Chapter 53 The Cost of the Crown
Three months later, my shoulders had healed. The scars remained. Two on each side. Proof of everything I’d survived.
I traced them in the mirror some mornings. Remembered the pain. The fear. The choice to save Aunt Clara no matter the cost.
“Stop overthinking,” Lycian said. Coming up behind me. Wrapping his arms around my waist. “They’re just scars. They don’t define you.”
“They kind of do. Every time someone sees them, they’ll know what happened. What I went through.”
“Good. Let them know. Let them see you survived.” He kissed my shoulder. Right over one scar. “You’re a warrior. These prove it.”
I turned in his arms. “When did you become so wise?”
“I’ve always been wise. You just didn’t notice because you were too busy being stubborn.”
I laughed. Kissed him. The bond hummed between us. Steady. Strong. Perfect.
My first official day as Luna started at nine. I’d spent weeks preparing. Learning pack business. Understanding hierarchies. Memorizing names and faces.
Elena had coached me through everything. “You’re going to be great. Just be yourself. That’s what they need.”
But walking into my office that morning, I felt the weight of it. The responsibility. The expectations.
My desk was covered in papers. Requests. Disputes. Questions. All needing Luna's input. All needing me to make decisions that affected real lives.
“Breathe,” I told myself. “One thing at a time.”
The first request was simple. A young couple wanted permission to mate. Standard approval. I signed off. Easy.
The second was harder. A dispute between two families over territory boundaries. Both had valid claims. Both felt wronged.
I called them both in. Listened to their arguments. Found a compromise. Split the difference. Created a shared space.
They left satisfied. I felt accomplished.
By noon, I’d handled six more requests. Some easy. Some complicated. All is important to the people involved.
Elena poked her head in. “How’s it going?”
“Overwhelming. But good. I think.” I gestured to the stack of remaining papers. “How do you handle this much every day?”
“Practice. And coffee. Lots of coffee.” She set a cup on my desk. “You’re doing great. The pack is already noticing. They like that you actually listen. That you care about fair solutions.”
“I just want to help. Make things better.”
“That’s exactly what makes you a good Luna. You see people. Not just problems.” She squeezed my shoulder. “Keep going. You’ve got this.”
After she left, I tackled more requests. Approved a gathering. Denied a challenge I deemed unnecessary. Scheduled mediation for a family conflict.
By five, my brain felt fried. But also satisfied. I’d helped people. Made actual differences in their lives.
Lycian appeared in my doorway. “Ready to go home?”
“More than ready.” I stood. Stretched. My shoulders protested slightly. “How was your day?”
“Boring. Training. Paperwork. More training.” He pulled me close. “But I thought about you constantly. How my brilliant mate was changing the pack for the better.”
“You’re biased.”
“Completely. And I don’t care.” He kissed me. Slow and deep. The bond flared. “Now come on. I’m taking you to dinner.”
We went to Rosa’s. Our spot. Where everything had started months ago.
Rosa greeted us with a huge smile. “My favorite couple! I heard about everything. You’re a hero.”
“I’m really not.”
“Don’t argue with me. You’re a hero. Now sit. Eat. I’m bringing you the special.” She bustled away before I could protest.
Dinner was perfect. Good food. Easy conversation. Normal couple of things that felt precious after everything we’d been through.
“I have something for you,” Lycian said. Pulling out a small box. “I was going to wait. But I can’t. I need to ask now.”
My heart stopped. “Lycian…”
He opened the box. Inside was a ring. Simple. Elegant. A single diamond on a silver band.
“I know we’re already mated. Already bonded. But I want the human ceremony too. The wedding. The vows. The whole thing.” He took my hand. “Marry me. Officially. In front of everyone. Let me make you my wife and my mate and my Luna. All of it. Forever.”
Tears blurred my vision. “Yes. Obviously yes.”
He slipped the ring on my finger. Perfect fit. It was made for me.
We kissed across the table. Rosa cheered from the kitchen. Other diners clapped.
I didn’t care. Let them watch. Let them see how much we loved each other.
“When?” I asked. Admiring the ring. “When do you want to get married?”
“Tomorrow. Next week. Whenever you want. I just want it done. Want you officially mine in every way possible.”
“Six months. Give me time to plan. To make it perfect.”
“Deal. But only because I love you.” He kissed my hand. “Now finish eating. We’re celebrating properly when we get home.”
That night, in bed, he showed me exactly what celebrating meant. Slow. Thorough. Worshipping every inch of me.
When we finished, breathless and tangled together, I felt complete. Whole. Like all the pieces of my life had finally aligned.
“I love you,” I whispered. “More than I thought possible.”
“I love you too. Always.” He pulled me closer. “Now sleep. Tomorrow we start planning a wedding.”
I fell asleep with his heartbeat against my ear. The bond wrapped around us like a blanket. Safe. Perfect. Home.
I woke to my phone buzzing. Early. Too early.
Lycian groaned. “Tell whoever it is to go away.”
I checked the screen. Sienna.
That woke me up fast.
“Hello?”
“Elowen. Sorry to call so early. But there’s been a development.” Her voice was tense. “Can you come to the council office? Now?”
“What kind of development?”
“The kind better discussed in person. Bring Lycian. This affects both of you.”
She hung up.
Lycian was already getting dressed. “What did she say?”
“Something about a development. She wouldn’t say more.” I pulled on clothes. Anxiety is twisting my stomach. “What if there are more threats? What if Marcus had backup plans we didn’t know about?”
“Then we handle it. Like we’ve handled everything else.” He took my hand. “Together.”
We drove to the council office in silence. Both thinking. Both worried.
Sienna met us at the door. Led us to a private room. Thaddeus was already there. So were several council members.
“Sit,” Thaddeus said. Expression unreadable.
We sat. I gripped Lycian’s hand under the table.
“What’s going on?” Lycian asked. Voice hard. Protective.
Sienna pulled out a file. Thick. Official-looking. “During our investigation of Marcus’s movement, we found something. Information he’d been hiding. About Elowen.”
My blood went cold. “What information?”
“Your parents. Their deaths weren’t random.” She opened the file. Showed me photos. Documents. “They were targeted. Killed deliberately. By wolves working for the Shadowcrest Pack.”
The room tilted. I couldn’t breathe. “What?”
“Your father had information. About illegal pack activities. Trafficking. Money laundering. He was going to expose them. So they killed him. Made it look like a car accident. Your mother was collateral damage.”
Lycian’s hand tightened on mine. Through the bond, I felt his fury. His horror.
“Why are you telling me this now?” My voice sounded distant. Wrong.
“Because the wolves who killed them are still alive. Still active. Still dangerous.” Sienna looked at me directly. “And they know you exist. Know you’re Luna now. They might come after you. To finish what they started.”
The words hung in the air. Heavy. Terrible.
My parents. Murdered. Not an accident. Murder.
And the killers were still out there.
“We’ll protect you,” Thaddeus said. “Increase security. Track them down. Bring them to justice.”
But I barely heard him. My mind was spinning. Processing. Breaking apart.
Lycian pulled me into his arms. Held tight. “Breathe. Just breathe.”
I couldn’t. Because everything I thought I knew was wrong.
My parents hadn’t died in a random accident. They’d been killed. Murdered. Because my father tried to do the right thing.
And now, the same people who killed them knew about me.
Knew I was Luna. Knew where I was. Knew how to hurt me.
“I need air,” I managed. Standing on shaking legs. “I need…”
I didn’t finish. Just ran. Out of the room. Down the hallway. Outside where I could breathe.
Lycian followed. Always following. Always there.
“It’s not fair,” I said. Voice breaking. “I finally have everything. You. The pack. A future. And now this. Now I find out my parents were murdered and the killers are still out there.”
“We’ll find them. Make them pay.” His arms came around me. “I promise. They won’t get away with this.”
“What if they come after Aunt Clara? What if they hurt her to get to me?”
“Then we protect her. Move her somewhere safe. Do whatever it takes.”
I leaned into him. Let his strength hold me up. “I’m tired, Lycian. Tired of fighting. Of being scared. Of wondering when the next threat will come.”
“I know. Me too.” He pressed his lips to my hair. “But we’re not giving up. Not after everything we’ve survived. We’re going to find these wolves. End this threat. And then we’re going to live. Really live. No more fear. No more hiding.”
I wanted to believe him. Wanted to trust that this would end.
But a cold voice in my head whispered the truth.
This was never going to end.
As long as I was Luna, I’d be a target.
And somewhere out there, my parents’ killers were watching.
Waiting.
Planning.