جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 120

The return to the capital was slower than the march north. Snow fell in relentless sheets, turning the roads into treacherous paths of white and mud. The loyal legions rode in disciplined columns, their banners heavy with ice, while captured survivors from the probe force marched in chains behind them. The victory on the snowy plain had been decisive, yet it tasted bittersweet—hundreds of lycans lay dead or wounded on both sides, and the true threat still lurked in the northern wastes.Caelan rode beside Lucien, his gray warhorse plodding steadily through the drifts. Exhaustion pulled at every muscle, the ancient power having taken a heavier toll than he had admitted during the battle. Moonlight threads still flickered at the edges of his vision, revealing lingering fractures: small groups of fleeing rebels scattering into the wilderness, and darker threads stretching back toward the capital itself—whispers already spreading among houses that had not fully committed to the crown.Luci

The royal camp lay quiet under a thick blanket of fresh snow, the only sounds the distant crackle of watch fires and the occasional stamp of restless horses. Torches flickered against the darkness, casting long shadows across the command tent where Lucien and Caelan had taken shelter after the hard-fought victory on the frozen plain. The air inside was thick with the scent of pine smoke, sweat, and the metallic tang of blood that still clung to their armor.Caelan sat on the edge of the low campaign bed, his body heavy with exhaustion. The ancient power that had surged so fiercely during the battle now settled into a deep, throbbing hum inside his veins. Moonlight threads still flickered faintly at the edges of his vision, revealing the aftermath: scattered remnants of Rowan’s force fleeing deeper into the wastes, wounded loyal soldiers being tended by healers, and darker threads stretching northward—Rowan’s escape route, already weaving new alliances among the most fanatical border p

The grand hall of justice stood silent and imposing under the weak winter sun. Heavy marble columns rose like silent judges, and the air was thick with the scent of polished stone and nervous sweat. Nobles from every house had been summoned for an emergency session. They sat in rigid rows, their fine robes and jeweled cloaks unable to mask the fear flickering in their eyes. Word of the northern force’s growth and Rowan’s open proclamations had spread like wildfire. Now the crown was ready to answer.Caelan sat on the consort’s throne beside Lucien, spine straight, silver eyes calm and unyielding. His dark robes trimmed with silver gleamed under the torchlight, the mating bite on his neck openly displayed as a deliberate challenge. The ancient power hummed steadily within him, moonlight threads extending through the hall like invisible veins, touching every noble present and revealing the truth behind their carefully composed faces.Lucien occupied the central throne like a king forged

The capital’s outer walls gleamed under a thin layer of fresh snow, their ancient stones reinforced with fresh timber and iron braces. Watchfires burned along the battlements day and night, casting flickering orange light against the gray winter sky. From the highest tower, Caelan could see the distant horizon where the northern force advanced like a dark tide across the white landscape. Rowan’s army had grown to nearly two thousand, their crimson wolf banners now clearly visible even from afar.Caelan stood alone on the tower platform, silver eyes half-closed as the ancient power flowed through him. Moonlight threads extended far beyond the walls, brushing against the approaching enemy like invisible scouts. He felt their numbers, their fatigue, their growing fanaticism. Rowan rode at the center, his presence a sharp, burning knot in the web of threads—charismatic voice rallying his followers with promises of restoring the old laws and removing the “corrupted omega” who had poisoned

The siege of the capital had entered its fourth grueling night, and the city itself seemed to hold its breath beneath a sky heavy with falling snow and the glow of distant fires. From the highest point of the northern gate tower, Caelan could see the enemy encampment stretching in a wide, menacing arc around the walls — thousands of flickering campfires like hostile stars, their crimson wolf banners snapping in the bitter wind. Rowan’s force had grown again, swollen by desperate border packs and those radicalized by the purge. The exiled prince’s voice still carried faintly on the wind, promising restoration and the removal of the “corrupted consort” who had awakened dangerous ancient power.Caelan stood alone on the wind-swept platform, his dark cloak heavy with snow, silver-trimmed edges catching the torchlight like threads of moonlight made real. Exhaustion carved deep lines beneath his silver eyes, and dried blood still stained the collar of his tunic from earlier surges. The anci