After my ex-alpha cheated on me, I remarried.

“What nonsense are you saying?” Liam’s voice thundered, shaking the walls. His expression hardened, his features carved with authority and anger—the kind that once used to terrify me into silence. The air grew heavy, charged with his Alpha dominance, but I no longer flinched beneath it. “It’s the eighth year, Liam,” I said, steady and firm. “I’m leaving.” His golden eyes flashed, sharp as a blade. “What is wrong with you, Clara? Why must you always stir up drama? I already told you—Aiden is just a child. Don’t take what he did personally. Today is his birthday. Come with me, and I’ll talk to him later.” He reached out and grabbed my arm, the pressure of his grip familiar and unwelcome. I yanked my hand away, meeting his glare with a calm I didn’t truly feel. “You’re the one who said, when he turns eight, I can leave. You made that promise, Liam. I’m only holding you to your word.” Before he could reply, a sharp, cutting voice pierced through the tension. “Clara, how shameless can you be?” I didn’t need to turn to recognize that voice. Sarah Russo, my stepmother and Aiden’s grandmother, stood in the doorway, her presence as suffocating as her perfume. Dressed in dark velvet, with silver rings gleaming on her fingers, she looked every bit the matriarch she believed herself to be—powerful, untouchable, cruel. “Always desperate to steal the spotlight,” she sneered. “Even on a little boy’s birthday, you just can’t help yourself.” I met her cold gaze. “I’m not stealing anything, Sarah. You’re the one who made the deal. You said after eight years I could leave this house, this pack. I’m simply keeping my end.” Her smile was sharp as glass. “Must you bring that up tonight, of all nights?” “It’s fine,” Liam cut in, his tone weary, as though the argument was beneath him. “Clara didn’t mean anything by it.” Years ago, I would have melted at his attempt to mediate. I would have mistaken his indifference for care. But now, I could see through the act. He didn’t defend me—he just wanted peace in his perfect, broken household. “Come,” he said, his voice softer now but no less commanding. “Let’s not ruin the evening.” I said nothing and let him guide me to the ballroom. The Silvermoon Pack’s great hall was alive with music and laughter. The scent of roasted meat and moon ale filled the air, blending with the earthy tang of wolf pheromones and flickering candle smoke. The pack celebrated under glittering chandeliers and banners of silver silk. Aiden stood in the center of it all, wearing a small crown of black iron, his cheeks flushed from attention. When he saw me, his smile vanished. “Look, Aiden, your mother’s here,” one of the elders teased. Aiden scoffed loudly. “She’s not my mother!” The laughter died instantly. The air turned thick. Liam’s jaw tightened as he placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Aiden, enough. You know that’s not how we talk to Clara. She’s been raising you since the day you were born.” The boy’s small chest heaved with anger. “She can never be my mother! Everyone knows she killed my real one!” Whispers broke through the crowd like the hiss of serpents. > “Is that true? She’s the sister of the late Luna.” > “I heard she was jealous.” > “Maybe the boy’s right… she doesn’t belong here.” Each word cut, not because they were new—but because they were old wounds reopened. “Apologize to her,” Liam ordered. I shook my head, forcing a small, tired smile. “It’s alright. It doesn’t matter.” Without another word, I turned and walked away, the murmurs following me like shadows. Once, his words would have shattered me. Now, they were just noise. No matter what I did, Liam’s heart still belonged to Seraphina, and Aiden would forever see me as the woman who replaced her. “Why would you create a scene today?” Sarah’s voice sliced through the quiet corridor. She stepped out from the shadows, her eyes cold, her presence sharp as ever. I met her gaze without fear. “What do you want, Sarah?” I asked quietly. “I’ve done what you forced me to do for eight years. I’ve raised your grandson, kept your Alpha’s house, endured your whispers. My debt is paid.” Her lips twisted. “Debt? You think you’ve repaid anything? You owe this family your life, Clara. You will stay and care for Aiden as if he were your own. You’ll tolerate his temper. His grief. His resentment. If my daughter were still alive, none of this would fall on you.” “Pity,” I said flatly, “your daughter isn’t.” Her hand came up before she could think, trembling with fury. But this time, I caught her wrist mid-swing. “Don’t,” I warned softly. “Don’t try it. Not tonight.” I could see it in her eyes—the flash of fear, the realization that I wasn’t the obedient girl she once bullied into silence. “Eight years ago, you forced me into this life,” I continued. “You said I could leave when the boy turned eight. He’s eight now. I’m done.” I released her wrist, and she stumbled back, clutching her arm. “Do what you want, Clara,” she hissed, voice shaking with rage. “This is why no one will ever love you. Not Liam. Not your father. No one.” She turned and stormed away, her scent lingering like poison. For a long moment, I just stood there, breathing in the silence she left behind. The truth of her words should have hurt—but all I felt was the faint, cold calm of acceptance. It had been eight years since I’d seen my father. Eight years since he’d turned his back on me. In his eyes, I had died the same day Seraphina did. A faint shuffle behind me made me turn. “I’m sorry,” a small voice said. Aiden stood there, clutching something behind his back. His face was innocent now, his eyes wide and glimmering with something that almost looked like guilt. “I got you a gift,” he said softly. I blinked, momentarily disarmed. “Aiden… you didn’t have to.” He smiled shyly, stepping closer. “But I wanted to. You’ve done so much for me. Please, open it.” For a fleeting second, I felt something warm stir in my chest—hope, fragile and foolish. I took the small box and unwrapped the crimson ribbon. Inside lay a shattered moonstone pendant, its chain torn and twisted. My breath caught. It was my mother’s pendant—the only keepsake I had left of her, one she’d given me when I turned sixteen. I’d kept it hidden for years, wrapped safely in cloth. Now, it was broken. Destroyed. “I found it in your drawer,” Aiden said, voice light, almost teasing. “I thought it didn’t suit you anymore. You know… because you don’t really belong here.” He smiled, his expression too calm, too cruel for a child. “Maybe now you’ll remember your place.” I stared down at the ruined pendant, the tiny moonstone shards glinting in the dim light like tears. Something inside me shifted—snapped, maybe. Eight years of silence, pain, and endurance condensed into a single, breathless moment of realization. The boy I had raised was gone. The man I had loved was gone. And the only thing left for me in this cursed house was the will to leave it behind. Outside, the full moon had risen—bright, cold, and pitiless. And as its light poured through the windows, I knew it was finally time to follow its call.

I stood frozen, staring at the small box in my hands. Inside lay the last thing in this mansion that had ever truly belonged to me—my moonstone pendant, the one my late mother had given me before she died. The chain was snapped clean in half, the delicate stone crushed into glittering shards. It used to shine faintly under moonlight, a charm said to carry a mother’s blessing. Now it was nothing but fragments—cold, broken, lifeless. My breath hitched. That pendant was the only piece of my mother I still had, the only thing that had ever felt like home. And now, it was gone. “Don’t mess with me, and don’t make my father angry with me again!” Aiden’s voice was sharp, hateful—too sharp for a child. He stood there watching me, his small chin lifted defiantly. “You should have stayed quiet. Maybe then you wouldn’t have lost your precious little trinket.” He turned and stormed off down the corridor, his boots slapping against the marble floor, leaving only silence and the faint scent of wolfsbane lingering in the air. I sank slowly to my knees, the box trembling in my hands. Fate was mocking me again. The pendant had once been my mother’s, then mine. I had guarded it through exile, rejection, and humiliation. And now, the boy I’d raised, the one I’d taught to walk, to read, to fight, had destroyed it—just because he could. Because he knew it would hurt me. A quiet sob escaped before I could stop it. My tears fell onto the broken shards, making them glisten under the cold moonlight like tiny pieces of my heart. “Why are you out in the cold, Clara? You’ll catch your death like this.” Liam’s deep voice came from behind me. He stepped outside, his expression soft with concern—or perhaps irritation at the sight of my tears. He draped his jacket over my shoulders, but I pushed it away instantly. The scent of him suffocated me. “What happened?” he asked, though his tone already carried the fatigue of someone who didn’t really want to know. His gaze landed on the crushed pendant, and a look of mild disgust flickered across his face. “What’s that?” “Your son came to apologize,” I said flatly. Liam frowned. “He’s your son too.” I let out a brittle laugh. “He hates me, Liam. He just destroyed the only thing I had left of my mother.” He sighed, rubbing his temple. “Clara, don’t be dramatic. He’s a child. I’m sure it was just a prank. Come inside—it’s freezing. I’ll talk to him in the morning.” I turned away. “I don’t want your talks or your excuses. I’m done listening to them.” Ignoring his words, I picked up the pieces of the pendant and walked toward the garden. Liam followed, muttering about how stubborn I was, but I didn’t care. At the small patch of moonflowers I’d planted years ago, I knelt down and dug into the soil with my bare hands. My fingers burned from the cold, but I didn’t stop until I had a small hollow in the earth. Gently, I placed the shattered pendant inside. “Sleep, Mother,” I whispered. “You’ve suffered enough.” When I looked up, Liam was watching me silently. For a moment, something almost like regret crossed his face. Then it was gone. We walked back into the mansion without a word. The party had ended hours ago; only the faint smell of wine and smoke lingered. The candles had burned down to wax pools, and silence had claimed the hallways. I sneezed softly, and before I could steady myself, Liam caught my arm. “Come,” he said, guiding me upstairs. I didn’t resist. I didn’t have the energy to. He sat down and pulled me into his lap like he used to years ago. I stiffened immediately, but he didn’t seem to notice. “What do you want, Liam?” I asked quietly. He brushed a stray lock of hair from my cheek. “What’s wrong with you tonight? You’re overreacting. I’ll get you a new pendant.” “I don’t want another,” I whispered. “I want to leave. Tomorrow.” His arm around me tightened. “You can’t leave. Aiden needs you. You’re the only one I trust with him.” “He doesn’t need me,” I said softly. “He never did. He hates me, and I don’t blame him. You’ve made sure of that.” Liam’s jaw clenched. “You’re being unfair. You know I can’t marry you now—the pack would never accept it. Seraphina’s death is still—” “I’m not asking to be your mate,” I interrupted, my voice trembling despite myself. “I just don’t want to be trapped here anymore.” He sighed, frustration bleeding through his calm. “Then stay for your own sake. If you had a child for me, everything would change. No one would dare speak against you. You’d have a place—protection.” I laughed softly, bitterly. “So after eight years, you still think the solution is another chain?” He stood, running a hand through his hair. “You’re emotional. Sleep on it. We’ll talk in the morning.” But I didn’t sleep. I spent the night packing my things, one piece at a time. My old dresses, the few trinkets I’d been allowed to keep, my mother’s letters—everything that reminded me of who I had been before Silvermoon had taken it away. When dawn came, I was ready. Dragging my suitcases through the quiet halls, I paused only once—by the window overlooking the garden. The fresh mound of dirt where my pendant rested shimmered faintly in the morning frost. For the first time in years, I felt something that almost resembled peace. Then came the sound—soft, slow clapping. “Well, well,” a voice purred behind me. I turned to find Selene, I sighed, Selene was Liam’s mistress and Aiden’s favorite. Her red lips curved in a mocking smile. Draped in black silk, she leaned lazily against a pillar, amusement glittering in her dark eyes. “So, the rumor was true,” she drawled. “You’re finally leaving. Took you long enough.” I said nothing and kept walking, but she blocked my path, tilting her head. “Eight years, Clara. Eight years of pretending to be something you’re not. Eight years of chasing a man who was never yours. Did you really think he’d ever love you?” I looked her squarely in the eye. “I don’t care anymore. You can have him. Have the house. Have the pack. None of this belongs to me.” Her smirk deepened. “Oh, I intend to,” she whispered. “And when the next full moon rises, I’ll stand beside him as Luna—something you never were.” Before I could respond, the front doors swung open. Liam stepped out, followed by Aiden. In a heartbeat, Selene’s expression shifted. She gasped dramatically, dropping to her knees and clutching the hem of my dress. “Clara, please!” she cried. “Don’t go! Aiden needs you! You’ve been his mother for so long—how could you abandon him now?” I stared down at her coldly. “He loves you,” she continued, tears spilling artfully down her cheeks. “He’s just a child. Please… don’t leave him.” Liam exhaled sharply, irritation flickering in his eyes. “Enough, Selene. Stop this nonsense. Clara, you’re making a scene. If it’s about that pendant, I’ll buy you another one.” I almost laughed. Of course. He thought everything could be replaced. Even love. Before I could speak, Aiden ran forward and threw his arms around Selene. “Stand up, Selene,” he said softly, wiping her fake tears. Then he turned to me, his young face hard, eyes burning. “You killed my mother with your cursed heart,” he spat. “And now you want to hurt Selene too.” I said nothing. There was nothing left to say. “Let her go, Father,” Aiden continued, his small voice cold. “I don’t want her here. I want Selene to stay. She should be my mother. She deserves it.” He looked up at me one last time, his words slicing deep. “You’re wicked. That’s why Father could never love you. I’m glad you’re leaving.” The world seemed to fall silent. After a long moment, I managed a small, weary smile. “After eight years… if that’s truly what you believe, then I have nothing more to give.” I turned away, lifting my suitcase. The courtyard wind bit at my skin, carrying the faint scent of pine and ash. Freedom was only a few steps away. Then—click. The unmistakable sound of a crossbow being drawn. I turned, heart pounding. Aiden stood at the steps, his small hands steady, the weapon aimed straight at my head. His golden eyes glowed faintly under the rising sun—cold, feral, unmistakably his father’s. And in the breath of silence that followed, he smiled. Then he pulled the trigger.

“Don’t think that acting pitiful will make me forgive you, or make my father keep you as his mate!” “If you want to leave—then never come back!” The young wolf’s snarl echoed through the courtyard. His small hands trembled slightly on the trigger, but his golden eyes gleamed with raw hatred. The silver-tipped arrow whistled through the air. I barely managed to twist aside. The arrow grazed my shoulder before embedding itself deep into my flesh. A searing pain tore through me, and a scream ripped from my throat. The wound burned—not just from silver, but from betrayal. Within seconds, Liam was beside me. He caught me as I stumbled, his scent of pine and dominance filling my lungs. “Clara! Moon Goddess—what happened?” I could barely breathe. “Your son,” I gasped. Blood soaked through my sleeve, the silver toxin biting into my veins. Before Liam could speak, Selene’s shrill cry shattered the moment. “Alpha! Help!” Aiden rushed to her side. “Papa, Selene twisted her ankle when she tried to help that witch!” Liam turned, torn between us. His gaze flicked to Selene, who knelt on the ground clutching her ankle and whimpering dramatically. Her eyes met mine for the briefest second—smug, victorious. He sighed heavily. “It’s a clean wound, Clara. Go to the infirmary. I’ll come after I take Selene to the pack healer.” I almost laughed. Of course. Again, he chose her. He lifted Selene effortlessly into his arms, cradling her as though she were fragile glass. Aiden trailed after them, looking proud, as if he’d done something noble. The three of them disappeared into the night, leaving me kneeling on the cold marble floor—bleeding, broken, alone. I pressed my palm to the wound, forcing myself to stand. Every movement sent waves of fire down my arm. Fate truly had a cruel sense of humor. “Still here, are you?” a familiar, venomous voice hissed behind me. “Haven’t you humiliated my son enough?” I turned slowly. Maria Russo, Liam’s mother, the former Luna of Silvermoon, stood in the doorway, her silvery hair catching the moonlight like a crown of thorns. Her lips curled in disgust when she saw the blood on me. “You wretched girl,” she snapped. “Do you want to die here and stain my courtyard with your filth? Go die outside the gates if you must!” I clenched my teeth. “I was leaving, Maria. But your grandson shot me with a silver arrow.” She let out a mocking laugh. “You hurt yourself, and now you blame my grandson? How pathetic. You think if you act pitiful, Liam will come running back to you?” “I want nothing from your family,” I said coldly. “All I want is to leave this cursed place.” “Then do it.” She grabbed my suitcase and hurled it through the open gate. “Get out!” The force of her shove sent me stumbling. Pain exploded in my shoulder as I fell to my knees on the gravel path outside the estate. “Go die somewhere else!” Maria spat before slamming the gate shut. I pressed my good hand to the wound, trembling. “You’ll all regret this,” I whispered, my voice shaking with rage. A black car pulled up beside the gate—the driver I’d summoned hours ago. “I’m sorry for the delay, miss,” he said, his human voice oddly small in the moonlit stillness. “It’s fine,” I murmured, clutching my arm. “Take me to the pack infirmary first.” The driver’s eyes widened at the blood but said nothing. I sank into the seat, exhaustion washing over me. My vision blurred, and the world faded to black. --- When I opened my eyes again, I was greeted by the steady beeping of monitors and the faint scent of antiseptic and wolfsbane. I was lying in the Silvermoon Pack’s medical wing. My arm was bandaged, the skin around the wound pale and bruised. My suitcases sat neatly by the door—someone must have brought them in. A healer stepped in, her white coat fluttering. “Luna Clara—” she caught herself, “Miss Clara. How do you feel?” “I’ve been better,” I muttered. “What happened? I was in a car.” “The driver found you unconscious and brought you here,” she explained. “You lost quite a bit of blood, but we’ve neutralized the silver. You’ll heal quickly.” I nodded numbly. “Thank you.” When she left, I reached for my phone. Not a single missed call from Liam. Not one message asking if I was alive. My fingers tightened around the device until it almost cracked. The door creaked open again, and this time Selene walked in, her perfume filling the small room before she did. I sighed. “Shouldn’t you be limping somewhere, Selene? You twisted your ankle, remember?” She smiled sweetly, her golden eyes gleaming. “Oh, that. I just wanted to see what Liam would do if both of us were hurt.” She leaned closer, whispering. “He carried me instead of you. Isn’t that wonderful?” I turned my face away. “Enjoy it. You always wanted the role of his savior.” But she stepped in front of me, blocking my path as I tried to stand. “There’s something you should know,” she said, voice dripping with satisfaction. I looked up slowly. “What now?” She smiled wider, pressing a hand to her abdomen. “I’m pregnant, Clara. With Liam’s child.” The room spun. For a long, breathless moment, I couldn’t move. My heart cracked open, but I refused to let her see it. Eight years. Eight years of silent servitude. Eight years of being used, tolerated, and forgotten. And now he’d done the one thing he’d always denied me. When we were together, he made sure I drank wolfsbane tea after every night—ensuring I’d never bear his heir. He’d always said it wasn’t the right time, that the pack wouldn’t accept another child. But now? He wanted another child. Just not with me. Selene smirked, tilting her head. “Don’t look so surprised, dear. The Alpha always gets what he wants. And what he wants now… is me.” I felt the last thread inside me snap. “Then you can have him,” I said softly. My voice was steady, but inside, everything burned. “Have him. Have his pack. Have his bloodline. You’ve already taken everything else.” I brushed past her and stepped into the hallway, the scent of disinfectant giving way to the cool morning air. Somewhere outside, the moon was beginning to wane. But in my chest, a new fire was rising—slow, cold, and deadly. For the first time in eight years, I was done being the obedient omega. They had broken my heart, but they had forgotten one truth about wolves. Even a wounded one still bites.

“Goodbye, Selene,” I said coldly, my voice low and steady. She didn’t move. Her painted lips curved in a mocking smile, the kind of smile that made my blood boil. I’d already received a text from the flight coordinator confirming my private jet was refueled and ready. I had no time for her games. Not tonight. “What do you want?” I asked sharply. Selene tilted her head, her golden eyes glinting with cruel amusement. “I want to see you cry,” she purred. I gave a small, humorless laugh. “Too bad,” I said, dragging my suitcase past her. “That’s never going to happen.” “Then take this for your fare,” she said sweetly, tossing a few silver coins—old pack currency—at my feet. They clattered against the marble floor, flashing coldly in the light. Something inside me snapped. Before I could think, my palm met her cheek with a resounding crack. The room went still. “How dare you?” I hissed, my wolf stirring beneath my skin, her rage mirroring mine. Selene stumbled back, clutching her face. Then she screamed—loud and shrill enough to rattle the glass windows. Her cry was perfectly timed, perfectly theatrical. Within seconds, Liam burst into the infirmary, Aiden right behind him. “What did you do, Clara?” Liam barked, his aura flaring with Alpha dominance. His gaze darted from Selene’s red cheek to my trembling hand. I scoffed. “What did I do? You heard her scream, so you came running. But where were you when your son shot me with a silver arrow? Where were you when I bled out on your floor?” “Bad woman!” Aiden growled, stepping protectively in front of Selene. “You hurt her!” “It’s not her fault, Alpha,” Selene said quickly, tears glistening in her eyes. “I came to beg her to stay, but she refused. I—I offered her money to help her travel safely, and she struck me!” She sobbed into her hands. “Please, don’t punish her too harshly. She’s just… hurt.” “Stop this act, Selene!” I shouted, fury rising. “Stop playing the goddess-damned victim!” Liam’s eyes darkened. “No, you stop it, Clara!” he thundered, his Alpha command rippling through the air, making my wolf flinch. “I’ve tolerated your outbursts long enough. You will apologize to Selene—now.” A bitter laugh escaped me. “Even if you were the last man left in this cursed realm, Liam Russo, I would never bow to you again.” His expression hardened. “What’s that supposed to mean? You dare speak to me this way?” “For eight years, you said you couldn’t father another child,” I said, my voice shaking with anger. “Eight years of lies, only for me to find out that your precious Selene carries your pup.” The color drained from Liam’s face. He turned sharply toward Selene. “You told her?” His voice was low, dangerous. Selene looked away, pretending to tremble. “I—I didn’t mean to—” “We can talk about that later,” Liam said quickly, turning back to me. “Clara, don’t make this worse. Come home. We can resolve this like adults.” I gave him a cold, mirthless smile. “In your dreams, Alpha.” I pushed past him, ignoring the way his command pulled faintly at the edges of my will. My wolf wanted to bare her teeth, but I held her back. Not here. Not in front of them. Behind me, his voice roared through the hall: “Clara! Don’t you walk away from me!” But I didn’t stop. I walked out of that cursed place, down the dim corridor smelling of herbs and wolfsbane, out into the icy dawn air where my freedom waited. --- By the time I reached the Silvermoon airfield, my shoulder throbbed beneath its bandages. I checked in with the pack gatekeepers, flashing the seal of my old lineage—the mark of the Moonblood clan. They hesitated, but let me pass. The private jet awaited, engines purring like a patient beast. Just as I was told to power down my phone, it vibrated. Liam. I should have ignored it. But some part of me—a foolish, lingering fragment of the woman I used to be—answered. “What do you want, Liam?” I snapped. His voice was calm, too calm. “I understand you’re upset about Selene’s pregnancy. Come home, Clara. Give me a child—my heir. I’ll add your name to my will, grant you a future with security, with purpose. It’s what you deserve.” A hollow laugh escaped me. “Go to hell, Alpha.” And I hung up. Permanently. Blocking his number before I could second-guess it. --- The flight was long, crossing mountain ranges cloaked in fog and snow. I slept halfway through, my dreams filled with howling wolves and crimson moons. When I finally awoke, the jet was landing. The world outside the window was a different one—cleaner, brighter, untouched by the Silvermoon’s shadows. As I stepped into the arrivals hall, I spotted a tall man in a black suit holding a placard with my name: Clara Moonblood. I approached him. His sharp gray eyes softened as he recognized me immediately. “Miss Moonblood, I’m Talon, your assigned guardian from the Moonblood estate.” My throat tightened. It had been years since I’d heard that name spoken aloud. “Thank you,” I said quietly. He took my luggage and opened the door of a sleek black car. The interior smelled of leather and faint silver dust—an old protective charm against dark magic. As we drove, the city gave way to hills, then to forest, and finally to a sprawling estate crowned by moonlight. Towers of pale stone gleamed like silver bones under the night sky. “This was your mother’s ancestral home,” Talon said. “Your grandparents have awaited your return for a long time.” When we stopped at the entrance, two elderly figures stood waiting—Lord and Lady Moonblood, the last of the royal wolfblood line, and my grandparents. “Clara!” My grandmother’s voice trembled as she hurried forward, her silver hair flowing like frost. She enveloped me in a tight embrace. My grandfather followed, his presence stern yet warm. “Welcome home, child,” he said, resting a hand on my shoulder. “You are of our blood—our heir, the next Alpha of the Moonblood Clan.” Tears burned my eyes, but I swallowed them back. “Thank you for accepting me,” I whispered. “Nonsense,” my grandmother said, smiling proudly. “Everything here already belongs to you. It always did. We were merely waiting for you to claim it.” My grandfather nodded gravely. “You bear both the Silvermoon mark and the Moonblood crest. That makes you powerful, Clara. Stronger than you know. The Silvermoon Pack betrayed one of their own—and that mistake will soon cost them dearly.” For the first time in years, I smiled—a slow, dangerous smile that felt like it belonged to someone new. Because now, I was no longer the broken omega they cast aside. I was the last descendant of the Moonblood line. The rightful heir to a forgotten throne. And the time for retribution had finally begun.