CHAPTER 29: HAPPY

Emira looked at the two thread bracelets she had woven, her fingers trembling as she held them out. Each thread carried a small stone, one of the few her mother had left her before she died. They were protection stones, the only shield she had known all these years, the only thing standing between her and the darkness that had chased her since childhood.

Today, for the first time, she was giving them away.

She closed her hand around the threads again, gripping tightly until the stone’s edges pressed into her skin. She held them like that for a moment longer, as if a part of her still fought to keep them. These stones had guarded her life, and she had guarded them with equal ferocity. Giving them away was not a small thing. It was like giving away a part of herself. But these were not normal stones. It was a favor she would owe them now- a bond she would have no choice but to honor.

But she did not hesitate.

The Moonville Pack had not fallen the way she had dreamed it would. Its future still hung uncertain, like a fire burning too low to tell if it would die or rise again. But the princes had given her something she had never expected.

A broken Alpha for the future of the Moonville Pack.

She shut her eyes, and the tears came. They slipped down her face in silence, but they carried no grief. They carried happiness, fierce and burning, because now there was justice.

Prince Kael had revealed everything in that courtyard when he had made him go still. Everything Alec had suffered, everything that had been done to him. Alec Soier had been subjected to the same humiliation by the rogues that he had wanted her to go through. And then, to add salt to the injury, the humiliation had been played out in front of the entire pack by Prince Kael, who had calmed him down and then used his power to project into the air, what had transpired.

She smiled at that. The Alpha of a pack was supposed to be strong... But Alec had been shown to be be weak. Or if not shown, then proven. An Alpha who had been unable to defend himself? How would he protect the pack.

No one might know or say it out loud, but Emira knew. Somewhere, somehow, the princes had made Alec Soier pay. And she was grateful for it. For the first time in her life, someone had avenged her.

Soon, the two princes would leave. She had already heard the whispers. The other omegas had taunted her, their voices low but cutting, saying that even if she had the princes’ favor now, it would vanish soon enough. That once she turned into an adult, she would lost protection, left like the others, no different from a plaything that anyone could play with. Even the princes. They didn’t touch her not because they respected her. But because they respected the law.

But at this point, she was already immune to the taunts and whispers. She was going to leave soon. She had already thought of another way. However, for now, she needed to give this to the Princes.

She held the threads tightly in her hand and started walking toward the cabin where Prince Zen was staying.

But before she could reach him, a figure stepped out of the cabin.

She stopped at once. Hurriedly, she bowed her head and moved to the side, trying to stay unnoticed. But the man’s eyes found her instantly.

"You. Omega." His voice cut through the air, sharp and commanding.

She looked up cautiously. "Sir?"

"Kneel."

The authority in his tone rolled over her like a physical force. Her body obeyed even as every part of her resisted. Slowly, unwillingly, she knelt on the ground.

"I want you to stay away from the princes," he said, his voice cold, his eyes hard. "Do you understand? Whatever it is you are trying to pull, it will not work on them. So do not create unnecessary trouble."

Emira stiffened. Trouble? When had she ever created trouble for the princes? If anything, it was the opposite. They were the ones who had walked into her life, forcing her to keep changing her plans. But she did not show it on her face and simply raised her hands, trying to tell the man," I simply wanted to thank His Highness for his grace...with these handmade..."

But she did not let any of this show on her face. She didn’t even get the chance to finish her sentence.

The man shoved her hand aside roughly, his eyes cold with contempt, "You dare to talk back?" His foot lashed out, catching her in the side before she could even steady herself. She stumbled and hit the ground hard, breath leaving her lungs in a rush. "Haven’t I told you to stay away? That means you should run. Now. Come on, scamper!"

Pain shot through her ribs, but Emira swallowed it down, refusing to make a sound. Slowly, she pushed herself back onto her knees. Her hands clenched in her lap, trembling, but she kept her head low.

She would not leave.

Not without thanking the princes. Not after everything they had done. If it meant being beaten again and again, then so be it.

But before she could open her mouth, a cold, calm voice cut through the tension like ice.

"That is enough, Teacher Shim. I suggest you leave."

The man froze, his shoulders stiffening as though someone had doused him with a bucket of water. Slowly, he turned around.

Emira looked up too, her heart thudding painfully against her ribs as her gaze caught on the tall figure now standing in the doorway. Grey eyes, sharp and unreadable, met hers. Prince Zen.

Her breath caught.

"Your Highness," Teacher Shim began quickly, his tone changing at once, almost stumbling over itself. "I was only trying to—"

"Good night, Teacher Shim," Prince Zen interrupted, his voice smooth but leaving no room for argument. His words were final, dismissing the man as though he were nothing more than background noise.

Teacher Shim bowed stiffly, his face tight with frustration, but he said nothing more. With one last glare in Emira’s direction, he turned on his heel and walked away into the darkness.

The courtyard fell quiet again.

Prince Zen’s eyes shifted to her. For a moment, he said nothing, only studying her where she knelt on the ground, her threads still clutched tight in her trembling hands.

"Come in, little fire."