Chapter 70 Reckoning

Chapter 70 Reckoning
Coriander’s Point of View

Mavros immediately stepped in front of me, raising his arm to block my path as if shielding me from Elder Mara—whose aura had shifted completely, becoming far darker and more menacing than it had been just moments before. I could now feel her presence clearly, and trails of violet‑colored smoke began to rise from behind her, curling through the air like poisonous mist.

“Shit!” I cursed, and with an effortless motion, I brushed Mavros’s arm aside, stepping out from behind him.

She’s using forbidden magic!

“Pip, Nico, Imus…” I called out to the three mind lycan wolves dwelling within me.

“Master!” they replied in unison, as if they had been waiting for me to summon them all along. There was no usual bickering between them this time. They clearly understood just how serious the situation had become.

“Use your long‑distance mind‑linking to inform Luka and the others of what is happening,” I ordered firmly, keeping my gaze fixed intently on Elder Mara.

“Are you sure, Master? You know that this ability—”

“Yes, Nico! Just do as I say!” I cut him off before he could finish.

Using long‑distance mind‑linking meant I would lose a great amount of my own energy since it was a skill I was still learning and had not yet fully mastered. Originally, it was an ability that only Nico and Imus possessed, not Pip, and it was difficult enough to control even under normal circumstances—made far more complicated by the fact that three-minded wolves shared space within me.

I knew that some experienced Lycans could perform this feat, and if my memory served me right, it was a skill that both Delta Gun and Gamma Fengk had also mastered.

“Surrender peacefully, Elder Mara. You will answer for every crime you have committed against the Hundi Pack,” I said firmly, taking one step forward. But before I could advance further, Mavros reached out and gripped my arm tightly, stopping me in my tracks. I turned my head sharply to look at him.

“Where do you think you’re going? Can’t you see how dangerous she is?” he asked, his voice tense with concern.

“Can’t you also see that I am dangerous too?” I shot back, pulling my arm free from his grip before turning my attention back to Elder Mara, who stood there watching me with a mocking smile.

As much as I could, I wanted to avoid using any strong magic here. There were still guests and staff scattered around the grounds, and the main hall was only a short distance away. Just as I had explained before, unleashing a massive amount of magical power in an area filled with so many living beings carried severe consequences. I had no intention of putting anyone else at risk, even if it meant facing her while holding back my full strength.

Elder Mara clicked her tongue, and her smirk widened. “I must admit, I am quite impressed with you, Coriander. I did not expect you to get this far and catch on so quickly,” she said, then shifted her gaze toward Mavros, standing behind me. “Long time no see, Lycan King Mavros Warren Grimvile. It has been quite a few years, hasn’t it?”

Mavros stepped forward to stand beside me now. “So it was you all along,” he said. “You were the one who fed me those lies, who planted doubt between us and destroyed everything we had built. You dared to manipulate me, to turn my own mate against me, and all for what? Greed for power?”

Elder Mara let out a chuckle. “For power? Of course! The Solar Sigil is the most powerful relic in existence. And it was wasted on a girl who only wanted to use it to protect others, not to rule. I knew if Coriander stayed bound to you, if she remained under the protection of the strongest Lycan King in generations, I would never get close enough to take it. So I simply removed the bond that stood in my way.”

I smirked. “And do you really think you succeeded in your plan to sever the bond between us?”

Her smile faded slowly, replaced by a look of confusion. “You rejected him five years ago, did you not?” she demanded, raising her voice as if repeating the lie would make it true. “You stood before the entire council and the whole Hundi Pack and declared that you were no longer bound to the Lycan King! You publicly renounced your connection to him, or so everyone was led to believe!”

“What?” Mavros spoke up from behind me. “What is she talking about?”

I shot him an irritated glance over my shoulder. My patience was already stretched thin. “It’s your own damn fault, you stubborn, thick‑headed fool!” I snapped, then I turned my full attention back to Elder Mara. “There was never any true rejection five years ago, Mara. You spread rumors and twisted words to make it look that way, but you are not the Moon Goddess herself. You have no power, no authority, and no right to break the sacred bond that ties two souls together. Our bond remains completely intact. And I swear to you, I will never let you get your greedy hands on the Solar Sigil. It belongs to me, it chose me, and it will never serve someone as corrupt and power‑hungry as you.”

“Then we shall see!” she hissed, her voice rising with rage. “I did not spend five long years plotting and waiting in the shadows for nothing, Coriander! I did not leave the safety of the Hundi Pack and travel all the way here without being fully prepared. I will make sure that I am the one who strikes you down myself! Once you are gone, the Sigil will be mine, and I will prove to everyone that I am the only one worthy of wielding such immense power!”

Suddenly, she raised both hands high into the air. Thick clouds of violet smoke erupted around her, spinning faster and faster like a violent storm that centered only on her form.

I felt the warning hum in my bones. The Solar Sigil resting deep inside me began to glow faintly, responding to the opposing energy.

Then Mavros shifted beside me, his eyes now flashing as his wolf stirred beneath the surface. “You have no idea what you’ve started,” he growled. “You thought you were playing with pawns? You just woke the storm.”

Mavros’s aura had shifted completely from what it was just moments before. For some reason I could not fully explain, I felt every hair on the back of my neck stand on end as I watched his eyes flare with a brilliant, piercing blue light.

“Master Cori, we have already informed Luka and the others about what is happening,” Pip’s voice echoed gently inside my mind, though it carried a clear note of concern. “They are now guiding all the guests out of the main hall and grounds as quickly and safely as possible.”

“Thank you, Pip. Please keep me updated on everything going on around us,” I replied silently. “I do not want this battle to cause widespread destruction or harm to anyone in this place.”

“Noted, Master Cori…” she answered promptly.

From behind Elder Mara, near the garden entrance, figures suddenly materialized. They were faces I had not laid eyes on in five long years, figures I had thought I might never see again, and yet they were instantly recognizable despite the time that had passed.

“C‑Cori…” Mivron breathed the moment our eyes met, his voice soft and filled with surprise.

“Queen…” Gamma Fengk and Delta Gun spoke respectfully in unison. They too had changed so much over time. Their shoulders became broader, their expressions more hardened by years of duty and experience, yet the loyalty in their eyes remained unmistakable.

I could not help but let a faint smile touch my lips. Gamma Fengk and Delta Gun—these were exactly the two people I had truly missed from the Obsidian Fang Pack.

“Well, well… look who decided to show up,” she sneered, the violet smoke swirling faster and faster around her body until it formed a living storm. “Even the loyal dogs have come to snarl at my heels. Do you honestly believe numbers will make any difference? I have spent five long years waiting and gathering power that no ordinary mage could ever even dream of possessing. Nothing will stop me now.”

The way Elder Mara spoke now made it impossible for me not to think of Xuamel. Standing there, consumed by ambition and dark magic, she felt just like him—twisted by greed and convinced she was destined for greatness. For a moment, it felt as though the same dangerous, ruthless man was standing right before us again.

My heart began to beat faster as the thick, swirling smoke she summoned grew even denser. The wind it generated whipped around her, lifting her clothes and tossing her hair wildly into the air. Even the mask she had been wearing earlier was torn away and carried off by the gale. We too could feel the force of the powerful gusts rolling across the garden, making the trees sway and the ground tremble beneath our feet.

“Damn it!” I cursed loudly, then opened my palms and let a warm, golden light begin to gather there—the ancient energy of the Solar Sigil, forged to burn away and dissolve forbidden magic of the kind Elder Mara was now unleashing.

“Nico! Imus! I need your strength!” I called out to the two-headed wolf that shared space within Pip, asking them to lend their power so I could channel even more energy into my hands.

“Yes, Master Cori!” they answered in unison, their voices resonating deep within my mind.

“I‑It’s them…” I heard Gamma Fengk whisper when I turned my head slightly toward him. His eyes were fixed wide on the space just behind me, and I knew exactly what he was seeing.

A massive, towering shape made of luminous smoke began to rise and take form behind my back—the unmistakable figures of Nico and Imus, their combined presence manifesting visibly for all to witness.

As I released the energy of the Solar Sigil, golden, crackling light began to spread across the scar on my collarbone—the mark Theresa had carefully covered with concealer earlier, making it invisible to others. But now, the strength of the power surging from within rendered that cover useless. The light broke through it completely, glowing bright and unhidden for all to see. And I knew, too, that the color of my eyes was slowly changing.

They turned, little by little, into a deep, vivid blood red…

Elder Mara let out a mocking laugh. “There we go! Let me finally see the prize that will be mine before the night ends!” she taunted.

I ignored her completely. I closed my eyes, focusing inward, feeling the ancient energy of the Solar Sigil flow freely through every vein and every fiber of my being.

I began my journey as nothing more than an Omega in the Silverpine Pack. Even though my father had been a Beta and my mother one of the pack’s most skilled healers, they had placed me in the lowest rank simply because I had no one to stand up for me and because my wolf had remained dormant for years. But tonight—tonight I would prove once and for all that I was worthy to lead the strongest alliance of mages, fairies, and healers in the world—not because I was Mavros’s mate but because I had earned the right to stand in that place through my own strength and will.

I opened my eyes again, and this time I knew for certain they shone bright and burning crimson. My voice rang out, clear and powerful, echoing across the garden and cutting through the roar of the wind and magic.

“I declare tonight marks the reckoning. The final stand against those who would use darkness and greed to destroy everything we protect!”