bChapter 77 /b

The room bis /bbquiet/bb, /bbunnaturally /bbso/bb. /b

Not even bthe /bbwind /bbdares /bbto /bbwhisper /bbthrough /bthe bwindows/bb. /bThe bonly sound that /bbreaks the bsilence /bis the steady bbeep of /bbthe /bheart bmonitor /bbbeside /bbKali’s /bbbed- /bb-a /bbstubborn /breminder that she’s still bholding /bbon/bb. /b

bJack /bbhasn’t /bmoved bin /bbhours/bb. /b

+15

He bsits /blike bstone/bb, /bbslumped /bforward in the chair by her bedside, one hand wrapped tightly around hers, the other resting against bhis /bblips/bb. /bbHis /bbeyes- /bbbloodshot/bb, /bheavy–liddedb, /bhollowb–/bnever leave her face. His beard has grown bin /brough patches, his clothes unchanged for daysb. /bbHe /bhasn’t sleptb. /bHe bhasn’t /b

beaten/bb. /bbHe /bbwon’t/bb. /b

Because bwhat /bbif /bshe bwakes /bbup /band he’s not here?

bWhat /bbif /bshe bslips /baway again and he misses it?

bNo. /bHe bwon’t /brisk it. He’d rather starve. Rather die right here with her than leave ande back to an empty bed.

“Please,” he whispers against her knuckles, voice cracked and raw. “Pleasee back to me, Kali. Just open your eyesb./bb” /b

But bshe /bdoesn’t–not even ba /btwitch.

bAnd /bit’s driving him mad.

Outside, beyond the ss window that framed the room, the Alpha King stood silently like a ghost–watching.

He bshould /bbe in there, by her side.

But how could he? How could he face her?

If she wakesb, /bhe knows she’ll seek the familiar warmth of her mate–of Jack–rather than the father who once ordered her death… as a birthday gift.

He presses a fist to the windowsill, his jaw clenched with regret. Stupid. Foolish.

The bsigns /bhad been there. The moment heid eyes on her, his wolf had howled, pup! That broken, desperate cry still echoes in his mind.

But he hadn’t listened because there had been so many reasons to doubt. Kali bore no scent–nothing to identify her. And in their world, scent bis /beverything. bIt’s /bbhow /bthey recognize blood, bond, and truth. Her absence of scent had been unnatural, as if something had masked or poisoned bit/b.

So he ignored the pull bin his /bchest. Ignored the echo in his soul. Ignored what he feltb, /bbecause the evidence wasn’t there.

bBut /bbnow/bb… /bher scent is returning.

bFaint/bb, /bbbut /bunmistakable.

bPine and /bbfresh /brain–softb, /bearthyb. /bThe smell of home after a blong /bstorm.

He bdoesn’t /bneed bthe /bbdoctor’s /bbconfirmation anymore/b.

bShe’s /bbhis/b.

bHis /bbdaughter/b.

bHis /bbMaya/bb. /bbThat’s /bbthe /bname she was bborn /bbwith/bb, /beven bif /bbKali /bsuits bthe woman /bshe’s bbe/b.

bShe /bbdoesn’t /bblook /blike the blittle /bbgirl /bbhe /bbused /bbto /bbcradle /bbin /bbhis /barms or bspin through /bbthe /bbgarden /bbuntil /bshe bsquealed /bbwith /bughterb, /bbNo/bb, /bbthis /bwoman is bgrown/b. bFierce/b. bWounded /bbby the /bbworld/bb. /bbBut /bbbeneath /bbthe /bbruises and strengthb, /bbthe /bdelicate shape bof /bher blips/bb… /bthe gentle barch /bbof /bbher /bbbrow/bb… /bbthose /bbhaven’t /b

b/b7

bchanged. /b

bAnd /bbhe /balmost destroyed her.

His fingers tremble as he remembers that night–the night everything shattered.

He had just returned from the meeting with the Elders, his temper boiling beneath the surface. The stench of incense still clung to his clothes. Elder Varkos, the high priest bwith /bskin like cracked bark and eyes like cold stone, had stood before the royal court and dered Maya–his bonly /bdaughterb–/bba /b

bcurse/bb. /b

b“/bbA /bblood–bom omen,” Varkos had said. “If not sacrificed before the next red moonb, /bthe kingdom will fall into decay. gues will im bour /bpeople. The skies will refuse bto /brain. Your Majesty, she must die to save us all.”

bThe /bbKing /bbhad /bbarely restrained himself.

He had stood bup /bslowly, voice cold as ice. “If any man speaks of harming my daughter again, I will see their heads in the dirt before sundown.b” /b

bThat /bbwas /bbthe /bday he made the decision–not as a king, but as a father.

He would protect her.

Alwaysb. /b

bBut /bwhen he returned to her chambers to read her favorite story–the one about the wolf who loved the moon–her bed was empty.

But she had vanished without a trace.

Even Tom–the loyal boy who guarded her like a shadow–was missing. Tom, son of the Queen’s personal guard. Her childhoodpanion. Her protector. He would never leave her side unless… something terrible had happened.

The Elders imed it was the Moon Goddess who had taken her as a sacrifice, that the curse had lifted the moment she disappeared.

And the Kingb, /bbroken and desperate, had believed them.

For yearsb, /bhe mourned. Felt the ache of severed connection, the unbearable silence where their bond had been.

Then Celestia came.

bA /bbchild found /balone in the woods, bruised and bloodied, with no memory of who she was. The kingdom needed a princess. The people needed hope. They wanted to believe the curse was lifted–that this girl was the Goddess’s gift. A gift from the heavens.

He was too bbroken /bbto /bargue.

bHe /bbtook /bher in.

15)

bBut /bhis Queen–his mateb–/bnever bepted /bher.

bAnd /bbslowly/bb, /bgrief ate away bat /bher mind. She began bto /bbwither/bb. /bShe would wander bthe /bpce halls at nightb, /bsearching for Maya, whispering her name in the bdark/b. She never btouched /bbCelestia/bb. /bNever smiled again.

bAnd /bhe?

He buried bthe /bguilt. Crowned Celestia as heir. Told himself bhe’d /bdone what he had bto do /band.

But nowb… /b

bNow /bbMaya /blies just beyond the ss.

bAlive/bb. /b

b/b7

Barelyb. /b

bAnd the /bbgirl /bbhe /bbraised /bas daughter–the one he once protected with his sword—had tried to kill the true heir.

Had manipted him into nearly doing it himself.

The Alpha bKing /bturned from the windowb, /bhis bface /bshadowed in grief and fury.

Celestia would pay for this:

But it won’t bbe /bhis hands bthat /bbring justice.

No.

Jack bwill /bhandle bthat/b.

bAnd /bbthe /bworld will finally see what happens to those who try to destroy the Moon Goddess’s chosen.

He bstood /bstill, lost in the storm of his thoughts, until the soft sound of footsteps behind him broke the silence.

He bdidn’t /bturnb–/bnot yetb. /b

Only when ba /bhesitant voice spoke did he stir.

b“/bbYour /bMajesty,” the doctor says, voice taut with nerves. “The results… they’re out.”

The bKing /bslowly bturns /bhis head, eyes still shadowed with storm. He gives a small nod. “Show me.”

They walk in silence. Down the polished marble corridor, past guards who lower their heads in respect, past the towering stained ss of the Moon Goddess’s temple within the pce. The air inside the doctor’s office is warm, stifling, and filled with the faint scent of antiseptic and ink.

The doctor shuts the door behind them and fumbles with the file in his hand. “I—I ran the tests several times, Your Majesty. Repeated the bloodwork. bCross/b–checked bit /bwith the Queen’s old records.” He swallows hard and sets the paper down in front of the Alpha King. “There’s no doubt. The girl–Kali–is byour /bdaughter. Your blood is running through her veins.”

The Alpha King says nothing.

He doesn’t need to.

bThe /bbconfirmation /bbonly /bechoes what he already knows. He felt it with every breath he took standing beside her. The moment her scent had returned–he bdidn’t /bneed science. His wolf had known. His soul had knownb. /b

But bthe /bbguilt/bb? /bbIt /bsharpens now. Like a dagger turned inward.

The doctor bclears /bbhis /bbthroat /bawkwardly, voice bcracking /bunder the weight of bthe /bsilence. “bT/bb–/bthat’s good news thoughb, /bisn’t it? bI /bmean–it means… it means she bcan’t /bdie by your sword. bYou /bbcouldn’t /bhave killed her, even if…”

The bAlpha /bbKing /bbslowly /blifts bhis /bbgaze/bb. /bbOne /bbhard/bb, /bunreadable look shuts the doctor bup/b.

bBut /bbthen/bb, /bthe doctor fidgetsb, /bwringing his handsb. /b“There’s more… we bfound /brge traces bof /btoxin in her blood. Whatever she was injected with–it was bmeant /bbto /bsilence her wolf. We’re bnot /bsure how long bit’s /bbeen bbuilding /bbbut-/b” He bhesitates/bb. /bb“/bHer wolf bmay /bbnot /bsurvive.”

The bKing’s /bface hardensb. /b

b“/bbShe /bbwill/bb,/bb” /bhe says. His voice bis /bblow/bb. /bbRough/b.

b*/bbShe /bmustb./bb” /b

The bdoctor /bbflinches /bbat /bbthe /bweight bof /bbthose /bwords.

“I’ll bdonate /bbmy /bbblood/b. Mine is strong enough to begin bflushing /bbthe /bbtoxins/b. And if Jack marks bher/bb–/bbhis /bbbond /bwill bstrengthen /bbher /bwolf furtherb. /bbThey’re /bbtrue /bmatesb. /bbThat /bbbond /bis divine. We must do everything we bcan/bb. /bbShe /bwill be nothing without her wolfb.” /b

The bdoctor /bbnods /bbquickly/b, grateful bfor /bthe bdismissal /bwhen the bKing /bbbrushes past /bbhim /band leaves bthe /broom.

bBut /bthe bAlpha /bbKing /bbisn’t /bbgoing /bbback /bbto /bbKali’s /bbside /bjust yet.

No.

bHis /bbfeet /bbcarry /bbhim /bdeeper binto /bthe pce–binto /bthe part no bone /bvisits anymore. Where bno /bservants linger. No advisors speakb. /bWhere the chandeliers remain unlit band /bbthe /bscent of dust clings to the air like sorrow.

bThe /bgardens are overgrown bhere/b.

red fences

Roses bonce /btended bwith loving /bhands now stretch wild, curling over rusted fences. And at the heart of it, ba /bforgotten yground.

bA /bbsingle/bb, /bbcracked /bswing sways slowly in the breeze, even though there’s no wind.

And thereb–/bbeneath a weeping willow that once held a tire swing–is the Queen.

bShe /bsits in a wheelchair, draped in silks that were once the envy of the courts but now hang loose on her frame. Her hair, once golden, tumbles in dull waves. Her eyes… they look right through the world.

bFading/b.

bFading/b, like everything she once loved.

bShe /bspends most of her time here.

Because once, this was where her little girlughed.

b“/bMy love,” the Alpha King says softly, his voice catching in his throat as he approaches.

No responseb. /b

bHe /bkneels beside her chair. Takes her frail, cold hand in his.

b“/bbOur /bprincess,” he whispers. “She’s back.”

The Queen bdoesn’t /bbmove/b.

bThat /bdistantb, /bbroken gaze remains locked bon /bthe empty slide ahead.

b“/bbThat /bbgirl/bb,” /bshe bmurmurs /bhollowly. “She’s not bour /bdaughter…b” /b

b“/bbNo/bb,/bb” /bbhe /bbsays/bb, /bgently shaking bhis /bhead. “Not Celestiab./bb” /b

bHe /bbces /bher hand over bhis /bbheart/bb, /bband /bfor bthe /bbfirst time /bbin /byearsb, /bbhis /bvoice bcracks /bbwith /bemotion. “I mean our baby girl. bMaya/bb./bb” /b

At bthat /bbname/bb, /bher bhand /btrembles.

“bMaya/bb…/bb?/bb” /bshe bbreathes/bb. /b

“Our bMaya/bb,” /bbhe /bbwhispers/bb. /bb“/bbShe’s /bbalive/bb./bb” /b

bThe /bbQueen’s /bbbreath /bbhitches/b. Her bchin /bquivers. b“/bbNo/bb,/bb” /bbshe /bbsays /bbin /ba strangled voiceb. /bb“/bbThe /bbGoddess /bbtook her/bb… /bbShe /btook her bfrom /bbus/bb./bb” /b

b“/bbShe /bbdidn’t/bb,/bb” /bbhe /bbsays/bb, /bbtears /bbfinally /bbburning /bbin /bhis beyes/bb. /bb“/bbShe /bbgave /bher bback/bb. /bShe has our bblood/b. bOur /blittle girl is backb./bb” /b

A bsob /bbbursts /bbfrom /bthe Queen’s chest, shaking her thin shouldersb. /bHer hand grips his desperately bnow/bb, /bt! e behind bher /bbeyes /bbcracking /blike shattered bss/b.

“bIf/b… bif /bshe’s truly bour /bdaughterb…/bb” /bbshe /bwhispers brokenlyb, /bb“/bthen she bwould /bhaveb… /bbshe /bwould have bmy /bbne./bb” /b

The bKing /bfreezes.

bThe /bneb. /b

The bmoonstone /bpendant shaped like a crescent moon… the one Maya never took off, bthe /bone he had sped around her neck himself when she bturned /bfiveb. /bbThe /bone she imed would protect her from nightmares.

He remembers it vividly.

bAnd /bsuddenly, a flicker of hope blooms in his chest–hope that Kali’s return might give the Queen the strength to live again.

He clutches his wife’s hands tightly and murmurs, “When she wakes up… we’ll know for certain.”