Chapter 198 THE KING'S RETURN.
Chapter 198 THE KING'S RETURN.
Chapter
Rosa's POV
My stomach dropped, my eyes widening.
I flattened my lips, not knowing what to say or how to reply.
I stood like a statue in front of Alpha Vexhood, completely absorbed in my own thoughts.
Being the king of Stormfang Pack? With who? Alpha Vexhood? I echoed the thought in my brain like a stubborn puzzle, difficult to crack.
Does that mean he would be sleeping and waking up in this pack, seeing my face around every corner of these walls?
Does that mean I would sleep and wake up with the sound of Alpha Vexhood's voice echoing in my ears?
Does that mean I would cease to be the queen of this pack again? That any kind of role would just be thrown at me?
What about my respect and the honor the pack members afforded me? What about the security aides? What about the…
Does that mean—
“Rosa!”
Alpha Vexhood’s voice came out harsh and hard, snapping me out of my wandering thoughts like a hammer striking my chest.
“You… said…” I turned to him like someone whose senses had been taken away and suddenly returned.
My eyes widened. A tiny gasp left my throat.
“You said?” I managed to repeat, blinking several times as I turned my full attention back to him.
“Are your ears not working anymore?” Alpha Vexhood blasted. His voice echoed like a caravan of horses.
“I said, go get me the pack announcer now!” he snapped, pointing to the doorway at the right wing of the palace hall.
.
.
.
The evening trickled by as everyone gathered on the palace grounds—this time, not in the palace hall.
The news had spread around town that Alpha Vexhood would be the one standing in the gap for the new king. The murmurs and gossip suggested that his son could be the next candidate to become king of Stormfang Pack.
The anxiety on the faces of the palace workers confirmed it. The fear of Alpha Vexhood was the beginning of wisdom. Everything was made up of the fear and anxiety he had cast upon the minds of every inhabitant of Stormfang Pack.
“We are here today to coronate our beloved Alpha Vexhood,” the pack announcer declared. His thick, echoing voice erupted through the space, almost seeming to lift the roof off.
“Wo… wo…” the pack members echoed. The hall was filled, but not to the brim—unlike the coronation ceremonies of kings I had experienced before.
In a ceremony of this nature, we do not use the palace hall—we use the pack playground.
This place had been abandoned since chaos stepped into the pack, and the so-called Moon Goddess had turned her back on us ever since the late Alpha Jax became king.
Uncertainty mixed with fear was painted on the faces of many. I could see it clearly from where I stood as the former Luna of the palace.
Both young and old clasped their hands behind their backs. The pack announcer had gone to different parts of the pack to announce the death of Alpha Jax and the enthronement of Alpha Vexhood as the interim king.
This was not something they could protest or question. Anyone who even tried would have the angel of death ready to pay them a visit.
I knew this would have stirred fear in the hearts of the pack members.
It was obvious they still preferred Alpha Jax as king rather than Alpha Vexhood seated on the throne—even for a fraction of a moment—because of the fear that came with him.
I turned, seeing Alpha Vexhood seated on the throne. His left hand clasped the arm of the throne, while the other held tightly to his totem.
Everything about him exuded fear—from the way he spread his legs like a conqueror to his face, wrinkled as though laughter had never touched it.
He didn’t relax his back. He sat upright, as if thorns and spines had been embedded into the backrest of the throne.
Silence reigned in the room. Everyone—both young and old—knew Alpha Vexhood’s reign would feel like a military takeover.
I, for one, did not want him in that position. I preferred Ryder. But what could I do?
Alpha Vexhood had sent for the remaining elders who had fled during Alpha Jax’s reign, ordering them to return to their duties.
“We are going to start the coronation,” the pack announcer said, trying to plaster on a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
In Stormfang, there is always the office of the Chief Priest, who crowns the king and blesses the crowd. But this was different. No Chief Priest stood present. Alpha Vexhood hadn’t called any of the sanctuary servants to fill that role. That alone was an aberration.
“Enough!” Alpha Vexhood’s voice cut through like a whip. “That’s enough from you!”
The crowd startled.
“Get that crown over there!” he ordered, pointing to the small glass chamber where the crown had been kept.
“There is absolutely no time to waste!”
“The gods can’t be angry—I eat and dine with them…”
An intense murmur spread through the crowd. A few people exchanged shocked glances. Alpha Vexhood—who once preached sacrilege and sanctity—saying this?
“Just get the crown over here, and let’s be done with this once and for all!”
The words rolled off Alpha Vexhood’s tongue. Even the announcer was stunned—this had never been heard of in the history of the pack.
He tried to move, but his legs suddenly felt heavy, as though stones were tied to them.
I could hear the drag of his shoes against the floor as he made his way to the chamber that housed the crown.
When he finally got there, it felt like an eternity had passed. The palace hall fell into deep silence. I could hear nothing but my own breathing. No one—absolutely no one—could challenge Alpha Vexhood in what he was about to do because he was the face, the mouthpiece, and everything that represented the gods and the Moon Goddess in Stormfang Pack.
The announcer opened the chamber and brought out the crown, which had been taken from Alpha Jax’s room. He hadn’t taken it with him when he left for that ill-fated journey.
The announcer’s hands trembled as he lifted it.
He approached the throne and was about to place it on Alpha Vexhood’s head—
Then we heard it.
“Stop! No one will take my place while I am still alive…”
Everyone turned toward the direction of the voice that suddenly filled the room.
ALPHA JAX!