Chapter 140: Chapter 140 Blood Reveals Truth

Julian’s POV

Guilt consumed me like poison in my veins, yet I kept forcing myself to believe I had made the right choice. Each step through the corridors felt like walking through quicksand, every memory of my harsh words and venomous accusations cutting deeper than the last. The image of my mother’s grief-stricken rage haunted me, and I had stood there, powerless to intervene.

I couldn’t defend Seraphina without destroying everything, so I watched it all unfold like a nightmare I couldn’t wake from. I told myself repeatedly that confining her to the dungeon was necessary to preserve her life, but my heart and wolf rejected every rationalization.

Had I allowed her to remain in our home instead of dragging her to that cold cell, the pack would have torn her limb from limb in their fury. My father commanded unwavering love and respect from every member of our community. His death carved a wound so deep it bled through the entire pack’s soul. My mother, having lost her destined mate, became a vessel of raw anguish that ignited everyone’s thirst for vengeance.

Seraphina had confessed to the murder. Despite all my justifications, that single fact remained unchanged - she admitted to killing my father, the former Alpha who had led our pack with honor. Imprisoning her was the only method to keep her breathing until I could devise a plan to spirit her away from this place. Yet understanding the logic behind my actions couldn’t silence the nauseating revulsion twisting through my stomach. I was meant to be her shield, her protector, her mate. Instead, I had shattered her spirit into pieces.

A voice interrupted my tormented thoughts. "Alpha, your immediate presence is required at the Fang House office. This matter cannot wait."

The Fang House atmosphere crackled with tension when I arrived. Armed guards occupied every corner, their expressions carved from stone. When they looked at me, their Alpha, I saw a mixture of sympathy and anticipation reflected in their eyes. They expected me to deliver the justice they craved.

Lucas waited in my office, the head of our most skilled tracking unit. He stood against my desk, his normally robust complexion drained of all color. Something about his posture sent alarm bells ringing through my mind.

"Lucas, what’s happened?" I began, but he interrupted before I could finish.

"Alpha, I was searching for you," his voice emerged hoarse and strained. He refused to meet my gaze directly. "We completed our comprehensive analysis of the location where the former Alpha was discovered."

Every muscle in my body coiled tight as I prepared for another devastating blow.

"Continue," I forced out through clenched teeth.

"The blood evidence tells a different story," he said, extracting a small, sealed container from his jacket. "We discovered traces of dried blood scattered around the clearing’s perimeter. The pattern suggests dragging occurred."

Reality shifted beneath my feet. My grip on the desk edge turned my knuckles white.

"Explain what you’re telling me," I whispered, suddenly finding each breath a monumental effort.

"Alpha, your father wasn’t murdered in that clearing. His death occurred elsewhere, and someone transported his body to where we found him. The blood spatter patterns are completely inconsistent with his final position."

The revelation struck me like a physical assault, grief hammering against my chest with renewed force. My father hadn’t simply been killed - they had desecrated his remains, dragging him around like discarded refuse. The disrespect shown to a man of his stature made my blood boil with rage.

But beneath the overwhelming sorrow, another emotion surfaced, one that filled me with shame even as it flooded through me.

Relief.

Seraphina was innocent.

If someone had relocated the body, that indicated premeditation and careful planning. Seraphina had been with me during those crucial hours, mourning her own parents’ deaths. She couldn’t have orchestrated such an elaborate crime scene.

Before I could process this information fully, my office door burst open and the pack doctor hurried inside.

"Doctor, what news do you bring? Lucas just revealed that—"

He cut me off with urgent efficiency, moving straight to his point.

"I heard about the Luna’s detention regarding our Alpha’s death, but he was deceased for at least six hours before discovery. Long before anyone realized he was missing."

My thoughts raced backward through the day’s events. Six hours prior, Seraphina couldn’t have been involved.

The doctor’s tone grew more serious. "Julian, he suffered three stab wounds. Clean, precise penetrations. This was deliberate murder."

Air rushed from my lungs as I shot to my feet, my chair scraping loudly across the floor.

Stabbed. Hours earlier. Body relocated.

The pieces assembled themselves into a horrifying, undeniable truth.

"Seraphina was right all along," I choked out, the realization ripping through my chest like claws. "She tried to warn me, and I refused to listen. Dorian did this. It has to be Dorian."

Questions flooded my mind immediately after. "But how is that possible? Why would my father meet with Dorian? He would never willingly approach him. What was he doing so far from pack territory, alone? And most importantly, why did Seraphina confess, and how did his blood end up covering her hands?"

Only one person possessed those answers.

Seraphina.

She had desperately tried to explain. She had begged me to hear her truth. Instead, I had condemned her to that freezing dungeon, believing the worst possible scenario about her character, questioning her devotion and love. The memory of her devastated expression, her eyes vacant with despair, made my stomach lurch violently. Guilt was devouring me alive.

I needed the complete truth, but more urgently, I needed to make amends. I had to apologize, even knowing she might never grant me forgiveness - a fate I probably deserved.

"I must speak with her immediately," I declared, my voice thick with desperation. "Right now. I have to get her out of that horrible place."

Without waiting for responses, I bolted from the office.

Please let her be unharmed. Please let her give me a chance to explain. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

My sprint back to the dungeon passed in a blur of panic and determination. My wolf howled within me, not just with fury toward Dorian, but with crushing shame and remorse. I had failed the one person who trusted me completely.

As I ran, an wave of bone-deep dread crashed over me. This feeling transcended mere guilt - it was primal instinct screaming warnings. Something was catastrophically wrong.

I burst into the dungeon and raced to her cell.

"Seraphina! I’m so sorry, I know you were telling the truth, I—"

The words died in my throat.

She lay collapsed on the floor against the far wall, her face ghostly pale, eyes closed, her body positioned unnaturally.

"Seraphina! Hey!" I rushed forward, dropping beside her. "Seraphina, look at me!"

When I reached for her arm, I saw it. Blood. An terrifying amount of blood pooling around her legs and still flowing freely.