Damien couldn't believe his ears. For a moment, he thought she would reject his offer. The Sofia he knew would never agree to such a thing. She had always believed in love, in purity, and in a first time that meant something.
He could still hear her voice echoing in his mind from years ago. "I'll only give myself to the one who truly loves me," she had said, her eyes bright with that childish certainty. And he, foolishly, had smiled back then, had even admired her for believing in something so pure. But now, he had crushed that very thing. Yet despite the weight of what he'd done, a single truth steadied him: she was alive. That was all that mattered.
He turned sharply and called out, his voice cold and commanding again. "Guards!"
Two soldiers rushed back into the garden, their eyes darting nervously between him and the trembling girl. "Bring her along," Damien ordered as he turned to leave. The guards bowed their heads and each took one of Sofia's arms, leading her out of the garden. Her blindfold was still on; her steps were unsteady. Chains clinked softly as they pulled her forward.
When they reached the courtyard again, silence fell over the crowd. Hundreds of eyes followed them. Whispers rippled, confusion spreading through the air. Damien ignored them all. He walked straight toward the center, his boots striking the stone. His gaze locked on his father, Alpha Morrison, who stood near the front.
When he stopped, he bowed slightly. "Father," he said loudly, his voice carrying across the courtyard. "Today is my coronation day. The day I take my place as Alpha."
Morrison's eyes narrowed. "Yes," he said slowly, already sensing something was coming. "And as tradition states, the new Alpha may make one wish—a command that cannot be denied." Damien nodded once. His jaw tightened as he turned toward the trembling, blindfolded Sofia beside him.
"Then I'll make mine now," he said, his voice echoing loudly in the courtyard for everyone to hear. "I wish for Sofia's life to be spared. From this moment, she belongs to me. I claim her as my slave. Her life—her punishment—will be in my hands."
Gasps filled the air. The courtyard erupted into murmurs, some angry, some shocked. The pack members looked at one another in disbelief.
Lady Cara, Lola's mother, stepped forward, her face pale with anger. "Damien, what are you saying?" she shouted. "Are you saving this murderer? The girl who killed our Lola? Your Lola?"
Damien turned to her slowly, his expression calm but cold. "Yes," he said simply. "I am."
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You—"
"There are many ways to punish her," Damien interrupted. "Death would be too easy. I'll make her live with what she's done."
The murmurs grew louder again. Some cursed, some whispered, and others stared in silence.
Alpha Morrison let out a slow breath. His eyes stayed on his son.
A small smile appeared on his face.
He was not surprised.
Not at all.
He had known this would happen.
He knew his son well. He always had. Damien was strong. He was stubborn. He followed rules. But when it came to Sofia, things were different.
Damien would never stand there and watch her die.
Not her.
Never her.
Alpha Morrison had seen it years ago. He had seen the way Damien looked at her. His eyes softened when she was near. His voice changed when he spoke to her. He watched her when he thought no one else was looking.
A father notices these things.
Alpha Morrison had often wondered what went wrong. What happened between them? What words were said? What mistake broke what they once had?
But even now, after everything, one thing was clear.
It did not matter what Sofia was accused of.
It did not matter what the pack believed.
It did not matter how serious the crime was.
Damien still could not let her go.
Lady Cara's voice broke through the chaos, trembling with fury and grief. "You've lost your mind, Damien!" she cried. "That girl doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as us! She killed my daughter… your fiancée." Her words echoed through the courtyard, but Damien didn't flinch. His jaw tightened, his eyes cold as steel. "I know what she did," he said, his voice low but powerful enough for everyone to hear. "And that's exactly why I'm keeping her alive."
Gasps followed. Some elders exchanged glances, shocked by his tone, but Damien went on. "Death," he said, turning to face the crowd, "is mercy. I want her to live with her guilt. I want her to remember every single day what she took from us. That will be her punishment."
Lady Cara shook her head in disbelief. "No punishment is enough! You're protecting her—don't you see that?"
Damien's gaze hardened. "I have made my decision."
Behind him, Sofia stood silent and trembling. The murmurs of the pack blurred in her ears. Every word—murderer, slave, disgrace—cut deep into her heart. But she didn't cry. She couldn't. Her body was too numb to feel anything now.
Alpha Morrison finally stepped forward, his deep voice commanding silence. "Enough." The courtyard quieted instantly. The Alpha's eyes swept over the pack, then fell on his son. "If this is your wish, Damien," he said slowly, "then so be it. The pack will honor it." He turned his gaze briefly to Sofia. "Her life now belongs to you."
Damien nodded once. "Thank you, Father."
Lady Cara let out a broken sound, part scream, part sob. "You're making a mistake!" she yelled. "That girl will destroy you too, just like she destroyed Lola!" But Damien didn't respond. "Take her," he ordered. "Lock her up in the cell. Make sure no one touches her. No one speaks to her." The guards nodded quickly, grabbing Sofia by the arms again. The crowd parted as they dragged her away.
Damien stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty stage where her execution should have taken place.
Lucas stirred inside him. "You did the right thing."
Damien's hands tightened at his sides. He didn't know if that was true. All he knew was that the moment he saw her kneeling on that stage, something inside him refused to let her die.
Without another glance behind him, he turned and walked away, the murmurs of the pack echoing behind him.