Chapter 299 - 33: At the End of the Road

The heavy door swung wide, revealing Beta Blane and three of Ramon’s henchmen.

Marcus’s hand shot out, claws extended, teeth bared in a silent snarl. Beside him, Kalessie instinctively pulled Destiny behind her.

"Lower your guard, cur," Blane snapped as he entered the room. He completely ignored Dane, his cold gaze fixed on Destiny’s father. "By order of former Alpha Ramon, this room is under lockdown. You and your family will remain prisoners here until the council convenes with King Vance."

In other words, until Dane married Aurora, they would remain prisoners of the BloodMoon pack.

Ramon hadn’t brought an army, but he had used his remaining authority to trap Destiny’s family, forcing them to stay put so Dane couldn’t leave with them.

Dane took two slow steps forward, blocking Blane’s path.

"Beta Blane," Dane said, his voice dangerously calm.

The Beta froze and met Dane’s gaze. "Dane... your father’s orders are clear. He is trying to protect this pack from ruin."

"My father is retired," Dane replied, stepping into Blane’s personal space. The air in the cramped room grew heavy with the raw, suffocating weight of Dane’s Alpha aura. The guards behind Blane shifted uneasily.

"You swore an oath to the sitting Alpha of BloodMoon," Dane continued, his voice dropping to a resonant, unyielding register that made the floorboards vibrate. "Look at me, Blane. Who bears the mark right now?" "

Blane swallowed hard, his jaw tight as he fought against the crushing weight pressing down on his chest. "It’s you, Alpha."

"Then listen to my order," Dane commanded, turning his gaze toward the three guards. "You will stand guard outside this door—not as jailers, but as an honor guard. You will let this family gather their belongings without interference, and in a few minutes, you will escort them—myself included—to the courtyard gates."

Blane’s eyes widened. "Dane, if you cross that gate..."

"If I cross that gate, my father can summon the Council and strip me of my title," Dane interrupted sharply. "He can reclaim the seat. He can reclaim the treaties. But as long as this mark graces my neck, my order is the one that stands in this fortress."

He turned back to Marcus and Destiny. Marcus’s claws had retracted, and his jaw hung slightly slack as he stared at the young Alpha—who had just thwarted his own father’s henchmen with a single sentence.

Destiny remained frozen, her dark eyes wide as she watched Dane—no longer as a spoiled prince playing games, but as a man wielding absolute authority to secure her family’s freedom.

Dane held her gaze, his expression impassive.

"Fifty minutes, Destiny," Dane said softly, as the heavy aura filling the room dissipated as quickly as it had formed. "Stay here. I’m going to my quarters to gather my things."

The door clicked shut behind Dane, leaving Beta Blane and his men frozen like stone statues in the outer doorway. Inside the small guest room, silence returned—quivering from the shock.

Marcus let out a long breath through his nose as he rubbed his chin. "The kid’s got guts. I’ll give him that. He stood up to his own father’s Beta and forced him to bow."

"He’s crazy," Destiny whispered, pressing her hands to her temples.

The lingering pressure of Dane’s command still vibrated faintly in her bones.

She looked at her mother. "Mom, tell me you realize how insane this is. He’s throwing his whole life away! For what? Pride?"

"Not just pride," Kalessie said softly. "You heard him, Destiny. He saw his own reflection in you. A man who realizes he wears golden chains is still a man who wants to break them."

"We can’t let him come with us," Destiny said, pacing the narrow length of the rug. "If Alpha Ramon’s son disappears with us, the Bloodmoon pack won’t let us leave without a fight. Vance won’t let us go. The entire mountain range will be hunting us down!"

"Destiny," Marcus said, his deep voice cutting through her racing thoughts as he gripped her shoulder. "Look at me. That boy isn’t asking for permission. You saw the look in his eyes. If we walk out that door, he’ll be right behind us—whether we like it or not."

Destiny swallowed hard, her gaze fixed on the narrow window as the sun began its slow descent toward the horizon. Fifty minutes.

On the other side of the fortress, the heavy doors to the Alpha’s private quarters slammed shut.

Dane didn’t hesitate. He stripped off his silver-trimmed ceremonial cloak and tossed it onto the bed. His chest heaved, adrenaline still burning in his veins.

He pulled a heavy canvas travel bag from his wardrobe and packed it with cold efficiency: a leather traveling tunic, spare boots, hunting knives, and a thick cloak designed for mountain passes.

He paused before his desk. Resting on a velvet stand was the Bloodmoon Seal—a heavy silver ring bearing his lineage’s emblem. Dane stared at it for a long moment, picked it up, and placed it prominently in the center of the dark wood table, right next to the cloak he had discarded.

He tightened the straps of his pack and stepped out.

When the oak door opened again—exactly fifty minutes later—Destiny and her parents were waiting. Marcus had two leather bags slung across his body, while Kalessie had donned her thickest traveling shawl. Destiny stood near the center of the room, her jaw set, a small bag resting at her feet.

Dane entered, clad in functional leather and steel, a heavy canvas pack slung across his broad back. Stripped of his royal finery, he looked every bit the traveler. His dark eyes immediately found Destiny. "Are you ready?"

Destiny searched his face one last time, looking for the slightest trace of hesitation, fear, or doubt. She found none.

"We’re ready," she said, her voice growing firmer. "There’s no turning back, Alpha."

"No turning back," Dane confirmed quietly. He turned toward the entrance, where Beta Blane and the three guards stood, stiff and tense. "Lead the way, Blane. To the main gates."

Blane stared at Dane for an agonizingly long moment, his jaw clenched tight enough to shatter stone. Then, with a sharp nod, he spun around. "Clear the room," he growled at his men.

As they stepped into the hallway, escorted by the very guards who had been ordered to imprison them, Marcus fell into step behind Dane, while Destiny walked close beside him. The stone corridors of Bloodmoon Fortress seemed colder now, echoing with the irrevocability of each of their steps toward the courtyard.