The coronation grounds was unlike anything I’d ever seen. Stretched across a vast circular space nearly a hundred feet in diameter, the open–air arena was surrounded by twenty–four towering statues of ancient wolf deities and legendary Alphas, each standing fifteen feet tall and carved from different stones to represent their domains.
The air felt heavy with power, with history, with the weight of countless generations of wolves who had walked this path before.
Thalia led the way, her ageless face solemn as she guided us across the sprawling grounds toward the center. Kaius followed close behind her, resplendent in a flowing crimson cloak he had just changed into for the ceremony, the rich fabric making his broad shoulders seem even more imposing. I trailed after them, heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and dread. Something about Thalia’s tense posture told me this would not be the simple formality I had expected.
The pathway finally opened into the central circular area. Stone pillars covered in ancient wolf symbols and etched with moon phases surrounded this sacred space, where a shaft of moonlight fell directly onto a raised dais at the center, illuminating an ancient stone altar.
“This is where every Alpha King has been crowned since the beginning of our records,” Thalia explained, her voice carrying across the open grounds. “The moon goddess herself watches and judges who is worthy to lead.”
I glanced at Kaius, surprised by the intensity in his amber eyes. He seemed completely focused on the altar, as if nothing else in the world existed.
Thalia turned to face him, raising her arms in a formal gesture. “Alpha Kaius of the Ravenhollow pack, you’ve met all the requirements; are you ready for the crown?”
What happened next changed everything.
“Not all requirements,” Kaius replied, his voice strong and clear in the silent ground.
Thalia’s arms lowered slightly, confusion crossing her features. “Your father is no longer in the way; you are a powerful wolf, so that shouldn’t be a problem, and you have a mate as required. There is nothing left undone.”
“Elowen is not my fated mate.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. I stepped forward instinctively. “Kaius, what are you doing?”
Thalia’s face paled. “You deceived me, Alpha.”
“I did. But you will still go through with this ritual,” Kaius commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“Rubbish, You will only get yourself killed; you cannot deceive the gods; you will only anger them.” Fear had crept into Thalia’s voice–genuine fear that made my own heart race faster.
“We would go on with this ritual,” Kaius insisted, unmoved.
“And then what? You will deceive the gods with your many charms?” Thalia’s voice rose with frustration.
She turned to me suddenly, her ancient eyes flashing with alarm. “If he tries taking the crown without the requirement, it would be seen as a sign of disrespect right on the face of the goddess; she would turn him to nothing but white ash, just as he did the elders.”
“Don’t bring her into this, Elder…” Kaius warned, taking a step forward.
“And if you die?” Thalia challenged, her concern seemingly genuine beneath her anger.
1/3
Chapter 119
“Then so be it.” The calm acceptance in Kaius’s voice chilled me to the bone.
“You are very stubborn, Alpha Kaius.” Thalia shook her head in resignation.
“Tell me, how many people could resist the Elder’s sorcery?” Kaius asked, changing tactics.
“No one can. But that doesn’t prove anything.” Thalia’s confusion matched my own.
“It doesn’t?” A hint of something–triumph, perhaps–colored Kaius’s voice.
“It would be a shame if you died after everything,” Thalia said, her voice softening slightly.
I couldn’t remain silent any longer. The thought of losing Kaius–of watching him burn to ash for the sake of this crown–was unbearable. “Kaius, you don’t have to do this, please…”
Before I could say more, I felt a firm hand on my arm. Frost had materialized beside me, his ice–blue eyes sympathetic but resolute.
“We wait here,” he murmured, gently pulling me back from the ritual space.
I tried to shake him off. “No, I need to stop him-”
“Nothing you say would change his mind, Elowen,” Frost said with the certainty of someone who had known Kaius far longer than I
had.
I watched helplessly as Kaius stepped onto the dais, the moonlight bathing him in silver. Thalia followed reluctantly, producing a small ceremonial dagger from within her robes. She pricked his palm collecting several drops of blood in an ancient stone bowl.
As she began to chant in a language I didn’t recognize, the atmosphere in the ground changed. The air grew thicker, charged with a power that raised the hair on my arms. The moonlight intensified, becoming almost blindingly bright where it touched Kaius.
Thalia’s chanting grew louder, more urgent. The symbols on the stone pillars began to glow with an eerie blue light that pulsed in rhythm with her words. I held my breath, terrified of what might happen next.
Would the goddess truly destroy Kaius for his deception? Would I be forced to watch the man I loved burn to ash before my eyes?
The chanting reached a crescendo, and suddenly all sound ceased. The ground fell into absolute silence. The moonlight around Kaius concentrated, becoming so intense that I had to shield my eyes. When I looked again, I gasped.
A crown of pure moonlight rested on Kaius’s head, casting his features in silver radiance. He remained standing, completely unharmed. The goddess had accepted him.
Thalia stared in disbelief, her ancient face a mask of shock. “Impossible,” she whispered. “Without a fated mate…”
But the evidence was undeniable. The crown of light slowly solidified, transforming into a circlet of gleaming white metal set with moonstones that captured and reflected the moonlight.
“The goddess has judged,” Thalia announced, her voice stronger now Rise, Alpha King Kaius Valerian, ruler of the united packs.”
