Mag-log inThe throne room had fallen silent.
Not the peaceful kind of silence. This was the silence that came after something ancient had awakened. Elena stood before the Moon Throne, her hand still resting against the silver stone. Marcus stood beside her. Not in front of her. Not behind her. Beside her. Two seats had appeared upon the throne. Two equal places.The chamber remained quiet after the Guardian's final words. Elena kept her attention on the ancient warrior. She had expected another warning, perhaps another test. Instead, the Guardian simply stood beside the sword he had driven into the floor, waiting for her decision. “What happens now?” she asked. His gaze shifted toward the passage behind them. “The Moon Kingdom has recognized you.” Elena glanced at Marcus. “And the King?” “He has recognized you too.” Marcus folded his arms. “Then we have a problem.” The Guardian's expression remained unchanged. “You have had a problem since the night she was born.” Elena frowned. “What does that mean?” The Guardian approached slowly. Each step echoed through the chamber. “Your birth was hidden because the King was search
The throne room had fallen silent. Not the peaceful kind of silence. This was the silence that came after something ancient had awakened. Elena stood before the Moon Throne, her hand still resting against the silver stone. Marcus stood beside her. Not in front of her. Not behind her. Beside her. Two seats had appeared upon the throne. Two equal places. Two destinies bound together. But Elena could not stop thinking about the final words that had echoed through the chamber. Two hearts… Two bloodlines… One destiny. And then— Something else had awakened. She could feel it. A faint pulse beneath the stone floor. Slow. Deep. Almost like a heartbeat. Elena looked at Marcus. “You
The voice faded.But its words remained.The final crown shall belong to two.Elena stood motionless in the center of the ancient kingdom.Around her, hundreds of wolves watched in silence.The enormous creature she had just awakened remained beside her, its silver eyes fixed on her as though it had recognized something no one else could see.Marcus stood at Elena's side.His hand was still wrapped around hers.“A throne for two,” he repeated quietly.Elena looked at him.“What does that mean?”Before Marcus could answer, her mother stepped forward.“It means the ancient prophecy was incomplete.”Elena turned toward her.“You knew?”“I knew there were missing parts.”Her mother looked at Marcus.“But I never knew who the second heir would be.”The ancient Guardian stepped forward.“I did.”Everyone looked
The growl came again.Deep.Ancient.It wasn't the sound of a wolf.It was something far older.The entire underground kingdom trembled.Stone cracked beneath Elena's feet as a dark line spread across the floor.Marcus immediately reached for her hand.“Elena.”“I hear it.”Another growl echoed through the cavern.The wolves began to panic.Some backed away.Others lowered their bodies, growling toward the darkness.Even the Bloodborn stopped moving.The King smiled.“You finally understand.”Elena turned toward him.“What did you release?”The King laughed quietly.“Not me.”His eyes shifted toward the ancient Guardian.“Your throne did.”The Guardian's expression hardened.“You lied.”The King shrugged.“Of course I lied.”Marcus stepped forw
The first explosion shook the underground kingdom.Stone cracked overhead.Dust rained from the ancient ceiling as a distant roar echoed through the cavern.The wolves surrounding Elena immediately shifted into defensive positions.Their claws scraped against the stone.Their silver eyes burned.Elena stood in the center of them, perfectly still.For the first time, she understood what her mother had meant.These wolves weren't simply waiting for a ruler.They were waiting for someone who would stand with them.Someone who wouldn't ask them to kneel.Her mother stepped beside her.“They have been hiding here for generations.”Elena looked at the enormous kingdom around them.“How many?”“Nearly a thousand wolves remain.”Elena's eyes widened.“A thousand?”“Those who survived the King's purge.”Anger flashed a
The voice came again.“Elena…”Soft.Familiar.Impossible.Elena froze at the top of the newly revealed staircase.For several heartbeats, she couldn't breathe.Her fingers tightened around Marcus's hand.“My mother.”The words left her lips as barely more than a whisper.Marcus looked at her, his expression immediately softening.“Then we find her.”Elena turned toward the staircase.The ancient stone steps descended into darkness beneath the Moon Throne. Pale silver light pulsed along the walls, revealing symbols carved into the stone—wolves, crescent moons, crowns, and swords.Lyra stood behind them, staring into the darkness.“I never thought this day would come,” she whispered.Elena looked back.“You knew she was alive?”Lyra's silence was answer enough.Elena's eyes flashed silver.“You knew?”







