HIS CURSED QUEEN

The Dragon Awaking

THE DRAGON’S AWAKENING

The mountains were screaming. Seraphina stood at the edge of the frozen valley, staring at the enormous shadows moving beneath the snow-covered peaks. Something ancient was waking. Something that had been sleeping long before the Ravenwood kingdom was built. The air suddenly became heavy. Lucien stepped beside her, his eyes fixed on the mountains. His wolf was restless. Not afraid. Recognizing. Dante tightened his grip on his weapon while General Aldric looked toward the darkening sky.The clouds were turning black.Seraphina touched the King’s Mark on her shoulder. Pain exploded through her body. She fell to one knee, and Lucien immediately caught her. Seraphina! The mark burned like fire beneath her skin. Then she heard it. A voice. Deep. Ancient. Hungry. Queen of Crimson Blood. Seraphina froze.The voice was not coming from the mountains. It was coming from inside her. Your time is almost over.Her eyes turned crimson. Lucien stared at her.Seraphina, look at me.She raised her head slowly. For one terrifying second, Lucien saw something behind her eyes that was not Seraphina. A dark crown appeared above her head, then vanished. I am fine, she whispered.But Lucien knew she was lying.

A deafening roar suddenly shook the entire mountain range. The ground cracked. Snow fell from the peaks like an avalanche.Everyone looked upward.A massive creature burst through the mountain.Its wings spread across the sky. Black scales covered its enormous body, while its eyes glowed like molten gold. Its claws were large enough to crush a man.A dragon.Dante stepped backward. That thing is enormous. Another roar followed. Then another. Three more shadows emerged from the mountains. Four dragons.Seraphina stared at them. But instead of fear, something strange filled her heart. Recognition. The largest dragon suddenly lowered its head. Its golden eyes locked onto hers. Seraphina stepped forward. Lucien grabbed her arm. Do not go near it. She looked at him. It knows me. Lucien’s expression hardened. How? I do not know.

The dragon lowered its enormous head until its face was only a few meters from Seraphina. The King’s Mark began glowing. The dragon suddenly bowed. Everyone went silent. Even Lucien. Seraphina slowly raised her hand. The moment her fingers touched the dragon’s scales, a vision struck her. Blood. Fire. A kingdom burning. Her mother screaming. Her father kneeling before a dark throne. The Ravenwood castle collapsing. Then she saw someone standing inside the flames. A man wearing a black crown. The Immortal King. Seraphina gasped. He turned toward her. Even inside the vision, he could see her. He smiled. You finally found the dragons. Seraphina pulled her hand away. The vision disappeared. Lucien caught her before she fell. What did you see? She looked at him, breathing heavily. Him. The Immortal King. Lucien’s jaw tightened. What did he say? Seraphina looked toward the dragon. He knows we are here. A cold silence followed. Then the sky changed.

A red moon began appearing behind the clouds. General Aldric looked terrified. That is impossible. Lucien looked upward. The Blood Moon. Dante turned toward him. But it was not supposed to appear yet. Exactly. Lucien looked at Seraphina. The prophecy. Seraphina’s eyes narrowed.bWhen the Blood Moon reaches its peak, either the Wolf King dies... Or the Crimson Queen becomes the vessel of the First Shadow. Nobody spoke. Then Seraphina felt something move beneath her skin. The black mark on her shoulder spread. A thin black line crawled across her neck. Lucien’s eyes widened. Seraphina! She screamed.

Power exploded from her body. Lucien was thrown several meters backward. Dante hit the ground. General Aldric struggled to remain standing. The dragons roared simultaneously. Seraphina rose into the air.Her crimson eyes became completely black. A dark crown formed above her head. The First Shadow had found a way inside. Lucien stood slowly. His wolf erupted through his veins. His eyes turned silver. He looked at Seraphina. Not as a queen. Not as a weapon. As his mate. He stepped forward. Seraphina, come back to me. She looked down at him. A twisted smile appeared on her lips. You should have stayed away from me, Wolf King. Lucien froze. That was not her voice. The First Shadow had spoken through her. The mountains shook again. Then the dragons opened their mouths. Fire filled the sky. But they did not attack Lucien. They attacked the darkness gathering behind Seraphina. The First Shadow screamed. For the first time, it sounded afraid. Lucien understood. The dragons were not awakened to destroy them. They had awakened to protect the Crimson Queen.But there was one problem. The Immortal King had awakened too. Far beyond the mountains, inside a fortress carved into black stone, a man slowly opened his eyes. His smile widened. The Queen has awakened the dragons. He rose from his throne. Then let the war begin. Behind him, thousands of black-armored soldiers dropped to one knee. The Immortal King lifted his hand. Bring me Seraphina Ravenwood alive. And kill the Wolf King. Back in the mountains, Lucien looked at Seraphina floating beneath the Blood Moon. His wolf growled inside him. The mark on his chest began burning. A second mark appeared. A black crown. The same crown that now floated above Seraphina. Lucien stared at it. The prophecy had begun. And this time, there would be no escape.