Alle Kapitel von REJECTED LUNA, CLAIMED BY THE ROGUE KING : Kapitel 71 – Kapitel 80

ElaraThe shards were gone, but the damage they had done remained.I felt it in the pack bonds a new fragility, a new wariness, a new fear. The wolves moved through the fortress with their heads down, their voices low, their silver fire dimmed. They had been violated. They had been used. And they did not know who to trust anymore.It was not the Devourer's doing. Not directly.It was us.The shards had planted doubt in the minds of our wolves doubt about each other, about the kingdom, about the King and Queen. The doubt had taken root. It had grown. And now, it was blooming into something darker.Suspicion.I stood in the great hall, watching the pack gather. They came in groups—the northerners in one corner, the westerners in another, the Shadow Territory wolves in a third. They did not mingle. They did not laugh. They did not howl together.They were not a pack anymore.They were a collection of strangers."They're afraid," Riven said quietly, appearing beside me. "Afraid of each ot

ElaraThe envoys left at dawn.Twelve wolves, handpicked from the best we had diplomats and warriors and trackers who knew the continent better than anyone. They carried with them a simple message, written in silver ink on strips of pale bark: The Devourer rises in the north. She builds an army. She builds a kingdom. Join us, or stand alone.I stood on the highest wall with Riven and watched them ride out. The sun was rising over the eastern mountains, painting the sky in shades of gold and rose. The air was cold and crisp, carrying the scent of pine and snow and something else something ancient and waiting."Do you think they'll come?" I asked.Riven was silent for a moment."Some will. Some won't.""And the ones who won't?"He looked at me, his amber eyes steady."Then we let them refuse. We don't force anyone to join us. That's not what we're building."I nodded slowly."I know."He took my hand, his fingers warm against mine."Come inside. You need to rest.""I can't." I looked at

ElaraThe war council gathered on the seventh day after our return.It was the largest gathering of wolves the Shadow Territories had ever seen. The great hall was packed—not just with our own pack, but with the leaders of every allied pack, every northern and western and southern force that had answered our call. The air was thick with the scent of silver fire and cold steel, and the low hum of a thousand voices speaking in hushed, urgent tones.I stood on the dais with Riven at my side, the Flame blazing in my hands. Kaelen stood beside me, his small hand in mine, his amber eyes scanning the crowd. He was still recovering, still healing, but he had insisted on being present. He was the Hybrid King. He needed to be seen."The Devourer is building an army in the frozen north," Riven said, his voice carrying across the hall. "A fortress of ice. Thousands of vessels. Thousands of dead-flesh. And the souls of the old Council—the ones who were sealed away centuries ago. The ones who were

ElaraWe left for the mountain pass at dawn.The fortress was quiet as we rode out not the heavy silence of fear, but the steady silence of a pack preparing for war. The wolves who remained behind stood in the courtyard, their silver fire blazing, their faces lifted. They were not running. They were not hiding. They were waiting.Naia stood at the gate with the children. Kaelen was pale, his small hands fisted at his sides. Lyanna was crying silently, her binding rune glowing steadily. They did not speak. They simply watched us go.I dismounted and crossed to them."Stay safe," I said, kneeling in front of Kaelen. "Stay strong. And protect each other."He nodded, his jaw tight."I will."I pulled him into my arms, holding him close. Then I pulled Lyanna in too, and I held them both for a long moment."We'll be back," I whispered. "I promise.""Promise?" Lyanna echoed."Promise."I stood and looked at Naia."Keep them safe.""With my life," she said.I nodded, and then I mounted my hor

ElaraThe journey home took three days.Three days of riding through frozen forests and across frozen rivers. Three days of tending to the wounded, of burying the dead, of counting the cost of our victory. Three days of watching the wolves around me exhausted, bloodied, but alive and wondering if we would ever truly recover from what we had done.We had won. The Devourer was destroyed. The darkness was gone.But the price had been high.I rode at the front of the column with Riven at my side, our horses moving slowly through the snow. Behind us, the army stretched back for miles thousands of wolves, their silver fire dimmed, their faces drawn. They had fought bravely. They had fought fiercely. They had fought until their bodies gave out.And now, they were coming home."Four hundred and thirty-seven," Soren reported quietly, riding up beside us. "That's the count so far. We're still finding bodies."I felt my heart clench."So many.""More than we lost against the Pale Mother. More th