Chapter 31: Whispers Beneath the Throne

The cold from the underground chamber sank into Serena’s bones, though the sweat on her brow betrayed the heat from the burning torch in her grip. Her heart thundered in her chest—not from fear, but from anticipation. She was not supposed to be here. No one was.

The passage that led her here had been hidden beneath the library, behind a forgotten tapestry of the first Alpha King. Serena had only noticed it because one of the maids had dropped a crumbling book filled with unfamiliar glyphs. Something about the way she had panicked… how she had tried to hide the book… it all felt deliberate. Like she was guiding Serena without words.

And Serena had followed.

Now she stood in a vast underground hall—its domed ceiling etched with the phases of the moon and the history of wolves long before Elias’s bloodline came into power. Every surface shimmered with faint markings that pulsed faintly in the torchlight, as if they were alive, reacting to her presence.

A thick pedestal loomed in the center of the room, its black stone glowing faintly. Atop it sat a crown—unlike anything she had ever seen. Obsidian forged, its jagged spikes reached upward like fangs, and red stones blinked like angry eyes across its base. The air around it felt charged, crackling with ancient power and warning.

Something deep in her bones resonated with the crown. Her pulse quickened.

She took a step forward, fingers trembling as she reached out.

But before she could touch it, a voice sliced through the silence like a blade.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Serena froze.

The voice was quiet, controlled—but laced with fury.

She turned to find Elias standing just beyond the archway, his silhouette imposing, his golden eyes glowing with restrained rage.

“Elias—”

“You disobeyed me again,” he said, stepping into the chamber. His boots echoed loudly against the marble floor. “This place is forbidden for a reason.”

Serena stood her ground, though her heart was racing. “You’ve kept everything from me. I’m not a child you can order around. I have a right to know what I am. What all of this is.”

Elias came to a stop just feet from her. His gaze flicked to the crown, and his jaw clenched. “You should not have come here.”

“And yet… here I am,” she said quietly, defiance flickering in her voice. “And I feel something. That crown—it called to me. It belongs to me, doesn’t it?”

Elias said nothing.

The silence that followed was heavy with implication.

Finally, he exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing just enough for weariness to take its place.

“Your mother brought you here when you were a child,” he said, voice quiet. “This chamber was meant for you—when the time was right.”

Serena’s breath caught. “My mother?”

“She was one of the last blood heirs of the First Circle—one of the original bloodlines tied to the Moon Goddess. You’re her only living descendant.”

The weight of the words settled over Serena like a cloak.

Her whole life, she had believed she was just another Luna offered in marriage to a ruthless Alpha King. Another pawn in a political game. But this... this rewrote everything.

“So I’m not just your mate,” she whispered.

Elias met her gaze, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. “You were never just my mate. You were the prophecy no one could control. That’s why your bond with me is different. Why it’s been awakening slowly. You were meant for more.”

She turned back to the crown.

“What is this place?”

“The Vault of Origins,” Elias replied. “Only blood heirs of the First Circle can unlock it. No one else can even enter. That crown… it was never forged for a king like me. It was meant for a queen born with both power and choice.”

Serena swallowed hard, her hand hovering just above the crown.

“And if I put it on?”

“You claim your birthright.”

The torchlight flickered, casting long shadows. From above, the sound of movement—growls and hurried footsteps—echoed through the stone walls.

“They’re coming,” Elias said. “My council. The Elders. They’ll sense that the Vault has been opened. They’ll want answers. They’ll try to take you.”

“Let them try.”

There was fire in her voice now.

Elias stared at her, and for a moment, the anger faded, replaced by something softer.

Pride.

But it was quickly tempered by fear.

“Serena, if you take the crown, everything changes. You won’t just be Luna. You’ll be a threat—to everyone. Including me.”

“Then maybe you should have told me the truth from the beginning,” she said, lifting the crown.

It was heavier than she expected. Cold. Yet her fingers didn’t tremble.

The moment she placed it atop her head, a pulse of energy surged through the chamber. The walls trembled. The symbols lit up like stars across the dome. Her veins burned—not with pain, but with ancient power awakening after centuries of silence.

The pedestal sank into the floor.

A gust of wind swept through the chamber, and with it came voices. Soft whispers in a language Serena didn’t know—but somehow understood.

They called her “Moon’s Blood.”

“Goddess’s Will.”

“Last Sovereign.”

When she looked up, Elias had fallen to one knee.

“What are you doing?” she asked, stunned.

His voice was low. “Paying respect to the only sovereign who ever frightened the Elders. The crown chose you. I can’t deny what you are anymore.”

Footsteps pounded down the corridor.

The others were close.

Serena straightened, the weight of the crown grounding her, not burdening her.

“Then let them come.”

She wasn’t afraid anymore.

Let the council see.

Let the world tremble.

The Luna they thought they had tamed was gone.

A queen now stood in her place.