CHAPTER 216: _SOMETHING CHANGED IN YOU

The silence after Lobo’s body hit the ground was thick—heavy enough to smother even the bravest wolf’s tongue.

No one moved.

Not the guards. Not Lobo’s wife, who knelt in a pool of his blood, trembling and frozen as she sobbed silently. And not Odessa, who stood just behind me, her breath slow but unsteady.

I let the blood drip from my claws before retracting them and turning back to the gathering of soldiers. Their expressions were a mix of fear, hesitation, and awe.

Fourteen pack warriors and not one dared lift a blade or even move a muscle as they gawked at me.

"You saw what I did," I said calmly, my voice sounding like a sharpened blade across the air. "And if any of you are loyal to a dead tyrant rather than your starving kin, you may step forward now and follow him in his fate."

Suddenly, the front man-broad-shouldered and eyes burning with tension—took a slow knee, lowering his head.

I raised an eyebrow as the other soldiers did the same, one by one, some more hesitant and uncertain than the others. It didn’t end until every last soldier bowed their head.

I watched this with silence, raising my chin slightly.

Good.

I stepped away from Lobo’s body and his sobbing wife, heading to the compound gate as Odessa’s presence shadowed mine.

She was still quiet and her emotions were too complicated to decipher through the mate bond.

Was she... shaken? Scared of me and what I did back there?

’Oh, relax! That was child’s play. I’m sure our mate will be fine.’ Damon said in my mind reassuringly but I didn’t say anything.

The moment my boots touched the ground toward the gates, the atmosphere shifted. A few of the elite wolves in the estate just outside the pack house had started to peer out from their windows.

Others had the good sense to shut their curtains and lock their doors, feeling the night air with bangs, whispers, and clattering.

"You," I pointed to one of the kneeling guards, a young man with a shaved head and a crescent scar under his eye. "Your name?"

"F-Faro, my King." He responded with a shaky voice, keeping his head lowered as he did.

"Faro," I repeated. "You’re in charge now. Get the medics to tend to your former Luna. Take her into custody, but treat her with care."

He swallowed hard and nodded before moving.

I didn’t even bother looking back.

Instead, I walked toward the heart of the pack, Odessa still trailing beside me. We exited the pack house and entered the broken roads of Iron Fang, far away from the elite regions.

And there it was—

The wreckage Lobo had left behind.

Children clung to doorways, some barefoot.

Adults sat in the dirt with sunken eyes, holding out makeshift bowls or tattered hats and begging for alms.

The air stank of unwashed bodies, rot, and desperation. The food stalls looked skeletal, guarded by greedy businessmen with expressions like stone.

I scanned my gaze through everything, my jaw tight. I wanted them to see me. I wanted them to feel what true authority looked like... not the leech that had fed off them all these years.

Odessa stopped walking at one point, forcing my gaze to flick to her.

I was just in time to see as she knelt beside a small girl sitting in the dust. The child had one eye swollen shut and her lips were cracked.

Odessa pulled something from the bag strapped to her hip that she carried around from Blood Oak.

To my surprise, she brought out a wrapped piece of dried bread and smoked jerky.

The girl hesitated, looking between her and me.

Odessa smiled softly, nodding reassuringly. "It’s okay, dear. Take it. It’s yours."

She held it out until the girl finally reached forward with trembling hands and accepted it. I watched the little wolf’s eyes widen as she bit into the jerky like it was the first solid thing she’d tasted in weeks.

It probably was.

Other children emerged from alleyways, the smell of the food no doubt drawing them.

Odessa stood, but not before whispering something to the girl. My ears perked up, allowing me to hear the words: "You matter. Don’t forget that."

My heart clenched... but I didn’t say anything. We kept walking, and behind us, whispers followed like wind.

"The Alpha King has come." someone said. "That’s him."

"He killed Alpha Lobo."

"Goddess, how do you know that?"

"There are rumors already coming from the servants working in the elite region. They witnessed it and also saw the guards bowing to the Alpha King." A female voice said but her tone was filled with reverence instead of fear.

"That’s his Queen? The hybrid?" Another added with hesitation.

We finally reached the town square.

It had once been a ceremonial ground but now looked like a battlefield without the blood. Cracked tiles, broken benches, vines curling around rusted poles...

I stepped onto the largest platform, a crescent-shaped stage meant for public declarations. My voice boomed after I cleared my throat.

"Citizens of Iron Fang!"

They came forward from all angles. From the shadows, from homes, from behind vendors. They gathered with eyes full of fear, hope, and disbelief.

Odessa stood just behind me, her arms folded as she watched them.

"Your Alpha is dead. Not because he challenged me. Not because he spoke out of turn. But because he failed you."

Murmurs rippled after I said that but I continued.

"He fed you lies. Told you the alliance brought prosperity. Made you believe things were getting better while you withered in the gutters. He thrived off your misery and thought I’d never come to see it."

I paused, my eyes scanning the sea of people gathered.

"But I did. And this? This is not the future I fought to create." I said bitterly, shaking my head.

There was a long silence.

Then, slowly, someone clapped.

Another joined.

Then dozens.

A cry broke out from the back as cheers that swelled and crashed like a tidal wave thundered from all angles. I saw wolves drop to their knees in prayer, while some even sobbed openly.

After several seconds, I lifted a hand and the sound ceased.

"You will not suffer again," I declared. "Resources will be reallocated. The elite district will provide aid to the rest. Food, medicine, and funding will come from the Blood Oak pack and a new leader will be chosen—someone among you who remembers hunger."

There was no need to say more as I stepped back.

Odessa walked to me slowly, her fingers slipping into mine. I squeezed her hand gently, glancing at her and smiling softly.

We stayed there for a few more hours.

I gave Faro, the guard who was temporarily in charge, the command to begin immediate restructuring.

The noble homes were to open their pantries, and the enforcers who once guarded their riches would now guard distribution lines.

By midnight, the pack had changed.

It was a small change... but good enough.

.

.

Odessa was quiet as we walked through what used to be Lobo’s mansion. The hallways were painted with luxurious colors and had expensive paintings, each chandelier a reminder of stolen wealth.

"You’re not going to say anything?" I finally asked, glancing at her.

She paused beside a floor-length window, her reflection casting shadows over the tiled floor.

"You didn’t hesitate," She finally whispered.

I exhaled, keeping my gaze on her. "No, I didn’t."

She turned to me, her expression soft but unreadable as she spoke gently. "I’m not judging you, Kaelos. I just... I’ve never seen someone get killed by you like that. It’s like something changed in you since the Lord of the North’s broadcast."

I moved closer, placing my hand on her cheek. "He lied to me. Lied to the pack. Starved children. He looked at you like you were filth."

Odessa didn’t flinch but leaned into my touch, closing her eyes.

"I know," She murmured. "I’m just still catching up with the kind of world you grew up in."

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her against my chest.

"I was afraid I’d lose you tonight," I confessed. "Not to battle, but to fear. That you’d look at me like the monster the world once called me."

She tilted her head up, her brows furrowed.

"You’re not a monster."

I kissed her forehead as I smiled. "Then stay beside me. Even in my bloodiest moments."

Her hand found mine as she nodded. "Always."

.

.

Later that night, I stood on the balcony of the mansion overlooking the pack below. Lights now flickered in places once drowned in shadow.

The wolves moved with purpose, not despair.

Odessa joined me, dressed in a simple night gown. Her hair was loose, dancing in the wind.

"You did what you had to," she said quietly.

I didn’t respond. My eyes scanned the treetops beyond the estate.

That’s when I saw it.

A figure at the edge of the forest.

It was cloaked and silently watching from that distance.

Their presence didn’t belong to the pack. I would’ve known. It didn’t feel hostile, but it felt... ancient?

Before I could move, the figure stepped back into the forest, swallowed by the night.

Odessa touched my arm just then. "What is it?"

I kept my gaze on the trees as I mumbled solemnly. "We’re being watched."