Chapter 111 111
Daevir's POV
Even with my own child in my arms, even with the cry of a newborn still echoing in the palace halls, I could not escape him.
Theron.
His shadow stretched farther than borders, farther than politics, farther than bloodlines. It seeped into fate itself, coiling around my life like a patient serpent.
I stood alone in the corridor outside the apothecary, the torches along the walls flickering as if disturbed by my thoughts. My hands still remembered the warmth of the child I had just held. My son.
A son with Theron's eyes.
I let out a slow breath, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside me.
"So even here," I muttered bitterly, "even in my own house, you haunt me."
The realisation was not new. It was simply unavoidable now.
I had always known who Theron was.
Not just a rival Alpha. Not just the ruler of the South.
He was the Chosen Alpha.
Marked by the old rites. Favoured by the primal spirits. The one the ancient prophecies whispered about—the wolf destined to stand above all others.
The only reason the human kingdoms still stood was that Theron found amusement in the hunt. He preferred tension over conquest, fear over ashes. He played with rulers like me the way a wolf toyed with wounded prey.
A game.
We were all pieces on his board.
My jaw tightened.
"I will never be prey to you, Theron," I said aloud, my voice low but firm in the empty corridor.
The words felt like a vow carved into stone.
Servants passed at a distance, heads bowed, pretending not to hear. But I did not care. Let the walls bear witness if they must.
My mind drifted to Zephyr's voice—old, raspy, and steady like wind over dry leaves.
"The Chosen Alpha is not invincible," he had once told me. "Prophecy is a path, not a prison. There is always a wolf meant to challenge another. Power does not sit still; it moves to the one strong enough to claim it."
At the time, I had listened as one humoured a scholar.
Now, I understand.
Theron had been gaining ground. Trade routes are shifting south. Border packs are swearing loyalty to him quietly. Even human lords began to fear his name more than they respected my crown.
And then there was the Scarlet Witch.
Her rumours moved like wildfire—villages stirred, people whispered of resistance, of fighting back, of old magic returning. Whoever she was, she had ignited something in the hearts of my people.
Resolve.
Courage.
Defiance.
All things a ruler could not ignore.
Perhaps the world itself was preparing for change.
Perhaps I was the only one pretending not to see it.
I had spent too long guarding a throne instead of sharpening my claws.
Too long being careful.
Too long surviving.
A ruler all my life, yet acting like a man afraid to lose.
My thoughts flickered to Ares, laughing, crawling through my library, tugging at my crown with chubby hands, to the newborn in Catherine's arms. To the child, Amarien and I had lost… the ghost that still lingered in my chest.
My sons.
All of them.
If I remained still, they would inherit fear.
If I acted, they might inherit a world where Theron no longer loomed over their futures.
That was enough.
The decision settled in my bones with frightening clarity.
I turned sharply and strode down the corridor. My steps were no longer heavy—they were purposeful. Guards straightened as I passed. Servants scattered.
I did not slow.
I reached the western wing where the oldest chambers lay—the ones untouched by modern luxury. The air there always smelled faintly of parchment and incense.
Zephyr's quarters.
I did not knock gently.
I pushed the door open.
It slammed against the stone wall with a crack.
Inside, the old man sat bent over a table filled with scrolls, herbs, and strange markings drawn in ash. He looked up, startled, his white brows lifting.
"Your Majesty?" he said. "Shouldn't you be with your wife, who just gave birth?"
His gaze sharpened as it settled on my face. Age had not dulled his perception.
The intensity in my eyes must have told him this was no ordinary visit.
I stepped inside and shut the door behind me.
"This cannot wait," I said.
Zephyr straightened slowly. "Then speak."
For a moment, the words lodged in my throat. Not from fear—but from the weight of truth long buried.
A king hides many things. From enemies. From allies.
From himself.
But power demanded honesty.
And if I were to challenge Theron, lies would only weaken me.
So I said it.
"I am a werewolf, Zephyr."
The old man did not gasp. Did not recoil. His expression barely shifted.
"A lycan," I continued, voice steady. "Born of the old bloodline. But not as powerful as Theron. Not yet."
Silence stretched between us.
Outside, a distant bell rang somewhere in the palace.
Zephyr studied me like one studies a long-awaited sign.
"I wondered when you would finally say it aloud," he murmured.
I stepped closer. "If I am going to defeat him, I cannot keep pretending to be merely a human king who negotiates with monsters. I am one of them."
The truth felt strangely liberating.
"For my sons," I added quietly. "For their future."
Zephyr folded his hands behind his back. "And what is it you seek from me?"
I met his gaze.
"I am that Alpha," I said. "The one meant to challenge the Chosen. I feel it now. In my bones. In my blood."
The old man's eyes glinted.
"And when will you make your move?" he asked.
"The Blue Moon," I answered without hesitation. "On the incoming Blue Moon."
The words hung in the air like a final seal on destiny.
Zephyr exhaled slowly, as if the world had just shifted into a shape he had long expected.
I did not waver.
I did not second-guess.
For the first time in a long time, I was not reacting to Theron.
I was choosing my path toward him.
"I need to do this," I said. "And I need to begin preparing now."
Zephyr's gaze held mine, searching, weighing.
I stood firm beneath it.
"I am done cowering," I said. "Done waiting for monsters to circle my walls. If darkness rises, then I will rise to meet it."
My voice lowered, carrying the promise of teeth and claws.
"I will not be prey."
Then, with the certainty of a king and the awakening hunger of a wolf, I declared:
"I am the Alpha who will defeat the Chosen Alpha."