Chapter 30
The ground was littered with remnants of the fight–broken branches, blood–stained earth, and the bodies of the fallen, now silent witnesses to the fierce battle for vengeance. Marissa’s chest rose and fell in deep, exhausted breaths, her gaze fixed on the spot where Ivy had once stood, now an empty space marked by ash and blood. The taste of victory lingered on her tongue, bitter and raw.
She had done it. Her father’s death, her pack s suffering–all of it had led to this moment. The pain she had endured, the betrayal she had felt, now felt both lifted and heavier. Marissa had found justice, but at a cost. Her heart ached as much as it healed, her father‘ s memory both a comfort and a weight she would carry forever.
The soft crunch of footsteps brought her out of her thoughts, and she looked up to
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see Hunter and Caleb, limping but determined, each of them bearing fresh scars from the battle. Their eyes held regret and pain as they looked at her, and in that instant, she felt the memories flood back: the laughter, the long nights spent. watching the stars together, their promises. of protection and loyalty. All of it seemed like a distant dream, now shattered beyond repair.
They approached her slowly, their heads. bowed, and to her surprise, they dropped to their knees in front of her. Hunter‘ s voice was hoarse, barely a whisper.
“Marissa… we had no idea. Ivy–she… she fooled us all. We should have seen it. We should have been there.”
Caleb looked up, h his eyes filled with remorse. “We never meant to hurt you. If we had known…” His voice trailed off,
leaving a silence that spoke louder than words.
Marissa looked down at them, the two
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wolves who had once been her closest friends, her brothers in all but blood. Once, she might have thrown herself into their arms, desperate to rebuild the bond they had once shared. But now, the wound ran too deep. Ivy had deceived them, but they had chosen to believe in her, to defend her over Marissa time and time again.
She straightened, her voice steady but cold. “There was a time when you two were all that mattered to me,” she said, her words deliberate, each one weighed with years of memories. “But
But you both made your
choice. You believed her lies over me. You doubted me when I needed you most.”
Hunter looked away, shame burning his cheeks. “Marissa, please… we didn’t know,” he whispered, but his voice lacked
conviction.
Marissa shook her head, her resolve unbreakable. “It doesn’t matter if you knew or didn’t. You weren’t there when it counted. You left me to fight this alone. I
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may forgive what you did to me, but I‘ 11 never forget. And I’ll never trust you again.”
Caleb‘ s shoulders slumped, his head bowing lower. “We’ll always regret what we did, Marissa. We‘ ll spend the rest of our lives regretting it.”
With a final look, Marissa stepped back, and Hunter and Caleb watched as she turned her back on them. Their friendship -once unbreakable, once a source of strength and joy–was gone, now just ashes scattered by betrayal and blood. Marissa left them kneeling, and she didn’t look back.
The seasons turned, and as they passed, the pain of the past began to ease, replaced by a quiet, hard–won peace. In the Shadow Pack, things returned to a calm rhythm. There was no sign of rogues, no sign of Ivy‘ s poison; it was as if her dark legacy had been purged along with her death. And
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as Marissa rebuilt her life in the Moonlight Pack, she found herself healing in ways she hadn’t thought possible.
One day, months after the battle, Marissa felt a new life stirring within her, a quiet heartbeat that beat alongside her own. She placed a hand on her stomach, feeling the warmth, the life, the future that grew there. She was to be a mother. The realization filled her with a joy so pure it brought tears to her eyes, a joy she had never thought she would feel again..
In time, she shared the news with Idris, and his reaction was as intense and powerful as she’d come to expect. They stood together in their home, the light of a gentle morning spilling through the window as he held her close.
“Are you happy?” she asked, looking up into his storm–gray eyes, her voice soft.
Idris‘ s lips softened into a rare smile, and he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “More than I ever thought I could be,
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Marissa,” he murmured. “This child…
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child. They will be born into a world we fought for, a world we built together. And they will be stronger than either of us.”
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She leaned into him, feeling the steady beat of his heart against her cheek. “I want them to have peace,” she whispered. “I want them to know that they are loved, that they have a place in this world. A place where they don‘ t have to fight for it.”
Idris nodded, his hand resting protectively over hers on her stomach. “They will have that,” he promised. “Because we’ll give it to them.”
