The mountain didn’t feel hidden anymore.
It felt hunted.
What had once been an ancient sanctuary, tucked away beneath rock and silence for more than twenty years, now felt heavy with a new burden—the kingdom’s awakening. The torches blazed brighter. Shadows seemed to twitch. Even the air thrummed, every beat of her heart pounding with the sense that nothing would ever be the same again.
Nyra stood dead center in the old stone chamber, frozen.
The echo of that strange, ageless voice clung to her thoughts:
The throne awaits its queen.
Queen.
She’d spent years just trying to prove she deserved to stand next to an Alpha. Now, out of nowhere, an ancient kingdom wanted to toss a crown on her head.
She almost laughed out loud at the thought.
Images flashed in her mind. Getting mocked for
