Chapter 27 - Justin

As I pull up to Ram's house, my heart pounds in my chest, and I think it might burst right out of my ribcage. I've rallied what I could of our pack on such short notice, and we're all here, ready to defend our own. But the tension in the air is palpable, and I can sense the fear mingling with determination in my pack mates' eyes.

I step out of the car, my boots crunching on the gravel driveway. We exchange quick nods before I take the lead, striding toward the front door with purpose. I kick the door down with one try, and we rush through the doorway.

The scene inside is chaotic, with Evan and his pack members circling our alpha like vultures with smug, triumphant expressions. Ram stands in the center of the room with his hands bound behind his back. The few pack members who were here with him when he was questioning Evan are bound with him. The sight that makes me shake with rage.

"Let them go, Evan," I growl.

Evan smirks as he turns to face me. "Ah, Justin. So glad you could join the party. But I'm afraid you're a bit late to the festivities."

I ignore his taunts, my focus solely on freeing Ram and our pack members from their bonds. "Release them, and we'll let you leave peacefully," I demand, my tone leaving no room for negotiation.

Evan's laughter echoes through the room, grating on my nerves like sandpaper. "Oh, I don't think so, Justin. You're in no position to make demands. I do, however, have a proposition for you and your pack."

I don't want to listen to a word this fucker says, but Evan's wolves outnumber our own by quite a lot. Our options are limited, so I grit my teeth and listen to what he has to say. "What the fuck do you want?"

"It's simple, really. Give us Callie, and we'll let your precious alpha and your pack members go unharmed."

My blood runs cold at his words. I should've known he'd come up with some shit like this. "Why the fuck do you want Callie so badly?"

"She's caused us enough trouble. It's time she faced the consequences of her actions."

"No," I protest. "I don't even know where she is, but if I did, there's no fucking way I would hand her over to you."

Evan's smile fades, replaced by a dark scowl. "You're making a mistake, Justin. How about this? Give her to me, or I'll take every one of your she-wolves instead. You've brought them all to me on a silver platter."

Evan's men close in around us, and I look around at the women from my pack. I can see the fear in their eyes, but no one speaks. They're waiting for my word, waiting to see what I'll do. In any other situation, I would fight to the death.

The weight of Evan's threat hangs heavy in the air, and I can feel the tension coiling in my chest like a viper ready to strike. My gaze darts around the room, assessing the odds. It's clear that we're outnumbered, outgunned. Evan's wolves have us cornered, and there's no easy way out of this.

I glance at Ram, his jaw set in a stubborn line as he meets my eyes. He knows as well as I do that we can't risk the lives of our pack members, not even for Callie. But agreeing to hand her over feels like a betrayal of everything we stand for. Besides, we still have no idea where she is.

Just when I think there's no hope left, when I'm about to concede defeat and agree to Evan's terms despite not even having Callie to give him, the doorknob to the front door turns.

As the door creaks open, I tense, expecting another wave of Evan's pack to come crashing in. But to my surprise, it's not them. It's Callie.

"Callie?" I breathe.

She strides into the room with a confidence that catches me off-guard, though she doesn't move far from the door.

"I'll come with you," she announces to Evan, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "But I have one condition. Aside from you letting Ram and his people out of here alive, of course."

Evan crosses his arms over his chest, but there's a look of bemusement on his face as if he's amused that Callie would have the audacity to demand a single thing from him. "And what would that be?"

"I'll come with you if you can prove that the accusations Dante has made against me are true. I think that's fair, don't you?"

Evan's smirk falters, replaced by a look of confusion. "What are you talking about?"

I glance at Ram, who wears a similar expression of bewilderment. We're all trying to make sense of what Callie is saying, but we're all in the dark. I do know she wouldn't take a risk like this without an ace up her sleeve. She's got something. I just have to trust her.

"You heard me," she snaps before going back to the door and sticking her head outside. "Get in here right now, or I swear to God..."

Within seconds, a man steps into the room, his shoulders hunched and his hands buried deep in his pockets. I've never met him before, but somehow I know exactly who he is.

Dante.

When he takes too long to move, Callie snatches him by the arm and drags him across the room, shoving him in front of his alpha.

"Where the hell have you been?" Evan demands.

"Your brave and loyal wolf was hanging out just outside the tree line, avoiding the fight like a little bitch," Callie spits. "How pathetic."

Dante stands there, his gaze darting nervously between Callie and his alpha, like a deer caught in headlights.

"Oh, for God's sake, Dante," Evan grumbles. "You couldn't even fight with your pack like a man?"

"But sir, I—"

"Shut up!" Evan roars, slamming his fist on the table. "We're all here because of you. Because you want this woman back in the pack and to hold her accountable for how poorly she treated you. The least you can do is fight beside your pack mates for your own cause, you idiot."

I don't know what I was expecting when I pictured Dante, but this wasn't it. From how Callie spoke, I pictured him massive and imposing, an asshole. But this guy? He snivels under his alpha's gaze, his posture cowering. I guess that makes sense. The kind of men who are abusive and heartless toward women are usually the first to bow out of a challenge.

"Evan, Dante's been lying to you," Callie asserts, interrupting their squabble.

"What is she talking about, Dante?" Evan growls.

"Tell them," she demands. "Tell them the truth, Dante."

Dante's face pales. "I-I don't know what you're talking about, Callie. You're delusional."

"Don't play dumb with me, Dante," Callie says, her voice cutting through the air like a whip. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Tell them how you've been lying. How you've twisted the truth to make yourself look like the victim."

Dante's eyes dart around the room, and I can see the panic flickering behind them. He's trapped, caught in his own web of deceit, and there's no way out for him now.

"I-I never lied," Dante stammers, his voice trembling with fear. "You're the one who's been lying, Callie. You're the one who's been making up stories to make me look bad."

Callie shakes her head in disgust. "I only ever touched him once, and only in self-defense. I put up with his violence for months before I fought back. And when I tried to leave him, he started running around telling lies about me. He's stalked me, harassed me, and did everything he could to make me stay with him. And when he realized it wouldn't work, he set out to pin the whole pack against me."

Dante opens his mouth, but Callie silences him with a sharp glare. "Do not speak," she warns. You had your chance. You've made my life a living hell for years, and I've had enough. This is your last chance. Tell them the truth, or this is the end. Now it's time for you to own up to it."

Dante's fa?ade crumbles, and he glances around the room, his eyes pleading for mercy. But there's no mercy to be found here. Not after what he's done.

"I did it," Dante blurts out. "I did it all. I lied about Callie. I manipulated everyone into believing that she was the aggressor, but it was me. I was the one who couldn't leave her alone, who couldn't accept that she didn't want anything to do with me. I mean, I'm a high-ranking wolf, for crying out loud. Who wouldn't want to be with me?"

His laugh is hysterical, and I wonder if he's on the verge of losing his mind.

"But she didn't want me, not in that way," he continues. "I guess I didn't take no for an answer, and the next thing I knew, she was gone. No warning, no nothing. One day, she was there, and the next, she was gone. I was a wreck. I couldn't concentrate, couldn't sleep. So, I figured I would make her pay. She ruined my life, and now I was going to ruin hers. It was revenge, pure and simple."

Dante's confession hangs in the air like a heavy fog, suffocating the room with its weight. The shock on everyone's faces mirrors my own disbelief. Of course, I believed Callie. I never for one second doubted her version of events. But I never expected Dante to outright admit it, no matter how cornered he felt.

Even Evan, who had been so sure of his accusations against Callie, stands frozen, gawking at Dante. For a moment, silence reigns supreme, broken only by the faint sounds of our labored breaths. I have no idea how the alpha is going to react, but I'm coiled and ready to block Callie from his wrath should it come to that.

But to my surprise, Evan doesn't move. He doesn't rush to his pack member's defense, nor does he try to deflect. When his eyes move to Callie, I see something in them. Something akin to regret and shame.

"I can't say I'm surprised," he mutters, his gaze settling on the ground. "This isn't the first time you've stepped out of line, Dante. You're weak, and your weakness has brought shame on this pack."

My eyes move around the room, taking in the expressions of the men and women surrounding me. Even they are speechless, taken aback by their alpha's confession.

"I'm the alpha, and this pack has served me well, but I have failed it," he continues. "I should have had my eyes on my own wolves, and I didn't."

As he speaks, Callie's shoulders sag with relief, the tension draining from her body like water from a sieve. Her former pack mates look at her, their expressions full of remorse, and she straightens up under their attention. None of them believed her. Not one of them took her side when she was fighting to stay afloat, and now that they know how wrong they were, I'm sure they're all going to beg for her forgiveness.

They're going to want her to go home. To leave Stardust Hollow. To leave me.