The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter-Chapter 205: Darius’s Fall

Darius~

The moment the ballroom doors groaned open, a terrible chill sliced through my spine. The air itself thickened, as if holding its breath along with the hundreds of wolves in that lavish hall. My gaze locked on the figure standing in the doorway, and for a moment, the world around me blurred.

No. It couldn’t be. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Kelvin.

Alive.

He walked in with a slow, unwavering stride, the heavy thud of his boots echoing like funeral bells. Gasps erupted from my pack—my warriors—every one of them frozen in place as they recognized the man they’d been told was long gone.

But not just gone. Branded a traitor.

The lies Timothy and I fed them—"Kelvin helped Evan Cross sabotage the royal visit... When Evan was caught, Kelvin ran..."—all of it crumbled like ash in the wind.

Now the king was telling them something entirely different. That I tried to kill Kelvin. To erase him.

The stares of the room pressed harder on me. Even the lights on the wall seemed to flicker in accusation.

Kelvin reached the king and dropped to one knee, bowing his head low. But the moment he rose and looked toward me, something inside me buckled.

There was no hate in his eyes.

There was something worse.

Pity.

The king stepped forward, his voice iron-wrought. "Rise, Gamma Kelvin. Please... tell this room your truth."

Kelvin turned, his voice steady yet soaked with the ache of betrayal.

"I am Kelvin Mark, former Gamma of the Silverfang Pack," he said, his words piercing through the silence. "And I stand here today because of the goddess’s mercy."

Everyone listened, including my pack—my people—who now stared at me like they didn’t recognize the man standing in front of them.

"The morning of the royal visit, Evan Cross came to me. He was a wreck—his eyes bloodshot, his scent thick with panic. He told me his mate, Isla, had been kidnapped. He was going after her, despite Alpha Darius forbidding it."

Whispers rustled across the ballroom like leaves in a storm.

"I was shocked," Kelvin continued, "because no alpha—no werewolf—should ever prevent a man from rescuing his mate. It goes against everything we are."

He paused, his gaze sweeping the room before continuing.

"I told Evan I’d handle the royal visit preparations. He’d done most of the work already, so I’d only need to oversee the final details. Evan thanked me and left."

I remembered that morning too well. I’d stood by the window, watching the sun rise over a pack I planned to twist to my will.

"But then," Kelvin said, his jaw tightening, "Timothy found me while I was making my rounds. He said I didn’t need to continue—that he would handle everything."

A few of my pack members flinched. The ones who had followed Timothy’s orders that day.

"I was hesitant," Kelvin admitted, "so I asked him who gave the order. He said the Alpha had authorized it."

Kelvin turned slowly toward me.

"I found that odd, considering Beta Evan had just left and no one was supposed to know yet. So, I went to confirm with Alpha Darius directly."

My jaw tightened.

"And sure enough, Darius knew," Kelvin said. "Too well."

The room had become deathly silent again.

"Then something strange happened. Alpha Darius summoned Timothy into his office. And before I could understand why—Timothy shifted mid-conversation and bit me on the neck."

Someone screamed.

Kelvin’s voice cracked for a moment, but he pushed on. "As I was slipping into unconsciousness, I heard Darius order Timothy to kill me... and begin sabotaging the royal visit. They would make it look like Evan had failed."

Shock hit the room like a thunderclap.

"I woke up barely breathing," Kelvin continued. "Silver bullets lodged in my gut. I was in a shallow grave in the woods. But the goddess wasn’t done with me. I crawled out, half-dead, and ran."

Kelvin looked at the king, voice finally trembling. "I lived. And I’ve been in hiding ever since."

The king gave a nod of solemn acknowledgment. "Thank you, Gamma Kelvin. You’ve done your duty."

Then the king’s cold eyes turned on me and Timothy.

"Step forward," he commanded.

We obeyed. There was no point resisting. The moment I stepped into that spotlight, it was like being dissected alive.

The king’s voice sliced through the tension. "How do you plead to the accusations laid against you today?"

Beside me, Timothy dropped to his knees with a thud that echoed off the marble floor.

"I—I beg for mercy!" he choked out, his voice shaking like a loose shutter in a storm. "Everything Kelvin said was true. I did it. But I didn’t do them because I wanted to. Alpha Darius gave the order. He swore I’d become Beta if I helped him—but he also said that if I refused, he’d kill me. He’d kill my whole family. I didn’t have a choice!"

I stood frozen, fists clenched so tight my nails bit into my palms.

The room spun.

Betrayal burned like acid in my throat.

Timothy had fallen apart faster than wet paper. And somehow, I couldn’t even bring myself to deny his words. What was the point? The silence wrapping around me now said more than any desperate defense ever could.

The king gave a single nod—slow, heavy, final.

"Guards," he said, his voice as cold as winter steel. "Take Darius, Timothy, and every Silverfang wolf who came to this ball. I want them shackled."

The gasp that tore through the room was immediate, like air being sucked from lungs all at once.

"No—wait, please!"

"We didn’t know what was happening!"

"Our Alpha told us Evan and Kelvin were the traitors!"

"Alpha Darius! Say something—tell them it’s not true!"

Panic ignited like fire on dry grass. The ballroom, once glittering with elegance, exploded into chaos—pleading voices, sobs, shouting. Guards poured in like a ocean waves, yanking my packmates out of the crowd one by one, their wrists bound in silver cuffs.

My wolves.

My family.

Dragged away like criminals while I stood there, numb.

Silent.

Helpless.

Gabriella was screaming now. Sobbing. Her eyes met mine, wide with despair as two guards dragged her away.

I didn’t look away.

I couldn’t.

Because I did this.

I ruined them.

The king turned to one of his councilmen. "Morris Gary. Take a contingent to the Silverfang territory. Lock down the packhouse and seize control. No one in or out until the investigation is complete."

Morris bowed low. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Then the king stepped toward me—his towering presence as suffocating as it was regal.

I was already in cuffs. My dignity shattered. But he wasn’t done.

"Alpha Darius," the king said, his voice deliberate, heavy with judgment, "you will be detained in the dungeon until your trial. The list of your crimes is long—and I have no doubt more will surface as we begin to uncover just how deep your corruption runs. And besides, it won’t be fair if the celestial princess is not available for the judgement."

I said nothing.

What was there to say?

That I was sorry?

That I regretted every move that led me here?

No words could undo what I’d done. No apology could erase the damage.

So I stood there, silent, as the king gave the signal.

Guards closed in on me like shadows, rough hands gripping my arms as they dragged me away toward the dungeon—toward the cold stone and iron meant for traitors.

Chains clinked. The remaining members of my pack followed behind, broken and bound.

And just as I reached the edge of the ballroom—just before the doors slammed shut behind me—I heard the king’s voice ring out again, sharp and commanding.

"Owen Blackthorn... and Michael Blackthorn. Step forward."

The crowd stirred.

Heads turned.

Gasps whispered like wind through leaves.

My father.

My brother.