Chapter 21:

DPOV

I only had eyes for him. Rose and the army she brought would deal with the guards and any one else that would oppose us. I knew most of the council would sit this one out. Maybe the other two alpha's would join, but Abe assured me he and Rose could take them and Janine and Pavel were close by.

I should just focus on my father. I was the only one who could take him down.

Turned out he only had eyes for me too. He smiled. He probably thought I was still too injured to fight him. And although I was still hurting, he had no idea the difference in our powers. It would be enough. I can beat him even when I am hurt.

"I will beat you again, boy. And this time I have an excuse to kill you. High treason."

"I am not in chains, so your chances of winning are reduced to zero."

He screamed and attacked, but I was calm. It was one thing I learned early on in battle. Hone your anger, focus it, like a blade, don't let it control you. That is what he did. He let his emotions take over and guide him in everything he did. I would never be like him. And so I saw him coming a mile away.

I sidestepped him, grabbed his wrist, twisted it to the side until his arm broke. He cried out in pain. There was an odd satisfaction in the crack and the subsequent scream. But I couldn't let that distract me.

He backed up a little and grabbed his left arm with his right. I had noticed my wolf had taken a good chunk out of his wolf's front leg. He was limping a bit.

He attacked again, this time he tried to kick me. But he was slow. Has he always been this slow? I grabbed his foot before it could connect with my stomach and twisted it. He fell down. His leg was still okay, but his arm took another hit as it rammed into the floor. He gritted his teeth this time, not giving me, and everyone else the satisfaction of hearing him in pain.

He moved, faster this time and he got a hit in. On my side. He knew he had caused me a few broken ribs a couple of days ago and those are notorious for healing slowly and as his hit landed, I knew I broke a few of them again.

My hand went to my side but I didn't make a sound other than a grunt.

"Seems you aren't healed as much as you claim, boy."

"Healed enough to fight you. How is your arm doing?" I smiled back. Oh how good it felt to talk back to him, to not have to take his crap anymore.

"You think this will change things? You won't ever be anything but a slave." Yes, the source of his animosity towards me. His only son was a slave. One he didn't recognize himself in. He had wanted to erase me ever since I was born. I had no Ivashkov characteristics, other than the power. He rejected me the moment he saw me, because how could his son not look like him. As if his genetic material wasn't dominant enough. My mother had bested him in this. Something he had never been able to accept.

"Maybe, but you won't be King anymore. And that is enough for me."

He charged me again, I saw our wolves doing the same. He wasn't playing anymore. He was giving it his all. He was even using his broken arm, fighting through the pain. He knew he would lose otherwise. And I did the same.

We exchanged hit after hit, dodging other people fighting around us. I hadn't thought it would be easy, but the old man could still fight. Or maybe I was still more hurt than I was willing to admit. But I won't lose. Not ever again.

I hit him square in his jaw, feeling the bone break underneath my fist. My eyes were blazing as he fell to the floor. He wiped the blood from his mouth but winched when he moved the bone too much. I guess at least he wouldn't be mouthing off any more.

He was having a hard time getting back up, but I gave him room to do so. I wanted to completely humiliate him. I wanted to show how much stronger I was now.

He did get up, but with me standing tall and him slightly hunched over because of his injuries, the difference in height just underscored the difference in power.

He was bleeding all over, had no use of his arm anymore, and was breathing heavily, maybe a punctured lung. And still he didn't give up. And I knew why. All his reason, all his humanity had left him. His eyes blazed an eerie acid green. He and his wolf made synchronized movements, not only showing they were connected, but had a single consciousness. He had given into his wolf.

The people around us seemed to notice this too. Everyone fell silent. Maybe it was his eyes, or maybe it was the unhuman movement of the King, but I think it was his aura. Because with the loss of control certainly came power. All soldiers went down on their knees. The guards too couldn't keep upright. I saw some of the council members on their hands and knees gritting their teeth. I looked over to Abe, he was standing, but he wasn't unaffected.

The only one that stood tall was Rose, and me.

He charged me in a last attempt, snarling and growling. I released my own aura but I honed it, sending it towards him. In a flash I moved towards him. I was too fast for him. He could only register shock as my hand shot clean through his torso.

His eyes dulled and he fell backwards, slipping off of my hand. The blood pooled below him and dripped down my hand and arm onto the floor. I heard a wolf yelp and I saw my own wolf take his down, biting him in the neck. His muzzle was covered in blood and he held the wolf down.

Both were still breathing, but barely. His wolf dematerialized and joined him once more. I could see some of his intelligence return to him. I wouldn't call it humanity, but it was more than simply primal rage.

I wondered if I should finish him. He was alpha, he could heal from this. Not soon, but he could heal. I missed most of the important organs. But why would he live, for what purpose?

I felt warm hands touch my own. I looked over to the side. Rose was standing there. She looked afraid. When I looked down at where our hands touched I could see I was shaking. I hadn't really noticed yet.

Everyone was expecting me to finish it. It was like the whole room was holding their breaths. I wondered how many of them wanted me to kill him and how many would want me to spare him.

My father looked at me expectantly. He wanted me to kill him. He couldn't say it, his jaw was too damaged. But I could tell. Because if I could kill my own father, I would be a little bit like him. Maybe that is all he ever wanted.

I released my fist and let my fingers relax. I averted my eyes from him and looked ahead. I grabbed Rose's hand and I walked past him. Because he was beneath me. I had beaten him. Once and for all. I looked towards Abe and nodded.

He would take it from here.

I heard the King scream, the frustration clear in his voice. But I didn't care. I just kept walking with Rose next to me, our wolves on our heels before we called them back simultaneously. He was still screaming when I closed the council door and when we rounded the corner.

It wasn't until we were safe behind my own chambers doors that I fell down on my knees and broke down. Part emotional exhaustion and part simply because my body had reached its limit. I felt warm and gentle arms around me, holding me, telling me everything would be ok. And for the first time in my life. I believed it.

RPOV

When the army came in it was chaos. Well, at least to everyone else. My father had predicted everything up until now and we all had our parts to play. Dimitri's job was to take down the King and as much as I wanted to help him and was worried about him, I had to trust him. Because I had my own role. I was to coordinate the army, like an actual General. Dad would handle most of the council. Pavel was outside making sure no one left and mother was staying close to Tatiana. Once the fight was over, Dad would bring her in.

I dispatched my order distributing our force as best as I could. It felt strangely exhilarating being in control. Then I went to work. I had a squad of beta guards before me. They smiled and I just smiled back. My eyes started to glow in anticipation and beside me my wolf was growling.

I coiled my body and launched at the guards, ripping through them. My wolf took them down to the ground whereas I knocked them out one by one. Any hit they landed on me, I didn't even feel. I just fought. Left, right. Even from above. I jumped against the wall, leveraging my body and jumping over them and landing in the middle of their group, taking two down in the proces.

There were a lot of them. I didn't understand why they would fight for that despicable man, but if the King did win, he would punish them if they didn't fight. So maybe they were just covering their asses. But there was no way he would win.

I flung my legs around the neck of a guard bending down and taking him down with me, once he hit the ground, I stabbed his shoulder, incapacitating him.

Although my father had said he expected bloodshed, I was trying to keep it to a minimum. Nobody had to die, the more peaceful we could make this, the better it was.

"You really are on the wrong side, you know." I said towards the guards who had formed a ring around me, thinking me surrounded.

"We will not submit to a usurper or his daughter."

Oeh, I think Dad has been called many things in his life, but usurper is a new one.

"Except he isn't, he won't take the throne."

One of them laughed. "Oh, you think your boyfriend can take the throne?"

I was so going to kick his ass. Although I noticed a few guards listening if that was actually our plan. They seemed almost eager. But sadly, no, Dimitri will not ascend the throne. I doubt he even wants to.

"Nope. But his aunt can."

He looked at me confused for a moment. That actually stopped a few of them in their tracks. I took that opportunity to jump the one who had commented on Dimitri, while my wolf was taking down a few of them from behind and breaking the circle. They had been so focused on me, they hadn't noticed her closing in. Idiots.

The ones not attacked by me or my wolf were backing away. Smart choice boys.

Although it took me a moment to realize they weren't actually backing away from me. They fell down to their knees as if gravity had just tripled in strength. I turned around and saw Randall Ivashkov become nothing but an animal in an attempt to stop his son from beating him and everyone in the room was down. Except the alpha's. I felt heavy but I was okay. Dad was gritting his teeth but by sheer will he would not bow down to this man ever. Even in his state. I wanted to move towards Dimitri, help him, save him. But I was too far away. The wolf King was attacking.

But Dimitri stood there as if he wasn't affected at all. We all felt another wave of strength. This time it was Dimitri's. The King's was like a mist covering the whole room, whereas Dimitri's was like a bullet and that analogy wasn't far off when he moved so fast, I could barely see him and his hand went through the man who sired him like it was butter.

When he pulled back his hand the King fell. Both actually and figuratively. The fight was over.

Dimitri loomed over him and I moved towards his side. The large gray wolf belonging to the King merged with its host again and the pressure in the room dissipated.

All eyes were on Dimitri. If he killed him it would be over forever, but I saw him hesitate. They didn't understand what this would do to him, what this would take from him. And I wasn't going to let this man take one more damn thing.

I grabbed his hand and let him know I was here for him, trying to calm his shaking body down. He looked at me and I saw the resolve in his eyes. He took one more look at the heap of blood on the ground. He took my hand and let me past him. He didn't look anybody in the eyes, except a brief look towards my father.

He wasn't going to give anybody the satisfaction of affecting him. They were all insignificant to him now. He only had eyes for me. My wolf joined me at the same time Dimitri's did, in an unspoken order. We left a screaming and cursing- well, I think it was cursing, it was hard understanding him, with his broken jaw- King on the floor. My father would deal with him anyway he would see fit.

We walked out of that council meeting and towards his room. I noticed a few of the soldiers trailing behind as a protection detail, but I doubt Dimitri noticed. They stayed outside when we entered and he broke down.

His body could no longer support him. And I went down beside him.

I would always be there, right next to him.

Abe's POV

They left in a rather theatrical exit. Now I know that Dimitri didn't do that on purpose, he was way too stoic to care or notice such a thing. But it got the message across.

That Dimitri was the unequivalent champion.

Now it was my turn.

I walked over to the bloody mess on the ground. Although I understand his decision for not killing his own father, I had hoped he would have. Keeping him alive is just dangerous. He would heal from this and then what? He was too powerful to keep in a jail cell. What should I do with him?

I felt my mate enter the room with Tatiana. I had kept her out of this fight. Not that I couldn't use her. She was afterall an alpha herself. But her hands needed to stay clean. At least until now.

I crouched down next to the deposed King and looked towards Tatiana. We had discussed the possibility. She told me to do what was necessary and I felt this was necessary.

She inclined her head a little, giving me permission.

So I moved my hand over his nose and mouth. He couldn't really move much and was bleeding profusely. I felt his lungs trying to fill with air instead they filled with blood and nothing else. It didn't take him long to struggle, despite the obvious pain it caused him. It was instinct. He looked at me pleadingly. I wonder if it was to end it faster or to spare him.

The whole council was quiet. They all understood what was happening. I wasn't alone in overthrowing the King, I had a Queen by my side. One who had just given me permission to murder the old King. Nobody was fighting for him. Not even his guards.

They would have had it just been me. They will have known Randall was a monster, but they are loyal to the Ivashkov name. I was glad Tatiana was on our side. It saved a lot of lives.

But it won't save his.