เข้าสู่ระบบHe let his hand hover in the air, a breath away from ordering a firing squad.“I will give you one chance, and one chance only,” Kael said, his golden eyes narrowing. “Drop your sword, kneel before the Obsidian Throne. Formally renounce your claim to the bloodline, and I will let these two hundred wolves walk out of my kingdom alive. I will give them land in the western valleys, I will give them food, and I will let them live.”A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the room, the only sound was the crackle of the torches along the volcanic glass pillars. My eyes widened in shock and anger as I whispered, “what?!”“Dorian, don’t do it!” Brenda roared, her fingers white as she gripped the iron portcullis. “We didn’t bleed in the trenches for a compromise! If we die, we die clawing at his throat!”“Shut up, Brenda!” Brandon snapped, his voice tight with agonizing conflict. He looked at me through the bars, his eyes wide and bloodshot. “Dorian… it’s two hundred of us against them, we
The air inside the arena was heavy, thick with the scent of old ash and ozone. Every footstep I took alongside Kael echoed off the high, vaulted ceilings. I kept my hand wrapped tight around the pommel of my heavy broadsword, my eyes darting across the perimeter. Brandon’s eyes gave off a warning that rang like a low alarm in my skull; ‘The guards look more relaxed than usual.’I did not think it was relaxation; it was a flawless execution of stillness. How easy can I forget my father’s sly nature?Kael stopped exactly in the center of the sand-dusted stone. He was still for a moment and did not draw a weapon, he simply stood there, his back turned to me for a fraction of a second before he faced me, his cold eyes gleaming with cold amusement.“You always did have a habit of looking at the horizon, Dorian, instead of looking at your feet,” Kael said softly. I leaned in to hear the exact tone of his voice, there have always been the desire in me to hear the disappointment and extrem
Kael turned on his heel and walked back into the grand throne room, leaving the doors wide open. It was an explicit invitation, a dare that I could not ignore.“We go in,” I said, my face a mask of cold determination.“Lord Dorian, wait,” Brandon whispered, grabbing my arm. “Look at the guards, they aren’t even raising their spears. They are mocking us, and he wants you inside.”“I am going to finish this, Brandon. Stand with me, or stay here.” I pulled his arm away and marched up the stone steps, my remaining two hundred wolves following me into the heart of the kingdom.I took in the view of the grand throne room; the very place I would inhabit and rule. I took note of the vaulted ceilings that stretched high overhead, supported by massive pillars of polished volcanic glass. At the far end of the room sat the Obsidian Throne, carved from a single block of dark stone that seemed to absorb the light around it.Kael sat casually upon it, like he always do, one leg crossed over the othe
The final stretch across the plains was a test of pure psychological endurance, the ground beneath my feet was hot, obviously venting sulfurous gas that burned the throat, while the wind above was freezing. The two hundred remaining wolves moved in a silence so profound it felt like a funeral procession.Brandon walked by my side in absolute silence before he spoke, his limp pronounced from an old wound that had reopened in the swamps. “The scouts report no signs of your father, the king's vanguard, my Lord. It makes no sense, the watchtowers are empty, the ridge lines are clear. A tactical commander like the alpha should have ambushed us miles ago.”I didn’t slow his pace, my eyes were already fixed on the looming black spires of the Obsidian fortress ahead. Although there was a smile of accomplishment on my face, I knew we were far from success. “He knows we are here, Brandon, he has always known.” I could taste the aftereffect of bitterness; like rising bile stuck in my throat. He
Motherhood does take a toll on a woman's body. The sheer exhaustion of the labor, combined with the hyper-vigilance of keeping a newborn alive, had drained me to my very bones. That night, however, I slept like a log of wood. It was a heavy, dreamless slumber that I desperately needed, and I was equally happy baby Ash did not make a fuss at night.When the pull of sleep finally released me, I opened my eyes and lifted my head slowly as the golden morning sun filtered through the blinds on the window. The light danced in long, warm bars across the stone floor of my chambers.Kael sat on my vanity chair, looking at me. He was dressed already, sitting perfectly upright with his hands resting on his knees, looking exactly like he was waiting for a high council meeting. I had no idea if he had caught a single wink of sleep. He had spent the entire night in my chambers, a silent sentinel watching over me and baby Ash, refusing to leave our sides even for an hour.“Good morning, my lady,” Ka
By the third month, the grand army had devolved into a desperate crawl. The climate shifted violently as we crossed into the northern territories, trading the dry heat of the north for damp, freezing marshes. Without camp workers to pitch proper shelters or forage for clean water, the invisible killers moved in.Blood rot, a brutal parasitic disease native to the southern swamps, spread through the ranks like wildfire. It started with a cough, followed by high fevers and purple veins webbing across the peoples’ skin.I walked through the mud, his boots sinking into the filth, as I visited the makeshift sick bays under the pine trees. The sight was repulsive, but I stayed. I would not be viewed as an insensitive king before the due time. As I walked through the people, my eyes fell onto a young boy named Caleb, barely old enough to have joined the frontline, lay shivering on a bed of damp moss.“Alpha…” Caleb whispered, his lips cracked and bleeding. “Are we… are we close to the thron







