Chapter 18 Shattered Crowns
Chapter 18:
Sera's POV
Seven days.
Seven days since Dante fell into that cursed sleep. Seven days of watching healers fail, mages exhaust themselves, scholars shake their heads in defeat. Seven days of feeling the mate bond grow weaker, thinner, like a thread about to snap.
And now this.
"Say it again." My voice came out flat. Dead. "Slowly."
Lyssa stood before me in what remained of my private quarters, her face pale with guilt and terror. "Asher is gone, Majesty. We don't know how. We don't know when. He was there for bed check at sunset, and when the guard returned an hour later, empty room. No signs of struggle. No magical residue. No scent trail. Just... gone."
The world tilted sideways. I gripped the desk to keep standing.
"You checked the entire compound?"
"Every room. Every corridor. Every hiding spot a child might use." Lyssa's voice cracked. "I sent trackers into the forest. They found nothing. It's like he vanished into air."
"People don't vanish into air." But even as I said it, I knew better. Magic could do anything. Especially ancient, forbidden magic like what had cursed Dante.
"The guards on his door swear no one passed them," Lyssa continued miserably. "But they also don't remember anything unusual. I suspect memory manipulation."
"How many guards?"
"Four. All experienced warriors. All loyal."
Which meant whoever took Asher was powerful enough to bypass four trained warriors and erase their memories without leaving a trace.
The same kind of power that had cursed Dante.
"Get Marcus. Now."
Lyssa fled. I stood alone in the room, staring at nothing, feeling pieces of myself crumble.
Dante was dying. Asher was gone. And I was....
No. No falling apart. Not yet. People depended on me. Two territories looked to me for leadership. I could shatter later.
If there was a later.
Marcus arrived within minutes, looking more exhausted than I'd ever seen him. He'd been working non-stop trying to find a cure for Dante, pushing himself past all reasonable limits.
"Tell me you have something," I said without preamble. "Anything."
"The curse is unlike anything in our records." He sank into a chair uninvited. "It's not just dark magic, it's corrupted Lunar Lycan power. Twisted into something that should be impossible."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning whoever cast this has intimate knowledge of your family's magic. They took royal power and perverted it into a weapon specifically designed to harm those you-" He stopped himself.
"Those I what?"
"Those you care about." He met my eyes. "Sera, this curse wasn't random. It was crafted specifically to hurt you through Dante. To break your alliance, destroy your partnership, and leave you-"
"Vulnerable." The pieces clicked together with sickening clarity. "They cursed Dante to weaken me emotionally. And now they've taken Asher while I'm distracted trying to save-"
I couldn't finish. Couldn't say out loud that I was losing both of them.
"We'll find him," Marcus said, but he didn't sound convinced.
"How? We have no leads, no trail, no demands. They didn't take him for ransom or leverage. They took him to hurt me. To break me."
"Then don't break." Marcus stood, moved to grip my shoulders. "That's what they want. You shattered and unable to lead. Don't give them that satisfaction."
"How am I supposed to-" My voice cracked. "How am I supposed to function when my son is gone and my....when Dante is dying? How do I keep leading when everything I care about is being systematically destroyed?"
"Because you're Sera." He said it like that explained everything. "The woman who survived exile and became a Queen. Who took a broken territory and built an empire. Who stood before the Continental Council and declared war on corruption. That woman doesn't break. She bends, she bleeds, but she doesn't break."
"That woman had something to fight for." I pulled away from him. "Now I'm just...I'm just surviving. And I'm so tired of surviving."
"Then fight. Keep trying and never give up cause that's who you are." His voice hardened. "Fight for Asher. Fight for your territory. Fight for the future you promised to build."
"What about Dante?"
The question hung in the air. What about the man lying in the healing ward, growing weaker every hour? The father of my child. My mate, whether the bond was dying or not.
"We keep trying," Marcus said quietly. "Every healer, every scholar, every possible cure. We don't give up on him."
"Even though we're running out of time?"
"Especially because we're running out of time."
A knock interrupted. Rhett entered, his expression grim. "Majesty, the allied Alphas are requesting an emergency meeting. They're... concerned about the situation."
"Concerned." I let bitter laughter escape. "That's one word for it."
"They want assurances that Aurora's leadership is stable. That you can still defend your territory with-" He hesitated.
"With my son kidnapped and my mate dying?" I finished coldly. "Tell them the meeting is in an hour. And tell them to bring their concerns. All of them. Let's see if they're brave enough to voice them to my face."
He left quickly. Smart man.
"You can't go into that meeting looking broken," Marcus said. "They'll eat you alive."
"Then I won't look broken." I moved to the washbasin, splashed cold water on my face. Looked at my reflection. Red eyes from lack of sleep. Gaunt cheeks from not eating. Grief written in every line.
I forced it down. Buried it deep where it couldn't show.
When I straightened, the woman in the mirror was cold. Hard. Untouchable.
The Twilight Sovereign.
Not a mother. Not a mate. Just a Queen.
"Better," Marcus said quietly.
"Liar." But I appreciated the attempt.
\---
The emergency meeting was exactly as terrible as expected.
Fifteen Alphas gathered in the makeshift council room, their expressions ranging from sympathetic to calculating. I could practically see them weighing options....stick with the alliance or distance themselves from a Queen whose power base was crumbling.
"Thank you for coming on short notice," I said, taking my seat at the head of the table. "I understand you have concerns."
"Concerns is putting it mildly." Alpha Maren of the Western Peaks spoke first. "Your territory's Alpha consort is incapacitated. Your heir is missing.The Council loyalists are regrouping and planning another assault. We need to know....can Aurora still hold?"
"Aurora stands." I let ice coat every word. "With or without your continued support."
"That's not what we're asking-"
"Isn't it?" I leaned forward. "Let me be clear. My personal situation does not affect Aurora's military capability or political position. We remain the strongest territory in the North. Our warriors are battle-tested. Our defenses are solid. Anyone who thinks tragedy makes us weak is welcome to test that theory."
Silence. Several Alphas shifted uncomfortably.
"What about the kidnapping?" Alpha Chen asked more gently. "Do we have any leads on who took your son?"
"Not yet." Admitting ignorance hurt, but lying would hurt more when the truth came out. "But we're pursuing every avenue. The same witch who cursed Alpha Dante likely took Asher. We're working to identify them."
"And if you can't?" Maren pressed. "If this witch remains hidden? How long can you maintain leadership while personally devastated?"
"As long as necessary." I stood, letting power radiate visibly. "I've led through worse. Exile, near-death, five years of rebuilding from nothing. This is just another challenge."
"With respect, Majesty....you look like you haven't slept in days."
"I haven't." No point denying the obvious. "But exhaustion doesn't equal weakness. I'm still standing. Still leading. Still protecting my territory and allies."
"What about Crimson Fang?" another Alpha asked. "With Dante incapacitated, who's governing his territory?"
"I am." I'd made that decision three days ago when it became clear Dante wasn't waking up. "Temporarily. Until he recovers."
"And if he doesn't recover?"