CHAPTER 28: QUEEN’S GAMBIT

CHAPTER 28: QUEEN’S GAMBIT
Maya’s POV

While the crowd stood frozen in disbelief, I stood quietly stunned, barely able to process the shimmering ring now encircling my finger.

The ring fit perfectly and delicately around my finger.

It was the stone in the middle that dazzled everyone! It was a huge diamond, fit only for royalty, so luminous it seemed to pulse with breath as though it were alive. My gaze locked onto it, on what it meant, on what it had claimed.

“The size of the stone depicts the goodness of the owner’s character,” an elder whispered to another minister of the council.

“Yes, and I heard that it is auspicious for the pack to get a person claimed by the crystal like that! We are lucky that she will be our Queen.”

“She is truly skilled and compassionate. She proved herself during the rogue battle and Luna Trials. She has been acing all the rounds!”

“We should support the King to take the doctor as our Queen. I hope he agrees.”

“But she is an omega!”

“Yes, but she is the chosen one by the crystal! It is a symbol of the Moon Goddess herself. How can we reject it for her rank?”

“Still… can we allow tradition to be broken so easily?”

Amidst the chaos, suddenly a light flared in the center of the hall.

The powers that were snatched from the guilty trio merged into one bright spark, almost blinding everyone with its energy and power. It hovered mid air like a heartbeat suspended in time before unravelling into a swirl of cool mist.

The tendrils curled and twisted, forming the outline of something wild, something familiar.

Every eyeball was transfixed up in the air.

The mist began to shimmer and swell, and from the swirling smoke and stardust, a familiar wolf emerged.

Coco!

My dear wolf!

Princess Hannah, Leo and Quinn lost their wolves but their powers gave birth to my wolf!

Coco emerged slowly, shape coalescing from vapor to fur, until there was no doubt: she was real, and she was whole. She was larger and more powerful than the three wolves lost combined.

And she was mine!

Everyone stared, captivated by the commanding presence of the wolf. Her fur was pure white, each strand tipped in silver, reflecting the regal aura of the Lycan King himself. Power radiated from her in quiet waves. Diamond-studded guards shimmered over her paws, not merely ornamental but forged with purpose, giving her the appearance of a warrior ready for battle. At the center of her forehead, a single flawless diamond gleamed—so perfect, it looked as though it had been taken from the Moon Goddess’s own crown, a sacred gift marking her rebirth and favor.

Once she formed completely, she howled.

The royal guards and soldiers knelt with fists over their hearts and heads bowed. Soon after, the citizens followed the soldiers’ lead and were on their knees as well. Her howl commanded respect, nay, her alluring presence commanded respect and authority.

Then, like lightning returning to its source, she bolted forward, her form dissolving into light just before she collided with my chest in a beautiful, sparkly silver glow.

A blinding glow erupted, engulfing me in its brilliance. The onlookers shielded their eyes, but I stood still, absorbing it all.

My powers.

My wolf.

My truth.

My pride.

My respect.

All returned.

The Crystal of Truth had not just judged in my favor, it had restored what was stolen from me. And more.

My fingers trembled, not from fear, but from the sheer weight of this moment.

I looked at Sebastian.

A king on one knee.

A sacred crystal proclaiming me his Luna.

An entire kingdom bearing witness.

It was more than I had ever dared to imagine. More than any omega had ever received.

It didn’t feel real.

It felt like a dream.

But before the silence could settle into reverence—

“This is absurd!” a sharp voice cut through the moment like a dagger.

All heads turned.

Rose Callahan stepped forward, her golden hair coiled in perfect defiance, eyes burning with fury. She was truly Quinn’s twin sister. Equally notorious but breathtakingly beautiful. Regal, calculating. Always watching from the shadows, waiting for her moment.

“She’s not worthy! She’s a mute, rejected omega with the Goddess knows whose pups. She is a scandal wrapped in pity. She deceived this court with tears and theatrics!” Rose spat.

Another figure stepped beside her. The crowd murmured louder.

Princess Athena.

Daughter of a royal house. Sebastian’s childhood sweetheart. Once considered the strongest contender in the Luna Trials.

Her eyes were icy. Almost bursting with controlled rage. She hadn’t uttered a single word throughout the drama until now. But now, she stepped forward with purpose.

“This entire trial has been manipulated,” Athena said. “By sentiment. By magic. Not merit.”

“Do you question the Crystal of Truth?” Sebastian asked coolly, rising to his full height once more.

“I question her,” Athena replied, looking straight at me. “She hasn’t completed the trials. We have one round left. The final test. The game of queens. Chess.”

Gasps echoed again.

Athena wasn’t done.

“And I dare her. Here. Now. To complete the last round. To compete. Against both of us.” She gestured to Rose, whose lips curled into a smug grin. She knew I avoided playing Chess with Leo!

The challenge hung in the air like the blade of a guillotine.

Athena's voice rang out cold and hard. “Do it if you dare, Omega. Prove you belong on that throne beside the most powerful man or else leave it to us, the rightful queens.”

I didn’t flinch. My eyes never left hers.

Sebastian looked at me, concern flickering in his gaze but he didn’t interfere.

Because this fight was mine. And mine alone And he knew it.

My eyes rolled towards the guard holding my scroll. He seemed to understand non-verbally and instantly handed it over to me with a pen.

“I accept.” I wrote on the scroll. My resolve to win this till the end strong. “I’ll take you both on—at the same time. Use your boards if you must. I won’t need to see a single piece. I will play blindfolded … and still win.”

I raised the piece of paper for everyone to see.

A stunned silence shattered with a chorus of sharp inhales.

“Blindfolded chess and that too, two simultaneous games against champions together? No way!” The Prime Minister said, alarmed. “That would be unfair to her.”

Gloom set upon the council of ministers.

“She doesn’t need to do this,” one of the council elders muttered, his hands trembling. “The Crystal already chose her. Why must she still prove herself? Now I fear we will lose the Moon Goddess’ gift to us.”

“The people adore her, the gods favor her… yet she’s still being challenged like a commoner?” a noblewoman scoffed bitterly.

A general beside her sighed. “It’s not just a challenge. It’s sabotage in the name of sport.”

“She’s a healer, not a tactician,” whispered a court scholar, eyes glinting with sorrow. “We will lose her to cruelty disguised as tradition.”

“She’s not even flinching…” a young palace guard said under his breath, almost in awe.

“Blindfolded? Against Princess Athena and Rose Callahan? They’ve studied strategy since birth!” Another whispered. “This isn’t courage. It’s a setup!”

“But she’s the Moon Goddess’ choice!” Someone cried out in protest. “Don’t they see what she’s already overcome?”

“She defended the palace during the rogue siege. She outshone nobles in every Luna Trial. How much more must she give?” murmured an elderly minister, his voice breaking.

“I fear if she loses… we’ll lose her,” said a soft-spoken maid from the crowd. “They’ll strip her of what’s rightfully hers.”

“And if she wins?” said a cloaked figure near the entrance, voice calm but cold. “They’ll still find ways to doubt her.”

“We don’t deserve her,” another citizen muttered bitterly. “Yet she’s risking everything for us.”

“Someone should ask King Sebastian to intervene! Surely, he won’t want to lose his Queen – the chosen one by the Moon Goddess?!”

“Someone should shake some sense in her! Someone do something!! Stop her!”

“I can’t bear to watch her lose. I need to leave.”

Still, I remained silent. Composed. My hands steady as stone.

The Lycan King watched me with quiet intensity, a storm barely restrained behind his eyes.

But I didn’t falter.

I wouldn’t.

Because I wasn’t playing to impress.

I was playing to finish what they began.

Rose smirked. “You’ll regret this.”

The hall was transformed. Guards brought out two grand chessboards, side by side. Black and white tiles gleamed beneath the chandeliers like war grounds awaiting queens.

I stepped forward and removed the cloak draped over my shoulders.

And then… I closed my eyes.

Attendants blindfolded me.

Gasps rippled through the crowd again. This time not in disbelief—but awe.

An omega.

Blindfolded.

Facing two of the most cunning women in the kingdom.

Someone whispered, “She’s going to fall.”

Another whispered back, “She’s going to fly.”

The pieces were set. The crowd hushed.

Sebastian stepped back, silent and watchful—eyes only on me.

And I, Maya—the omega they tried to destroy—lifted my chin.

“White. D4.”

The game began.

Rose moved first on her board. “C5,” she said with venomous calm.

Athena mirrored her — “Knight to F6.”

I listened. Calculated. Saw the boards without seeing. I had trained for this in my loneliest hours, when books were my only company, and logic was my only defense.

Move by move, the game unfolded.

But it wasn’t just about pawns and queens. It was about history, power, deception.

And finally, it was Athena who shattered the mask.

“Do you think this game makes you worthy of him?” She hissed across the board. “You’re nothing but a charity case. I was there when Sebastian was a boy. I bandaged his wounds. I held his secrets. His nightmares. We were fated long before you even knew how to pronounce Lycan.”

A murmur swept through the hall.

“She was his childhood sweetheart!” someone whispered.

Athena’s voice sharpened. “He kissed me under the Moon Tree. Swore I would be his Queen. His one and only.”

Lies. All lies. I could tell without looking at the King that I was his one and only. His only Belle.

She was trying to throw me off my game.

I kept playing.

“You can only scheme in real life. Not on the board. What a pity,” Rose taunted. I heard her cut a piece of mine. She fell for my trap. “Your greed will lead to your fall. The Goddess knows what were you trying to achieve by playing both of us blindfold. Serves a greedy woman like you right.”

However, how could have she known that she was the greedy one out of the two of us. Her greed to overlook the sacrifice of my piece, led to her downfall.

Truly, pride comes before a fall.

“Queen to H5.” The guard tasked to read my notation on the scroll read out.

Rose stiffened.

“No—” she whispered.

Her king was cornered.

Check.

I turned to Athena’s board. My mind calm and steady.

“Bishop takes F7.” The guard called out after reading my scroll while I removed my blindfold.

Princess Athena blinked, realizing a beat too late.

“Checkmate,” I said quietly.

Silence. Then an eruption.

The crowd stood.

Not in outrage.

But in applause.

Two boards. Two blindfolds. Two hearts exposed.

And the omega?

She stood tall.

Triumphant.

Sebastian stepped forward, pride in his eyes.

And even the doubters knew:

The Luna had already been chosen.

By logic.

By fate.

By truth.

By the only king who mattered.