Chapter 113: Caleb - Coronation 2

“And now,” he says, “the realm turns its eyes to its future. To the light that will one day guide us. Princess Sky Black.”

Sky moves forward and comes to stand between my beautiful mate and me.

Elder Corvian keeps talking. “She is not called to rule today, but to grow. To listen. To carry forward what is built tonight. Princess Sky, do you accept this role, not as a title, but as a promise?”

Sky takes a slow breath before she says, “I do.”

An attendant steps forward with her crown—silver filigree, soft pink opals gleaming beneath the moonlight. It settles on her head like it was always meant to be there.

“Let her be known,” Corvian declares, “as the Promise of the Realm. Princess Sky Black.”

Elder Corvian steps back, allowing the moment to breathe.

Then he turns again, this time to Conon and Katherine, who are standing just behind us.

“Every King and Queen must have trusted Betas by their side. Royal Betas who see what they cannot. Who speak truth when others would flatter. Who fight, not for a crown, but for the realm that stands behind it. Let the Royal Betas step forward.”

Conon and Katherine go to stand next to Elder Corvian, who asks them their names. After they answer, he turns to those gathered.

“Conon Ward and Katherine James are the names of our new beloved Royal Betas.” His focus shifts back to Conon and Katherine. “Are you ready to take your vows now?”

“We are,” Conon replies while Katherine, not liking all the attention, nods.

Elder Corvian’s gaze lands on Conon first. “Conon Ward. Do you accept this role—not for glory, but for duty?”

Conon nods once. “I do.”

“Then repeat after me before your King, your Queen, and your realm.”

Conon’s voice is rough but steady as he says back the words Elder Corvian tells him, “I vow to protect the Crown, even if it costs me my life. To guide with reason, not ego. To speak truth when silence would be easier. I vow to shield this realm, not only with strength, but with judgment, loyalty, and heart. I vow to serve not the crown, but the people it stands for—to put justice above politics, and duty above pride.”

“Let his vow be heard by everyone in the realm,” Elder Corvian says while someone brings him a dagger. After the elder accepts the blade from the young servant, he adds, “This was a gift from Queen Sera to the first Royal Beta. Forged from midnight steel, a rare metal said to be folded under a blood moon and cooled in sacred springwater, The Nightfang now belongs to Beta Conon.”

Conon takes it without hesitation. The dagger fits his hand like it belongs there.

“May this special weapon never leave your side,” Elder Corvian tells him, “unless drawn in protection of the Crown. Now, that the heir of Queen Sera and King Aris is back, dangers might come our way. Be careful who you trust.”

Elder Corvian leans forward. “Your vow might seem simple,” he murmurs, “but it holds great weight.” Then, louder: “Let Beta Katherine’s vow be heard.”

Another servant steps forward, holding a wooden box etched with the crest of the old royal line. Corvian opens it carefully to reveal a set of gleaming throwing fans—dark steel with pale blue veins of obsidian running through them.

“These are yours,” he tells her. “Gifted from the Queen’s personal armory, passed down through generations. Silent, swift, and sharp. Wield them wisely.”

He closes the box and hands it to her with both hands. Katherine bows her head as she accepts her gift.

The last words of Elder Corvian to the Diamond Realm are, “The following three days are a national holiday as we celebrate the coronation of our beloved King and Queen.”

The hall erupts in cheers, the sound echoing out past the palace to every corner of the Diamond Realm.

I cup Red’s face between my palms and say to her, “I love, my beautiful, gentle Queen,” before I press my lips to her sweet mouth and kiss her.

Hours later, after my mate and daughter are sleeping peacefully in my bed, I am summoned to a meeting in Elder Corvian’s office.

“What’s going on?” I ask when I see who’s in the office.

Tatiana pats a spot on the sofa next to her. “There are things you need to know.”

I sit next to Tatiana, and my gaze shifts from Elder Corvian to Tristan, then Conon and Katherine, and lastly to Esyn and Elton.

“Can’t it wait?” I wonder.

“I’m afraid not,” Tatiana replies.

I sigh. “Fine. What’s so important that I am dragged here in the middle of the night?”

Tatiana pats my knee. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic. Besides, we get to gossip about your mate.”

Raven’s ears prick up. The need to protect my mate and pup surges inside me.

“What about my mate?” I growl.

Tatiana rolls her eyes at me. “While you are the heir of Queen Sera and King Aries, Rain also comes from a very powerful line of werewolves. Those like Rain have always had special wolves to protect her, called Sigma wolves.”

I blink. “Those like Rain?”

“She’s the last of her kind.” Tatiana doesn’t offer more answers.

“What is her kind?” I press Tatiana to tell me what I need to know.

“She is a Lunaris Wolf.”

I will updated next week.