Chapter 16 THE RED KING'S LEGACY
When Marius's shout of "I accept" echoed through the Council Hall, the reluctant alliance between Dorian and Serra was ready to face its first real test. This was no longer a political maneuver; it was a personal war over blood and legacy.
The Council members followed Dorian, Serra, and Marius toward Serra’s father’s office. The footsteps struck a menacing rhythm on the marble floor.
Dorian’s hand gripped Serra’s tighter than in any previous performance. Pure Alpha rage—not just for Marius, but for the fate that sealed the curse to his body—flowed through Dorian's veins.
"You commanded me to show my power," Dorian murmured, his voice low enough only for Serra to hear. "But I was on the verge of losing control. Why did you save me?"
Serra replied without taking her eyes off Marius’s back. "The show was good, but inadequate. Losing you before the Council doesn't serve my revenge, Dorian. Your end must come by my hand."
Serra was lying. When Dorian’s power wavered, the Red Alpha within her, instead of watching an Alpha crumble, had burned with a protective instinct. The ritual text was right; their bond transcended their hatred.
Marius frequently glanced behind him during the silent, dangerous walk. The icy determination on Dorian's face planted a seed of doubt in Marius's mind: Does the Luna actually know about the trap?
Physical Tension and Power Transfer
Serra’s father’s office was in the oldest, least-used wing of the palace. The corridor was damp and lined with old, engraved stones. As they entered this narrow space, Dorian's seal began to burn again. Dorian's tight grip on Serra's hand was no longer a mere display, but a shout for survival.
"Damn the stones," Dorian growled, his voice hushed. "These old stones... they are weakening the seal. I am losing control."
As Dorian's body tensed, Serra’s skin began to electrify. Serra understood: Dorian's power was draining faster than Marius expected.
Serra swiftly moved closer to Dorian, ignoring the astonished looks of the Council members and Marius. Everyone believed they were witnessing the Luna's 'irresistible desire' for her Alpha.
Serra leaned into Dorian’s neck. This was an emergency power transfer disguised as an embrace.
"I am giving you power," Serra whispered, her voice husky. "Become strong enough to defeat Marius before the Council. But remember, the cost of every drop of that strength is your obedience to me."
Serra's Red Alpha energy flowed into Dorian's sealed core like a river. Dorian flinched with a momentary mixture of pleasure and pain. The touch of Serra's lips on his neck gave him not only physical strength but the ruthless ambition to regain control.
Marius’s face twisted with rage when he saw this intense, passionate moment. "Youths! Control yourselves! This is inappropriate before the Council!"
Dorian pulled his head back. His eyes were no longer shaky; they shone with the cold resolve of a pure, powerful Alpha. Serra's power had saved him.
"Inappropriate?" Dorian questioned, his voice more menacing than the earlier roar in the Council Hall. "My Luna's power shows me how much I want her. And right now, I want to enter her father's office more than I want to tolerate you."
The Red King's Seal
Marius's eyes were fixed on the office door. It was centuries old and bore the seal of the "Red King" (Serra’s father’s epithet).
Marius pointed to the locked door. "See, Alpha Volcan. The door is locked and sealed. If there were a trap here, the Council would know."
"Marius, you are here not to break the door, but to monitor the trap inside," Serra countered quickly. "That door prevented anyone but Council members from entering my father's office. But you found a way around it."
Dorian walked to the door. He noticed a nearly invisible trace of silver dust on the door handle. It was the residue from the silver trap Lukas had mentioned.
Dorian held his hand in the air. "I challenge you, Marius. Open that door. But if, the moment you open it, the silver trap endangers the Council members..."
Marius’s face turned purple with blood. If he opened the door, the trap he set might explode and harm the Council members. That would mean Marius's end. But if he backed down, he would have to confess his treason before the Council.
"This is a game, Dorian," Marius hissed. "I will open the door. But you and your Luna will be the first ones to enter."
Dorian and Serra looked at each other. This was a moment of deadly risk for both. Serra gripped Dorian's hand, giving him one last surge of power.
"Let's go, Luna," Dorian said. "I will show you what lies behind this door. The legacy left by your father and Marius’s true obsession."
When Marius reached to open the door, Dorian stepped forward to shield Serra. The door opened with a heavy creak, and the cold, stagnant air from inside spread into the corridor.
The office was not dark, as they expected. Instead, a single item was gleaming on the antique wooden desk in the middle of the room.
That item was Marius's true target.