Luna No More

Chapter 9

The Royal Awakening



The morning after the assassination attempt began with whispers.

Every corridor Isabella walked through fell silent the moment she appeared.

Servants lowered their heads.

Warriors exchanged glances.

Nobles watched her from a distance.

News traveled quickly inside the hidden Lycan Kingdom.

The lost heir had survived her first assassination attempt.

Not only survived.

She had used royal power.

Actual royal power.

The kind many believed existed only in legends.

The kind nobody had witnessed for centuries.

Unfortunately, surviving one attack did not make everyone her ally.

Far from it.

As Isabella followed Lucian through the massive halls of the Moon Palace, she could feel judgment everywhere.

The palace itself was breathtaking.

Silver pillars stretched toward vaulted ceilings painted with scenes of ancient wars.

Moonstone chandeliers illuminated polished floors.

Massive stained-glass windows depicted kings, queens, warriors, and mythical beasts.

Every inch of the palace reminded visitors of one thing.

Power.

Ancient power.

The kind of power Isabella wasn't sure she deserved.

"You keep staring at the floor."

Lucian's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"I'm thinking."

"Dangerous habit."

She shot him a look.

To her annoyance, amusement flickered in his eyes.

The man had become increasingly difficult to understand.

One moment he was terrifying.

The next he was teasing her.

It was unfair.

And confusing.

Mostly confusing.

They reached a pair of enormous silver doors.

Two guards immediately stepped aside.

Lucian stopped.

"The council is waiting."

Isabella's stomach tightened.

Wonderful.

Politics.

Her favorite form of torture.

"Do they hate me already?"

Lucian considered the question.

"Some do."

"Honesty. Nice."

"They respect strength."

His gaze remained steady.

"Today will determine whether they respect you."

That wasn't concerning at all.

Not even a little.

The doors opened.

And Isabella walked into her first royal council meeting.

The chamber was enormous.

A circular table occupied the center of the room.

Twelve individuals sat around it.

Every one of them looked powerful.

Dangerous.

Influential.

Several wore military uniforms.

Others wore elaborate noble clothing.

Some simply radiated authority.

All of them stared at her.

Evaluating.

Judging.

Measuring.

The atmosphere reminded Isabella of a pack gathering.

Except far more intimidating.

Because these people weren't ordinary wolves.

They were rulers.

Generals.

Nobles.

People capable of changing kingdoms.

Lucian took his seat at the head of the table.

The room immediately straightened.

Power shifted.

Even seated, he dominated the chamber.

A reminder that regardless of titles or politics, Lucian Nightshade remained the strongest person in the kingdom.

Perhaps the strongest person in the world.

"The council is assembled," Lucian announced.

His voice echoed through the room.

The conversations stopped instantly.

"We will begin."

A woman with silver hair stood first.

She appeared to be in her forties, though Isabella suspected she was much older.

Lycans aged differently.

Lady Seraphina Ashbourne.

One of the names Isabella had heard repeatedly.

Head of the royal archives.

Keeper of ancient records.

And apparently one of the few people who supported Isabella's claim.

Seraphina bowed slightly.

"The mountain recognized her."

Murmurs spread around the table.

"The sanctuary awakened."

More murmurs.

"The bloodline exists."

A few council members nodded.

Others remained skeptical.

Then another man stood.

And immediately Isabella disliked him.

Tall.

Broad-shouldered.

Arrogant.

Lord Victor Thorn.

Commander of the Western Legions.

One of the kingdom's most powerful nobles.

"The mountain recognizes blood."

His voice carried easily through the chamber.

"That does not make her a queen."

Silence followed.

The challenge hung in the air.

Heavy.

Deliberate.

Public.

Isabella realized exactly what he was doing.

Testing her.

The council watched carefully.

Waiting.

Victor looked directly at her.

"Tell me, Lady Isabella."

His tone made it clear he didn't consider her royalty.

"What qualifies you to rule?"

There it was.

The question everyone wanted answered.

The question she wasn't entirely sure she could answer herself.

A few months ago she had been helping organize harvest schedules inside Silver Fang Pack.

Now she was supposedly heir to an ancient throne.

It sounded absurd.

Because it was absurd.

But running from the truth wouldn't help.

So Isabella stood.

The room watched.

"I don't know."

Several council members looked surprised.

Victor smirked.

He clearly believed she had already failed.

Unfortunately for him, she wasn't finished.

"I don't know if I'm qualified."

The chamber grew quiet.

"I don't know if I deserve this."

More silence.

"But I know what betrayal looks like."

Victor's smirk faded.

"I know what it feels like to lose everything."

Her voice strengthened.

"I know what it means to sacrifice for people who never appreciated it."

The room listened carefully now.

Very carefully.

Because Isabella wasn't speaking like royalty.

She was speaking from experience.

From pain.

From truth.

"And if ruling means protecting people from experiencing that same suffering..."

Her gaze swept across the council.

"...then I'll learn."

Silence.

Long silence.

Then Seraphina smiled.

Several others nodded.

Even a few skeptics appeared thoughtful.

Victor, however, remained unimpressed.

Of course he did.

Men like him never surrendered easily.

"Pretty words."

The insult was subtle.

Intentional.

"But words do not win wars."

"No."

Isabella agreed.

"They don't."

Victor blinked.

Clearly expecting resistance.

Instead she continued.

"But neither does arrogance."

Several council members coughed suspiciously.

Others looked away.

One woman appeared to be hiding a smile.

Victor's face darkened.

Interesting.

Apparently nobody challenged him very often.

Good.

Someone should.

Before Victor could respond, the chamber doors opened.

A messenger rushed inside.

Breathing heavily.

Panicked.

Not a good sign.

The room immediately became alert.

The messenger dropped to one knee.

"My King."

Lucian's expression hardened.

"Report."

The messenger swallowed.

"The assassin we captured..."

A pause.

"He spoke."

Every council member focused instantly.

Including Isabella.

Finally.

Answers.

Lucian leaned forward slightly.

"Continue."

The messenger's face turned pale.

"The attack was ordered by the Crimson Court."

The room exploded.

Council members stood.

Voices rose.

Arguments began immediately.

Isabella frowned.

She had never heard of the Crimson Court.

Judging by everyone's reaction, that probably wasn't a good thing.

Lucian's expression became dangerous.

Very dangerous.

The kind of dangerous that made powerful nobles suddenly stop talking.

The chamber fell silent.

"The Crimson Court should not know about her."

Nobody answered.

Because everyone understood the implication.

Someone leaked information.

Someone inside the kingdom had betrayed them.

The realization hit Isabella hard.

Another betrayal.

Of course.

Apparently betrayal followed her everywhere.

"The traitor remains unidentified," the messenger continued.

"But the assassin confirmed one thing."

The room held its breath.

"The Crimson Court believes the heir has awakened."

Fear spread across several faces.

Not fear of Isabella.

Fear of what came next.

Lucian slowly stood.

Power filled the chamber.

Heavy.

Ancient.

Overwhelming.

"Increase palace security."

His voice left no room for argument.

"Seal all gates."

The council nodded immediately.

"Nobody enters."

His eyes swept across the room.

"Nobody leaves."

The order landed like a hammer.

The kingdom was officially on lockdown.

And suddenly Isabella realized the situation was far more serious than she imagined.

Because whoever wanted her dead wasn't some rogue assassin.

It was an entire organization.

An ancient one.

Powerful enough to frighten even the Lycan Council.

The meeting ended shortly afterward.

Council members departed quickly.

Whispering among themselves.

Planning.

Preparing.

Worrying.

Only Isabella and Lucian remained.

The chamber felt strangely empty now.

Quieter.

More personal.

She leaned against the table.

"So..."

Lucian looked up.

"The Crimson Court."

His expression darkened.

"You've heard of them?"

"No."

"Good."

That wasn't reassuring.

At all.

She crossed her arms.

"That sounds like a terrible answer."

"It is a terrible answer."

He walked toward one of the windows.

Moonlight streamed across the floor.

"The Crimson Court helped destroy your family."

The words froze her.

Every emotion disappeared.

For a moment she simply stared.

"What?"

Lucian's jaw tightened.

"They weren't the only ones involved."

His voice grew colder.

"But they were among the worst."

A chill crawled down her spine.

"The same people who killed the royal bloodline..."

"Or their descendants."

His golden eyes met hers.

"They have spent centuries hunting survivors."

The room suddenly felt smaller.

Much smaller.

Because this wasn't history.

It wasn't some ancient tragedy.

It was still happening.

Even now.

"They'll keep coming."

Lucian nodded.

"Yes."

More assassins.

More enemies.

More danger.

The thought should have terrified her.

Instead something unexpected happened.

Anger surfaced.

Hot.

Sharp.

Relentless.

No.

She was done running.

Done hiding.

Done being prey.

Her entire life had been shaped by people making decisions for her.

Damien.

Sophia.

The council.

The assassins.

The Crimson Court.

Enough.

Silver light flickered beneath her skin.

Lucian immediately noticed.

Of course he did.

The air around her began to hum.

Power gathered.

Building.

Growing.

The same energy from the sanctuary.

Except stronger.

Much stronger.

The windows rattled.

The chamber trembled.

Moonlight poured through the stained glass.

And for the first time since awakening her bloodline, Isabella stopped resisting.

She embraced it.

Accepted it.

The pain.

The loss.

The betrayal.

All of it.

Silver energy exploded outward.

The entire room illuminated.

Ancient symbols appeared across the floor.

The palace shook.

Far beyond the chamber, bells began ringing.

One after another.

Across the entire kingdom.

Lucian stared.

For the first time since meeting him...

The Lycan King looked genuinely shocked.

The power surged higher.

Stronger.

Brighter.

And somewhere deep inside herself, Isabella heard a voice.

Ancient.

Familiar.

Waiting.

"The Queen awakens."

The silver light consumed everything.