The queen whirls around, lightning–fastb, /bdisarming Celestia with brutal twist of her wrist. In seconds, the knife is pressed against Celestia’s throat. Blood beads instantly.

    “Give bme /bone good reason not to kill you right now,” the queen growls, her voice a low, lethal snarl. “You thought you bcould /btake me down?” She lets out a sharp, humorlessugh. “I’m the Queen.”

    Celestia gasps, her mouth opening but no soundes out.

    “Even if I could forgive you for pointing a de at me,” the queen says, pressing the knife deeper until Celestia wincesb, /bb“/bbI’ll /bnever forgive you for stabbing my daughter in the heart.”

    The fury in her voice sends a shiver down my spine. Something cracks open inside my chestb, /band before I can stop myselfb, /bthe word slips out:

    “Mother, wait.”

    A heavy silence falls. The queen’s eyes snap to mine, stunned. I can see the shock in her expression–mirroring the disbelief in my own. I just called her…

    Mother.

    I swallow hard and make myself speak, even though my voice is shaky. “Killing her like this could lead to unrest,” I say carefully. “She’s worn the crown for years. I’ve been nothing–no one. The people might not ept me, not right away.”

    Celestia lets out a brokenugh.

    “You’re my blood,” the queen snaps. “You carry the Alpha King’s blood in your veins. That is more than enough. The throne is yours by right.”

    I hold her gaze. “Then let it be a fair fight. One–on–one. The loser dies. The winner ims the throne.”

    The queen studies me for a long moment. Finally, she gives a reluctant nod. Celestia smirks wickedly as the queen shoves her

    away.

    “You’ll never win,” Celestia spits at me. “I was trained by the best warriors. You’re nothing but a nobody. A street rat who thinks wearing a dress makes her royalty.”

    I almostugh. She seems to forget how I beat the crap out of her back in Jack’s pack. But fine. I’ll remind her.

    Personally.

    The truth? I asked the queen to let her go because I want to be the one to end her. I’ve killed her a thousand times in my head. For stabbing me. For everything. And now, I’ll do it for real.

    And once they see my wolf–my true form–every shred of doubt will vanish. The entire kingdom will know exactly who I am. I nce at the queen. “Mother, please. Go. Join Father. Take your ce on the throne.”

    She stares at me, her eyes shining with pride.

    “Fine. If you insist on the harder path…” she says with a smirk, walking toward the throne. “But I know you won’t disappoint me. You have my blood, after all.”

    She sits down gracefully, then turns to a nearby guard with azy flick of her wrist.

    “Someone bring me and the King the best coffee in the castle.” She grins slowly. “Things are about to get very, very interesting.

    Let’s begin.

    A hush bfalls /bbover /bthe great hall, tension buzzing like static in the at The crowd silently parts, creating a wide bcircle /bbaround /bus. bNo /bbone /bbdares /bbto /bspeakb, /bbthe /bfear and anticipation hanging heavy. The tables and chairs are left abandoned in the middle bof /bbthe /broom, a makeshift battlefield surrounded by wide eyes and murmured prayers.

    Lady Celestia trembles, though she tries to look fierce. I see right through her. Her lips peel back in a snarl before she lets out a shaky growl. Then it happens–her body twists and bends until fur sprouts and bones pop, transforming into her wolf. A dull brown thing. Slender. Almost pitiful. Her tail tucks instinctively between her legs the moment sheys eyes bon /bme.

    Omegas‘ blood. Of course. That’s why she felt at hotne among them.

    “How dare you,” I growl, voiceyered with fury and truth.

    Then I let go.

    My limbs stretch and crack with a satisfying snap, spine arching as the shift consumes me. Obsidian furb, /bsleek and shimmering like midnight oil, explodes across my skin. Power surges in every muscle, every breath. When Ind on all fours, the ground seems to tremble beneath me.

    Gasps echo like cannon fire around the room. Some drop their knees without even realizing it, heads bowed low. The sheer weight of my presence is enough to humble them.

    I nce up toward the throne. The Alpha Queen stands, her hands pping proudly, a grin stretched wide across her face.” That’s my daughter,” she says, voice trembling with pride.

    Celestia’s wolf whimpers, her ears t as she tries howling like a pup begging for mercy.

    ito /i

    retreat, tail brushing the floor. She stumbles backb, /bslipping on her paws,

    I give none.

    With one bound, I’m on her. My ws rake across her side. She yelps, trying to escape, but I bite downb–/bhard–on her foreleg and snap it like a twig. She screams, wild and high–pitched, and I m her against a table, which cracks beneath the weight. The crowd recoils. Another hit, this time against a chair. Then the wall. Her brown fur is matted with blood, her howls nothing but

    broken whines now.

    One final blow.

    With a sickening crunch, I mp my jaws around her neck and twist. The sound echoes like a thunderp. Her body stills immediately, the light fading from her eyes as her wolf form shifts back into her human one–naked, broken, and drenched in blood. Her chest barely rises. She won’t make it. I know it. They all do.

    I shift back,nding softly on my feet, fully clothed, the power still humming through my skin. My eyes sweep the room. Silence reigns again. No one dares to speak, and for once, they all look at me–not with doubt, but with reverence. Fear. Respect.

    “She is gone,” the Alpha King deres with a grim expression. “Guardsb, /bbury her in the royal cemetery-”

    “No,” the Queen cuts in coldly, her voice like frost. “Burn her body and throw it to the dirt where it belongs.” Gasps ripple through the room again. Even the king’s face twists in shock. “My queen… she was still-

    “She was nothing but a liar and a disgraceb. /bI will not have her memory honored beside our ancestors.”

    Their argument continues in a fiery exchange behind me, but I don’t care. My eyes roam the room. Someone’s missing Lady Celestia’s partner in crime–the true mastermind behind it all.

    I press into the mate bond, closing my eyes for a second.

    “Jack… your uncle. He’s not here. He must’ve seen how the tables have turned and

    His responsees almost immediately calm, butced with a razor–sharp edge.

    I ran like the coward he is.”

    “I noticed. That’s why I sent Fury after him the moment Celestia shifted. He’s tracking him now. We’ll know where that rat is hiding soon enough.”

    bI /bbopen /bmy eyes, relief washing over me.

    Smart. You’re thinking like ba /btrue king,” I murmur through the bond, a proud smile tugging at my lips.

    Across the room, Jack meets my gaze and offers a slow, proud nod before walking toward me, stepping over broken wood iand /ibloodstained marble.

    “Look at you,” he says, awe and admiration written all over his face. “You did it, Kali. You proved you’re the true heir–not just to them…” -he gestures to the silent crowd- “but to yourself too!”

    I exhale slowly, eyes locking with his.

    “Yeah,” I say quietly. “I think I finally did.”