MasukIvonne's povI stared at Sevrin, my hand gripping the velvet blanket so hard my knuckles turned ghostly white. My heart pounded in my ears like a heavy war drum."Worse?" I panicked, my voice cracking in the quiet bedroom. "Sevrin, what do you mean worse? Did Larry attack someone? Did he kill our guards? What happened?!""There was an explosion," Sevrin said, leaning against the doorframe as he caught his breath. His face was pale under the dim torchlight. "A massive one, deep inside the borders of the northern continent. Our scouts felt the ground shake from miles away."Hector stepped in front of me, his body rigid and dark eyes sharp. "An explosion? Where? Was anyone hurt? Who did he try to kill?""We don't know yet," Sevrin replied, shaking his head grimly. "The scouts said the sky turned a dark, sickening purple for a second. They can see the heavy residue of Larry's dark magic floating over the mountains right now."I threw off the blankets, swinging my legs over the edge of the
Ivonne's pov"A time is coming very soon," Ivanna warned, her voice echoing as if from a great distance. "A time where you will not feel like yourself. You will be forced into a dance where it feels like you have no choice... where every path seems dark. In that moment, you must remember this: There is always a choice. It may be painful, it may break your heart, but as long as it is the right choice... you must stand firm and make it.""What does that mean?!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face as her body began to dissolve into shimmering specks of light. "What dance?! What choice?! Lady Ivanna, please! Don't leave me in the dark!""I trust you, Ivonne..." her fading voice whispered into the wind. "Believe in yourself...""Ivanna!" I shrieked.With a blinding flash, she vanished completely. I bolted upright in bed, gasping for air, with my heart hammering violently against my ribs like a trapped bird. Cold sweat covered my forehead, and my breathing came in ragged, terrified h
Ivonne's povAfter the feast, I sank into the soft mattress, the heavy silence of our private bedchamber wrapping around us like a warm blanket. After hours of roaring drums, echoing cheers, and the sheer tension of standing before hundreds of Alphas, the quiet room felt like a sacred sanctuary.Hector pulled me against his chest, his powerful arms wrapping around my waist. He rested his chin on the top of my head, letting out a long, contented sigh."I am so proud of you, Ivonne," he whispered, his deep voice vibrating against my back. "You stood up in front of the entire realm and shattered centuries of lies without flinching. You gave Lady Ivanna her voice back."I smiled, turning in his arms so I could look up at his dark, handsome face. "I couldn't have done it without you standing behind me, Hector. You brought Marcellus in chains. You gave me the floor.""I will always give you the world if you ask for it, my Luna," he said softly, pressing a tender kiss to my lips.I rested my
Ivonne's povThe heavy side doors groaned open, and four royal guards marched into the center of the hall, pulling a heavy iron chain.Bound in the center of the chains was Elder Marcellus.A collective gasp echoed through the room. Marcellus had always been a proud, arrogant man who bullied everyone around him and looked down on outsiders with disgust. But right now... he looked utterly pitiful.His fine robes were torn and stained with dirt. His hands were bound in heavy silver shackles, his shoulders slouched, and his face was bright red with absolute shame. He kept his eyes glued to the stone floor, completely humiliated to be paraded like a common criminal in front of the very Alphas he used to command.As I looked at him standing there, shivering in his chains, a unexpected wave of sadness hit my heart.He was a bully, I thought, staring at the old man. He betrayed the whole realm. But he was also taught to be this way.I remembered what he had told me in the cell. He had been r
Ivonne’s POV"Ivonne," Hector asked softly again, his voice rumbling in the quiet room. "What do you want to do now?"I took a deep, steady breath. "I don't want to live a lie anymore, Hector," I said, my voice growing stronger with every word. "And I don't want our people to celebrate our child under a lie either. I was a performer once. I was the star of so many plays, even back on our wedding day. Before the grand feast starts tonight... I want to put on a play."Hector raised an eyebrow, a small, proud smile touching his lips. "A play?""A performance of the truth," I explained, leaning closer to him. "I want to show them what really happened in the beginning. I want to show them Lady Ivanna. But... I need your help to make sure they believe it."Hector’s smile widened, and he kissed the back of my hand. "Anything you need, my love. Name it.""I need Elder Marcellus brought out in chains during the performance," I said firmly. "He knows the dark history of his ancestors. He knows
Ivonne's pov‘Go ahead,’ I whispered back in my mind. ‘Give them their proof.’I closed my eyes and took a quiet breath.Then BOOM!A sudden, terrifying, supernatural pressure erupted from my body. The air in the grand hall instantly turned ice-cold. The massive iron chandeliers hanging from the ceiling swung wildly as a blinding, golden light exploded from my skin.Every single person in the room fell completely silent, choked into submission by the sheer, crushing weight of divine power.Behind me, the golden aura coalesced, expanding upward until it hit the high arched ceiling. The majestic, spectral form of a gigantic, roaring golden beast materialized right above my head, with its eyes burning like miniature suns, its massive fangs bared, its roar echoing like thunder through the stone walls.The sight was so terrifyingly majestic that several elders stumbled backward, shrieking in utter terror and dropping to their knees. Even Hector, Thorin, and Denise stood frozen beside me, t







