The Nanny Wages

Chapter 3 The Resonating Throne

The private corridor ended in a shadowed alcove above the grand hall. From there, I could see hundreds of Alphas, Betas, and their entourages beneath a thousand floating crystals.

Silk, polished gems, and pack colors filled every table.

Caleb and Ruby had been placed in the far section reserved for minor packs. Their seats told the court far more about Caleb's rank than his boasting ever had.

Caleb kept watching the main entrance, waiting for guards to bring me in with my hands bound.

Every so often, he leaned toward Ruby and rehearsed what he would tell the King after my arrest.

A royal chamberlain appeared at my side and bowed low. “Whenever you are ready, Your Grace.”

I stepped into the hall.

Whispers moved across the tables when I emerged beside the dais. Heads turned. The officials nearest the royal entrance began to recognize me.

I kept my eyes on the two thrones.

Kaelen's throne was carved from shadow-wood and obsidian. The crystal light vanished against its dark surface.

Beside it stood the Luna's Throne, made of moon-silver timber with one great moonstone set into its back.

The second seat had remained empty before the court. Tonight, it was waiting for me.

I walked toward it.

The room quieted with every step. Caleb rose from his chair and gripped the edge of the table. He had expected chains. I crossed the royal dais instead.

A low hum came from the throne. Wolves throughout the hall shifted as the vibration reached their bones.

With every step I took, the moonstone brightened. Silver grain began to glow in the armrests.

When my fingers brushed against the cool, silvery armrest, the throne erupted.

A pillar of white-silver light struck the crystal dome and scattered across the hall. The Moon Goddess's power followed.

Every Alpha bowed as their wolves submitted. Caleb fought it for one second before his head dropped with the rest.

No forged ring or spell could command that response. The Luna's Throne had recognized me before the whole court.

“No.”

Caleb lifted his head as far as the power allowed. His face had gone gray, and his mouth worked around a denial he could barely breathe.

“Black magic!” Ruby shoved through the bowed crowd and pointed at me. “She's a witch! A rogue sorceress! She is defiling the sacred throne!”

The grand entrance doors burst inward.

The crash shook the hall.

Oak and iron struck the floor as the doors came apart. Kaelen's power rolled through the opening and drove nobles and servants to their knees.

The air snapped. Stone groaned beneath the pressure.

“WHO DARES QUESTION MY LUNA?”

Kaelen, the Alpha King, stepped through the ruined doorway with his eyes burning gold. He found me first and checked me for injuries.

Aian rested in his arms, wearing the same royal scowl as his father. The rightful heir to the throne looked bored by all the wreckage.