Rejected, Then Crowned Queen

Chapter three

Lyra stood petrified.

The words of the wolf haunted her, circling in her head.

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"Welcome home... Your Majesty."

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She turned her head to the huge black wolf, thinking she had misunderstood.

"This is impossible!"

As she spoke, the wolf lowered his head in front of her.

One after the other, all the wolves in the clearing did the same.

Twenty wolves, all bowed before her.

Emma inhaled sharply.

"Lyra... what is happening?"

"I do not know."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"There must be some mistake."

The black wolf slowly raised his head and fixed his golden eyes on her.

"There is no mistake."

His voice sounded in her head, not from his mouth.

"For a thousand years, we have been waiting for the true heir of the Lunar Throne."

Lyra frowned.

"The heir?"

She shook her head in confusion.

"You must have the wrong person.

My parents were just simple wolves.

They were healers.

We lived in a small village."

The wolf was silent for a moment, contemplating her words.

"That is what they wanted the world to know."

A sudden gust of wind made the trees sway.

Lyra's heart pounded in her chest.

Ever since she was little, she had wondered about her parents.

Why no one had tried to find them?

Why the elders acted so strangely when she asked about them?

They always told her the same thing.

"You are too young to understand."

At the time, she had accepted their words, but now it seemed they were lying to her.

Emma stepped forward, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Who are you?"

The wolf turned his head to Emma.

"My name is Fenrir.

I am the last Guardian of the Lunar Bloodline."

Emma's eyes widened in shock.

"That's impossible.

The Lunar Bloodline was extinct for centuries."

Fenrir turned his gaze back to Lyra.

"That is what the kingdoms wanted the world to know.

One child survived."

Lyra's heart skipped a beat.

"No...

You're making a mistake.

My parents were not royalty.

They were just..."

She trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Were they just simple wolves?

Fenrir did not answer her question.

Instead, he asked her something else.

"Did your parents ever tell you why no one came to find you when they disappeared?"

Lyra opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Did anyone ever explain to you why no pack claimed you as their own?"

Again, she tried to say something, but her tongue was tied.

Fenrir took a step closer to her.

"Because revealing your true identity would have meant certain death for you and your parents."

The forest suddenly fell silent.

Then, all of a sudden, a white blur shot past the trees.

Another wolf, this one with a snow-white coat, stumbled into the clearing.

Blood covered his fur, and he fell to his knees before Fenrir.

The leader immediately lowered his head.

"Report."

The wounded wolf tried to speak, but his voice was barely a whisper in Lyra's head.

"Royal hunters...

They found us...

They know...

They know about the heir..."

Fenrir's eyes darkened.

"How far are they?"

"Only a few minutes away.

They will be here soon."

Lyra turned to Emma, her heart hammering in her chest.

"They tracked us?

They knew we were here?"

Fenrir gave a slow nod.

"The kingdom has started their hunt.

We need to leave, now."

Lyra frowned.

"No...

I do not think Kael would have ordered innocent wolves to be killed."

Fenrir studied her for a moment.

"Perhaps not.

The king may not have given the order..."

His voice trailed off as he turned his head to the trees.

"...but the kingdom's soldiers are not the only ones with armies."

Suddenly, a hunting horn sounded in the distance, followed by another.

Lyra turned to the trees, her heart pounding in her chest.

Emma grabbed her hand.

"We need to go."

Fenrir turned to the trees as well.

"We will not make it."

The underbrush suddenly erupted as dozens of soldiers stormed the clearing.

Fully armored and armed, the soldiers formed a line across the forest.

Their silver armor gleamed under the red moonlight, and their weapons were already drawn.

The captain stepped forward and pointed his sword at Lyra.

"There she is."

His voice was loud and boisterous.

"By the order of Alpha King Aldric, Lyra Ashwyn is to be brought before the Lunar Throne.

If she resists, you have permission to kill her."

Lyra's heart sank to her feet.

It had only been a few hours since she had lost Kael, and now she was already a fugitive of the kingdom.

Fenrir stepped in front of her, his eyes glowing with an ancient power.

A low growl rumbled from his chest, and the ground trembled beneath their feet.

The soldiers all looked uneasy.

One of them tightened his grip on his spear.

"That's not an ordinary wolf..."

"No," Another murmured, his voice filled with dread.

"It never was."

Fenrir let out a deafening howl that sent shivers down Lyra's spine.

The mountains seemed to shake, and the trees swayed violently.

Ancient runes of silver color appeared on the ground, and huge pillars of stone shot up from the earth.

Massive gates, covered in moonlight vines and forgotten markings, rose from the ground in front of the pack.

Lyra stared in awe as glowing symbols appeared on the gates, marking the entrance to a long-forgotten kingdom.

The Kingdom of Luna had awakened.