The silver glow vanished as swiftly as it had come.
Nysera looked down at the pendant in her shaking hand. It felt warm, almost alive, the engraved crescent moon shining dimly before fading back into plain silver.
“What… what just happened?” she whispered.
Draven’s eyes stayed on the pendant.
“It recognized you.”
Nysera lifted her gaze to him in confusion.
“It’s just an old necklace.”
“No,” he said softly. “It’s the Royal Seal of the Moonborn.”
She frowned.
“I’ve never seen it before.”
“I know.”
The forest had fallen unnaturally silent. Even the wind seemed to be holding its breath.
Draven looked toward the dark horizon.
“We can’t remain here.”
“Those people…”
“They’ll be back,” he said. “And next time, they won’t be alone.”
Nysera hesitated.
“Who were they?”
“The Shadow Legion.”
The name meant nothing to her.
“They serve someone who has been hunting your bloodline for years.”
“My bloodline?” she repeated.
“I don’t even know who my parents really were.”
For a moment, Draven said nothing.
“You deserve the truth,” he said at last.
“But not here.”
He held out his hand.
“Come with me.”
Nysera stared at him.
Only hours earlier, she had lost everything—her pack, her mate, her home.
Now the most feared king in the werewolf world was offering her his hand.
She didn’t know whether she could trust him.
But she knew one thing.
If she stayed alone, she wouldn’t survive another night.
Slowly, she put her hand in his.
His hold was warm and steady.
Without another word, they vanished deeper into the forest.
⸻
By morning, the trees had begun to thin.
Nysera expected mountains to rise beyond them.
Instead, they came to a cliff overlooking a crystal-blue lake.
“This is beautiful,” she whispered.
Draven stepped to the water’s edge.
“It won’t remain a lake for long.”
He took the silver pendant from her hand and held it over the still surface.
The water shimmered.
A ring of moonlight spread across the lake.
Then the impossible occurred.
The water slowly drew apart.
Stone steps emerged from beneath the surface, descending into the earth.
Nysera’s jaw dropped.
“This…”
“…is impossible.”
“It has been concealed for hundreds of years,” Draven said.
“The Moonborn Kingdom only reveals itself to its rightful ruler.”
Her heart gave a jolt.
“You mean…”
He nodded.
“It was waiting for you.”
As they descended the ancient staircase, glowing crystals lit the walls. Moon-shaped carvings covered every stone.
The farther they went, the stronger the strange pull within Nysera became.
It felt familiar.
As if she had been here before.
Yet she knew she hadn’t.
The passage finally opened into a vast underground city.
Golden towers rose toward a ceiling filled with glowing crystals like stars.
Ancient statues lined the broad streets.
Silver banners fluttered despite the still air.
Nysera could only stare.
“This kingdom…”
“…it’s real.”
Draven watched her face.
“It has waited centuries for its queen.”
Before Nysera could answer, a deep horn sounded through the city.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Huge doors opened one after another.
Figures in silver armor stepped into the streets.
One by one, they sank to one knee.
Thousands of voices rang out together.
“Welcome home…”
“…Your Majesty.”
Nysera’s breath caught.
“They’re kneeling…”
“They believe I’m their queen.”
“You are,” Draven said.
An elderly woman in flowing white robes stepped forward.
Silver hair framed her kind face.
Tears shimmered in her eyes.
“I never thought I would live to see this day.”
She approached slowly before kneeling.
“My name is Lady Selene.”
“I served your mother.”
Nysera went still.
“My… mother?”
Lady Selene smiled sadly.
“Queen Lysandra.”
The name stirred something deep inside Nysera.
A faint memory.
A lullaby.
Gentle hands brushing through her hair.
She pressed a hand to her temple.
“I… I remember…”
Then flashes flooded her mind.
A woman laughing.
A palace filled with moonlight.
Fire.
Screams.
A man carrying a child through hidden tunnels.
Then darkness.
Nysera gasped and staggered back.
Draven caught her before she could fall.
“What did you see?”
“I don’t know…”
She struggled to steady her breathing.
“It felt real.”
“It was.”
Lady Selene’s expression grew dark.
“The night your family was betrayed.”
Silence settled over the hall.
“Who betrayed them?” Nysera asked.
Before anyone could answer, a deafening explosion rattled the palace.
The walls shook.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
A soldier hurried in, panting hard.
“Your Majesty!”
“The outer barrier has been breached!”
Draven’s eyes hardened.
“Impossible.”
The soldier swallowed.
“The Shadow Legion…”
“…has found the Moonborn Kingdom.”
Outside, another explosion thundered through the ancient city.
The war for the Moonborn throne had begun.
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