Chapter 168
2:06 pm P PTM
Chapter 168
Emily’s POV
The library went completely still. Liam was already moving before I even fully understood what he’d sensed. Every trace of humor vanished from his face, his expression turning stone–cold.
“…Stay behind me.”
The air shifted. Then, I caught it, too. A scent. Blood, silver, and underneath it–pain. A sharp, rotting grief
wisted through my empath senses, making me nauseous.
“…Cindy.” I said to him by the mind link.
“She’s hiding beneath the eastern window,” Liam muttered. “Crouched under the stone ledge.”
Cindy must have slipped away during the chaos of clearing the castle of rogues.
And she was still carrying traces of Varga’s corruption–I could feel the wrongness warping her emotions. It wasn’t ust grief over Declan; it was an obsession, a dark rage. The shattered remains of a mate bond ripped apart
violently. No wonder she seemed half insane.
Liam glanced at me, and a quick understanding passed between us. I nodded slightly, then raised my voice
deliberately.
“Well, are you two coming or not?” I called out loudly, grabbing my coat. “I’ll catch up in a minute. I just need to
out this book back on the shelf.”
Outside the window, there was a sudden flurry of movement.
Liam disappeared through the outer doors without a sound. I forced myself to walk casually toward the massive
window. Every instinct screamed at me to run.
The second I reached the glass, Cindy exploded upward from beneath the ledge with a raw scream.
“YOU KILLED HIM!”
ľ
Silver flashed straight toward my throat. But before the blade could touch me, another body slammed into her
‘rom behind.
Liam.
He drove her violently into the stone floor outside, twisting the dagger from her hand while she screamed and lawed like a wild animal.
“Easy there, psycho!”
“LET ME GO!” Her eyes glowed a bright, unnatural red. She wasn’t fully herself, but she wasn’t fully gone, either. Magic still pulsed beneath her skin like poison.
I rushed outside while Cindy fought desperately under Liam’s weight.
2:06 pm P PTM
“Emily, don’t-” Zynair warned sharply behind me.
Too late. I dropped beside Cindy and grabbed her face before she could jerk away. The second our eyes locked, I
pushed my power into her mind.
The pain hit me like a physical wave. Declan. His death. The mate bond snapping apart. A loneliness so violent it nade my head spin. Cindy screamed beneath my hands as the last traces of Varga’s corruption burned away under
ny magic.
The red slowly faded from her eyes. The fight left her body all at once, and she suddenly just looked broken.
Human. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
“…He’s gone.” The words shattered out of her. It wasn’t rage anymore. Just grief. Pure, unbearable grief.
I swallowed hard against the ache in my own throat. “…I know.”
Cindy shook violently beneath Liam’s hold.
“I hate you,” she whispered through her sobs. “But I can’t even feel him anymore.”
That hurt worse than the knife probably would have. Slowly, carefully, I brushed my fingers against her temple.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, meaning every word. “But there wasn’t another way.”
Fresh tears poured down her face. “…Make it stop.”
I looked at her, my heart aching. “What?”
“The pain.” She broke completely then, sobbing openly. “Please… I can’t live with it anymore.”
I looked toward Liam, uncertain, then back at Cindy.
Gently, I pulled the grief from her. Not the memory, never that, just the crushing agony that was suffocating her.
Her body sagged in relief beneath Liam’s grip. She looked calm now.
Empty and exhausted.
Zynair leaned against the doorway, watching us in complete disbelief. “…You wolves are absolutely insane.”
Liam snorted softly. “Oh, you have no idea.”
I helped Cindy slowly sit up while she stared blankly toward the mountains.
“I’ll stay with her,” he said, his voice softening. “Go, before Nathan starts declaring war over your disappearance.”
I squeezed Cindy’s hand once before standing up.
“…Thank you,” she whispered.
I gave her a small nod, then turned around, grabbed Zynair’s hand, and started dragging her toward the exit.
2:06 pm P
“Come on, we are going to be so late!”
But we didn’t even make it out of the library before Zynair stopped cold, yanking her hand out of my grip.
I stopped, turning back to face her. “What’s wrong?”
Zynair stood by the doors, crossing her arms tightly. “I’m sitting this one out, Emily.”
“What? Why?”
“Let’s be real. A pack of wolves isn’t exactly going to cheer seeing a witch standing front and center at ceremony.”
I marched right back over to her. “That is complete bullshit.”
“Emily, I’m serious-”
“So am I.” I grabbed her hand again, keeping my grip firm as I pulled her forward. “We don’t win this war without
you. This is your victory, too. And it’s about time wolves stopped treating witches.”
Zynair blinked, a strange emotion softening her sharp eyes. It was like she still didn’t quite know how to process someone just being good to her. “…You are incredibly stubborn.”
“I’ve been told.”
Then, we ran.
We sprinted through the rogue castle corridors, down the stone staircases, and out into the mountain air. The wind whipped through my hair as we raced across the dark/territory toward the crystal cavern.
The massive portal chamber glowed softly ahead of us. An entire underground lake, formed from shimmering ¡ilver crystal energy, lay beneath the cave ceiling, with towering crystal pillars surrounding the portal ring.
The moment my fingers brushed the nearest crystal, silver light exploded upward, blinding us. The world blurred or one dizzying second, and then our boots slammed onto the familiar dirt of our own territory.
The massive stone archway shimmered softly behind us under the evening sky, the protective crystals we’d
›lanted around it glowing like grounded stars.
I smiled through my exhaustion, leaning against one of the stones. “Moving the second portal here was the best
lecision we ever made.”
“Your idea,” Zynair noted, catching her breath.
“And you’re the one who stabilized it.” I nudged her shoulder. “Again.”
Zynair actually looked uncomfortable with the praise, which only made me want to tease her more.
We hurried through the pack. It was still deep in rebuild mode.
Construction crews were moving between half–finished houses, and wolves carried heavy lumber up the main street. But despite the mess, there was life here now.
2:06 pm P
Kids were chasing each other between the scaffolding, laughing, and warm lanterns lined the pathways. We were surviving.
Near the center of the pack, the burned–out ruins of the ceremonial hall stood dark and hollow. We hadn’t had time to fix it, not with the entire wolf world on the verge of collapse. Silas’s war had slaughtered so many neighboring Alphas, leaving their packs completely leaderless.
Tonight, Nathan had to step up, using his authority to officially fill those empty thrones–either by approving young heirs or handpicking trusted Betas and warriors to keep the peace.
Because we couldn’t wait for a new hall, the coronation was happening outside tonight. Right under the branches of the ancient memorial tree, where we honored the people we’d lost. It felt right. It felt real.
“Oh, the priestesses are going to kill me,” I groaned, realizing how late it was. “I was supposed to welcome them personally. You know, look like an actual organized Luna Queen.”
“Meredyth’s probably handled it. Relax.” Zynair dryly pointed out.
That thought actually made the knot in my stomach loosen a little.
We sprinted the last stretch to the Alpha house. The second I threw the front doors open, Poppy whirled around,
pointing a roaring hot curling iron straight at my face like a weapon.
“FINALLY!”
I literally jumped back. Jessie was standing right next to her, armed to the teeth with brushes, hairpins, a makeup palette, and enough heavy–duty hairspray to take out an entire pack of rogues.
“Do you have a death wish? Do you know what time it is?!” Poppy yelled.
“…Technically, yes?”
“Emily.”
I slowly put my hands up in the air. “Listen, I got emotionally kidnapped by library books and attempted murder.”
୮
Poppy blinked once.
“…You know what? At this point that somehow sounds believable.”
Zynair looked at the tools in the girls‘ hands, then at me, and took a step backward toward the door.
“…Wow.” The witch eyed the styling tools like torture devices. “This is serious.”
Jessie flashed a sweet, totally terrifying smile, cracking her knuckles. “Oh, sweetheart. We’re just getting started.”
Zynair immediately pointed a finger at me. “Good luck, Luna. You’re on your own.” And she backed right out the door, abandoning me completely.
Poppy and Jessie practically dragged me to my room upstaires.
2:06 pm P
After 30 minutes I barely recognized the woman in the mirror.
The silver dress fit perfectly, catching the light as I moved.
It made my hair, white as moonlight, look even brighter.
Poppy and Jessie knew what they were doing; they kept my makeup soft and natural, emphasizing my features so well it felt like I was actually glowing.
We walked out together toward the memorial tree. They had completely transformed the area into a beautiful, open–air garden. Thick, cascading garlands of pink and white flowers draped down from the branches, creating a soft canopy overhead.
Crystal chandeliers hung directly from the tree, glowing gently over the meadow floor covered in wildflowers. Warm lantern light illuminated the path as the entire territory watched us approach. The whole place felt so light and airy, like stepping into a different world made of moonlight and petals.
A long line of candidates stood waiting before Nathan.
Some looked nervous, shifting from foot to foot, while others stood proud or completely terrified.
This wasn’t just a coronation; it was a test. Tonight, Nathan had to officially choose who was actually worthy of
eading the neighboring packs, and who wasn’t ready for the responsibility.
And he needed my help to do it. As an empath, I could feel their true intentions, their hidden greed, or their
genuine loyalty.
My mate looked every inch the Alpha King tonight. He stood tall, his shoulders broad and powerful, commanding he space without even trying.
The moment my heels stepped onto the grass, hundreds of wolves turned their heads toward me. The chatter died lown all at once. Nathan looked up, a soft smile breaking through his serious expression as he gently signaled for
ne to come to his side.
“…Luna Queen Emily,” one of the guards announced loudly.
୮
Every single wolf in the clearing bowed their head in deep respect as I walked past them toward my mate. I held ny chin high, the silver dress moving smoothly with every step.
When I finally reached Nathan, he didn’t say a word out loud. Instead, his voice echoed directly inside my mind hrough our mate bond, warm and incredibly intimate under the gaze of the entire crowd.
“Will you hold me down tonight?” Nathan asked softly.
I looked into his dark eyes and smiled back through the bond.
“Always,” I said.