Chapter 159

COLE'S POV

I had made my decision. There was no going back now.

I walked through the palace gates. I knew Yaz would be there, waiting, savoring every moment of his so-called victory. He always relished the chance to gloat, to twist the knife even deeper.

And there he was, standing in the middle of the throne room like he owned it already, feet spread apart and with a gun in his hand. His smile was as vile as ever.

“Ah, the Alpha graces us with his presence,” Yaz sneered, rubbing his thumb along the metal of the gun. “Here to hand over your title, or here to die trying to keep it?”

“Cole, no!” A voice cut through the tension.

I turned sharply, my heart freezing in my chest. My mother knelt to the side, her hands bound behind her back. Bruises covered her swollen face, and the whip marks across her arms and legs turned my stomach. Her torn dress and disheveled hair, streaked with dirt and leaves, told the story of how they’d dragged her here, how they’d broken her.

Pain gripped my ches