Novel & Cerita 13 Crowns

He quietly said, to the both of us. I had to reign in my temper, as it flared for a brief moment. Mad that all this could have ended so easily, without all the death and grief, if I had only known it was this simple. I opened and closed my mouth a few times, wanting to say something, but also knowing it wasn't the time. So I closed my mouth and bit back the outburst that was daring to come out. Lifting the smaller of the two plain gold crowns, he came to my side. The crown was simple, with no jewels, just woven pieces of precious metal, made to look like vines or branches twisting and coming to a peak.

Violet bit down on her lower lip so hard that it nearly broke the skin, but she still tried to hold her ground. "It's just a cheap ornament," she said stiffly. "I already looked it up. The online price is about five bucks. I'll give you ten. That's more than enough." I let out a quiet laugh. "Are you sure you searched for the right thing?" I said. "Try this. Look up the news. 'Neel Corporation's Chairman Wins Bidding War for Rare Antique, Gives It to Daughter.'" Someone in the crowd gasped. "It's real! It's the same piece I found online earlier. It's worth three million dollars!"

She did not know if that was supposed to comfort her or frighten her, so she just nodded. Marco arrived at noon with two guards. His expression held the same tired seriousness he had worn the night before. He told Elena they had four hours to prepare her for the wedding. The shopping trip felt unreal. Boutique owners opened their stores just for her. Sales associates carried out dresses that cost more than she wanted to imagine. Elena tried on white silk and ivory lace dresses while Marco watched from a chair, giving subtle approval or disapproval with a simple look. Finally she told him she did not want white. Wearing white felt like pretending this marriage meant something romantic. She wa

Others lifted their heads toward the ceiling as their voices echoed in raw celebration. My throat tightened painfully. Tears burned behind my eyes. Not weakness. Pride. Overwhelming, unstoppable pride. Then came the crowns. Ancient heirloom crowns were brought forward—massive compared to their tiny heads, crafted from silver and lined with protective runes carved by ancestors long gone. Each crown shimmered beneath the torchlight, heavy with history and power. One by one, the elders gently lowered the crowns above each child—not resting fully on their heads yet, but hovering symbolically above them.

Decision thinking itself through muscle. “Captain,” Harp pressed, softer than I’d expected. “We can’t pull dead weight. Not with the crown sniffing. Not with Morcant spending coin on our heads like water.” My hand went to my mouth before it could betray me another way. Not to stop a sob, I wouldn’t give them that but to keep the sound bruised hope makes trapped behind my teeth.

The mate bond had just taken effect. Camilla wasted no time walking toward the three Alpha King's heirs she had chosen: Kael Dorne, Lucien Vire, and Soren Hale. They closed in around her, their eyes filled with raw desire. All around the camp, other male wolves clearly wanted to compete, but they were intimidated by the pressure of royal blood and didn’t dare step forward. Surrounded by them, she looked like some kind of saint in a chaotic world.

Only enough to show uncertainty but not enough to show fear. “We still control the narrative,” Marcus said, and he could hear the desperation creeping into his voice now, could feel his grip on the situation slipping like sand through clenched fists. “The people still believe in moral corruption. They still believe that the crown has been compromised by degeneracy. All we need is...”

The door to the hall opened, a man entered the hall. He moved like shadow even though he was over 7 feet tall, he was wrapped in a dark cloak that was the color of shadows and it flowed behind him like he commanded the wind. His hair was raven-black, falling just past his sharp jawline, then his eyes like frozen silver swept over the room like he owned it yet did not want to be here, and for one terrible moment, he locked with hers. My breath caught, then my heart stuttered once, then resumed in a faster rhythm. I could smell him. Ash. Pine. The unmistakable scent of moon-kissed fur and pure lust. I don’t believe I have smelled anything more exotic.

“Princess Deloris, will you uphold the customs and duties of the crown?” I nod my head. “I will.” The same voice booms again and snaps me yet again to attention. “Princess Deloris, do you accept the crown?” Again, I nod. “I do.” A couple of clergy step forward. One puts the crown on my head, while the other places the royal golden egg with my family’s crest in my hand. My eyelids again dip, but a slight pain in my shoulder has me whipping my eyelids wide open again.