After My Mate Stole My Rogue Kill, I Defied Him Chapter 07

After My Mate Stole My Rogue Kill, I Defied Him Chapter 07

The windows exploded

Not cracked Not shattered gracefully like in the movies.

They detonated inward, a thousand shards of crystal raining down on the ballroom floor as my aura hit them like a physical wall The chandeliers swayed violently overhead, their crystals singing a high, sharp note that made wolves across the room flinch and cover their ears

But I wasn’t done

The scent rolled out next-gunpowder, blood, and winter roses My true scent, the one I’d been masking for three years. It flooded the hall, thick and suffocating, carrying with it the unmistakable signature of an Apex Predator.

Alpha Marcus dropped to one knee, his face twisted in shock. The mighty Alpha of Silvermoon, forced down by biological imperative, his wolf screaming

at him to submit

Beta Harrison collapsed completely, his forehead hitting the marble with a crack that echoed through the silence.

The she-wolves who’d laughed at me were on the ground, trembling, their wolves whimpering in terror

Even Mrs Phillips-standing near the front in her designer gown-fell to her knees, her face white as bone, her mouth opening and closing like a fish drowning in air.

Colin was shaking so hard I could hear his teeth chattering. His Beta sash hung crooked on his shoulder, and his eyes-wide and terrified-were locked on

mine

‘Freya,” he whispered. “What-”

“Rank S,’ I said softly, my voice carrying across the silent ballroom without effort. “Alpha Superior. That’s what you rejected, Colin. That’s what you called

weak’

I pulled a small remote from the pocket of my wine-stained dress. The same remote Colin had used to display his stolen glory.

I clicked it

The screen behind him flickered, and Ironclaw’s face disappeared. In its place, bank statements filled the massive display. Line after line of transactions,

dates, amounts

I didn’t need the microphone My voice filled the room naturally, the way an Alpha’s should.

Tuition for the Elite Training Program, I said, pointing at the first line “Five hundred thousand dollars. Paid by Freya Wright

Gasps rippled through the crowd

I clicked again Another statement appeared

“Bribes to the Pack Council to overlook your failed combat assessments Two hundred thousand dollars Paid by Freya Wright

Colin’s face went from white to gray

“Custom tactical gear, silver-lined weapons, that ridiculous suit you’re wearing right now I clicked through the statements one by one, my voice never rising, never breaking. “Five thousand Ten thousand Fifteen thousand All paid by Freya Wright.”

The crowd was silent. Not the respectful silence from before, but the kind of silence that comes right before a storm breaks

“While you slept, I continued, stepping closer to Colin, “I hunted While you preened in the mirror, I bled While you practiced your speeches, I killed rogues in the dark and brought their heads to the Bounty Guild to pay for your pathetic excuse of a career

Colin tried to stand, but my aura pressed down harder His knees buckled, and he fell forward, catching himself on his hands

“You said you tore Ironclaw’s head off with your bare hands,” I said, my voice dropping to something cold and sharp. “That’s a good story, Colin. Very dramatic

I clicked the remote one last time

An official document appeared on the screen-the Bounty Guild’s autopsy report, stamped and certified.

“Strange,” I said, reading from the display. “Because the autopsy report I filed with the Bounty Guild this morning shows Ironclaw was killed by a clean blade strike to the C4 vertebrae. Severed the spinal cord instantly No tearing. No claws. Just a single, precise cut.”

I looked down at Colin, who was trembling on his hands and knees, sweat dripping from his face onto the marble

That’s a signature kill,” I said softly. “A strike only one hunter in the werewolf world uses.”

The Lycan Prince’s voice cut through the silence from the balcony above, deep and authoritative.

“The Shadow”

Every head in the room turned upward. The Prince stood at the railing, his golden eyes fixed on me, and for the first time since I’d entered this ballroom, I saw something other than pity or contempt in someone’s gaze.

Respect.

“The legendary Rogue Hunter,” the Prince continued, his voice carrying the weight of royal decree. “Missing for three years. Presumed dead by most Searched for by many.”

He descended the stairs slowly, his presence commanding absolute attention. When he reached the main floor, wolves scrambled to clear a path

He stopped at the base of the platform, looking up at me.

“Freya Wright,” he said, and the way he said my name-with recognition, with authority-made something in my chest loosen ‘Also known as The Shadow The wolf who single-handedly cleared the Northern Territories. The hunter with a ninety-eight percent kill rate. The warrior my father has been searching for since she vanished.”

Colin made a sound-half sob, half whimper.

I looked down at him, this pathetic excuse for a wolf who’d stolen my kills, my money, my sacrifices, and called them his own.

“You wanted to reject me?” I asked softly. “Fine. I accept

The mate bond snapped

It didn’t hurt this time It felt like cutting away dead weight, like shedding a skin that had never fit right

Colin screamed The pain of a severed bond hit him like a physical blow, and he collapsed completely, curling into himself on the platform

I stepped over him

Azalea stood frozen near the stairs, her face pale, her eyes wide When I passed her, she did something I didn’t expect

She bowed

Not a shallow nod. A full, formal bow of respect, her head lowered, her hands pressed together

“Forgive me,” she whispered. “I didn’t know.”

I paused, looking at her She wasn’t my enemy. She’d been a pawn, just like I had been

“Now you do,” I said simply

I descended the stairs, my aura still pressing down on the room, and walked toward the exit The crowd parted like water, wolves scrambling to get out of

my way.

At the doors, I stopped and looked back.

Colin was still on the platform, broken and sobbing. Mrs. Phillips was on her knees, her perfect facade shattered. Alpha Marcus was staring at me with something between shock and awe

And the Lycan Prince was smiling.

“The car is waiting outside,” he said. “My father will want to speak with you’

I nodded once and walked out into the night, leaving the Silvermoon Pack-and the pathetic wolf who’d tried to break me-in the dust where they belonged.