Marked Twice by the Alpha King

Standing in the grand foyer of the Hayes estate, I watched my Gamma guards

secure restraints around Richard and Martha's wrists. The crystal chandelier

overhead cast dancing shadows across their pale faces, making them look like

the ghosts they were about to become in werewolf society.

Finally. The thought burned through me with savage satisfaction. After all these

months of political games and careful maneuvering, justice is finally within

reach.

My phone buzzed with Tyler's update: Jackson secured. Both women safe.

Heading back to base.

Relief flooded through me like cool water on burning skin. Ava and Sophia had

succeeded in their part of the plan, and now Jackson was where he belonged-in

chains. The memory of that bastard suggesting Ava become his mistress made

my hands clench. If Tyler hadn't already secured him, I might have shifted right

here in this pretentious hallway.

"Alpha King!" Richard's voice cracked like thin ice. "This has to be some kind of

misunderstanding! Jackson's just young and ambitious-he would never-

"Richard." I cut him off, my voice carrying the weight of absolute authority. "Sarah

Rivers heard everything. Every detail about how you framed William. Every word

about your conspiracy."

The color drained from his face so fast I thought he might collapse. Good. Let him

feel a fraction of the terror William had endured these past months.

Martha stepped forward, desperation making her voice shrill. "We can explain

everything! There are circumstances you don't understand-

"Explain what?" I let my eyes flash gold, just enough to remind them what they

were dealing with. "Explain how you planned for an entire patrol to die? Explain

how you destroyed an innocent man's life for political gain?"

These pathetic excuses for wolves thought they could manipulate me, use my

daughter as a pawn in their sick game. The rage simmered just beneath my skin,

my wolf demanding blood. But this wasn't the time for personal satisfaction. This

was about justice, about clearing William's name and freeing him to reunite with

his family.

I turned away from their pleading faces. Let them rot. Right now, I had a promise

to keep to the woman I loved.

The drive to Shadow Creek prison felt both endless and too short. Sarah sat

beside me in the passenger seat, her hands twisted together in her lap, knucklesnoveldrama

white with tension. Through the window, the familiar landscape of Shadow Creek

territory rolled past-forests and meadows that had once been William's to protect.

"He'll be so surprised," Sarah whispered, her voice barely audible over the

engine. "I haven't told him I was leaving Hayes territory. He'll think something

terrible happened."

I glanced at her profile, noting the dark circles under her eyes, the way her

shoulders carried months of accumulated stress. This woman had sacrificed

everything to stay close to her imprisoned mate, enduring the Hayes family's

manipulation and lies.

"He's going to be free in less than an hour," I said gently. "After that, nothing else

"will matter."

Including the fact that I'm about to ask for his blessing to marry his daughter. The

thought made my chest tight with an unfamiliar nervousness. I'd faced down

hostile Alphas, negotiated with foreign powers, commanded armies-but asking

William Rivers for Ava's hand felt more terrifying than any of it.

The prison walls appeared ahead, gray stone rising against the afternoon sky like

a monument to injustice. How many innocent wolves had suffered behind those

walls? How many lives had been destroyed by corruption and political games?

Not William's. Not anymore.

20. HIS GIF, HIS WITE

The warden met us at the entrance, his face carefully neutral. He'd received my

orders an hour ago-full release, all charges dropped, official pardon from the

Alpha King himself. But I could see the curiosity burning in his eyes. William

Rivers had been the most high-profile prisoner in Shadow Creek history.

"Cell block seven," the warden said, leading us through corridors that reeked of

despair and disinfectant. "He's been... well, he's held up better than most. Never

lost hope, even when things looked darkest."

That's where Ava gets her strength.

The cell door swung open with a metallic clang that echoed off stone walls.

William sat on the narrow cot, reading a worn book that must have been read a

hundred times. When he looked up, I saw where Ava had inherited her fierce

green eyes.

He was thinner than I remembered, graying at the temples, but his posture

remained proud. Prison hadn't broken him. Nothing could break a man like

William Rivers.

"William." I stepped into the cell, Sarah close behind me. "You're free."

For a moment, he didn't move. Just stared at us like we might disappear if he

blinked. Then his gaze found Sarah, and something cracked in his controlled

expression.

"Sarah?" His voice was rough with disuse. "What are you doing here? Is Ava-"

'She's fine," Sarah rushed forward, falling to her knees beside the cot. "More than

fine. William, it's over. The truth came out. We have the proof, and their

conspiracy is finished."

Watching them cling to each other, a warmth spread through my chest that had

nothing to do with victory and everything to do with justice. This reunion, this

moment of pure, unadulterated relief-this was what Ava had fought for. And I had

helped her achieve it.

"Truly free?" William asked, his arms tightening around his mate. "Not just a

temporary reprieve?"

"Completely exonerated," I confirmed. "The real conspirators are under arrest.

Your name has been cleared, and more than that-you're being recognized as the

hero you always were."

William's eyes found mine over Sarah's head. "Thank you," he said simply. "I

know this wasn't easy, and I know Ava-"

"Ava never gave up on you," I interrupted. "Not for one second. She's the one who

found the evidence that cleared you. She's the one who never stopped fighting."

Pride and love warred in William's expression. "That's my girl."

And soon, she'll be my wife. The thought sent warmth through my chest, followed

immediately by nervous anticipation. I still had to ask this man's permission to

claim his daughter permanently.

One step at a time.