Chapter 74: Alpha’s Ruling

The room felt different now.Not loud. Not chaotic.

Heavy.

The kind of heaviness that pressed against your chest and made you careful with every breath. Lewis stood there like the center of it all, calm on the surface, but holding something dangerous beneath. No one dared interrupt him. No one even shifted their weight.

Malcom finally broke the silence. His voice was controlled, but I could hear the strain underneath.

"Lewis, there’s really no need to push things this far," he said. "We were only asking Ms. Ashbourne a few questions. No real harm was done. Why turn this into something bigger than it is?"

I felt Lewis move beside me.

Not closer. Not louder.

Just enough for everyone to feel him.

"Oh?" he said softly. "If nothing was wrong, then kneeling shouldn’t be difficult. Or are apologies suddenly too painful when the victim is mine?"

The room went colder.

He turned his head slowly, eyes passing over every face in the room. I could feel the shift like something invisible had risen to full height.

"I don’t care what bonds you think you had in the past," he said. "She is my wife now. That makes her part of my family. And her dignity is not something you get to question, touch, or trample."

That single sentence changed everything.

This was no longer a private dispute. It was a line drawn in front of everyone.

Jeffrey opened his mouth, then stopped. Even he understood that stepping in now would only make things worse.

Lewis continued, his voice lower, steadier.

"You let Camilla act however she pleased while staying under my roof. I ignored it once. I won’t ignore it again. What she planned for my wife tonight crosses every boundary."

His gaze settled on Malcom.

"You raised her. That responsibility doesn’t disappear when things go wrong."

Malcom’s face darkened. Pride flickered in his eyes, wounded and angry. "Fine," he said stiffly. "But tell me this how did you even know what was going on between Camilla and Yenik?"

Lewis didn’t hesitate.

"Because I watched her," he said. "Because I saw how she looked at Riley. How she spoke. How she waited for chances. I stayed alert because she’s cruel when she thinks no one is paying attention."

His jaw tightened.

"If I hadn’t been prepared, tonight would’ve ended very differently for my wife."

No one argued.

They couldn’t.

Every word rang true, and they all knew it.

As the pressure shifted back onto them, I felt something twist inside my chest. I had only wanted an apology. I hadn’t expected this. No matter how far removed I felt from my past, some part of me still remembered what it was like to belong to that family.

I didn’t want to see them kneel.

It felt... too much.

But Lewis didn’t move. Didn’t soften. This wasn’t cruelty to him it was protection. This was how he made sure no one ever tried to break me again.

Even the Morrigan elder, the one they had called in as support, stayed silent. He knew they had crossed a line that couldn’t be brushed aside.

Slowly, one by one, they lowered themselves.

Knees touched the floor.

Faces stiff. Eyes burning with resentment they couldn’t show.

They apologized.

Not because they wanted to.

But because they had no choice.

And as I watched them kneel before me, I felt nothing.

In another life, these same people had looked away while I broke. They had pushed me aside and called it fate.

Now, they were the ones bowing.

They were still on their knees when it happened.

A sudden boom tore through the room, loud and sharp, like thunder breaking indoors. The floor trembled beneath my feet. Glass rattled. Every single person flinched.

Lewis’s hand tightened on my shoulder, grounding me. His touch was firm, steady. Protective.

"Don’t be afraid," he said quietly. "This is what they owe you."

I turned to look at him, confused.

Owe me what?

Before I could ask, he stepped forward.

The crowd parted without thinking, like their bodies moved before their minds could catch up. Then Theo appeared behind him, dragging someone by the collar.

Yenik.

He was barely recognizable.

Blood stained his shirt. One eye was swollen shut. His steps dragged like his strength had already left him. Theo released him, and Yenik collapsed onto the floor with a dull thud.

His eyes flicked around wildly. Fear and anger fought inside them.

"You’ll regret this," he rasped. "The Hudsons won’t let this go. They’ll make you pay."

Lewis looked down at him like he was nothing more than dirt on the floor.

"You tried to drug my wife," Lewis said calmly. "You planned to hurt her."

A pause.

"You should be thankful you’re still breathing."

Lincy rushed forward and dropped to her knees beside Yenik. Panic twisted her face as she touched his shoulder.

"Yenik what did they do to you? Are you hurt?"

His voice broke as he reached for her hand.

"I was wrong," he whispered. "Please... just get me out of here. I can’t stay."

The man in front of us was nothing like the arrogant figure from before. No pride. No confidence. Just fear.

Yenik had always been the forgotten one in his family. The one no one backed. And now, with his mistake laid bare, there was no guarantee anyone would come to save him especially not when Lewis Hale was involved.

Lewis folded his arms slowly.

"Leave?" he said. "You think this ends with you walking away?"

The room held its breath.

"I already spoke to your family," Lewis continued. "Since you chose to crawl into bed with the Morrigans’ daughter, you’ll take responsibility."

A sharp gasp rippled through the room.

Yenik’s face drained of color.

"What?" he choked. "You can’t mean marry Camilla?"

Lewis nodded once.

"You made the choice," he said. "Now you live with it."

Everyone stood frozen the Ashbournes, the Morrigans, even Lincy. No one knew what to say.

And in that moment, Yenik finally understood.

He had thought he was clever. He had thought he was untouchable.

But he had crossed a line he didn’t even know existed.

And he had lost.