The Alpha Surrogate Luna

The Frozen Emblem

Gloria’s POV

I gripped the edge of the parchment scroll until the paper crumpled beneath my fingers, staring at the fresh ink of the summons.

"Julian wants an audience," I said, looking up at Martha as the messenger boy hurried away down the corridor. "He summoned me to the vanguard assembly grounds at noon."

Martha took the letter from my hands, her sharp eyes scanning the seal. "He is trying to make a public show out of you, Gloria. He thinks if he forces you to stand in front of the entire military vanguard while he assumes command, nobody will dare to question his authority."

"I am not going to sit in my room and hide while he parades my family's stolen legacy," I said, setting my shoulders back and walking toward the grand wooden wardrobe. "If he wants me there to watch his triumph, then I will let the whole court see how a real Sorensen stands."

Before Martha could reply, the heavy doors of my suite swung open. William stepped into the entryway, his tall frame filling the archway as his golden eyes locked onto the paper in Martha's hand. He was dressed in a pristine dark tunic adorned with gold trim, though his pale skin and the tight set of his jaw revealed the hidden physical strain he was enduring.

"I see the High Council's summons reached you," William said, his deep voice filling the quiet room. "You do not have to go, Gloria. I can easily cancel this assembly with a single decree."

"No, William," I answered, meeting his gaze firmly. "If I stay hidden in this wing, the court will think I am terrified of Julian. I want to look him in the eye when he tries to claim my father's command."

William observed me for a quiet moment, a faint glimmer of respect passing through his golden eyes. "Then you will walk beside me," he said, holding out his arm. "No one in that courtyard will touch you while I am at your side."

I placed my hand gently over his warm forearm, feeling the steady strength beneath his heavy coat. Together, we walked out of the private wing and descended the grand marble staircases leading toward the outer military grounds. Servants, guards, and highborn nobles lined the grand halls, their eyes widening in total disbelief as they watched the Supreme Alpha escorting the banished Sorensen daughter through the palace gates.

The training grounds were massive, surrounded by high stone walls and iron balconies filled with eager spectators from the High Council. Hundreds of heavily armored vanguard warriors stood in rigid, silent ranks across the wide dirt field. In the center of the raised wooden dais stood Julian, wearing polished steel armor and a confident, arrogant smirk across his face. Beside him, Elder Malaki held a heavy velvet pillow that displayed our family's ancestral military emblem, the gold crest gleaming brightly under the afternoon sun.

When William and I stepped onto the edge of the assembly field, a wave of stunned silence rippled across the surrounding crowd. Whispers broke out among the nobles on the balconies, but William kept his pace slow and steady, guiding me directly toward the high spectator box reserved for the royal family.

"Look at him," I murmured softly, watching Julian adjust his gauntlets on the raised platform. "He thinks today is his crowning moment."

"A crown means nothing if the head beneath it is weak," William replied quietly, taking his place beside my chair at the front of the balcony. "Watch him carefully, Gloria."

Elder Malaki stepped forward on the wooden stage, clearing his throat loudly as he raised a long parchment scroll. "By decree of the High Council," Malaki shouted, his booming voice carrying over the quiet field, "we officially grant command of the border vanguard to Lord Julian Menchaca, who holds the ancestral Sorensen emblem."

The crowd applauded politely, though many of the veteran vanguard officers kept their arms crossed, watching the stage with cautious, guarded eyes. Julian stepped forward with an inflated sense of pride, lifting his chin high as he reached down to pick up the heavy golden crest from the velvet pillow.

He turned toward the grand balcony, his dark eyes locking directly onto mine with a cold, mocking victory. He held the golden emblem high above his head with both hands, letting the sunlight catch the intricate wolf engravings carved into the surface.

"Warriors of the vanguard!" Julian roared, his voice echoing off the surrounding stone walls. "Today, we claim total control over the borderlands! By the ancient blood of command, I awaken the crest!"

He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath as he poured his Alpha aura into the relic, shouting the ancient words of activation that my father had used for decades to summon the troops. His face was lit with absolute triumph, his jaw set as he waited for the emblem to ignite with its legendary, blinding golden light.

The emblem stayed cold and lifeless in his hands, and a horrified murmur swept through the entire crowd.