Chapter 178

Chapter 178
{Ronan’s POV}

The air in the chamber pressed against me, thick with expectation and unease.

Every wolf gathered here stared at Lisa like she was some spectacle on display, like she wasn’t my mate, my wife, the woman carrying my child.

Their whispers slithered across the floor, poisoning the joy that had been here moments ago. And now the Elders wanted to test her. To prod at her like she was some curious animal they had found in the woods. ‘Absolutely not.’

I stood in front of her, my arm spread out as though I could shield her from the entire room. “You will not put her through anything. Not without me standing there. If you have a problem with that, then there will be no test.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd, as if my refusal was an act of war. But I didn’t care. King or not. I would ask as I pleased if it came to my family.

Lisa touched my arm. “Ronan. It’s all right.”

I turned to her, disbelieving. Her eyes were steady, though exhaustion lingered at the corners. She was still pale from what had happened with Lena, and now they wanted to put her through something else.

My chest tightened.

“No, it isn’t,” I growled. “You are pregnant, and they are talking about testing you about something they barely understand. That is not all right. You need to rest.”

She smiled faintly, the kind of smile that was both stubborn and tender. “If I don’t go through with it, they will never let it rest. I don’t want them doubting you because of me. Let them test me. We can face it together.”

Her words dug deep into me. My wolf strained at the leash, wanting to tear apart anyone who dared look at her wrong, but she was right. This was bigger than us. I exhaled, my jaw still locked.

“Fine,” I said finally, turning back to the Elders. “But I stay. If she so much as flinches from something you did not warn her about, this ends. And I will not hold back.”

Elric, the chief Elder, dipped his head in acknowledgment. “So be it. Summon the witch.”

The doors opened, and a ripple of murmurs passed through the hall as a figure cloaked in dark green entered. She moved with a grace that seemed familiar. When the hood fell back, I recognized her. “Calista…”

She bowed slightly, her silver hair catching the light. “Forgive my lateness. I had to make sure I wasn’t followed. My vision was clear, but visions can sometimes be traps. I had to be certain this was the right moment.”

“Calista,” Elric greeted. “You honor us. We require your gifts. The Luna must be tested.”

Her gaze shifted to Lisa, and something softened in her expression. “I know,” she said. “I came because of her.”

Lisa’s hand tightened in mine, but she did not look away.

They led her to the center of the chamber, where a circle had been drawn in pale dust that shimmered faintly under the light. Calista guided Lisa gently, her hand hovering near her elbow. “It will not harm you,” she told her. “It may sting, it may feel heavy, but it will not kill. That much I can promise.”

Lisa nodded, though I could feel the tremor in her body.

I stayed close to the edge of the circle. My wolf hated this. I hated this. I hated it all… but I had to endure. For Lisa.

The crowd leaned forward, eager, hungry for spectacle. If one of them so much as smirked at her pain, I would tear their throat out.

Calista lifted her arms, her voice slipping into a chant that rolled through the air like a song. The symbols on the floor glowed faintly, threads of light weaving upward until they encased Lisa in a dome of shimmering energy.

I tensed. 

Lisa’s lips parted in a small gasp. Then the gasp turned into a cry, her body bowing as though the circle itself had seized her. Her scream ripped through me, through the hall, silencing every whisper.

“Enough!” I roared, lunging forward.

Damon’s hand caught my arm. “Don’t!” His voice was urgent. “Breaking a circle mid-ritual is considered an omen, Ronan.”

When it looked like he had gotten my attention, he added. “She’ll survive. Calista won’t harm her.”

I wrenched against him, teeth clenched, hatred boiling in my veins. I wanted to tear him off me, but the words forced me still. Not for his sake. For hers.

Calista’s chanting faltered. Her hands trembled. The glow around Lisa flared brighter, almost blinding, then shattered with a violent crack. The dome dissolved as Lisa collapsed to her knees before slumping sideways.

I broke free of Damon and ran to her, catching her before her head struck the floor.

“Lisa!” My voice cracked, harsher than I meant it to be. She was pale, her breath shallow but present.

Calista knelt across from me, her chest heaving. “She is fine,” she said quickly. “Only unconscious. The ritual demanded more than her body had strength for.”

I wanted to believe her, but the rage coiled in me made it hard. I held Lisa close, brushing the hair from her face, murmuring to her even as she slept.

Calista stood slowly, turning to the Elders. Her eyes were troubled. “I found what you asked me to find…”

She took a deep breath. “Lisa is not human. She is of a cursed bloodline. The Saint Crest wolves.”

The room erupted in noise, disbelief and fear echoing across the stone walls for the umpteenth time today. 

“The Saint Crest?” one Elder whispered, horrified. “They were banished centuries ago.”

“They were wiped out,” another argued.

“No,” Calista said firmly. “Not wiped out. Hidden. The curse locked the wolves inside their human vessels, leaving them to live as though no wolf was within. Lisa’s bloodline has carried that curse all this time.”

The murmurs grew louder, angrier. I held Lisa tighter.

Elric’s voice cut through the chaos. “Then how did she awaken? How is it possible?”

Calista’s gaze moved to me. Her voice softened, though it carried clearly. “Because of him… Because of the Alpha King she is mated to. Curses like these cannot be undone by power alone. They are bound by intent, by sacrifice. Ronan Stormrider loved her unconditionally. He placed her life before his own, even when there was no hope of gain. That broke the chains. That freed the wolf within her.”

The room fell quiet.

Calista went on. “Every trial she endured, every place she went, every risk she survived. From bearing his child, to visiting New Haven, to everything in between. All of it fed her dormant power. And now… her wolf is free.”

Elric’s face twisted. “And what does that mean for the throne? How can he be Alpha King with a cursed Luna at his side?”

“She is no longer cursed,” Calista said. “The Saint Crest blood that once bound her is no longer a chain. It is a gift. Her wolf is pure now. Her child will be more powerful than any seen in our time, carrying two of the strongest bloodlines this world has ever known.”

“That, Elder Elric, is no weakness.”

A ripple of shock moved through the room. Some bowed their heads. Others still muttered. But no one could ignore the certainty in her tone.

I rose to my feet with Lisa still in my arms, my gaze locked on the Elders. “You heard her. My mate is no curse. She is my Luna. She is your Queen. Any who dispute it will answer to me.”

And with that. I was done.

‘By the moon… what an exhausting day.’