Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother - Chapter 279

Chapter 279: Chapter 279
Seraphina’s POV

The crowd was still kneeling when I found my voice.

“Please.” I stepped forward. Away from Damien’s side. Standing on my own. “Please, get up.”

They rose slowly. Hundreds of faces watching me. Waiting.

My heart hammered. This was different from fighting. Different from anything I’d done before.

“I know what you’ve heard.” The words came easier now. “About me being omega. About me being weak. About me not deserving to be Luna.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some nodding. Some looking guilty.

“And honestly?” I forced a smile. “I believed it too. For years, I thought I was nothing. Powerless. Broken.”

My hand touched my chest. Where my wolf had been silent for so long.

“But I was wrong.” My voice got stronger. “We were all wrong. Because omega or Alpha doesn’t matter. What matters is what you do. How you fight. Who you protect.”

“Today I fought beside your Alpha.” I gestured to Damien. “Not behind him. Not following orders. Beside him. As equals.”

Damien’s smile reached his eyes. Proud. Warm.

“And I’ll keep fighting.” My voice rose. “For this pack. For our children. For every single one of you.”

“I won’t run anymore.” The confession felt important. “Won’t hide. Won’t pretend to be less than I am just because it’s easier.”

Adrian tugged my hand. I looked down. His silver-blue eyes—so like Damien’s—watching me seriously.

“You’re really an Alpha?” His voice was small. Uncertain.

“Yes, baby.” I knelt. Met his eyes. “Just like Daddy. Just like you’ll be someday.”

“Does that mean you can fight now?”

“It means I’ll protect you.” I pulled him close. “Always. No matter what.”

Lily squeezed between us. “Can I see your wolf? Please?”

I laughed. The sound surprising me. “Maybe later. When things calm down.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

The pack was smiling now. The tension easing. Acceptance settling over them like a warm blanket.

Someone pushed through the crowd. Riley. Her face streaked with tears and dirt but grinning.

“Luna!” She threw herself at me. Nearly knocked me over. “That was amazing! You were so fierce! I can’t believe—”

“Breathe.” I hugged her back. Hard. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Okay? I’m better than okay!” She pulled back. Eyes sparkling. “Did you see me take down that rogue? The big one with the scar?”

“I saw.” Lucas appeared beside her. His hand finding hers naturally. “You were reckless.”

“Reckless worked.” She grinned at him.

“This time.” But he was smiling too.

Ophelia appeared next. Slower. More careful. Her eyes red from crying.

“Sera.” Her voice broke. “I thought—when they said you went to the border—”

“I know.” I grabbed her. Held tight. “I’m sorry. I should have told you.”

“You should have brought me.” She pulled back. Glaring. “Next time you run into danger, I’m coming with.”

“Deal.”

More people crowded around. Warriors congratulating us. Families thanking us. The pack celebrating.

For the first time in years, I felt like I belonged. Like this was really home.

Damien’s hand found my shoulder. Gentle. “Can I steal you for a minute?”

I looked at the kids. Ophelia nodded. “I’ve got them. Take your time.”

—

We walked away from the crowd. Toward the pack house. The celebration fading behind us.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“There’s something you need to see.” His voice was careful.

The pack house was quiet. Empty. Everyone outside celebrating.

Damien led me through familiar hallways. Past the main rooms. Toward the back.

Toward the stairs leading down.

My steps slowed. “The dungeons?”

“Yes.” He stopped. Turned to face me. “Before we move forward—before we truly start over—you need closure.”

“Closure for what?”

His eyes held mine. Steady. “For what they did to you.”

Understanding hit. Sharp. Immediate.

Emma. Gabriel.

They were down there. Locked up. Waiting.

His hand found mine. “I think you need to see them. To decide what happens next.”

“What do you mean decide?”

“They’re yours.” The words came out flat. Final. “To judge. To punish. To show mercy to if you want.”

“I thought—” I stopped. Started again. “I thought there were laws. Rules about this.”

“There are.” Damien nodded. “But you’re Luna now. True Luna. Alpha blood. And they hurt you specifically. Targeted you. Tried to destroy our family.”

“So by pack law, you get to decide their fate.”

The weight of that settled over me. Heavy. Suffocating.

“I don’t want that power.” The confession came out whispered.

“I know.” He pulled me closer. “But it’s yours anyway. And I think—I think you need this. Need to face them. Need to take back what they stole.”

Maybe he was right.

Maybe I did need this.

“Okay.” I straightened my shoulders. “Show me.”

—

The dungeon was cold. Damp. The kind of place that made your skin crawl.

Stone walls. Iron bars. The smell of mildew and despair.

Two cells. Side by side. Both occupied.

Gabriel in the first one. Slumped against the wall. His face bruised. His clothes torn. He looked up when we approached. His eyes going wide.

“Sera.” My name came out hoarse. Desperate. “Sera, please. You have to help me.”

I said nothing. Just stared at him. At this man who’d pretended to love me. Who’d lied. Who’d helped destroy everything.

Emma was in the second cell. Heavily pregnant now. Her belly huge. She sat on a thin cot. Her hands cradling her stomach protectively.

When she saw us, she stood. Wobbled slightly. Caught herself.

Once upon a time, they’d terrified me. Their lies had destroyed my world. Shattered my trust. Nearly cost me everything.

But now?

Now they just looked small. Weak. Pitiful.

“What do you want to do?” Damien’s voice was quiet. Just for me. “It’s your choice.”