Chapter 168: The Capture of Liguen

Liguen roared in fury, shaking off the rubble that had buried him after Lya’s devastating attack. His massive form rose with a thunderous crash, his wings unfurling in a violent gust that sent debris scattering through the streets of Sacred Moon.

But Lya was already on him.

With lightning speed, the dragoness struck—her tail, lined with crystalline spikes, whipped through the air, crashing into Liguen with the force of a cataclysm.

Caught off guard, he had no time to dodge.

His colossal body was hurled backward, gouging a deep trench in the ground before slamming into an empty square, a choking cloud of dust erupting from the impact.

A heavy silence followed.

Then, a defiant roar ripped through the air.

Lya dove down, her claws sinking deep into Liguen’s shoulders, pinning him to the ground with overwhelming force.

Liguen struggled, his muscles bulging with effort, but Lya gave him no chance.

Her aura exploded—a shockwave of pure magic engulfing the area, pressing down on him with such weight that he was forced to fold his wings against his own body.

He couldn’t move.

His emerald-green eyes burned with raw hatred, his breath ragged as dust swirled around him.

But he knew.

He had lost.

Lya, towering over her defeated foe, lowered her head until their snouts nearly touched, her piercing blue gaze merciless.

"I warned you, Liguen." Her voice rippled through his mind, a storm of ice and fire. "You won’t take anything more from me."

Liguen let out a low, guttural growl, his breath heavy with defeat.

And then, Lya sealed her victory.

She unfurled her wings, her body radiating with raw magic, and let out a roar unlike any before.

A dragon’s ancestral cry.

A sound that made the ground tremble, the air vibrate.

The echoes spread across all of Sacred Moon, reaching every wolf hiding in the underground shelters, every warrior ready for battle.

A cry of triumph.

A cry that carried beyond their lands, reaching the ears of other packs.

A wave of euphoria surged through the pack.

The wolves answered immediately.

A chorus of howls—wild, thunderous, a symphony of thousands—rose in celebration of their victorious Queen.

Caleb, watching the scene with a feral grin, howled with his pack, his voice merging with Handres’ triumphant roar.

Drake and Malick, electrified by the moment, let out their own powerful howls, filled with respect and pride.

But just as Lya was savoring her victory, a strange sensation coursed through her.

An impulse.

A pulse of pure magic.

Like a gentle, radiant wave, born deep within her.

Lya’s eyes widened slightly as she felt something stir inside her.

A presence.

Her baby.

At that moment, she knew.

The child inside her had heard.

Had felt the roar.

And had answered.

A warmth—strange yet comforting—spread through her, like a draconic breath imbued with an ancient, instinctive force.

She wasn’t imagining it.

Her baby had just recognized its mother.

A violent, indescribable emotion swelled inside her. She lowered her head slightly, as if an invisible hand was resting on the new life growing within her.

"I’m here," she murmured in her mind, overwhelmed and in awe.

Then, she lifted her head, fixing Liguen with one last, icy stare.

"You will never have what I’ve built here. Never."

And in that moment, she knew.

Sacred Moon was her only home now.

And she would never run again.

As the dust settled, as the roars of battle faded into silence, a shadow emerged from the ruins.

Liguen’s advisor.

He walked slowly, each step heavy with a solemn weight.

The arrogance, the feigned confidence were gone.

Only the truth remained.

The wolves did not move.

Caleb, Drake, and Malick stood frozen, as if the air itself had thickened around them.

They had no idea what the emissary would say.

But they already knew—nothing would ever be the same after this.

Lya, still in her colossal dragon form, turned slowly toward him, her blue eyes sharp as blades.

The advisor stopped a safe distance away.

Then, he did something unexpected.

He bowed deeply.

Not to Liguen.

To Lya.

"Princess Lya…" He hesitated, then squared his shoulders. "No… Queen Lya."

An absolute silence fell over Sacred Moon.

Caleb’s heart skipped a beat.

Drake’s mouth fell open.

Malick’s jaw tightened, his hand clenching around his weapon.

The advisor continued, his voice heavy with burdened truth.

"Liguen never truly had the kingdom’s support." He exhaled, almost as if relieved to finally say it. "He seized the throne through deceit and manipulation—just as he tried to claim you. His reign was built on fear and lies. Those who followed him did so out of coercion, never loyalty."

His dark eyes gleamed with undeniable sincerity.

"But now that he’s fallen, nothing binds the people to him anymore."

He took a slow breath.

"You are the last rightful heir to the throne. Your return is expected. This is your kingdom, Queen Lya."

The weight of his words hit like a thunderclap.

Caleb heard nothing else.

Drake rubbed a hand down his face, searching for something—an answer, an explanation.

But there was only one question now, echoing in all their minds.

Would Lya leave?

After everything.

After the battles, the suffering, the promises.

After their child.

Her kingdom was calling.

Malick, usually unreadable, exchanged a look with Caleb.

And for the first time, Caleb felt fear.

He knew Lya had been a queen before she was his mate.

But was she still?

All eyes turned to her.

The dragoness remained motionless.

Then, after a long moment of crushing silence, she spread her wings wide, her gigantic form nearly blotting out the sky.

She inclined her head ever so slightly toward the advisor.

And with a voice sharp as a blade, she gave her answer.

"I renounce the throne."

The words crashed like a storm.

The advisor blinked, stunned. He had not expected this.

"But… Your Majesty, this is your right—your duty."

Lya didn’t waver.

She lowered her massive snout until she was face-to-face with him, her breath charged with raw power making the air shiver.

"My kingdom is here. My family is here. I am no longer a dragon princess."

Her eyes blazed with absolute certainty.

"I am Lya of Sacred Moon."

A wave of emotions rippled through the watching wolves.

Caleb, his throat tight, felt a fierce, uncontainable warmth flood his chest.

She was staying.

Drake, unable to hold back, laughed, clapping a hand on Caleb’s shoulder.

"Holy shit, Alpha…" he exhaled, shaking his head. "You married the most badass woman in the world."

Caleb, still reeling, grinned.

Handres sighed heavily in his mind—but this time, with relief.

"I wouldn’t have let her go."

"Neither would I," Caleb answered.

Lya never broke eye contact with the advisor.

"Return to my former kingdom and tell those who await me that I will not return."

A long silence stretched between them before the advisor finally bowed deeply.

"It will be done according to your will."

And under the astonished gazes of the last witnesses to this moment—one that forever sealed her fate—Lya, the last heir to the dragon throne, turned her back on her crown.

The titanic battle ended in a blinding burst of light.

Liguen, defeated and drained, let out a frustrated roar as ethereal chains erupted from the ground, coiling around his massive limbs and slamming him down with an inescapable force.

Lya, imposing and sovereign, rose above him, her piercing gaze burning through him, her breath still crackling with the eternal blue flames she had unleashed upon her former tormentor.

"You have no power over me anymore, Liguen."

Her voice echoed through the air, filled with an undeniable, unshakable certainty.

Liguen, panting, struggled to break free, but the ancient magic tightened its hold. These weren’t just physical restraints—they siphoned his energy, rendering him completely powerless.

He would never be able to hunt her again.

The advisor, until now impassive, observed the scene, his face frozen in a carefully neutral expression… too neutral.

Lya turned to him, her glowing blue eyes piercing through every layer of his diplomatic mask.

"Speak."

Her tone was sharp, commanding, leaving no room for defiance.

The advisor inclined his head slightly, but the usual arrogance was gone. He knew Liguen’s failure and Lya’s renouncement would shift the balance of the kingdom he served.

But he was a servant before anything else.

He had to deliver the truth.

"What do you wish to know, Princess Lya?"

She took a deep breath, releasing the last embers of rage from her lungs.

Then, in a voice calm but firm, she asked the one question that had haunted her since her exile.

"My family. Did Liguen bury them according to draconic rites?"

The silence was crushing.

The advisor didn’t answer immediately. He weighed his words carefully. But when he finally spoke, it was without deceit, without embellishment.

"Yes."

Lya blinked, momentarily taken aback by the simplicity of the answer.

The advisor continued, his voice heavy with solemnity.

"The flames of the final farewell were lit. Your parents, your brothers, and your sisters rest according to ancient traditions. Liguen never sought to defile their memory. He honored them… perhaps out of love for you. Perhaps out of guilt."

An invisible weight lifted from Lya’s chest.

The past was finally laid to rest.

She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing the pain to fade slowly.

She could never bring them back.

But at least, they were at peace.

When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer an exiled princess seeking justice.

She was Lya Amadylia, Queen of Sacred Moon.

And this world was her home now.

"Then we have nothing more to say to each other."

She turned away, ignoring the advisor’s piercing stare, and met Caleb’s gaze from across the battlefield.

He stood ready, his entire body coiled like a spring, ready to lunge toward her if necessary.

But he didn’t have to.

Lya was free.

The air still trembled with the echoes of the titanic battle that had just shaken Sacred Moon to its core.

Lya, still in her colossal dragon form, stood majestic and undefeated, towering over the ruined battlefield.

Her deep breaths stirred clouds of dust and debris, her blue eyes blazing as they remained locked onto Liguen—her former nightmare, now bound and powerless.

The royal advisor, his face a mask of frustration, stepped forward until he reached the chained dragon.

He bowed slightly before Lya, but this time, there was no arrogance left in him.

Then, with a simple flick of his hand, ancient energies rose from the ground, forming a shimmering, unstable portal.

Without hesitation, he shoved Liguen through, the dragon still too weak to resist.

The advisor cast one last glance at Lya, then followed, disappearing in a final burst of flickering light.

And then—silence.

Sacred Moon, devastated by the storm of battle, finally took a breath.

A moment later, the first deep, resonating sound of a reinforced door unlocking echoed in the air.

Then a second.

Then another.

The underground bunkers opened.

The doors of homes and shops were unbolted.

And a flood of wolves poured into the streets.

At first, they hesitated, slowing down as their eyes fell upon the massive silhouette of their Luna.

But the fear in the air was not fear of her.

It was awe.

Soft whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire.

"Look at her…"

"She protected us…"

"Our Luna is a living goddess…"

Then, cutting through the hushed reverence, two clear, joyous voices rang out.

"MOM!"

"LYA!"

Loric and Elara sprinted across the square, laughing breathlessly as they weaved through the crowd, completely unbothered by the monstrous form before them.

Caleb opened his mouth to stop them—but too late.

The two children reached Lya without hesitation.

And before the entire stunned pack, Loric lifted his arms toward his mother.

"Come down, Mom! You're too big!"

An absolute silence fell over Sacred Moon.

Then…

A clear, crystalline laugh rang through the heavens.

Lya, the fearsome black dragon, the protector of the royal pack, let out a deep, warm, joyful laugh.

Her massive wings folded gently, and in a swirling wave of crackling energy, she shrunk back to her human form.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Loric threw himself into her arms, while Elara grabbed her hand with a radiant smile.

"You're so cool, Lya!" Elara blurted out, practically vibrating with excitement.

Caleb, Malick, and Drake exchanged stunned looks.

Their entire pack had just witnessed a god-like battle…

And these two?

They were just happy to have their Luna back.

Then, as if on cue, the emotion surged through everyone at once.

A lupine howl pierced the sky.

Then a second.

Then hundreds.

The wolves of Sacred Moon howled in unity, in celebration of their Queen.

Their dragon.

Lya, tears shimmering in her eyes, held Loric close and lifted her face to the sky.

She didn’t need to run anymore.

She was finally home.