Chapter 553

Vince and Brandon looked at Garith’s dead body, and I could see the panic in their eyes. The bubble burst as Garith gave his final, shuddering breath. I stepped up to Rowan and licked his face.

He raised a brow, and I just shrugged. “I don’t know how to shift back, and I wanted to kiss you.”

He threw his head back, laughing, and I held out my hand. “I need your phone.”

He slid it from his pocket and handed it to me. It was my turn to raise my eyebrow. “What?”

I raised my clawed hands. “A little hard to dial here.”

He looked from his phone to my hands and then back to my face. “Right…who?”

“My father, first.”

Vince opened his mouth, but it was Morgan who screamed. “What the fuck did you just say?”

I turned to look at the pale man on the ground. “I’m calling my father.”

Vince shuddered but then rallied. “He’s dead.”

“I think you overestimated my death there, Vince.” My father’s voice rang out over the speaker. He sounded exhausted. “My King…is everything okay?”

“I wanted him to call you.” I stepped closer to the phone. “How is it on your end?”

He sighed. “We are still in the caves. They ran deeper, and we are chasing them. What about you?”

I looked down at the bodies at our feet. “Verity and Garith are dead. Vince, Brandon, Shannon, and Morgan are subdued for now.”

“Are you going to kill them?”

I looked at Rowan, but he just shrugged. “It’s your choice, mate. Ru says to kill them, but he just wants you safe.”

I turned back to them, and I smirked. “I haven’t made the decision yet…” Shannon whimpered, which made me smirk.

“You can’t.” Vince’s voice sounded stronger than it should have in this precarious situation.

I turned back to him and tilted my head in confusion. “And why not?”

“Because you already have us under control. The accords of the council say—”

“Say fucking nothing,” Rowan screamed. I turned, surprised to see him so agitated. “The council is over, their power gone, and their accords are in the trash. They lost all power the moment they went behind my father’s back and colluded with Garith to kill the Lycans, my family, and my mate.” He took a step closer to Vince and dropped low enough to look him in the eye. “You have no standing, no backing, and you are charged with treason, murder, and conspiracy. Your life was forfeit the moment you agreed to work with Garith.”

Vince paled. “You can’t make that decision.”

“I AM THE KING!” Rowan roared, and everyone on the ground trembled.

There was silence for a few seconds before my dad started to chuckle. “I am the king,” my dad mimicked my mate. “So scary.” Rowan snorted as he turned to the phone.

“You are lucky you are now my father-in-law, Gav.”

“Oh, I know.” I could hear the grin in my father’s voice. “How do you feel, pup?”

I pretended to hesitate. “I don’t know. I feel like it’s possible that they might have been spelled.” I heard a confused intake of breath.

“We were,” Shannon screamed. Then she started to cry. “He used magic to get us to follow him. I’m so sorry, Amy. You are my sister, and I love you so much. Everything that happened between Brandon and me was all Garith’s idea…to break you.”

Chapter 552

+25 BONUS

Brandon was staring at her with confused eyes. I picked at my nails as if I was trying to figure out what to do and waited for Brandon to follow suit. “Shannon is right. You were my mate, and he used me to hurt you. I have loved you all my life. Shannon was just a mistake, one I never would have made by choice.”

My father scoffed. “You have to be kidding me.”

Vince took the cue to jump in. “Gavin, we used to be friends.” That was news to me. “We were so close growing up.” The thought that my father and Vince being friends didn’t sit right. “You know I would have never agreed to this without your father forcing me.”

Morgan was the only one who remained silent. I turned to him and lifted a brow. “What about you?”

I watched him think about what he was going to say, and then he shook his head. I had the feeling that Morgan was going to tell the truth for once. So, I turned back to watch the others’ faces. Shannon had a slight smirk on her lips; she really thought she was convincing with her bullshit. “I did it all because I wanted your mother. I wanted her not only because she was beautiful but because I was hoping she would give me a son. One strong enough to kill Brandon and take this pack.” Shannon’s face fell. But Morgan looked into my eyes. “I loved your mother in my own way. When she turned her back on me, I was angry, but I realize now I deserved it. You should kill us.”