Chapter 21: The Storm GathersThe council chamber buzzed like a hive agitated by fire.Raven entered through the grand doors with Thorne at her side. The room went still. All eyes turned to her some wary, some supportive, and others brimming with restrained contempt.She didn’t flinch.Elandra’s betrayal had shifted the tides. Allies once vocal in their opposition were now silent, second guessing their alliances. But silence could be more dangerous than defiance. It meant they were plotting.“Your Majesty,” murmured Elder Varun, bowing slightly, though his tone lacked warmth. “Thank you for gracing us with your presence.”“I was summoned,” Raven replied coolly, taking her seat at the head of the long crescent shaped table. Thorne remained standing behind her, eyes watchful.Elder Soraya, one of the few council members she trusted, cleared her throat. “We’ve received a message from the Eastern Alpha, Mira Stormfang.”The name cut through the room like icewater.Raven’s fingers c
Chapter 20: The Quiet Between StormsThe morning after Elandra’s arrest was deceptively calm.A gentle breeze stirred the curtains in Raven’s chambers, carrying the distant sound of bells. The city had learned of the betrayal. Whispers spread like wildfire, but for once, they weren’t about whether a human could rule or if Raven was too young, too reckless.They were about her strength.She stood barefoot on the cold marble floor, wrapped in a silken robe. The dagger she’d used yesterday rested on the table beside her untouched breakfast. She hadn’t slept. Her mind hadn’t allowed it.The weight of her crown wasn’t just political. It was personal.A knock came, firm, steady. She didn’t have to ask who it was.“Come in.”Thorne entered, dressed in a dark tunic that somehow made him look more dangerous than his armor ever had. His eyes softened the moment they found hers.“I heard you didn’t sleep.”Raven shrugged, turning back toward the window. “Didn’t feel like dreaming.”Thorne wal
Chapter 19: The Queen’s MoveRaven stood at the window of the council chamber, her hands clasped behind her back as dawn bled through the frost kissed glass. The city below was still, unaware that its fate balanced on the edge of a knife.Behind her, the high council gathered, their murmurs low and full of unease. They’d been summoned before the sun. That alone had unsettled them. But the fire in Raven’s eyes when she entered? That had silenced even the most arrogant tongue.Thorne lingered by the door, every muscle tight. He was her shield today, but also her blade, should she command it.The High Chancellor, Lord Malrick stepped forward, clearing his throat. “Your Majesty, you called us urgently. Is there a threat we should be aware of?”Raven turned, her gaze sweeping across the room like a predator appraising its prey.“There is a threat,” she said evenly. “One that’s been growing in the shadows of this very room.”Malrick stiffened. So did two other council members. But Raven
Chapter 18: The Roots BeneathRaven paced the hidden chamber beneath the eastern wing of the palace once her mother’s sanctum, now her war room. Ancient maps littered the stone table, flickering under the dim blue light of enchanted lanterns. Each mark, each symbol, was a thread in the tangled web she was slowly unraveling.Thorne leaned against the far wall, arms crossed. He watched her move like a storm barely held at bay."You're not sleeping again," he said."I can't," Raven muttered, brushing her fingers over an old sigil drawn in charcoal. “Every time I close my eyes, I see the Hollow Fae clawing their way through our borders. And someone in this palace is holding the door open.”"Corin believes you.""For now. But belief fades when pressure builds."Thorne stepped forward and placed a hand over hers, stilling it. "Then we make them believe permanently. Show them what happens when they bet against the Queen.”She gave a tired smile, one that didn’t reach her eyes. “You sound lik
Chapter 17: The Queen Stands AloneSnow fell in slow, hypnotic spirals as Raven stood before the Elders’ Circle.The hall was built of moonstone and marrowwood, its silver-flecked pillars humming with ancient magic. It had once been a place of honor. Now, it reeked of tension, of whispered fears and sharpened smiles.At her side stood Thorne, silent, tall, and burning with quiet anger. Mira had been delivered to the guard, now bound and sedated, awaiting judgment.The Elders sat in a crescent, robes heavy with power and arrogance.Elder Marrok, oldest among them, leaned forward. “You bring us a traitor and a corpse, Alpha Queen. And expect praise?”“I expect justice,” Raven answered, her voice steady despite the heat bubbling beneath her skin. “Mira was funneling ashroot to the Hollow Fae. Smuggling magic into our lands. She’s a traitor by every definition of our laws.”“And the Hollow Fae?” asked Elder Calia, her gaze piercing. “One dead creature proves little.”“I didn’t bring pr
Chapter 16: The Price of PowerThe tunnel trembled.Sparks danced along Raven’s fingers, the Nightfire reacting not just to her rage, but to her resolve. Mira didn’t flinch. She had expected this, counted on it. The crates behind her leaked with the scent of ashroot and bloodstone. Illicit magic. Poison for Lycans. Profit for traitors.“You always were dramatic,” Mira drawled, stepping aside to reveal the cloaked figure beside her more clearly. “But this time, dear Raven, you’re out of your depth.”The man pulled back his hood.Thorne stiffened. “That’s no smuggler.”Raven’s heart dropped.He was Fae.Dark-veined skin, eyes like melted silver, and no soul behind them. Fae born from the Hollow Courts—the exiled kind who made deals with shadows and fed on pain.“What’s the Hollow doing in Cindervale?” Raven snarled.The man spoke with a grin that didn’t meet his eyes. “We came for the Queen.”Mira added, “The council always knew what you were, Raven. You were a weapon that outgrew