LOGIN[Sylvia's POV]Days passed in a blur of celebration.The palace turned into a hive of activity. Alpha Eric and my mother sat at the head of the banquet table, finally together after ten long years. Patrick hovered nearby, grinning as he swapped stories with the royal guards.The elders who once insulted me arrived at my chambers, bringing gifts and apologies. They bowed lower than they ever did to the King, their eyes wide with fear and respect. They recognized the power of the bloodline. They feared the fire I carried.The full moon festival arrived on a clear, crisp night.The royal throne room shimmered with silver decorations. Hundreds of pack leaders filled the hall, waiting for the ceremony. Alaric walked me to the front of the dais. He wore his formal black robes. He held a crown in his hands—a delicate circlet of platinum, encrusted with glowing amber stones."My Luna," Alaric whispered, his eyes warm and adoring.He lifted the crown. He placed it on my head, the amber stones
[Sylvia's POV]The black sphere of necrotic energy rushed toward my throat, smelling of death and forgotten graves. I did not dodge. I did not retreat. I planted my paws and channeled the ancient fire humming in my blood. The amber flames around my fur surged, turning white-hot.I swung my massive claw.The impact sent a shockwave through the garden, flattening the nearby hedges. I caught the dark sphere in my palm, and the flames incinerated the rot in an instant. The black energy vanished, leaving Carl wide open. I pounced.I collided with his mutated body, knocking him backward into the stone wall.My jaws clamped around his shoulder, my teeth tearing through the dark magic-infused flesh like parchment.He shrieked, a sound lacking any trace of humanity. I shook him, throwing him across the courtyard, and leaped after him.Every strike from my claws carried the purifying fire of my mother's bloodline. I dismantled his arrogance. I stripped away his power.Freya stood near the crumb
[Sylvia's POV]Carl lost his title, his wealth, and his future. The royal decree stripped him of his humanity, condemning him to the barren wastelands.He wandered the dead territories, feeding his hatred and craving power to destroy the King who humiliated him. He struck a deal with forbidden forces, absorbing raw black magic into his shattered soul.The dark energy warped his flesh. It twisted his bones, turning him into a monstrous, grotesque beast.He gathered a massive army of exiled rogues, weaponizing their resentment against the Crown. He launched a suicide assault on the capital during the full moon, catching the royal guards off guard.The iron front gates of the palace crumbled under the rogue siege.Alaric commanded the royal defense.The King shifted into a colossal black Lycan, a nightmare of muscle and shadow. He stood in the breached archway, holding the line alone.He tore through the rogue ranks with precision, snapping spines and crushing skulls with his bare claws.
[Sylvia's POV]I stared at the woman in the tattered gray cloak.Tears blurred my vision, spilling over my cheeks. I remembered the scent of crushed rosemary and old parchment from my childhood.Ten years of grief melted away under the moonlight. The cruel rumors of her death evaporated into the night air."Mom," I whispered. My voice cracked in the frigid wind. I ran across the damp moss, closing the distance between us.I threw my arms around her neck. I buried my face in her shoulder. Cassie wrapped her arms around my back, stroking my dark hair. The familiar gesture shattered the last of my composure. I cried against her collarbone, inhaling her scent. She survived. She was here in the forbidden woods."I had to leave you, Via," Cassie murmured. She stepped back, framing my face with calloused palms. Her thumb wiped a tear from my cheek. "I never abandoned you. I protected you. The kingdom remains a dangerous place for a miracle."I wiped my eyes. "Protected me from what? Why did
[Sylvia's POV]The capital city lights cast long shadows across my bedroom walls. I sat cross-legged on the mattress, staring at the folded dark fabric my father handed me yesterday. The witch's hat hummed with a faint, static charge. It felt warm against my fingertips.Alaric attended a late-night security briefing on the other side of the palace. The massive suite felt empty without his scorching heat and dark chocolate scent.Sylvia.A voice echoed inside my skull. It did not come from the hallway. It did not come from the balcony. It sounded ancient, ethereal, and impossible to ignore.Child of fire. Come to the trees.A sharp, burning sensation ignited in my veins. My blood reacted to the magical call, pulling me toward the window like a magnet dragging iron.My heartbeat synced with the strange, thumping rhythm vibrating in the air. My feet hit the floor before my brain could process the movement.I slipped out the glass balcony doors. The cold night air bit at my exposed arms.
[Sylvia's POV]The military helicopter landed on the reinforced roof of the Royal Palace. Spinning rotors kicked up a massive cloud of dust, whipping my hair across my face.Alaric stepped out onto the tarmac. He reached back, wrapping his large hand around my waist to lift me out of the cabin. We descended the metal stairs into the heart of the werewolf kingdom.The scale of the fortress made my human bones ache. Ancient tapestries lined the endless marble corridors.Royal guards in black armor hit their chests in a unified salute as their King passed."Welcome to your new home," Alaric stated, pushing open a set of gilded double doors. He rested a hand on the small of my back, guiding me into the massive suite. "The door on the left connects to my private quarters."I dropped my travel bag on the plush rug. I walked over to the connecting door and turned the brass handle, finding it unlocked. A large, masculine bed sat visible through the gap, draped in dark furs smelling of ozone a
[Sylvia's POV]"Carl and Freya are here to see you," George announced from the doorway.My blood turned to ice.I wasn't ready. I was still twenty now. My wolf was still dormant, fast asleep deep within my soul.I had no supernatural strength to defend myself, and my mind was a chaotic mess of trau
[Sylvia's POV]My head throbbed.I dragged a ragged breath into my lungs, expecting to choke on the stench of my own blood and wolfsbane. Instead, my nose twitched.Clean linen. Rubbing alcohol. And...motor oil?"How is she holding up, Doc?""She has a mild concussion. Keep her resting, and she sho
[Alaric's POV]Ten minutes to midnight.Cold mist clung to my skin, soaking into my dark shirt.The twisted, ancient pines of the mountain forest blurred past me.My wolf, Paul, pushed against my mind, his massive paws tearing up the damp earth as we sprinted. Two miles out from the Silver Moon Pac
[Sylvia's POV]I was staring at the mirror, suffocating in a dull, pastel pink dress that made me look like an obedient nun.Little did I know, twenty minutes later, that same modest dress would be soaked entirely in my own black, poisoned blood.Pink was always my future mate Carl's choice. 'Ladi







