Chapter 11: The End

Levi’s knees gave out the second the Alpha completed his sentence. He hit the floor hard, the impact jarring up through his bones. The death sentence had stripped him of the little strength he had, and now genuinely felt like a leaf, he could not stand, and he could barely breathe.

Aaron was the first to move, stepping directly into the path of one of the two guards who had moved the second the Alpha completed his sentence.

"One more step," Aaron said, voice low and vibrating with barely leashed violence, "and I will tear your throat out in front of my father. Do not touch him."

The guard froze, and his eyes flicked toward the Alpha, seeking confirmation or release from the order.

The Alpha’s expression did not change, and neither did his decision.

"I gave an order," he said, each word precise and final. "Take the omega to the lower cells. Now."

The guards moved again, swifter and more determined.

Levi remained still unsure of what to say or do next. He tried to speak, to beg for his life, but the words came out broken and small. "Please— I didn’t— I never wanted—"

"Silence."

The Alpha’s command cracked across the hall like a whip. Levi’s mouth snapped shut on instinct so deeply trained it overrode even terror. Tears burned at the corners of his eyes. He was still on the floor, one hand braced against the cold stone, the other hovering near the throbbing mark on his neck as if he could hide it.

The first enforcer reached him, and Aaron lunged.

Kai’s arm shot out and caught his brother across the chest, holding him back with surprising strength. "Aaron— don’t."

"He’s not taking him," Aaron snarled, straining against the hold. "He’s not fucking taking him."

While the two older princes locked in place, Dexter moved without a sound. He crossed the space in three silent strides. His hand closed around the wrist of the enforcer who had just seized Levi’s upper arm, what followed next was a loud crack that took the entire room by surprise. The enforcer’s scream tore through the hall as his forearm bent at an unnatural angle. Dexter released him at once and turned toward the second guard, his eyes flat and empty of everything except lethal intent.

He had barely taken a step towards the second guard when Kai released Aaron and intercepted Dexter in the same motion, one hand fisting in the front of his younger brother’s shirt, the other locking around his wrist.

"Stop," Kai hissed, low enough that only the three of them and Levi could hear. "You’re giving him every reason to order all of us restrained. Think."

Dexter’s chest rose and fell in short, sharp breaths. For a moment it seemed he would tear free of Kai’s grip and finish what he started, but he came to calm himself. It wasn’t in his nature to act out like this, but the instinct to protect his mate had overridden his rational thoughts and had pushed him to act without caution.

The second guard, face pale with horror and shock, hauled Levi up from the floor by both arms.

Levi’s feet barely touched the ground. His fate was sealed, and this was his death. He didn’t know if he should be happy or sad. He definitely didn’t want to die, but thinking now, would he really be happy living as a toy to these three princes? Perhaps this was the better choice.

The Alpha watched the struggle with cold satisfaction. "Restrain my sons if they interfere further," he ordered the remaining guards who had appeared at the doors. "The omega goes to the cells. The claim will be ended by sunrise."

Levi was dragged backward. His bare feet scraped against the stone. He tried once more to speak, to beg, to say anything that might stop this, but the Alpha’s earlier command still sealed his throat. All that came out was a choked, helpless noise. Aaron roared something wordless and lunged again, two additional enforcers intercepted him this time, forcing him back with sheer numbers while he cursed and fought.

Dexter had gone very still in Kai’s grip. Only his eyes moved, tracking Levi’s progress toward the doors with a focus so absolute it felt like a second set of hands trying to pull the omega back.

Kai’s voice cut through the chaos, louder now, pitched to reach their father.

"Killing him solves nothing." The eldest prince’s tone remained controlled, but every word carried the weight of an heir who was no longer simply obeying. "You will create three unstable Alphas instead of one inconvenient omega. The original pull binds all of us. Do not pretend this ends cleanly with his death."

The Alpha’s gaze was flat. "I am prepared for the consequences."

"Give us time to figure this out, please, time is all I’m asking." Kai pleaded. It was the best he could do. He knew getting violent wouldn’t get them anywhere, and he was thankful he managed to calm his brothers before things got out of hand.

The Alpha studied his eldest son for a long moment. Then he looked at Aaron, still snarling and restrained, and at Dexter, silent and coiled in Kai’s hold like a blade waiting for a target.

"Until dawn," the Alpha said at last. "The omega remains in the lower cells. No one enters without my direct order, not you, not your brothers, not any servant carrying messages of comfort. At sunrise, if no solution acceptable to me has been presented, the original order stands. He dies."

He flicked his fingers once and the guards dragged Levi through the double doors. This was it, his life was on the line now, and all the hopes he had lied on three brothers who didn’t trust each other. He shut his eyes and accepted his fate, this was the end for him, and the sooner he accepted that, the better for him.