Chapter 66 The Night Before
Two days before the summit, young Sera could not sleep.
She lay in her bed staring at the ceiling, her mind spinning through everything that could go wrong. Victor Kane’s accusations. Her father’s lies. The possibility that she would freeze in front of dozens of powerful Alphas and prove everyone right who said she was too young, too weak, too damaged to lead.
The mark on her palm itched. Not painfully. Just a constant reminder of the promise she had made.
She chose us. Now we choose life. For her.
At midnight, young Sera gave up on sleep entirely. She dressed quietly and slipped out of her room, careful not to wake Kai who was sleeping in his usual chair outside her door. The pack house was silent except for the soft sounds of people breathing in their rooms. Even the warriors on patrol moved quietly, respecting the late hour.
Young Sera found herself walking toward the throne room without consciously deciding to go there. Her feet carried her through familiar corridors until she stood before the massive doors she had entered just two days ago when confronting her father.
The doors were unlocked. She pushed them open slowly and stepped inside.
Moonlight poured through the tall windows, painting everything in shades of silver and shadow. The two thrones sat on their raised platform, waiting. One empty. One that would soon hold young Sera if she could find the courage to claim it.
She walked slowly toward the thrones, her footsteps echoing in the vast space. When she reached the platform, she hesitated. The right throne. Her grandmother’s throne. The seat that had held one of the most powerful Lunas in werewolf history.
Young Sera climbed the three steps and stood before the throne, not sitting yet. Just looking at it. The wood was dark and smooth, carved with intricate patterns that told stories of the Northern Kingdom’s history. Wolves running through forests. Omegas standing strong beside Alphas. Images of protection and strength and unity.
“Your grandmother sat in that throne for thirty-two years.”
Young Sera spun around to find Kael standing in the doorway. He looked tired, with dark circles under his grey eyes speaking of his own sleepless nights. But his presence was calm as he walked toward her.
“I am sorry,” young Sera said. “I did not mean to intrude. I just could not sleep.”
“Neither could I. Apparently, we both decided the throne room was the place to process our anxiety.”
Kael climbed the steps and stood beside young Sera, both of them looking at the empty throne.
“Thirty-two years,” young Sera repeated. “She sat here for three decades making impossible decisions. How did she do it? How did she carry that weight without breaking?”
“Who says she did not break?” Kael asked quietly. “Your grandmother broke many times. I saw it happen. Saw her cry in private. Saw her doubt herself. Saw her question whether she was making the right choices. She just never let those moments of breaking define her entire leadership.”
“That does not make me feel better. It makes it sound even harder.”
“It is hard. Leadership is always hard. But your grandmother also found joy in it. Found purpose. Found meaning in protecting people who could not protect themselves. That made the hard parts bearable.”
Young Sera looked at Kael, really looked at him. He was only twenty-eight but he looked older tonight. The weight of his own grief and responsibility aged him beyond his years.
“Do you regret it?” young Sera asked. “Taking me in? Making this contract? Everything that has happened since?”
Kael was quiet for a long moment, considering the question carefully. “No. I do not regret it. You survived my wolf when twelve omegas were before you. You refused the Void Lords when most people would have taken the power they offered. You stood up to your father when you could have hidden. You are exactly what this kingdom needs, even if you do not see it yet.”
“I see a terrified eighteen-year-old girl pretending to be something she is not.”
“I see a young woman who has survived impossible things and is still choosing to stand rather than hide. That is not pretending. That is becoming.”
Young Sera turned back to the throne. “What if I fail? What if I freeze during the summit? What if Victor Kane asks me a question I cannot answer? What if my father’s lies are more convincing than my truth?”
“Then you fail. And we deal with the consequences together. But failing is not the worst thing that can happen. The worst thing is not trying at all.”
“My grandmother would say something like that.”
“Your grandmother said exactly that to me after Isabelle died. When I wanted to give up. When my wolf was unstable and I thought I was too broken to lead. She told me that trying and failing was better than not trying at all. She was right.”
Young Sera reached out and touched the throne’s armrest. The wood was cool under her fingers, smooth from decades of use. She could almost feel her grandmother’s presence in the woods. Could almost imagine her sitting here, making choices that affected thousands of lives, carrying the weight with grace and strength.
“Sit in it,” Kael said suddenly.
“What?”
“Sit on the throne. Not tomorrow during the summit. Not when everyone is watching. Right now. In private. Just to see how it feels.”
“I am not ready.”
“You will never feel ready. Sit anyway.”
Young Sera hesitated, fear crawling up her spine. Sitting in that throne felt too real. Too permanent. Like she was claiming something she had no right to claim.
But Kael was right. She would never feel ready if she kept waiting for some magical moment when confidence appeared out of nowhere.
She turned and sat down slowly in her grandmother’s throne.
The wood fit her body perfectly, like it had been made for someone her size. The armrests were at exactly the right height. The back supported her spine without making her slouch. From this elevated position, she could see the entire throne room spread before her. Could see where pack members would gather. Where visiting Alphas would stand. Where her father would try to undermine her.
“How does it feel?” Kael asked, settling into his own throne beside her.
“Terrifying.”
“Good. It should feel terrifying. The moment it stops feeling terrifying is the moment you stop taking it seriously.”
They sat together in silence for a while, two people occupying thrones that felt simultaneously too large and perfectly sized for them.
“Your grandmother used to say that thrones are just chairs,” Kael said eventually. “That's what matters, not the throne itself but what you choose to do while sitting in it. She never let the throne make her important. She made the throne important by how she used it.”
“How did she use it?”
“To protect people who could not protect themselves. To reform laws that harmed omegas. To build alliances with packs that valued peace over power. To teach people like me that strength includes compassion, not just dominance. She used this throne as a tool for making the world slightly less cruel. That is what made her great. Not the throne. Her choices.”
Young Sera understood what Kael was really saying. She did not need to fill her grandmother’s shoes. Did not need to be exactly like the woman who had sat here before. She just needed to use this position to make choices that aligned with her own values. Her own vision of what the Northern Kingdom could be.
“What if my choices are wrong?” young Sera asked.
“Then you learn from them and make different choices next time. That is all anyone can do.”
The door to the throne room opened again and Lyra entered, followed by Garrett. Both of them stopped when they saw young Sera and Kael sitting on the thrones.
“We thought you might be here,” Garrett said, his deep voice echoing slightly in the empty room. “We could not sleep either.”
Lyra and Garrett climbed the steps and stood on either side of the thrones, creating a formation that felt protective and supportive at the same time.
“Tomorrow night we leave for the summit location,” Lyra said. “The gathering is being held at neutral territory. A large estate that belongs to no single pack. Twenty-three Alphas have confirmed attendance. Victor Kane will be there. So will your father.”
Young Sera’s stomach tightened at the mention of her father. She had hoped he would slink away after being exposed as an abuser. But of course, he would not. Men like Marcus Blackwood never admitted defeat quietly.
“What is Victor Kane’s strategy?” young Sera asked, trying to focus on the political threat rather than the personal one.
“He is claiming that Kael’s wolf is unstable,” Garrett explained. “That without a properly established Luna Queen, the Northern Kingdom poses a danger to surrounding territories. He wants the Council of Alphas to force Kael to step down and allow Victor to absorb our territory into his own.”
“Can the Council do that? Force an Alpha King to step down?”
“Technically yes,” Kael said. “If enough Alphas vote that a leader is unfit, they can remove him from power. It is meant as a check against tyrants. But Victor is trying to use it as a weapon against stable leadership he simply does not like.”
“And my father?”
“Your father is claiming you were kidnapped,” Lyra said bluntly. “That Kael used his power and wealth to manipulate a vulnerable omega into staying against her will. He is painting himself as a concerned father trying to rescue his daughter from a dangerous situation.”
Young Sera felt anger flash hot in her chest. “He sold me. Took payment. Everyone knows this.”
“Everyone in the Northern Kingdom knows this. But the other Alphas do not know you. Do not know your story. They only know what Marcus tells them. And he is very good at making himself look sympathetic while hiding his true nature.”
“So I need to tell them my story. Show them my scars. Make them understand what really happened.”
“Yes,” Kael said. “But you need to do it carefully. If you come across as too emotional, they will dismiss you as an unstable omega who cannot think clearly. If you come across as too cold, they will think you are lying. You need to find the balance. Tell your truth with strength but also with vulnerability. Make them see you as a person, not just a political piece.”
Young Sera looked down at her arms, at the scars that were covered by her sleeves right now but would be visible tomorrow if she chose to show them.
“I am afraid,” young Sera admitted. “Afraid of standing in front of all those Alphas. Afraid of them judging me. Afraid of failing everyone who believes in me.”
“Fear is normal,” Garrett said. “Your grandmother was afraid before every major summit. But she learned to use her fear as fuel rather than letting it paralyse her. Let your fear remind you that what you are doing matters. That the stakes are real. But do not let it stop you from doing what needs to be done.”
Maya appeared in the doorway carrying a tray with tea and small cakes. “I thought you all might need this,” she said, climbing the steps to join them. “No one should face tomorrow on an empty stomach and no sleep.”
She distributed tea and food with efficient kindness, settling on the floor at the base of the platform when there was nowhere else to sit.
“This is my first summit too,” Maya said quietly. “I am terrified. All those powerful Alphas in one place. The political games. The posturing. But I am also grateful I get to witness you do this. Get to see an omega stand in that throne and demand respect rather than asking for permission.”
Young Sera looked around at the people gathered in the throne room at midnight. Kael, who had survived his own mate’s murder and was still leading despite his grief. Lyra, who had set aside her scepticism and chosen to believe in young Sera’s potential. Garrett, whose quiet strength held everyone together when things threatened to fall apart. Maya, who understood exactly what it meant to survive as an omega in a world that devalued their existence.
These were her people. Her pack. Her family was chosen through shared struggle rather than blood.
“Thank you,” young Sera said to all of them. “For being here. For believing in me even when I do not believe in myself. For standing beside me tomorrow even though you know I might fail.”
“You will not fail,” Lyra said with fierce certainty. “Because failure would mean giving up. And you do not know how to give up. You survived eighteen years of abuse without giving up. Survived Kael’s wolf without giving up. Refused the Void Lords without giving up. Tomorrow is just one more thing you refuse to give up on.”
They sat together in the throne room until the first hints of dawn began lightening the sky outside the windows. Drinking tea. Eating Maya’s cakes. Sharing stories about young Sera’s grandmother and what she had taught each of them.
As the sun rose fully, painting the throne room in shades of gold, young Sera felt something settle inside her chest. Not confidence exactly. Not the absence of fear. But acceptance. Tomorrow would come whether she felt ready or not. She could spend her last day paralysed by anxiety or she could use it to prepare as best she could.
She chose preparation.
“What do I need to do today?” young Sera asked, standing from the throne.
“Final review of pack law,” Lyra said. “We will drill you on the most important points until you can recite them in your sleep.”
“Strategic planning,” Garrett added. “We will walk through likely scenarios and how to respond to each one. Victor will try to trap you with clever questions. We need to make sure you can recognise the traps and avoid them.”
“And rest,” Kael said firmly. “Real rest. Not anxious lying in bed staring at the ceiling. Actual sleep. You need to be sharp tomorrow. That requires your body to be properly rested.”
“I will make sure she eats properly,” Maya volunteered. “And help her choose what to wear. First impressions matter. She needs to look like a Luna Queen, not a frightened girl.”
Young Sera nodded, accepting their guidance. These people knew what they were doing. They had survived summit politics before. She could trust their experience even when she did not trust her own instincts yet.
They left the throne room together as the pack house began waking around them. The Warriors are starting their day. Families preparing breakfast. Life continues despite the enormous challenge looming on the horizon.
Young Sera spent the day exactly as her advisors suggested. Hours drilling pack law with Lyra until the words became automatic. Strategic planning with Garrett, walking through potential attacks and how to defend against them without looking defensive. A long nap in the afternoon was forced by Mora who literally stood guard outside young Sera’s door to make sure she actually slept.
As evening approached, Maya helped young Sera choose an outfit for tomorrow. Not the elaborate gowns and jewellery that some Luna Queens wore to demonstrate wealth and status. Something simpler but powerful. Dark pants that allowed movement. A fitted jacket in deep blue that brought out the colour in young Sera’s eyes. Boots that were practical but elegant.
“You need to look like someone who can fight if necessary,” Maya explained. “But also like someone who chooses diplomacy first. This outfit says both things.”
Young Sera looked at herself in the mirror. The girl looking back was not the same person who had arrived at the Northern Kingdom just weeks ago. Her face was still young but her eyes held something that had not been there before. Determination maybe. Or survival that had transformed into strength.
“I barely recognise myself,” young Sera said quietly.
“That is because you are becoming someone new. Someone stronger. Someone your grandmother prepared you to be even if you did not know it at the time.”
Kai appeared at the door, dressed in formal clothes himself. He would attend the summit as young Sera’s chosen companion. The boy who had stood beside her through everything. The person she trusted most in the world besides the advisors who had become like family.
“Ready?” Kai asked.
“No. But I am going anyway.”
“That is the definition of courage.”
They gathered in the courtyard as the sun set. Kael, Lyra, Garrett, Mora, Maya, Kai, and a dozen warriors who would serve as escort and protection. Three vehicles waited to transport them to neutral territory where the summit would be held.
Before they departed, Kael gathered everyone together.
“Tomorrow we face challenges that could reshape the Northern Kingdom,” he said, his voice carrying authority and warmth. “But we do not face them alone. We face them as a pack. As a family. As people who have chosen each other despite everything trying to tear us apart. Remember that when things get difficult. Remember that we are stronger together than any of us is alone.”
Everyone nodded, feeling the truth of his words settle into their bones.
Young Sera climbed into the lead vehicle with Kael, Kai, and Lyra. As they pulled away from the pack house, young Sera looked back one final time at the place that had become home.
The throne room windows glowed with fading sunlight. She could almost see her grandmother standing there, watching her leave, sending silent support across the distance between life and death.
I will make you proud, Grandma, young Sera thought fiercely. I will sit in that throne tomorrow and show everyone what you taught me. What you died to protect. I will not let you down.
The vehicle drove through the night toward neutral territory and the confrontation that would determine everything.
Tomorrow, young Sera would face Victor Kane, her father, and two dozen powerful Alphas.
Tomorrow, she would claim her place as Luna Queen or lose everything trying.
Tomorrow, the real test would begin.
But tonight, she sat with the people she loved, drawing strength from their presence, and reminded herself of the promise written on her palm.
She chose us. Now we choose life. For her.
Even when that life was terrifying.
Especially then.