Chapter 252 EPILOGUE

Chapter 252 EPILOGUE
Wex and I both turned our heads toward the open glass doors just as a tiny, chaotic blur of motion burst out onto the balcony.

"I won! I won!" a high, joyful voice shrieked.

A tiny little girl with a mess of wild, dark hair charged across the polished marble. She wore a small, simple dress of bright red silk, her bare feet slapping loudly against the stone. She did not slow down. She launched herself through the air, tackling Wex right in the knees with surprising force.

Wex did not even flinch. The fierce Alpha King, the man who had torn through armies and commanded the unified infantry, melted instantly.

A booming, rich laugh tore from his throat. He reached down with his massive hands, scooping the little girl up into the air. He hoisted her high above his head, spinning her around as she shrieked with pure, unadulterated delight.

"Did you win again, little wolf?" Wex asked, bringing her down and settling her securely onto his broad hip.

Elara threw her small arms around his thick neck, hugging him tight. She pulled back, her face flushed with excitement.

She looked exactly like her father. She had his stubborn jaw, his wild hair, and his completely fearless demeanor. But when she opened her eyes and looked at him, she did not have his golden stare.

Elara’s eyes were glowing, brilliant orbs of pure, solid silver starlight.

"I outran the guards!" Elara announced proudly, pointing a tiny finger back toward the open doors. "I hid behind the big curtains, and they walked right past me! I am a ghost!"

Commander McKenna Leann Conaill stepped out onto the balcony a second later. The stoic, elite leader of the Moon Guards looked slightly out of breath, her polished silver armor clinking softly. She stopped a few feet away, dropping into a quick, respectful bow, though a rare, amused smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Forgive the intrusion, Sovereign, Alpha King," McKenna said, standing back up. "The young Princess is incredibly fast. She managed to slip past the entire southern patrol during her evening lessons."

"You need faster patrols, Commander," Wex teased, his golden eyes shining with immense pride as he looked at his daughter.

"She cheated," McKenna pointed out gently. "She used a spark of light to blind the corridor torches. It gave her the perfect cover to reach the balcony."

I stepped forward, reaching out to brush a tangled lock of dark hair out of Elara's glowing silver eyes.

"You used your magic to cheat at hide and seek?" I asked her, trying to keep my voice stern, though the bright joy in my chest made it entirely impossible.

Elara looked down at me, offering a wide, innocent grin that showed off her small white teeth. "It wasn't cheating, Mama. It was a tactical advantage. Papa said I should always use my advantages."

Wex let out another deep chuckle, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "I cannot argue with my own lessons, Eddena."

"You are both terrible," I sighed, though my smile betrayed me completely. I looked at McKenna. "Thank you, Commander. We will take it from here. You are dismissed for the evening."

McKenna bowed her head deeply. "Have a peaceful night, Sovereign."

The Commander turned and walked back into the Royal Chambers, pulling the heavy glass doors shut behind her, leaving our family alone on the wide marble balcony.

The sun finally slipped below the horizon, casting the city in a soft, glowing twilight. The thousands of torches and lanterns in the capital flickered to life, turning the streets below into a sprawling river of warm, golden stars.

Wex shifted his weight, holding Elara securely on his hip with his right arm. He reached his left arm out, wrapping it firmly around my waist. He pulled me close, tucking me securely against his side.

I leaned my head onto his broad shoulder. The smooth leather of his vest was warm against my cheek. Elara reached out, her small, warm hand resting flat against my collarbone, right over the crescent moon birthmark that now glowed with the exact same silver light as her eyes.

I stood there, listening to the steady, powerful rhythm of my husband’s heart and the soft, happy breathing of my daughter.

A profound, staggering realization washed over me, rushing through my veins and stealing the breath straight from my lungs.

I thought about the freezing, dark woods. I thought about the bitter cold of the snow seeping into my boots while my parents turned their backs on me. I thought about the cruel, mocking laughter of the high court, the sharp slaps, and the endless, tearing pain of being a worthless, discarded omega. I had spent my entire youth believing I was a mistake, a stray meant to be forgotten in the dirt.

I looked down at the sprawling, peaceful city. I looked at the little girl with the power of the stars in her eyes. I looked up at the fierce, devoted Alpha King who had burned his own flesh to put a crown on my head.

I did not just survive the shadows.

I tore the old world down to its foundations, and I built an empire out of the ashes of my own rejection. I took the pain they gave me and forged it into a blinding, holy light.

I was no longer the stray. I was no longer the unwanted orphan begging for a scrap of warmth.

I was the Moon Sovereign. I was the mother of a brand new age. I held the entire unified realm in the palm of my hand, and I was surrounded by a love so vast and deep it defied the gods themselves.

I closed my eyes, leaning deeper into Wex's embrace, the golden bond in my chest pulsing with a complete, unbreakable peace.

I had won.