CHAPTER 131: SHADOWBORNS.

CHAPTER 131: SHADOWBORNS.
~Livia’s POV~

The moon was high when I entered the underground chamber, my chamber. No guards. No council members. No prying eyes. Only shadows, stone, and the stale breath of ancient magic.

Exactly how I wanted it.

I lit the first black candle, the wick crackling. “Finally,” I murmured. “Time to clean up the last piece of this mess.”

A cloaked figure stepped from the corner. “My Queen,” he bowed. “Are you certain you wish to proceed tonight?”

I frowned. “Is there a reason you think I should wait?”

He swallowed. “The Shadowborn… once awakened, they obey no one but the bloodline command.”

“And I,” I snapped, “am the rightful heir by conquest. Kieran is in a coma. I am queen. My word is law.”

“Yes, My Queen.”

Another candle flared to life.

I lifted the silver dagger, its hilt cold enough to numb my palm. “Begin the incantation.”

He nodded, opening an old leather-bound book. “As you command.”

He chanted, low, guttural words that scraped the air like claws. I repeated them steadily, feeling the floor vibrate beneath us.

“Open the veil,” I ordered.

He placed the book on the altar. “Then you must bleed for them.”

I pressed the dagger to my palm and dragged it across my skin. “I am not afraid.”

Blood dripped onto the carved runes. They pulsed, soft at first, then violently. The chamber darkened as if shadows themselves leaned forward to listen.

The cloaked man stepped back. “Your Majesty… they’re responding.”

Good.

I raised my voice, letting it echo. “Shadowborn warriors, children of the ancient darkness… wake.”

The runes flared with black light.

Wind rushed around us.

And then, voices. Whispering. Hissing. Hungry.

A thick shadow began to rise from the floor, stretching like smoke with weight.

One form. Then another.

Then seven.

Each took shape slowly, tall and armored in living darkness, their eyes glowing silver.

They knelt.

One stepped forward, bowing his head. “Who summons us?”

“I do,” I said, stepping closer. “Livia Nightborne. Queen of the Crescent Pack.”

“Queen…” the shadow hissed. “Your blood speaks truth.”

“Good. Then obey.” I didn’t blink. “I have an order.”

The warriors tilted their heads, listening.

“There is a girl,” I continued, “named Ava.”

All seven reacted at once, shadows rippling like disturbed water.

“Ava…” The leader growled. “The marked vessel.”

So even creatures of darkness knew of her existence.

“Find her,” I said. “End her.”

The cloaked man stiffened. “My Queen, killing the prophecy vessel…”

“Is exactly what must be done,” I snapped. “Ava is a threat to everything I’ve built. As long as she breathes, the pack will doubt me, the prophecy may awaken, and Kieran…” My jaw clenched. “Kieran may wake up and take everything back.”

The shadow leader lifted his head. “Your motive is accepted. But we require blood to track her.”

“Whose blood?” I asked.

“Yours,” he replied.

I extended my bleeding palm. “Take it.”

The warrior pressed his formless hand over my wound. Cold. Violent. It felt as though something was crawling beneath my skin, searching, memorizing.

When he withdrew, smoke trailed from his fingers. “We have the imprint.”

“Good.” I stepped back. “Now listen carefully.”

They leaned forward slightly, ready.

“Ava is no longer within the Crescent Pack. She’s with rogues. Hidden. Protected by Kieran’s allies. She has information, connections, and…”

The words tasted bitter.

“...Kieran’s loyalty.”

The cloaked man dared to speak, “Your Majesty, are you sure sending the Shadowborn is necessary? Once they lock on to their target…”

“They do not stop,” I finished. “Which is exactly why I’m sending them.”

He bowed. “As you wish.”

I turned back to the warriors. “You will track her. Hunt her. Kill her. Quietly. Efficiently. No casualties except her and whoever stands in your way.”

The leader’s eyes brightened. “We obey your command.”

One warrior spoke in a low rumble, “The vessel carries new life.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. “What?”

“Inside her,” the shadow breathed. “The child is of the Alpha’s line.”

So Kieran had managed to taint the world even while unconscious.

My voice sharpened. “You said nothing about this earlier.”

“We speak only when the veil unveils truth.”

Another whisper followed, “Kieran’s heir. A threat twice over.”

Anger surged through me, “Then you kill the child too.”

The chamber went still.

Even the shadows stilled.

“You command the ending,” the leader said slowly. “We will carry it out.”

The cloaked man whispered, “Queen Livia… if the council discovers…”

“The council obeys me.” I snapped my fingers. “Continue.”

The warriors straightened.

“Tell me,” I said softly. “What do you require to begin the hunt?”

The leader lifted his chin. “A token of her presence. Something she touched recently.”

I smirked. “I have something better.”

I walked to a chest, unlocked it, and pulled out a torn piece of cloth, Ava’s old cloak from when she had been dragged in front of the pack days ago. I’d kept it, not out of sentiment but foresight.

I tossed it to the leader.

He sniffed it once. Shadows rippled in excitement. “We have the scent.”

“And her magic?” I asked.

“It leaks from the fabric like a heartbeat.”

“Good.”

The cloaked man whispered nervously, “My Queen… do not underestimate Ava. She has survived things most do not.”

“She’s survived because people keep protecting her.” I sneered. “People who should have protected me.”

He bowed his head. “Forgive me.”

“No,” I said quietly. “Forgive me, for what comes next.”

I stepped right up to the Shadowborn leader. “Bring me her head.”

“We will,” he whispered.

“And when you do,” I added, “I will finally be rid of her. Kieran will remain asleep. The prophecy will die. And I…” I smiled. “I will rule forever.”

The leader nodded once. “Then we go.”

Darkness exploded upward, rushing, swirling, roaring, before vanishing entirely.

The chamber fell silent.

The cloaked man exhaled shakily. “It is done.”

“No,” I said, wiping my bloody palm on my dress. “It begins now.”

He looked at me carefully. “My Queen… if Ava is truly carrying Kieran’s heir…”

My jaw tightened. “Then she dies twice.”

The candle flames flickered as if

shrinking from my words.

I straightened my crown and walked out of the chamber.

Let them run.

Let them hide.

Let them pray.

The Shadowborn did not fail.

And soon… neither would I.