chapter 11
714 Words
The Alpha Who Rejected His Moon Queen
By MALLO Royale
Chapter Eleven
A Mother's Final Wish
The silver light filled the council chamber.
No one dared to speak.
The glowing image of Queen Selene stood before them, graceful and radiant, untouched by the passage of time.
Seraphina stared at the woman with tear-filled eyes.
The shape of her face...
The color of her eyes...
For the first time in her life, she saw someone who looked like her.
"My daughter," the Queen's gentle voice echoed through the chamber. "If you are watching this, then fate has led you to the Kingdom of Noctis."
Seraphina covered her mouth as tears slipped down her cheeks.
"I wanted to watch you grow," Selene continued. "I wanted to teach you how to laugh, how to lead, and how to become the queen our people deserved."
Her smile trembled.
"But destiny chose another path."
King Alaric lowered his head in silent respect.
Even the royal council stood without moving.
"I know you have many questions," Selene said. "The greatest of them is why I abandoned you."
"I never abandoned you."
"I sent you away because it was the only way to keep you alive."
Seraphina's knees weakened.
Every lonely birthday...
Every night she had wondered why no one wanted her...
They suddenly carried a different meaning.
"You were never unwanted," Selene whispered. "You were loved more than you could ever imagine."
A sob escaped Seraphina's lips.
Cassian quietly stepped beside her but did not interrupt.
"There is something you must know," the Queen continued.
"The kingdom did not fall because the vampires attacked us."
The chamber erupted in shocked whispers.
King Alaric's eyes narrowed.
"It was an enemy within our own walls."
Seraphina frowned.
"A traitor?"
Selene nodded.
"Someone I trusted opened the gates."
"They desired the Moon Throne and believed your death would make them ruler."
The Queen's expression darkened.
"I never discovered who truly stood behind the betrayal."
"But I learned one thing before my final breath."
"The traitor did not act alone."
Before Seraphina could process those words, the glowing image flickered.
Its light dimmed for a moment.
"My time is short."
"If you wish to survive, remember these words."
"Trust your heart..."
"...but test every promise."
"Your greatest enemy will wear the face of a friend."
A heavy silence settled over the chamber.
The image began fading.
"Mother!" Seraphina cried, reaching toward the light.
"Please don't leave."
"I still have so many questions."
Selene smiled sadly.
"I know."
"I wish I had the answers for all of them."
She lifted her hand one final time.
"I love you, my little moon."
The light shattered into thousands of silver sparks before disappearing.
The chamber became silent once more.
Seraphina stood frozen, tears streaming freely down her face.
Cassian gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry."
She shook her head.
"I finally heard my mother's voice..."
"...and lost her all over again."
King Alaric stepped forward carrying a folded map.
"There is something she did not have time to tell you."
He spread the map across the council table.
Three kingdoms were marked upon it.
Blackwood Pack.
The Vampire Kingdom.
And an enormous region in the north that had been crossed out with black ink.
Seraphina pointed at it.
"What kingdom is that?"
"The Kingdom of Eclipsia," Alaric answered.
"It disappeared twenty years ago."
Cassian folded his arms.
"Or so the world believes."
Alaric looked toward the council.
"Our spies have confirmed movement near the northern ruins."
"The banners of Eclipsia have been seen again."
One of the council elders gasped.
"That's impossible."
"The royal bloodline was wiped out."
Alaric's expression remained grim.
"Apparently..."
"...someone survived."
At that very moment, hundreds of miles away, a hooded figure stood atop the crumbling walls of an ancient castle.
A soldier knelt before him.
"My lord."
"The Moon Queen has reached the Vampire Kingdom."
The hooded man smiled beneath his mask.
"Excellent."
"And the Alpha?"
"He has begun searching for the truth."
The man looked toward the crimson moon hanging above the mountains.
"Let him search."
"The deeper he digs..."
"...the closer he comes to his own family's darkest secret."
He turned toward the shadows behind him.
"Prepare the army."
"The time has come to reclaim Eclipsia."
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- Writer
