Rejected, Then Crowned Queen

Chapter nine

The creatures charged.

For one heart-stopping second, Lyra couldn't move.

There were too many of them.

They poured out of the forest, their red eyes glowing in the darkness.

Then, the first one reached the gate.

Boom!

It slammed into the ancient wall, bouncing off.

Another one came.

And another.

The whole wall shook.

"Hold the line!" Kael roared.

Silver Moon warriors charged, their weapons gleaming.

Stone guardians joined the fray.

The courtyard was a maelstrom of chaos.

Lyra stood in the middle of it all, frozen in place.

She could hear the clash of steel and the snarling of beasts.

But she heard something else, too.

A heartbeat.

Not her own, but something deeper, something older.

It thundered in her chest.

Thump.

Lyra pressed a hand to her heart.

Thump.

A sudden warmth bloomed beneath her skin, chasing away the chill of the night.

Fenrir was watching her closely.

"Lyra."

She turned to him.

"What?"

"Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Trust me."

She hesitated.

Then, slowly, she closed her eyes.

The world around her vanished.

The battle, the palace, Kael, Emma...

For one moment, Lyra felt as if she was floating in the void.

Then, a voice spoke, calm and familiar.

"You have spent your entire life believing you were weak."

Lyra's breath caught in her throat.

Her mother's voice.

__PROTECTED_FOREIGN_QUOTE_1__

A warm glow surrounded her.

She saw her mother standing before her.

Not in the palace, but somewhere else.

Someplace familiar.

Selene reached out and squeezed Lyra's shoulder gently.

"Your blood contains the power of the first Lunar Queen."

Lyra blinked.

"What power?"

Her mother gave her a sad smile.

"The power to command the Moon."

The vision began to fade.

"Wait!"

Lyra reached out, but her mother was already vanishing.

"Why did you leave me?" Lyra pleaded.

Selene's expression softened.

"Because loving you meant leaving you alive."

Then, her mother whispered,

"And because one day, you will have to finish what I could not."

The vision ended.

Lyra opened her eyes.

The courtyard had changed.

All the creatures had stopped fighting.

All the wolves had dropped to their knees.

Even the warriors were frozen in place.

Kael turned to her, his expression stunned.

"What did you do?"

Lyra had no idea.

She looked down at her hands, noticing the glow.

Above them, the crimson moon was slowly changing to silver.

A beam of light fell from the sky, striking the ground at her feet.

The creatures were growling, their fur standing on end.

Their leader took a step forward, hissing.

"No."

For the first time, fear flickered in his red eyes.

"You cannot have awakened."

Lyra turned to him.

"Who are you?"

The creature took a step back.

"We were told your bloodline was extinct."

"Answer me,"

Lyra demanded.

Her voice was quiet, but it seemed to echo throughout the courtyard.

The creature trembled.

"You are the daughter of Selene."

Lyra's eyes narrowed.

"And you?"

The creature bowed his head.

"We are the Hollowborn."

Darian's expression darkened.

"The Hollowborn..."

Fenrir's jaw tightened.

"You survived."

The creature laughed, but there was a note of sadness in his voice.

"Some of us."

He straightened, his glowing amber eyes locking onto Lyra's.

"And now, we will finish what our ancestors started."

He raised a clawed hand.

"Kill the queen."

The creatures surged forward, but this time, Lyra didn't run.

She raised her hand and sent a shockwave of energy flying from her fingertips.

The creatures crashed into the gate, spilling onto the courtyard floor.

The ancient doors trembled under the impact.

The whole city of Luna was consumed in silver light.

Each tower, every statue, every bridge was outlined in glowing light.

The stone guardians all stood, their eyes glowing with an ethereal blue light.

Fenrir stared at her in astonishment.

"The first command."

Lyra turned to him.

"What?"

"You just gave an order to the kingdom."

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to."

He gestured toward the sky.

The silver moon had completely replaced the crimson one overhead.

"The Moon heard you."

Kael watched her from several feet away.

The woman who had refused his advances hours ago was unrecognizable.

Not because she looked different, but because she carried herself with a new confidence.

She no longer needed the approval of others.

Kael lowered his sword.

"Lyra..."

She turned to him, her violet eyes searching his face.

For a long moment, neither of them said anything.

Then, Kael stepped forward, running a hand through his dark hair.

"I was wrong."

Lyra's gaze snapped to his.

"About what?"

"About you."

He hesitated briefly before continuing.

"I thought strength came from power alone...

I thought a queen had to be feared..."

His voice softened.

"I was wrong."

Lyra studied him for a moment.

"You rejected me."

"I know."

"You humiliated me."

"I know."

"You told everyone I wasn't worthy."

Kael looked away.

"I know."

The words twisted inside Lyra's chest.

She had spent so long believing them.

But at this moment, she realized they didn't control her anymore.

"You don't get to decide my worth."

Kael turned back to her.

"No.

You decide it."

Before Lyra could respond, Fenrir suddenly turned toward the palace.

His golden eyes widened in alarm.

"Something is wrong."

A deep tremor shook the ground beneath them.

The palace doors slammed shut.

Emma grabbed onto Lyra's arm.

"What now?"

Fenrir whirled around, his expression grim.

"The seal beneath Luna has been broken."

Darian paled.

"No..."

"What?" Lyra asked, confused.

He turned to her, his face ashen.

"The creature you fought outside the palace...

It was not the one we should have been worried about."

A great fissure split the floor of the throne room.

Something was coming up from below.

Then, a voice echoed from the darkness, deep and angry.

"Selene's daughter..."

The ground shook.

"Your mother was unable to stop me."

Two blazing crimson eyes peered up from the depths of the earth.

"Neither will you."