The Omega Who Became Queen

THE TRUTH REVEALED

The Council chamber was silent.

Aldric's words still hung in the air like a threat. When I do, you will wish you had never been born. I could feel Damian's hand tighten around mine, his pulse a steady rhythm against my palm. Nathaniel was close on my right, his presence a quiet anchor. Caleb and Marcus flanked me, their bodies tense, ready.

I had challenged him. I had told him to prove it.

And now I was going to see what he had.

"Very well," Aldric said. He turned to the Council members, his smile never wavering. "I have brought evidence. Evidence that will show the true nature of this Omega and the danger she poses to this kingdom."

He clapped his hands. The doors at the back of the chamber opened.

A man walked in. He was old, his face lined with years, his eyes sharp and calculating. He wore the robes of a scholar, and he carried a leather-bound book in his hands.

"Who is this?" I asked.

Aldric's smile widened. "This is Kaelen. He is a historian. He has spent his life studying the Royal Bite and its history. He has found something, something that will change everything you think you know."

The old man stepped forward. He opened the book and began to read.

"The Royal Bite is not a blessing." His voice was cold, flat, clinical. "It is a warning. It appears when the kingdom is in danger. It appears when darkness is coming. It appears on the neck of the one who will bring about the fall."

The words hit me like a physical blow. My chest tightened. My breath caught in my throat. I pressed my hand to my chest, trying to steady myself, but I could feel my heart pounding against my ribs.

"That is not true."

Kaelen looked at me. His eyes were cold. "It is true. The records are clear. Every time the Royal Bite has appeared, the kingdom has fallen. The last time it appeared was three hundred years ago. The kingdom was destroyed."

The Council members stirred. Whispers filled the room.

I felt my heart pounding. "The mark appeared on me. I did not choose it. I did not ask for it."

Aldric stepped forward. "You did not choose it because you are the instrument of destruction. The mark chose you because you are the threat."

"That is not what the Moon Goddess would"

"The Moon Goddess does not speak to you," Aldric said. His voice was cold. "You are a servant. You are a nothing. You are the end of this kingdom."

I felt Damian step forward. His voice was low and dangerous. "You are a liar. You are twisting the truth."

Aldric turned to him. "Am I? The records are clear. The evidence is undeniable. She is not the queen. She is the end."

The Council members were staring at me. I could feel their eyes on me, weighing me, judging me.

I had to say something. I had to do something.

"The records are not true," I said. "The mark is not a warning. It is a choice. The Moon Goddess chose me not because I am a threat, but because I am worthy."

Aldric laughed. "Worthy? You are a servant. You are a nothing. You cannot even prove who your parents are. You are nobody."

I felt the words hit me. They were the same words I had heard my whole life. You are nothing. You will always be nothing.

But I was not nothing anymore.

I looked at him. My hands were trembling, but I pressed them to my sides and forced them still. My voice came out steady steadier than I expected.

"I do not know who my parents are. I do not know where I came from. But I know the Moon Goddess chose me. And I will not let you take that away from me."

The silence stretched. Aldric's smile faded.

Then he spoke.

"Then you leave me with no choice. I will present my evidence to the Council. They will decide. And when they do" He looked at me, his eyes cold. "You will wish you had never been born."

I walked out of the Council chamber on shaking legs. The corridors stretched ahead of me, empty and cold. Damian was at my side, his hand still wrapped around mine. Nathaniel was close behind me. Caleb and Marcus flanked us, their presence a shield. No one spoke. The silence was heavier than any words.

I stopped when I reached the gardens. The sky was dark, the stars hidden behind clouds.

"I do not know what to do," I said.

Damian stepped closer. His voice was quiet. "We will figure it out. Together."

Caleb's voice cracked. "He is lying. He has to be lying. The mark cannot be a curse. It cannot."

Marcus said nothing. He just stood there, his eyes dark, his jaw tight.

Nathaniel stepped forward. He did not speak. He just took my hand and held it. His fingers were warm and steady, and I felt the tension in my shoulders ease just a little.

"I am scared," I admitted. "I am scared of losing everything I have gained."

Damian looked at me. His eyes were fierce. "You will not lose anything. We will not let you."

Caleb stepped forward. His voice was raw but steady. "I have loved you since we were teenagers. I will not let him take you away from me."

Marcus finally spoke. His voice was quiet. "I have secrets. I know that. But I am still here. I will always be here."

Nathaniel squeezed my hand.

I looked at all four of them. Damian's fierce determination burned in his eyes. Caleb's raw devotion was written on his face. Marcus's guarded hope was barely visible behind his fear. Nathaniel's quiet love was steady and warm. They were standing around me, their bodies close, their presence a shield against the cold. The men who had once broken me. The men who were now trying to put me back together.

I did not know if I could trust them. I did not know if I could forgive them.

But I knew I did not want to face this alone.

"I do not know what Aldric's evidence will show," I said. "But I know I will fight. I will not let him take this from me."

Damian nodded. "Then we will fight with you."

The proof was in front of me.

And I knew everything was about to change.