Chapter 161 Last Words...
Malia Mooncrest
I’m sitting at the same mahogany desk where I finished the final chapter of this book, looking out over the Silverwood Preserve. The moon is just a sliver tonight, but the light inside this room—and inside me—is steady. I never expected to be a writer. I expected to be a statistic, or a shadow, or a girl who simply disappeared into the machinery of a world that didn't want her.
But here we are.
First, I want to thank you. To anyone who held this book in their hands and walked beside me through the halls of Mooncrest College: thank you. When I was the "scholarship girl" trembling in the courtyard, I felt like the whole world was watching me wait for a mistake.
But as I wrote this, I realized you weren't watching me fall—you were waiting for me to stand up. Your belief in my story, even when it was messy and violent and silver-streaked with pain, gave me the strength to put the truth on paper. You reminded me that even a lone wolf can find a pack if she’s brave enough to speak her name.
To July and freddy: my first friends, my true north. July, thank you for the coffee, the gossip, and for never letting me hide in the library for too long. You saw the girl behind the "don't touch me" stare before anyone else did. Freddy, thank you for the laughs and for showing me that there’s a whole world outside the gates worth exploring. You two are the reason I never forgot what it felt like to be human. I hope your own adventures are as bright as the ones we shared.
To Rowan and Cian: the brothers who became my pillars. Cian, thank you for the quiet strength and the tactical mind that kept us three steps ahead of the dark. You taught me that knowledge is a different kind of silver fire. Rowan, thank you for the courage and the reminders to breathe. You were the first person to make me feel like my power wasn't a curse, but a gift. You aren't just my allies; you are my brothers in every sense that matters.
And to Aiden: my heart, my anchor, my Alpha. Thank you for reaching for me when I was a storm. You saw the Queen in me when I was still a servant to my own fear. Thank you for the long rides, the silent protection, and for loving me enough to let me find my own way to the throne. This book is as much yours as it is mine, because without your heart beating against mine, the ink would have run dry a long time ago.
Finally, to my mother, Aurora: I hope I did you proud. I hope the empire I’m building is the fortress you dreamed of when you hid me in the shadows.
My life was fated to be a tragedy, but because of all of you, it became an anthem.