The Crown That Burned

Chapter Eight: The Crown That Burned

Selene’s POV

The sun rose like it always did, but nothing felt normal.

Today was the day.

The day they would give Kael the real crown. The final ceremony. Once that crown touched his head, he would become Alpha forever.

But not if we stopped it first.

I stood quietly behind the trees, dressed in the Luna robe Ronan gave me. The fabric was soft and cool, deep blue like the midnight sky. On my chest was my father’s crest. My hands trembled, but I kept them still.

Beside me were Ronan and Lucien. Ronan’s face was calm, but I could feel the tension in him. We had the crown. It was hidden, far from Kael’s reach. Lucien made sure of that.

I could hear the music starting. The wolves were gathering. I peeked through the trees.

Kael stood at the front, tall in his silver-trimmed armor. Mira stood beside him, glowing and proud, her hand resting on her stomach like she already ruled us all.

The crowd clapped. Flowers were thrown. Elders stood behind Kael, preparing for the final rites.

Then the elder raised his hand.

“Bring forth the crown.”

A guard walked off to get it. But moments later, he returned in panic.

“It’s not there,” I heard someone whisper.

Gasps spread. Eyes turned.

And then I stepped out.

My boots hit the stone floor. I walked slowly, carefully, but without fear. Lucien followed behind me, holding the missing crown in his hands. Ronan walked beside me, tall and unshaken.

Whispers filled the air.

“Selene?”

“She’s alive?”

“She has the crown!”

I kept walking until I reached the center.

I turned to face them all. My voice didn’t shake.

“I am Selene,” I said. “Daughter of Alpha Darius. The blood of this pack. And I have returned for what is mine.”

Gasps.

Kael’s face changed. He stepped forward, his voice trying to sound calm—but I saw the fear in his eyes, he looked at me, then Ronan.

“She’s lying,” he said. “She’s unstable. She was gone too long. She’s been… twisted by my uncle.”

He turned to the crowd, pretending to be the victim. “Ronan only helped her because she reminds him of his old mate, someone he lost. That’s why he’s doing this. I am his family, so I know”

For a second, the words stung. They slipped under my skin like tiny blades.

What if it was true?

What if I wasn’t loved for who I am… but for who I look like?

I looked at Ronan.

But he didn’t hesitate.

He stepped forward, his voice strong and sharp.

“That’s a lie.”

The crowd went silent.

“She’s not someone’s shadow. She’s not a copy. And she’s not my past.”

His eyes stayed locked on Kael. “Selene is herself. And I helped her because she’s the only one who deserves to lead this pack.”

The way he said it… it filled my chest. Not just with pride, but with something deeper. Something like fire. Like home.

Still, Kael tried to fight.

He pointed at me. “She only wants power. She’s pretending to be strong, but she’s weak.”

The elder stepped forward, but before he could speak, something strange happened.

The crown in Lucien’s hand… began to glow.

A soft light, silver and gold, shimmered across it. Like the moonlight itself had touched it. The elders stepped back, stunned. One of them whispered, “It’s the Alpha Spirit.”

The wind stilled. The leaves stopped moving. It felt like the world was watching.

I took the crown and stepped forward.

Then, from the crowd, someone knelt.

Another followed.

And another.

Until everyone knelt, except Kael.

He shook his head, rage twisting his face.

“This is madness!”

He lunged at me.

But I didn’t run.

I had trained. I had bled. I had healed.

I waited until the last moment and used the move Ronan had taught me. I grabbed his arm, turned, and slammed him to the ground.

The crowd gasped.

Kael groaned beneath me, stunned.

I stood tall.

I looked down at him.

“You were made Alpha because we were mated. But now you’ve rejected me. That title doesn’t belong to you anymore.”

Kael didn’t speak.

He had nothing left.

Not power. Not truth. Not the crown.

I turned to the elders.

“I don’t want to be crowned today,” I said. “Not yet. Not like this.”

“I’ll earn it. I’ll fight for it. And when I wear that crown, it won’t be because of blood. It’ll be because I proved myself worthy.”

The crowd stayed quiet. But the look in their eyes told me everything.

They believed in me.

They saw me.

And for the first time… I truly saw myself.