CHAPTER 226: _ WE NEED TO SEE HER

Gamma Crowhurst doesn’t blink for a whole five seconds. His posture stays stiff, his jaw locked, but his eyes go wide enough that the whites completely circle his pupils. Every soldier in range reacts like someone just announced the moon had fallen out of the sky, rolled into the backyard, and asked for snacks.

A sharp gasp travels through the room, one after the other, like dominoes made of lungs. One soldier even crosses himself like he suddenly converted to religion for safety insurance.

The Gamma finally speaks in a voice that’s too loud, too shocked, and too raw. "That is not possible."

Morgan is past the point of caring about opinions. Amias can see that in his eyes as he affirms. "It is."

A guard whispers, "That’s biologically impossible."

Another mutters, "The goddess would never..."

Someone actually crosses themselves, like Heidi is Satan’s niece.

Gamma looks like he needs a chair, water, and maybe a new spiritual belief.

"One Moon Blessed is mated to four Alpha heirs," he mutters to himself, pacing. "That’s... that’s forbidden. That’s not even a legend. That’s... that’s..."

"Reality," Darien cuts him short.

Amias can’t believe what he’s seeing: even Darien who seems to hold "good reputation" like a lifeline is throwing everything away the moment he hears she is in trouble.

The Gamma whips around, eyes wide. "That is an abomination!" His voice cracks like he might cry or vomit or both. "A Moon Blessed is already a rare supernatural anomaly, but being tied to multiple Alpha future-leaders? Do you understand what that means? It breaks every divine law, every cultural law, every mating doctrine..."

"Not one of us asked for an opinion," Darien fires back.

The Gamma throws his arms up. "Does your father know of this insanity?"

That makes Darien take a step further, leaving his face inches away from the man as he lets out the most dangerous whisper.

"Do I look like I care about that right now?"

Rowan, meanwhile, stands beside the Gamma like a frozen NPC. His voice is thin when he finally speaks:

"Fated mates do not multiply. That is not how wolf law or divine pairing functions."

Amias speaks for the first time since the reveal. "Then perhaps the laws were never complete."

Every soldier flinches like they weren’t prepared for philosophy from the quiet one.

That makes him straighten his spine. "We need to see her and I mean NOW."

Gamma Crowhurst rubs his face, groans, mutters a few curses, then jabs a hand at Rowan. "Take them to the cells. And do not let anyone else hear a word of this until I speak to the Alpha."

Rowan nods once and signals them to follow. The brothers walk after him, quiet but burning. The guards step aside as if the ground itself were telling them to move.

The hallways are narrow and echoing, with cold floor tiles and wall-mounted lanterns humming with pale light. Rowan walks fast. The boys walk faster.

Grayson speaks under his breath. "If they hurt her, I swear..."

Morgan cuts him off, fists clenched so tight his knuckles are pale. "They won’t leave here alive."

Darien stays silent, but everyone can feel murder radiating off him like a heatwave. Amias tries breathing through the panic, but it hurts. Vark is restless inside him, pacing like a trapped animal.

They turn into a lower, darker, and cooler, hallway, silent except for dripping water and distant footsteps. Rowan stops at the third door, enters a code, then swings it open. The boys don’t wait for permission as they storm past him and freeze all at once.

Heidi sits on a metal bench in the back corner, barefoot, wearing wrinkled pajamas with a dried smear of blood on her cheek and forearm. Her hair looks tangled from someone grabbing it. Her knees are pulled to her chest, arms wrapped around herself, chin tucked down like she’s trying to shrink into the wall.

Even though her physical wounds have healed—thank her hyperactive wolf genes — the emotional damage is dripping off her. She looks exhausted, small, and embarrassed.

Amias stops breathing.

Something worse than jealousy, worse than heartbreak, worse than duty twists inside him. He wants to pull her into his chest and erase everything, but he stays frozen at the doorway like an idiot statue with a heartbeat.

Morgan gets there first, dropping to his knees in front of her so fast he scrapes the floor.

"Heidi! Why didn’t you call? I told you to call me. Why didn’t you—?"

Grayson pushes him lightly aside. "Bro, chill. She’s already stressed. Don’t pile your meltdown on her."

"I’m not melting down!" Morgan barks.

"You’re literally vibrating," Grayson snaps back.

Darien steps in between them and crouches down too in a surprisingly gentle tone. "What happened?"

Amias stays back even though he hates it.

His chest feels like it’s being sawed open slowly, but he forces his feet to stay still. His hands ball into fists so tight his knuckles crack, but he doesn’t move. Every instinct inside him demands that he touch her, hold her, lift her out of that corner, tuck her into safety like she belongs under his ribs.

But he told himself duty. He told himself, Lira. He told himself mother first, pack first, legacy first. So he stands.

That is his punishment.

Heidi finally raises her head and the moment her eyes meet theirs, something inside the room shifts. She looks terrified, ashamed, and confused, like she’s waiting for them to tell her she deserves whatever comes next.

Her voice is tiny when she whispers: "I didn’t mean for any of it to happen..."

Morgan rubs her arm. "We know. Just talk to us."

Heidi swallows, breath shaky. She looks at her hands, palms facing up like she’s still trying to understand them.

Her voice is small, scratchy. "I... I didn’t think anyone would believe me."

Morgan grips the bars like he wants them to melt. "We would have believed you."

She looks down again. "I didn’t want to drag you into anything else. You already have problems of your own."

"You are not a problem," Grayson says instantly, tone hot with loyalty.

Darien taps the bars. "Start from the beginning."