Throne of Ash and Fire

The silk gown still clung to her skin, damp with sweat and shame. Lyra didn’t flinch as Kael’s guards stepped forward. She stood tall in front of the Luna Court, bare feet stained red from the crushed petals on the floor—flowers meant for worship, now ground into the marble like blood. For three years, she had played the part. Perfect Luna. Perfect mate. Perfect lie. Once, she trained with blades twice her size, breaking bones and pinning grown warriors into the dirt before she could bleed. Her mother called her flame-born. Her father warned the elders, “She’s a weapon waiting to choose her target.” But when the Moon chose Kael, she surrendered her sword. She softened her edges. She wore pearls instead of daggers, learned diplomacy instead of destruction. She quieted her instincts every time Kael said, “Luna’s don’t fight.” And now? He was holding hands with an Omega. “Tell them, Kael,” Lyra said quietly. “Tell the court why the Luna is summoned today.” Kael’s lips pressed into a thin line. Isla tilted her head like a curious fox. “She’s being relieved,” Isla said sweetly. “The Alpha has accepted me as his... comfort. A Luna must be—how do you say it?—more submissive. More obedient.” The last thread inside Lyra snapped. Obedient? She gave up her pack, her blades, her fire—for obedience? She stepped forward, eyes locked on Isla. “You think submission is weakness?” Isla blinked. “You think I didn't see what you were doing for the past year?” Lyra asked, her voice cool. “The scenting rituals, the sleep draughts, the way you laced his tea with binding herbs? You didn’t seduce him. You poisoned him.” “Enough!” Kael barked, voice cracking the air. “You’re dismissed.” Lyra turned toward him, slowly. “I gave you everything.” His jaw clenched. “And now, I give it back.” A cruel twist of fate. Her title stripped. Her bond breaking. The power she had pushed down, now clawing its way up her throat like a scream. You were never meant to kneel, a voice whispered inside her. Lyra removed the ceremonial collar with one slow pull. The air shifted. Magic awakened. The marble beneath her feet cracked as embers sparked in her hair. Her back straightened. Her gaze burned. “I was trained to lead armies, Kael,” she said. “But I chose to love you instead. That was my mistake.” “You swore vows—” “I swore silence. Not surrender.” She raised one palm, and fire bloomed in it like a flower. Red-gold, searing, beautiful. “I will reclaim my strength. My honor. My name. And when history speaks of this day, it will not be of a Luna dismissed—” She turned to the crowd, eyes glowing. “It will be the day a Queen rose from ash.” The fire didn’t touch her, but it swallowed the silk gown from her body—burning it to nothing, revealing the leather armor hidden underneath. Gasps echoed through the court. The Warrior was back. Kael looked stunned. Isla took a step back. Lyra met Kael’s gaze one last time. “And when your enemies come for you, and your throne crumbles, remember: the woman you betrayed could’ve saved you.” With a flare of fire, she vanished. And the kingdom that had called her Luna would soon remember her true name. 𝘍𝘢𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴… Four Alphas felt the shift. A crack in the bond. A flare of power. And a name whispered on the wind like a promise—and a warning. “Lyra.”