Chapter 10: The Crown's Burden
788 Words
A cold wind swept through Moonfall Temple as the silver crown rested in Ava's hands.
It was lighter than she expected.
Yet somehow...
It felt as though it carried the weight of an entire kingdom.
The crystal that had merged with her heart continued to glow beneath her skin, pulsing in time with her heartbeat.
General Rowan slowly knelt.
Then the priests.
Then every Lycan warrior inside the temple.
"Long live the Princess," they said in unison.
Ava looked at Kael, uncertain.
"I haven't earned this."
Kael stepped forward.
"You earned it the moment you chose compassion over power."
Before she could answer, the temple shook violently.
A crack raced across the ceiling.
Ancient dust poured down.
"The temple is collapsing!" Rowan shouted.
"The relic has awakened," Kael said. "Its magic has protected this place for centuries. Now that it has chosen you, the temple is beginning to fade."
The company hurried down the ancient corridors. Behind them, walls crumbled and stone pillars crashed to the floor.
As they reached the great entrance, Ava glanced back one last time.
The statues of the former kings and queens stood silently, almost as if they were watching her leave.
Then the great doors slammed shut.
With a deep rumble, Moonfall Temple disappeared beneath the mountain, hidden once more.
---
The journey home was quieter than before.
Each member of the expedition carried new questions.
Damian rode alone.
The possibility that his father had betrayed the royal family haunted him.
At sunset, the army camped beside a clear lake.
Ava sat on a fallen log, staring at the silver crown.
"Can't sleep?" Kael asked.
She smiled faintly.
"You always know."
He sat beside her.
"What troubles you?"
She looked down at the crown.
"Everyone believes I'm destined to save the kingdom."
"But what if they're wrong?"
"What if I fail?"
Kael was silent for a moment.
"When I became King, I asked myself that same question every day."
"What changed?"
"I realized that no ruler succeeds alone."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"You don't have to carry this burden by yourself."
Ava felt warmth spread through her chest.
For the first time since leaving the Silver Moon Pack, she truly believed she wasn't alone.
---
The peaceful night didn't last.
A scout burst into the camp.
"Your Majesty!"
"Riders are approaching!"
The soldiers rushed to their positions.
Moments later, a group of exhausted wolves entered the camp.
Their clothes were torn, and several were wounded.
One of them fell to his knees before Kael.
"Silver Moon Pack..."
"We've been attacked."
Damian stepped forward.
"What happened?"
The warrior struggled to catch his breath.
"Alpha Victor has returned."
Damian's eyes widened.
"My father?"
"He came back with strangers."
"They're wearing black armor marked with a crimson wolf."
"The Blood Fang Clan," Rowan muttered.
The messenger nodded.
"They've taken control of the pack."
"They declared Alpha Victor the new ruler... and anyone who refused to join them was imprisoned."
Damian's face turned pale.
"My father... joined them?"
The messenger lowered his head.
"He says the age of the Lycans is over."
"He has pledged his loyalty to Malachar."
Silence spread through the camp.
Ava remembered Malachar's words in Death Valley.
"Ask Alpha Victor."
Now she finally understood.
The answers she sought were waiting inside the Silver Moon Pack.
Kael turned to his commanders.
"We march at dawn."
"Our destination has changed."
"No longer the royal capital."
He drew his sword.
"We're going to Silver Moon."
A cheer rose from the Lycan warriors.
They would not allow an innocent pack to remain under Blood Fang control.
---
Far away, inside the Silver Moon Pack's great hall, Alpha Victor stood before Malachar.
He was older than Damian, with streaks of gray in his dark hair, but his eyes burned with ambition.
"The Princess is coming," Victor said.
Malachar smiled.
"Good."
Victor hesitated.
"You promised me power."
"You promised I would rule."
Malachar walked slowly around him.
"And you shall..."
"...after one final task."
Victor frowned.
"What task?"
Malachar leaned close and whispered into his ear.
Victor's face drained of color.
"You want me to kill..."
Before he could finish, Malachar smiled.
"There can be no hesitation now."
"You made your choice twenty years ago."
"You will make it again."
Victor closed his eyes.
For the first time in years...
He looked afraid.
Outside the hall, thunder rolled across the night sky.
Unseen by anyone inside, a cloaked figure watched through a broken window.
The stranger quietly mounted a horse and rode into the darkness.
His destination was the Lycan camp.
He carried a secret that could change the course of the war.
And before another sunrise...
Ava's life would be turned upside down once again.
- Writer
