CHAPTER 7: ONLY ONE CAN REMAIN

I stood in the circle, my bare feet on the stone floor, my heart beating so loud I was sure everyone could hear it. The Elder’s words were still hanging in the air, sharp and cruel.

Only one twin can remain.

I looked at Lyra.

She stood across from me, wrapped in white, her hair loose, her face calm. Like this was not about death. Like this was not about me.

About us.

My stomach twisted.

I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel.

Hate? Fear? Anger?

All I felt was confusion.

She was my twin. My blood. And yet, she was also the reason my world had cracked open.

The Elder lifted her staff again. “The ritual will”

“No.”

Derek’s voice cut through the chamber like a blade.

Every head turned.

He stepped forward, his shoulders tense, his eyes dark. Power rolled off him in waves, thick and heavy.

The mark on his neck glowed faintly, reacting to my fear.

“I said no,” he repeated. “This ends now.”

The Elder frowned. “Alpha Derek, you do not”

“I do,” Derek interjected briskly. “I am the ruling Alpha of Montenegro. And I invoke override.”

Gasps filled the room.

My breath caught.

Override was old law.

The Elder stiffened. “You would challenge the Council?”

“I would burn it to the ground if I have to,” Derek said flatly. “No one dies today.”

Jax moved beside him, silent but deadly. His eyes never left Lyra. His body was coiled, ready, like a wolf about to strike.

Lyra finally reacted.

Her lips parted. Her eyes widened just a little.

“Derek…” she whispered. “If the law says”

“The law can choke,” Jax interjected coldly.

The room erupted into noise. Elders were shouting. Wolves were growling. Power clashing against power.

My head started to spin.

I felt something inside me pull tight, like a string stretched too far.

Pain bloomed behind my eyes.

“Raya,” Jax said sharply. “Look at me.”

I tried. I really did. But the floor tilted, the walls blurred. My chest burned like fire was trapped inside my lungs.

“Stop,” I whispered. “Please… just stop.”

No one heard me.

The Elder slammed her staff against the stone with enough force to leave a faint crack. “Enough!

If the ritual does not proceed, then the twins must be separated until judgment is passed.”

“No,” Lyra said suddenly.

Her voice was soft, but it carried.

“I will go with the Council,” she said. “I don’t want blood on my hands.”

She looked at me then.

And smiled.

Not kind. Not cruel.

Knowing.

My knees gave out.

Jax caught me before I hit the floor, his arms strong around me. The moment he touched me, the pressure inside my chest exploded outward.

Power surged.

The stone beneath us cracked.

Someone screamed.

“Raya!” Derek screamed.

I couldn’t answer. My body shook, heat racing through my veins. Images flashed behind my eyes, moons, blood, shadows, a crown dripping red.

And Lyra.

Always Lyra.

Her voice slid into my mind like a whisper.

You feel it too, don’t you?

I gasped.

My eyes flew open.

She was staring straight at me.

Her lips didn’t move.

They chose you, her voice echoed in my head. But they’ll never stop looking at me.

“Get her out,” Derek barked.

Council guards moved quickly, surrounding Lyra. She didn’t resist. She only kept her eyes on me as they led her away.

This isn’t over, her voice whispered again.

Then she was gone.

The moment she left the room, the power inside me slowly faded away.

Everything went dark.

I woke up a few hours later gasping.

My body felt heavy. My limbs ached like I had ran for miles. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar — dark wood, carved with old symbols.

This was not in my room.

I turned my head slowly.

Derek stood by the window, his back to me. His hands were clenched so tight his knuckles were white.

Jax sat on a chair near the bed, his elbows on his knees, his head bowed.

He looked tired. Angry. Scared.

“You’re awake,” Derek said quietly, without turning.

“What happened?” My voice came out small.

“The ritual was stopped,” Jax said. “Barely.”

“Lyra?”

Silence.

“She’s under Council protection,” Derek said.

“For now.”

My chest tightened. “And me?”

Derek finally turned.

His eyes softened when they met mine, just for a second. Then the Alpha mask slid back into place.

“You are still Queen,” he said. “But things have changed.”

“How?” I asked.

“The Council has ordered a formal review,” Jax said. “They don’t like uncertainty.”

I swallowed. “They want to take it back.”

“They want to control it,” Derek corrected. “You.”

A knock sounded at the door.

Jax stiffened. Derek’s jaw tightened.

“Enter,” Derek said.

Elder Tate stepped inside, his expression grave.

“The Council has reached a temporary decision,” he said. “Until judgment is passed, the twins must remain apart. Lyra will stay under thy Council’s watch. And Raya…”

He paused.

“…you will remain in Montenegro. Watched.”

I laughed weakly. “So I’m a prisoner.”

The Elder didn’t deny it.

“And the bond?” I asked quietly.

His eyes flicked to Derek and Jax.

“The bond complicates matters,” he said. “Which is why the Council has decided.”

My heart started to race.

“You will undergo a Luna Trial,” the Elder finished. “To determine who truly holds the right to the throne.”

The room went silent.

“When?” I whispered.

The Elder’s gaze was sharp. Unforgiving.

“Sooner than you think.”

He turned and left.

The door closed with a heavy thud.

I stared at the ceiling, my mind spinning.

A trial.

A sister waiting in the shadows.

A throne that could be taken away.

And somewhere deep inside me, a voice that was not mine whispered again.

Only one can remain.