Chapter 515 Will you....????

NOAH.

The heavy iron door of the lower corridor clanged shut behind me, the echo bouncing off the damp stone walls of the basement level.

My head was still throbbing, a dull ache behind my eyes from the lingering traces of wolfsbane, but the adrenaline surging through my veins kept me moving. I wiped a streak of dried blood from my temple with the back of my hand, my boots heavy against the stone steps as I made my way down to the dungeon cells.

Two of my house guards stood at the entrance of the cellblock, their spears crossed over the iron grate, their faces tense and pale.

"Alpha Noah," the lead guard said, snapping to attention and pulling his spear back. "The cells are secured, sir. Both of them."

"Are the suppression chains locked?" I asked, my raspy voice dropping into a flat, dangerous tone.

"Yes, sir. Double-bound with spell-forged iron. Neither of them can channel their wolf or call on their aura."

I nodded once, pushing open the heavy door and stepping into the dim, torch-lit hallway.

Vincent was chained to the far stone wall, his hands bound high above his head, his dark velvet tunic torn and soaked in dirt and blood. His sister, Galen, was in the cell directly opposite him, her jaw set into a bitter, snarling grimace as iron cuffs bit deep into her wrists.

The moment Vincent saw me step into the light, he spat blood onto the straw-covered floor, his eyes burning with a desperate, wild fury.

"Noah!" Vincent rasped out, pulling uselessly against the heavy iron chains until they rattled against the stone. "You think you can hold us here?! My People’s vanguard is already marching on this valley! If you touch either of us, they will burn your pack house to the ground!"

"Your so called people doesn’t even know where you are," I said calmly, stopping three feet from his cell bars, resting my hand on the hilt of my broadsword.

"You’re a fool, Noah!" Galen hissed from across the corridor, her voice echoing off the damp walls. "You think you’re protecting that girl? You think those quadruplets care about your territory? They brought this war to your doorstep!"

"Shut your mouth, Galen," I said, turning my gaze to her cold, sharp face. "You shot an arrow through Damien’s chest while standing in my home. You’re lucky Aidan didn’t snap your neck on that rafter."

"He wouldn’t dare," she sneered, though her knuckles turned white as she squeezed her fists. "He knows the cost."

Before I could reply, heavy, rushing footsteps echoed down the stone staircase behind me.

My head of security, his face covered in dark soot and sweat, came skidding around the corner. He was dragging a man by his collar—a bruised, disheveled traitor whose hands were tightly bound with coarse hemp rope.

Daniel.

The man who had sold us out, the rat who had tampered with our perimeter traps and helped Vincent slip his poison into the compound.

"Alpha Noah!" my officer grunted, shoving Daniel roughly onto his knees in the middle of the corridor floor. "Our border patrol caught him trying to slip through the southern ridge toward the neutral lands. He was hiding in the thicket."

I really can’t believe Daniel almost escaped the Quadruplets grip.

Daniel hit the floor with a wet thud, coughing violently as he looked up at me with wide, terrified eyes. "Noah... please! Please, hear me out! They forced my hand! Vincent swore he’d slaughte me. if I didn’t...do it!"

"Lie!" Vincent shouted from his cell, letting out a dark, mocking laugh. "You took fifty gold pieces and a promise of land in the upper territory, you pathetic worm! And you also get to have the qudruplets head, and exact your revenge."

Daniel’s face drained of every last drop of color as he scrambled backward on his knees, staring up at me in pure panic. "Noah, I’m begging you, I am an Alpha... Don’t let them kill me!"

I turned to my officer. "Chain him to the center post in the courtyard. Aidan, Davian, and I will deal with all three of them together once Physician Thorne stabilizes Damien."

"Understood, Alpha!" the officer barked, hauling Daniel up by his hair and dragging him back toward the stairs as the traitor wept and screamed for mercy.

I took a long, slow breath, turning my back on Vincent and Galen’s furious curses, and walked back up the dark stone stairwell into the main house.

The noise in the upper hallway had died down slightly, replaced by the quiet, tense atmosphere of recovery. Servants were quietly wiping down the bloody floorboards, while reserve guards were patrolling the inner doors with drawn steel.

I made my way out toward the inner courtyard garden, needing a brief moment of cold air to clear the burning fog from my brain.

The night air was crisp, freezing, and clean, carrying the faint scent of pine from the surrounding mountains.

Standing near the edge of the stone fountain, her small frame wrapped in a dark woolen cloak, was Maria. She was staring blankly at the dark treeline, her skin pale under the moonlight, her bare feet tucked under the hem of her dress.

My chest tightened as I stepped out onto the gravel path, my boots crunching softly to let her know I was coming.

"Maria," I called out softly, keeping my raspy voice low so I wouldn’t startle her.

She turned her head slowly, her dark eyes looking up at me. They were hollow, heavy with unshed tears, and swimming with a deep, distant shock that made my heart ache.

"Noah," she murmured, her voice barely louder than the cold wind blowing through the courtyard.

I stepped up beside her, leaning back against the edge of the stone fountain, looking down into her pale face. "Physician Thorne just came out of the ward. He managed to pull the iron arrowhead out of Damien’s chest. He’s still critical, but... Thorne says his wolf is fighting to heal him, and for now, he’s breathing on his own."

A tiny, faint sigh escaped her lips, her shoulders dropping an inch. "Thank Goddess..." she whispered. "If we lost him too..."

She trailed off, her eyes drifting down to her trembling hands. She squeezed them tightly into fists, burying them in the fabric of her cloak.

I watched her quietly for a long moment, noticing the way her mind seemed a million miles away, locked in some heavy, painful loop she couldn’t break free from.

"Maria," I said gently, reaching out to place a hand on her arm. "What’s wrong? I know Adrein’s death is tearing you apart—it’s tearing all of us apart—but you look... frightened." I paused. "However, I want to ask a selfish question..." I swallowed hard. "Will you really marry them too???"

Maria stood completely still, the cold wind howling softly through the quiet courtyard as my words settled into the space between us.