Tangled Crown Novels & Stories

The bass thumped through the crowded mansion like a second heartbeat, but Elena Voss felt hers stuttering in her throat. Crystal chandeliers cast fractured light across designer dresses and tailored suits, while laughter sliced through the air like shards of glass. This was supposed to be a celebration. Richard Hale’s latest business triumph but for Elena, it felt like walking a tightrope over a pit of wolves.

1. The Shadow Crown Burns The Shadow Crown sat heavy on Ava’s head, colder than steel, yet thrumming with heat that pulsed beneath her skin. It wasn’t a crown forged by goldsmiths or royal decrees. It was made of blood. Of betrayal. Of truths too old to be remembered. As the altar burned with fireless flame, the world tilted. The five heirs knelt before her—but Rowan’s bow was slower, his movements hollow. His gaze never left hers.

The past few weeks have been more diabolical than even I can comprehend. “You know the Alpha king is coming here soon, visiting every pack in the regions, and you will be on Jimmy’s side as his Luna, not me. That position belongs to me, but lying to the Alpha king is a felony. I can’t pretend to be you, and I also can’t kill you outright because that would mean the Alpha king would have me killed. So let’s see how far your body can go before it breaks down, and being fair, I have been enjoying this even more.” She announced as she examined her body in the mirror.

"Why?" He tilted his head, a motion smooth and wolfish, as though the beast within him had never truly left. His damp hair fell across his brow, shadowing one crimson eye, but even concealed, his beauty was a thing to unmake the world. "Because I am a curse," he said softly through lips that looked carved for both cruelty and tenderness. He seemed too much: too regal, too dangerous, too unearthly for this small, lamplit room. "And those who hunt curses care little for what else burns in their wake."

“I can do it again.” Outside, the bells tolled midnight. Deep beneath the palace, in the Sanctum, frost crept along the golden walls. And in that silence, somewhere between prayer and power, the two sisters began to draw closer once more, one in chains, one in silk, each preparing to claim the crown that the other could not hold.

“I know.” “You can tell me to stop.” Jamie looked at him. Really looked. The scar. The control. The restraint that felt like it was holding something dangerous in check. “I don’t want you to stop,” Jamie said, then winced. “I mean….” Adrian didn’t smile. He didn’t gloat. He just nodded, like that answer fit into something he’d already decided. “Good,” he said. Behind them, unseen but aware, La Corona Nera watched. And after midnight, Bar Della Luna closed its doors, keeping its secrets, for now.

I shut the door with a flick of my wrist, turned the lock, and shut out the prying eyes. "Don Romano, I'm Elena," I announced. "Here's a token from the Deluca family." The wheelchair turned slowly to face me. Even prepared, I caught my breath for a split second at the sight. His face was a study in contrasts. The left side was chiseled perfection, but the right was hidden behind a silver mask, with burn scars creeping out like red, twisted centipedes. It was truly a horrifying sight, a mix of the divine and the monstrous.

“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.