promise to walk down that aisle with my come dripping in your pussy."

She giggled, a lovely girlish sound that I got to hear more and more now that she knew she was safe and loved. "I think I can promise that."

"Just as you're about to promise to be mine forever," I whispered as I slid my hands down her body and let the towel that had been wrapped around my waist fall down.

She wrapped her arms around me as I pushed her against the wall and slid in. "Just as you are about to promise to be mine," she reminded me.

I sealed that promise with a kiss.

THE END