Chapter 449\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucien\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
69\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ford\u2019s lips quivered, but not a single word left his mout. His entire body trembled as though gripped by an invisible frost, eyes glazed over, spirit hollowed out. Whatever dignity remained in him had long since shattered-just like his mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The damage was done.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not to his flesh, but to the one thing wolves never fully recover from.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His spirit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took slow, measured steps toward the wreckage that lay before me-my once-proud father and the woman he chose over blood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My shoes clicked softly against the marble, the sound crisp and elegant amidst the silence. I stood over them like the reaper over a battlefield, hands clasped behind my back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI suppose it\u2019s lucky my men intervened,\u201d I said, voice light as a breeze. \u201cFrom what I can see, Lady Seraphina attempted to harm herself in a fit of emotional rage. Likely to punish her beloved mate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I offered a slight smile, almost gentlemanly. \u201cFortunately, we stopped her. Otherwise\u2026 who knows what tragedy might have unfolded?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My smile didn\u2019t reach my eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It never did.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Around the room, I could feel their stares-eyes wide with disbelief, throats too dry to speak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oh, they knew.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They knew the truth, every last one of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But none had seen it with their own eyes. None had evidence. And in the world we lived in, without evidence, there was no accusation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rumors had followed me for years-\u201cLucien Duskgrave, the cold-blooded prince of Stormridge.\u201d Tonight, those whispers evolved into truth. Reality had shown itself, brutal and blinding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And every soul present realized one thing:\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t the kind of Alpha you crossed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tilted my chin and swept my gaze across the hall-slowly, deliberately, letting my eyes meet every face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Each noble dropped their gaze the moment our eyes locked. As if my gaze alone could summon fate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let them think that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let them fear that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let it settle deep into their bones that Lucien Duskgrav-heir to Stormridge, born under blood moon prophecy-was not a male to provoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:57 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 449\u00a0<\/p>\n
I raised one hand lazily, as if brushing away dust.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTake them back to Northreach,\u201d I said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
69%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
My guards obeyed without hesitation. They stepped forward and seized Ford and Seraphina again-no gentleness this time. They dragged them like discarded refuse, like prey unworthy of a second look.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seraphina\u2019s broken body slid across the floor, leaving behind a streak of crimson that glistened under the chandeliers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ford? He didn\u2019t resist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes were still wide, unfocused, head lolling between his shoulders like a puppet with its strings cut.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The double doors shut behind them, swallowing their shame into the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And the banquet fell silent once more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But not for long.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every gaze slowly, inexorably, turned to the two still kneeling before me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett Vale and Ronan Duskcliff.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The traitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett trembled so hard her shoulders jerked with every breath. Her once-glossy hair was gone-shorn completely, her scalp raw and exposed to the air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It had been Riley\u2019s command.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had grabbed Riley\u2019s hair during a petty outburst. She thought it would go unnoticed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But even that wasn\u2019t her real crime.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No, her real offense was far more vile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She destroyed Riley\u2019s moon embroidery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A masterpiece-months of effort and devotion, stitched by hand under candlelight and starlight. Every thread had been laced with patience, pain, and quiet power. It wasn\u2019t just art. It was a piece of Riley\u2019s soul.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett found it. Tore it apart with scissors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She knew exactly what she was doing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s why she was kneeling here now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I saw her lips moving-mouthing silent prayers to the Mon Goddess, to fate, to anything that might delay\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
14.38\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 449\u00a0<\/p>\n
the inevitable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had good reason.\u00a0<\/p>\n
69%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
If a hair-pull warranted a shaved scalp, what did desecrating my mate\u2019s sacred work deserve?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She knew the answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was why her breathing came in shallow gasps. Why her knees knocked against the floor. Why she shook like a leaf trapped in frost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beside her, Ronan looked no better. The once-proud her of Duskcliff House was sweating through his silk. His shirt clung to him, soaked and rumpled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could see it in his eyes-the dawning horror that his little power plays and smug manipulations had landed him far beyond the line of no return.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had supported Scarlett\u2019s schemes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had fed them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And now he would answer for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I approached them slowly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound of my steps-sharp, echoing-rang through the banquet hall like war drums.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tap. Tap. Tap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stopped just short of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They didn\u2019t dare look up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think yourselves wolves?\u201d I asked, voice smooth and cold. \u201cYou think your games make you clever?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett whimpered. Ronan lowered his head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou tried to humiliate my chosen mate. You destroyed what she created. And you conspired to fracture the unity of Stormridge Pack.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out my communication crystal-a direct channel to the Enforcers of the Lycan Tribunal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their version of law.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tapped a rune, and the glow pulsed gently in my palm\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is Lucien Duskgrave,\u201d I said. \u201cAlpha Regent of Stormridge. I\u2019m reporting two nobles-Scarlett Vale and Ronan Duskcliff-for willful destruction of a Luna-bound artifact and conspiracy against Pack unity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A cold silence followed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then the voice on the other end answered:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAcknowledged. Warrant confirmed. Tribunal enforcers will arrive within the hour.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
14:58 Wed,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 449\u00a0<\/p>\n
I ended the call.\u00a0<\/p>\n
5\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then let my eyes drift back to the traitors kneeling before me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI could punish you now,\u201d I said softly. \u201cI could make you bleed for every stitch Riley had to sew. For every tear she hid when she found what you did.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett choked on a sob. Ronan flinched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I won\u2019t,\u201d I continued. \u201cBecause I want the entire Tribunal to see the truth. I want the Elders to pass judgment in front of all four Territories.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stepped back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when they do-I will be there when your names are erased from the Pack Registry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Send Gifts\u00a0<\/p>\n
992\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Midnight Letters by Daniel Crowe 449 Chapter 449\u00a0 Lucien\u2019s POV\u00a0 69\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 Ford\u2019s lips quivered, but not a single word […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pack-princess"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20724"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20724\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}