“He won’t see her again,” a young Torin shouted. “She’s a traitor. We both know she’s a traitor and we’ll ensure that everyone treats her as such.”

Now my chest hurt, and Shadow must have sensed that, because he broke through the memories, separating me from them. It was fine, though; I’d seen enough.

Jaxson and Torin hadn’t been lying or exaggerating when they’d said that Dean would have killed his son before he let him be my friend. Fuck, it had been going on before my father had lost his shit and gotten himself killed. And I could no longer blame those two when they’d been doing the best they could.

I had suffered so much, but they had too, and in some ways that allowed forgiveness in my heart. Torin still didn’t deserve to be alpha, but Jaxson could keep his wolf. He was worthy of a second chance. Dean, on the other hand…

Shadow rumbled loudly beside me, and as I turned toward him, he struck out, plunging his hand into Dean Heathcliff’s chest and ripping out his heart.

Ah, now that was a fitting punishment. “Your sins have finally caught up with you,” I said to the former beta, and when Dean’s body hit the ground, no one made a sound.

He would not be mourned in death, just as he wasn’t respected in life.

A legacy all of his own making.

60

By the time we were done with our judgment, half of the pack was spared. Those shifters would be able to remain in Torma and rebuild their life. I sincerely hoped they did more with it than the first Torma pack.

At the end, Jaxson made his way toward me again. “Hello, old friend,” he said.

Pain finally hit me, right as Jaxson reached out and grasped onto my furred and feathered hand. “You look amazing, Mera,” he said, and I could tell he meant it. “Strong and beautiful. Powerful in a way that I always knew you could be.” His words were the polar opposite of the disgust Torin had shown over my new form, and once again, I was content with my decision.

Jaxson released me then, turning to Shadow. “Thank you for saving her when I couldn’t do it.”

Shadow crossed his arms, staring his Anubis nose down on him. “She saved herself. And me.”

Jaxson nodded, like he should have thought of that. Returning his gaze to me, he asked, “Why didn’t you strip my wolf?”

I met his eyes. “Your soul is pure, even if you have been led astray at times.”

He quickly glanced at his dead father, still untouched on the ground, not a single shifter taking his body away for a true burial. “It’s a liberating feeling to finally be free. Kinda sucks that it comes with having to lose you. Will I ever see you again?”