Chapter 15
1879words
The warriors of Shadow Fortress and the survivors of the Red Moon Pack stared in shock at the Alpha kneeling before Ella.
Karen Wolcoff—the conqueror of the Northern Territories—was now offering all his pride, wealth, and power to this Omega whom he had once humiliated in countless ways.
Ella looked at him.
The rain had stopped, and the faint light of dawn penetrated the clouds, illuminating his pale face. In those golden eyes, there was undisguised remorse and devotion.
The "mark" on her neck no longer burned.
The "bond" in her soul no longer wailed.
She could clearly feel his emotions—not possession, not desire, but a pure, completely disarmed... love.
Ella slowly placed her hand, stained with his blood and dirt, over his hand that was holding hers.
"Karen," her voice was hoarse, yet remarkably calm, "stand up."
Karen froze, looking at her in confusion.
"Kneeling is easy," Ella looked directly into his eyes, "and 'repaying' with land and wealth is also easy. But your father's sins cannot be washed away with these things."
Karen's golden eyes darkened, thinking she was rejecting his atonement.
"Survive," Ella's voice became firm, "stand up, and use the rest of your life to rebuild everything you have destroyed. This, is your true redemption."
She pulled him up forcefully from his humiliated kneeling position.
Karen's tall body swayed slightly, and he looked at her in disbelief. She... she had forgiven him?
“Alpha！”
Cael interrupted this moment. He was still restraining Leo Wilde with his claws. "How should we deal with him?"
Karen's gaze instantly turned cold. He was about to order an execution, but his eyes fell on Ella.
He stopped, and handed over the power of judgment to her.
Ella walked toward Leo.
Leo Wilde collapsed on the ground, looking at Ella, then at the obedient Alpha behind her, with nothing but the gray desolation of defeat in his eyes.
"Ella..." he murmured, "you still chose him..."
"I didn't choose him," Ella said calmly, "nor did I choose you. I only chose to end this hatred, as I don't want to see any more killing."
She looked at Leo: "You exploited my trust, hurt my people, you are no different from the tyrants I despise. But you are also the last bloodline of the Red Moon Pack."
Ella took a deep breath and announced with her new, Luna-like authority:
"I banish you, Leo Wilde. From today on, you no longer belong to the Red Moon Pack, nor are you a Beta anymore. You will wander alone as a Rogue. Never step foot in the Northern Territory again."
This was a punishment worse than death.
"Take him away," Karen commanded Cael.
Leo didn't resist anymore. He was dragged away by the warriors, his madness and ambition ultimately reduced to nothing.
…………
The canyon finally fell silent.
Ella stood to the side, exhausted.
She looked at Karen beside her. Her enemy, her "husband," her "fated mate."
Her mind was in chaos.
She remembered that rainy night, his cold gaze, and the word "disgrace" that came from his mouth.
She remembered that banquet, where he stood high above, allowing Seraphina to pour wine over her head.
She remembered Leo's revelation, how he viewed her as a "remedy" and a "tool" to quell the curse.
But...
She also remembered just now.
Remembered that silver-imbued dagger.
Remembered how he turned around without hesitation, using his broad, completely defenseless back to block that fatal strike.
An Alpha who sees you as a "tool" would never exchange his life for yours.
"Why?"
Ella's voice was hoarse as she asked him that most crucial question.
"Why did you take that knife for me?"
Karen slowly raised his head, those golden eyes that had shown penitence now contained only one pure, primal pain.
"I don't know." He growled honestly, as if admitting this alone caused him unbearable pain, "I only know... when Leo's knife stabbed toward you... that pain was ten thousand times worse than having Silver Venom pierce through my heart."
He looked at her, with a complete vulnerability in his eyes that Ella had never seen before.
"My wolf... my soul... it was screaming." He said hoarsely, "It couldn't... let you get hurt."
Ella's heart was struck hard by these clumsy yet profoundly sincere words.
This was his answer.
Not "I love you," but something deeper—"I cannot bear to see you hurt."
She lowered her head, examining her own heart.
What about her?
Why did she, at the last moment, heal him without any hesitation?
Didn't she hate him too?
Ella recalled that rainy night, when his cold fingers touched her chin, the little wolf inside her—that humble, weak Omega little wolf—howled with joy and sharpness for the first time.
"Mate!"
She had always thought it was a shame, a curse from the Moon Goddess upon her.
But now she understood.
What she hated was his crimes, his pride, his lies.
But the wolf inside her, her soul... had never stopped responding to him.
She finally understood the stories that old Aurelia used to tell.
"Fated mates" weren't just random "suitable" people chosen by the Moon Goddess. They were truly the other half of your soul.
It was a special kind of "completeness" and "saturation."
This was why his "rejection" broke her heart.
This was why her "rejection" devastated him.
The bond... had never been wrong.
"Karen..." she whispered.
He looked at her nervously.
"I will pay for my father's crimes." He repeated anxiously, thinking she still wanted to abandon him, "My bloodline... is still cursed with 'Rage'..."
"I know."
Ella interrupted him.
Instead of backing away, she stepped forward and, under Karen's shocked gaze, placed her soft, faintly golden-glowing palm against the recently healed spot over his heart.
"I know about your 'Rage' curse." Her voice was firm yet gentle, "I've read that journal. You are not 'dirty', Karen. You just... lost your balance."
Karen's entire body trembled.
A warm, unprecedented power flowed from her palm into his chest.
This wasn't the overwhelming power that cured Silver Venom. This was a... gentle, embracing tranquility that belonged to the Moon Goddess herself.
The giant wolf in his heart—the beast that had been roaring, raging, and tormented by Silver Venom in his mind since birth—under the soothing of this power, for the first time...
Quieted down.
It curled up its body and emitted a satisfied, low purr.
Karen felt that the "rage" curse that had entangled his father's entire life and half of his own, the source that made him fear silver and fear losing control, at this moment, was completely soothed and healed by Ella's power.
He was no longer an out-of-control beast.
He was complete.
Karen could no longer hold on; he lowered his head and pressed his forehead deeply against Ella's shoulder. This tall Alpha wolf king trembled violently before her, like a child.
"Thank you..." he whispered hoarsely in her ear.
Ella gently embraced him in return. The mark on her neck was no longer a "shackle," but a "bridge."
She finally understood the true meaning of "Ancestor Omega."
She was not the "antidote," nor was she the "weapon."
She was the "balance."
Karen lifted his head, his golden eyes filled with reborn devotion. He cupped her face and called out tenderly: "My Luna."
Ella did not fall into his embrace as he had expected.
She simply gazed at him quietly and shook her head.
"No, Karen."
His heart tightened sharply, thinking she was still rejecting him, and that fear of being backlashed by the "Bond" struck him again.
"The word 'Luna,'" Ella said softly, her voice firm and clear, "in ancient laws, means moon, the satellite that revolves around the world (Alpha). It signifies dependence."
She placed her hand on his chest again, feeling his heartbeat that had finally become steady and no longer furious because of her power.
"But you and I both know, the fact is exactly the opposite." She looked straight into his eyes, "It's you who needs me to balance the 'Fury' in your bloodline. It's you who needs me to heal your 'Silver Venom'. Compared to how much I need your protection, Karen... you need me more."
Karen Wolcoff looked into her eyes, where there was both the mercy of an Omega and the resilience of an Alpha. He couldn't refute.
This was the truth.
"I accept your atonement," Ella continued, "but it's not enough."
Her gaze moved past him, looking at the surviving members of her tribe, at this land soaked with fresh blood.
"Your father's sins cannot be wiped away with just a piece of land or a chest of gold. The dead tribespeople will not come back to life, and the wounds won't heal today."
Karen's face showed pain, but he didn't interrupt her.
"You knelt down today, Karen. But this is only the first step." Ella's voice became gentle, yet heavier, "We still have a long way to go. How will you manage these two wolf packs that were once mortal enemies? How will you rebuild trust? How will you ensure that your warriors will no longer view my people as 'trophies'?"
She cupped his face, forcing the Alpha to look directly at her.
"I accept you, Karen. I accept this damned 'bond' that once caused me unbearable pain." Her voice trembled for a moment, but quickly regained its firmness, "Because I've seen your change, and also because... my wolf, it has never stopped responding to you."
"But I will not become that dependent 'Luna'."
"I will become your 'heart'."
She stood on her tiptoes and took the initiative to kiss his lips—this kiss was not as intense as before, but carried the weight of a promise.
"I will stay by your side," she whispered in his ear, "I will watch over you, I will remind you. I will spend the rest of my life ensuring you never become a tyrant like your father. This is my duty as the 'Original Omega'."
Karen Wolcoff closed his eyes and held her tightly, as if embracing not just a woman, but his recovered conscience and soul.
"I accept," he promised hoarsely.
In the dawn light of the canyon, the warriors of Shadow Fortress and the survivors of the Red Moon Pack watched them silently.
Ella knew this was not a fairy tale ending.
Her father's death and her people's blood wouldn't simply vanish because of a kneeling gesture and the return of wealth. The pain was still carved into their marrow.
Rebuilding a destroyed homeland, merging two wolf packs that had been enemies for generations, managing the traumatized lands of the North... this was destined to be a long and difficult road.
But Ella also knew that she had given this man a chance for redemption, and given herself an opportunity to untie the knot in her heart.
Karen was no longer her "enemy," and Leo was no longer her "obsession."
They still had a long time to heal each other, to create more and better memories.
To truly... atone and love each other.
From this moment on, the sky over the Northern Territory had completely changed.
There were no more conquerors and spoils of war.
Only the wild wolf and his moonlight.
