Luna No More

Chapter 10

The Queen's Power



The light consumed everything.

Silver.

Brilliant.

Endless.

For one terrifying moment, Isabella felt as though she were no longer standing inside the council chamber.

Instead, she was floating.

Weightless.

Suspended between worlds.

The voices of the palace faded.

The trembling walls disappeared.

Even her own body seemed distant.

Then came the whispers.

Thousands of them.

Soft.

Ancient.

Familiar.

The voices of kings.

Queens.

Warriors.

Generals.

Entire generations speaking at once.

Not loudly.

Not threateningly.

Simply... waiting.

Watching.

Recognizing.

A surge of emotion rushed through her.

Not her emotions.

Theirs.

Pride.

Loss.

Hope.

Grief.

Determination.

Seven hundred years of history crashing into her soul.

The weight of it nearly broke her.

Then one voice emerged above the others.

A woman's voice.

Strong.

Regal.

Gentle.

"Open your eyes, child."

The silver world shattered.

Isabella gasped.

The council chamber reappeared around her.

The light faded.

The trembling stopped.

Silence followed.

Heavy silence.

The kind that arrived after something impossible happened.

Her knees nearly gave out.

Before she could fall, strong hands caught her.

Lucian.

His arm wrapped securely around her waist.

Steadying her.

Protecting her.

For several seconds neither spoke.

The contact felt surprisingly comforting.

Dangerously comforting.

She hated how aware she suddenly became of him.

The warmth of his body.

The scent of pine and moonlight surrounding him.

The strength beneath his calm exterior.

Her wolf purred.

Actually purred.

Traitor.

Absolute traitor.

"Easy."

Lucian's voice was unusually gentle.

"You're safe."

Safe.

The word struck something deep inside her.

Because she hadn't felt safe in a very long time.

Not since before Damien's betrayal.

Not since before her world collapsed.

Yet somehow...

When Lucian said it, she believed him.

A rare and dangerous thing.

The massive council doors burst open.

Several guards rushed inside.

Followed by Lady Seraphina.

And half the royal council.

Everyone stopped instantly.

Staring.

The symbols covering the floor had not disappeared.

Ancient silver markings stretched across the chamber like glowing rivers.

Beautiful.

Terrifying.

Alive.

One elderly council member immediately dropped to his knees.

Another followed.

Then another.

Isabella stared.

"What are they doing?"

Seraphina looked at her as though she had asked why the moon shone at night.

"They recognize what just happened."

The elderly noble lowered his head.

"Your Majesty."

The title hit Isabella like a physical blow.

Her Majesty.

No.

No.

Absolutely not.

She was not ready for that.

Not remotely.

Three weeks ago she had been planning a Luna ceremony.

Now people were bowing.

The universe clearly had a strange sense of humor.

"I think there's been a misunderstanding."

Nobody moved.

Nobody stood.

Nobody corrected her.

Wonderful.

Lucian looked suspiciously amused.

She shot him a glare.

His expression remained perfectly neutral.

The liar.

Seraphina approached slowly.

"The royal symbols haven't appeared in centuries."

Her silver eyes shone with emotion.

"You awakened them."

The room grew quiet again.

Reverent.

Almost sacred.

"The kingdom has waited generations for this moment."

The responsibility behind those words felt crushing.

Thousands of lives.

Entire kingdoms.

Expectations she never asked for.

How was she supposed to carry all that?

As though sensing her thoughts, Lucian spoke.

"You don't have to carry it alone."

The words were simple.

Yet something inside her eased slightly.

Just slightly.

Enough to breathe again.

Hours later, Isabella stood alone on a balcony overlooking the kingdom.

Or at least she tried to be alone.

The palace seemed determined to prevent that.

Servants followed her.

Guards followed her.

Nobles followed her.

Everyone suddenly wanted something.

Information.

Approval.

Recognition.

Attention.

It was exhausting.

The hidden kingdom stretched below.

Silver rooftops gleamed beneath the moonlight.

Thousands of lights illuminated the city.

Music drifted from distant streets.

The people had already heard.

News traveled quickly.

The heir had awakened.

The Queen had returned.

Neither statement felt real.

The balcony door opened quietly.

She didn't need to turn around.

Somehow she already knew.

Lucian.

"You've been avoiding everyone."

His voice carried faint amusement.

"I'm considering escaping."

"A solid strategy."

She looked at him.

"Really?"

"No."

A pause.

"You're terrible at hiding."

Despite herself, she laughed.

The sound surprised both of them.

Because it had been a long time since she genuinely laughed.

Far too long.

The smile faded quickly.

"What happens now?"

Lucian joined her at the railing.

For a while neither spoke.

The city glowed beneath them.

Peaceful.

Beautiful.

Temporary.

Eventually he answered.

"The awakening changes everything."

"Helpful."

His lips twitched.

Again.

That almost-smile.

The one that appeared when he forgot to be intimidating.

"The noble houses will choose sides."

That wasn't surprising.

"Some already support you."

"And the others?"

His expression hardened.

"They'll challenge you."

Of course they would.

Nothing in her life could ever be simple.

"How bad?"

Lucian remained silent.

That told her everything.

Very bad.

Wonderful.

She rested her arms against the railing.

The cool stone felt grounding.

Real.

Unlike everything else happening around her.

"Can I ask you something?"

Lucian nodded.

"You've known about me for a while."

A long while, apparently.

"Why?"

For the first time, genuine surprise appeared in his eyes.

"As in why did I search for you?"

She nodded.

The question had haunted her.

Why would the most powerful king in existence spend years searching for a woman he had never met?

Lucian looked toward the moon.

For a moment she thought he might refuse.

Instead he answered.

"I made a promise."

The response caught her off guard.

"A promise?"

His gaze remained distant.

"To someone important."

Something painful flickered across his face.

Gone almost immediately.

But she saw it.

Grief.

Old grief.

Ancient grief.

The kind that never fully healed.

"Who?"

Silence.

The wind moved through the balcony.

Far below, music drifted through the city.

Finally he answered.

"Your ancestor."

Isabella froze.

"What?"

Lucian's expression became unreadable.

"Seven hundred years ago, I knew the royal family."

The statement took several seconds to process.

Because she already knew Lycans aged differently.

She just hadn't fully considered what that meant.

"You knew them?"

His voice lowered.

"I fought beside them."

A chill ran through her.

"You were there."

Lucian nodded once.

The realization hit hard.

The m******e.

The war.

The fall of the kingdom.

Lucian hadn't learned about those events.

He remembered them.

He had lived through them.

For the first time, Isabella truly understood how old he was.

How much he had lost.

How many centuries he had spent carrying those memories.

No wonder his eyes sometimes looked haunted.

No wonder loneliness lingered beneath his confidence.

No wonder he seemed detached from everyone around him.

Everyone he loved had died.

Everyone except...

A sudden thought appeared.

"The queen."

Lucian became very still.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

"You cared about her."

Not a question.

An observation.

His jaw tightened.

That was answer enough.

The realization settled between them.

Heavy.

Complicated.

The ancient queen had mattered to him.

Perhaps more than mattered.

Perhaps much more.

Unexpected jealousy flickered through Isabella.

She immediately hated herself for it.

The woman had died seven hundred years ago.

Being jealous of a dead queen was ridiculous.

Absolutely ridiculous.

Yet the feeling lingered.

Traitorous emotions.

She blamed her wolf.

Her wolf blamed her.

Neither accepted responsibility.

Probably because both were guilty.

Far beneath the palace, hidden deep within the mountain, something awakened.

Ancient doors trembled.

Dust fell from forgotten stone.

A sealed chamber slowly opened.

Inside rested a silver crown.

The true Crown of the Moon.

Lost for seven centuries.

Hidden since the m******e.

Waiting.

Watching.

Recognizing.

The moment Isabella's awakening swept through the kingdom, the crown responded.

Silver light illuminated the darkness.

Ancient symbols appeared across its surface.

And for the first time in centuries...

The Crown chose its Queen.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, Damien Storm could not sleep.

Again.

Rain hammered against the windows of the Alpha House.

The same nightmare returned every night.

Isabella walking away.

Isabella disappearing into darkness.

Isabella refusing to look back.

The dream ended differently each time.

But the feeling remained.

Loss.

Regret.

Fear.

A knock interrupted his thoughts.

Sophia entered.

Without invitation.

As usual.

Damien's irritation immediately surfaced.

A change Sophia noticed.

Recently she noticed everything.

Especially the growing distance between them.

"You missed dinner."

He didn't answer.

"You missed breakfast too."

Still nothing.

Sophia crossed her arms.

"You're thinking about her again."

The accusation hung in the air.

Damien's silence confirmed it.

Sophia's expression darkened.

"You rejected her."

"I remember."

"Then stop acting like you're the victim."

The words struck harder than intended.

Because somewhere deep inside...

He knew she was right.

He had made the choice.

Nobody forced him.

Nobody controlled him.

The consequences belonged to him.

Yet something felt wrong.

Terribly wrong.

For weeks, he couldn't shake the sensation that fate itself was slipping through his fingers.

As though he had thrown away something irreplaceable.

Then suddenly—

Pain exploded through his chest.

Damien doubled over.

His wolf howled.

Not in agony.

In recognition.

A strange silver light flashed outside the window.

Gone almost instantly.

Damien froze.

His wolf became frantic.

Alert.

Excited.

Terrified.

The reaction made no sense.

None whatsoever.

Yet one certainty settled deep inside him.

Isabella was alive.

And something had changed.

Something enormous.

Something world-changing.

Somewhere beyond Silver Fang territory, destiny was awakening.

And for the first time since rejecting her...

Damien feared he might never get a second chance.

Back at the Moon Palace, Isabella stood alone after Lucian left.

The conversation lingered in her thoughts.

The promise.

The ancient queen.

The m******e.

The centuries of waiting.

Questions multiplied faster than answers.

Then a servant appeared.

Breathing hard.

Pale.

Nervous.

"Your—Your Majesty."

The title still felt strange.

"What is it?"

The servant swallowed.

"The royal vault has opened."

Isabella frowned.

"The vault?"

The servant nodded.

Fear and excitement battled across his face.

"It only opens for a crowned ruler."

A chill ran through her.

"What was inside?"

The servant's voice dropped to a whisper.

"A crown."

Silence.

The servant's next words sent ice through her veins.

"And it has your name written on it."