Fated Against The Throne

Elaris POV The teacup slipped from my hand before I even understood what was happening. Another accident, this wasn't good. It smashed against the floor dragging attention to me. Hot tea spread across the wooden boards. Pieces of white ceramic scattered everywhere. A sharp sound filled the small shop, and every person inside turned to stare at me. For a moment I just stood there. My hands trembled. My chest felt tight, like someone squeezed my ribs from the inside. Something was wrong. I tried to breathe slowly, but the air felt strange in my lungs. My fingers curled against the edge of the counter while I forced myself to stay standing. The human customer in front of me frowned. “Miss? Are you okay?” His voice sounded far away. My eyes blinked, but the shop around me began to twist. The shelves blurred. The wooden walls cracked like glass. Then the vision slammed into me. The world shattered. I saw a throne. It burned. The flames were tall and bright, licking the black stone like they were alive. The fire moved wildly, swallowing the room around it. Wolves surrounded the throne. Hundreds of them. They were kneeling, not calmly or peacefully. They were bowing like they were terrified. Their heads stayed low. Their bodies trembled. Fear rolled off them so strong that even in the vision I could feel it pressing on my skin. Then I looked up. The moon hung in the sky above the throne. Except the moon wasn’t whole. It cracked. Right down the middle. A loud sound echoed as the silver light split apart like broken glass. The sky turned dark. Then someone stepped forward. A man. He wore a silver armor that reflected the burning flames around him. The metal covered his chest, shoulders, and arms. The armor looked ancient but powerful. I tried to see his face but I couldn’t. It stayed hidden in shadow. Still, my chest suddenly burned. Right where my mark should be. My hand flew to my collarbone. Pain spread across my skin. My breath caught in my throat. My body reacted to him in a way it never had before, not with fear or anger. I felt something worse a pull it was strong and heavy. I found it terrifying. It felt like something deep inside me woke up and reached for him. I didn’t understand it. I didn’t want to understand it. Then the vision snapped apart. I found myself back in reality. The shop came back all at once. The broken cup, the spilled tea. The humans staring at me. My knees almost buckled. Warm liquid ran down my lips. I lifted my fingers to my nose. Blood. A drop fell onto the floor. Someone gasped. “Oh my God,” A woman said quietly. “She’s bleeding.” My heart started pounding faster. No no, not here. Not in front of humans. I quickly wiped my nose with the back of my sleeve and forced my shoulders to relax. I bent down and began picking up the broken cup pieces. “It’s nothing,” I said quickly. “Just slipped.” My voice sounded calm even though my head still spun. The man who ordered the tea crouched down to help. “You don’t look okay,” He said. “Maybe you should sit.” “I’m fine,” I replied. I kept my eyes on the floor. People always looked too closely when something strange happened. I couldn’t allow that. Humans couldn’t sense what wolves did. They didn’t feel the wrongness in my scent. But they still noticed when things got weird. And weird followed me too easily. I gathered the cup pieces carefully and placed them on the tray beside the counter. My hands still shook, but I forced them to move slowly. The shop owner, Mrs. Belwick, walked out from the back room. Her sharp eyes landed on the mess. Her mouth tightened immediately. “What happened?” “I dropped it,” I said quickly. Her eyes narrowed. “You dropped it?” She repeated. I nodded and kept my head down. Her voice grew colder. “That was part of the new set.” “I’m sorry.” The words left my mouth automatically. I lowered my shoulders slightly without thinking. That habit always came naturally. Make myself smaller. Less noticeable, meant less trouble. Mrs. Belwick clicked her tongue. “You need to be more careful,” She said. “These things cost money.” “Yes, ma’am.” She sighed loudly and turned back toward the kitchen. “Clean it up and get back to work.” I nodded again. The customers slowly returned to their conversations, though a few still glanced at me with curiosity. I kept my eyes down and wiped the floor slowly. Inside, my thoughts raced. That vision was different. Very different. My visions never showed another person before. Never. They showed disasters. Battles. Broken cities. But never a single man standing in front of me like that. And never that feeling. My fingers pressed lightly against my chest again. The burning where my mark should be faded, but the memory remained. The pull remained. It made my stomach twist. I hated it. When the floor was finally clean, I stood and returned to the counter. The rest of the day passed quietly. Yet, my thoughts stayed loud. Every time I blinked, I saw flashes of silver armor and burning flames. By evening, the shop finally closed. Mrs. Belwick counted the money while I wiped the last table. “You’re leaving already?” Dhe asked without looking up. “My shift ended,” I replied softly. She waved a hand dismissively. “Fine. Just don’t drop anything tomorrow.” “I won’t.” I grabbed my coat and stepped outside. The air in the human district felt calmer than the shop. Street lamps glowed softly. Humans walked past without paying attention to me. That was the reason I worked here. Humans couldn’t smell what wolves smelled. To them, I was just another quiet girl working a simple job. To wolves… I was something else. Something wrong. They couldn’t smell Alpha, Omega or Luna. Hey couldn't differentiate scents like us. I kept my head down as I walked through the narrow streets toward my small house. My guardian Mona should be home by now. Thinking about her made my shoulders relax slightly. Mona was the only person who treated me normally. The small house appeared at the end of the street. But something felt strange immediately, light flickered outside. Metal clinked. I slowed my steps as I became observant. Then I saw them. Soldiers. Royal soldiers to be precise. They stood in front of the house wearing dark armor with the Bloodstone crest. My stomach dropped. There were too many of them. Six or maybe more. My steps stopped completely. One soldier noticed me first. He straightened. “There she is.” My chest tightened. Another figure stood in the center of the group. Tall, still, powerful. Even from a distance, I recognized him immediately. King Riordan. My father. The man who never once treated me like his daughter. My feet felt heavy as I walked forward. Mona stepped out of the doorway. Her face looked pale. Her hands trembled slightly. When she saw me, her eyes filled with something that looked like guilt. That made my stomach twist even harder. I stopped a few feet away from them. My eyes stayed low. “Your Majesty,” I said quietly. King Riordan looked at me like someone studying an insect. Cold and uninterested. “You’re late,” he said. “I was working.” His eyes moved over me slowly. Like he was checking for flaws. “You still waste your time here,” he said flatly. I stayed silent. There was no right answer. There never was with him. One of the soldiers beside him muttered under his breath. “That’s the cursed one?” Another soldier chuckled quietly. “Looks smaller than I expected.” Heat crept up my neck. I lowered my head even more. Mona suddenly stepped forward. “Your Majesty,” She said carefully. King Riordan raised one hand slightly, silencing her. Then his cold eyes returned to me. “You’ve been chosen.” The words landed heavily in the air. My stomach dropped deeper. I already knew what word came next. Mona’s voice trembled when she said it. “Tribute.” The soldiers watched me closely. Waiting. But I didn’t react. I already understood. Tribute meant being sent away. Tribute meant being given to another kingdom. My fingers slowly curled at my sides. “Which kingdom?” I asked quietly. King Riordan’s lips barely moved. “Moranis.” The word made the air feel colder. Enemy territory. Enemy wolves. My chest felt hollow. But my voice stayed small. “When do I leave?” “Tomorrow.” Mona gasped softly behind me. I nodded once. My shoulders stayed low. My eyes stayed down. Just like always. But inside my chest, the memory of the vision burned again. The burning throne. The broken moon. The man in silver armor. And the terrifying pull toward someone I had never seen before. Something told me my life was about to change. And not in a way anyone would survive easily.