ISLA'S POV
I'm running before the echo of the explosion fades.
The bond screams in my chest Kade is hurt, fighting, dying.
Isla, wait! Lucian shouts behind me, but I don't stop.
The guest wing is on fire. Smoke pours from Kade's room. Through the bond, I feel him struggling against multiple attackers.
I burst through the door.
Three wolves in black masks surround Kade. He's shifted to wolf form, bleeding from silver blade wounds. One attacker raises a blade for the killing blow.
My Queen Alpha power explodes.
Silver light bursts from my hands, slamming all three attackers into the walls. They drop, unconscious.
Kade's wolf collapses, shifting back to human form. He's covered in blood.
You came, he gasps.
Don't talk. I kneel beside him, my hands glowing with healing magic Theron taught me. Save your strength.
The three princes crash into the room, weapons drawn. They see the unconscious attackers and Kade bleeding in my arms.
More Old Guard members, Damien confirms, checking the attackers. They were trying to finish what your father started.
Kade's eyes find mine. Your father tried to kill me?
Not you, I say quietly, healing his wounds. Me. He knew killing you would kill me through the bond.
Understanding and horror cross Kade's face. Isla
I said don't talk. My healing magic seals the worst of his injuries. You're staying alive whether you like it or not. Because I'm not dying because of you. Not again.
An hour later, Kade sits in my private study, bandaged and shocked.
The three princes stand guard. They wanted him in a cell, but I insisted on answers first.
Your father really tried to kill you? Kade asks. Why?
Because he blames me for my mother's death, I say. And because he's part of a group that wants the Moonborne bloodline extinct.
The Old Guard, Lucian adds coldly. Twenty high-ranking wolves across the Seven Territories. All dedicated to keeping your family dead.
Kade's expression darkens. My father Cedricis he part of this?
We don't know yet, Theron admits. But we're investigating.
Kade's hands clench. If he is, I'll kill him myself.
Get in line, I mutter.
Kade looks at me. Really looks at me. You saved my life. Again. Why?
Because the bond won't let me not save you, I say honestly. Your death is my death. I'm stuck protecting you whether I want to or not.
Pain flashes in his eyes. Is that the only reason?
Before I can answer, the door bursts open.
Vivian storms in, her face twisted with rage. What is SHE doing here? She points at me.
She's Queen, Kade says tiredly. Show respect.
Respect? Vivian's laugh is ugly. For the omega who couldn't keep her mate? For the girl we threw away like garbage?
That's enough, Kade warns.
But Vivian's not done. She turns to me, eyes blazing. You think wearing a crown changes what you are? You're still weak. Still pathetic. Kade rejected you because you weren't good enough. Nothing's changed.
I stand slowly. My power fills the room, making every wolf except the princes drop to their knees in submission.
Vivian falls hard, gasping.
You're right, I say quietly. Nothing's changed. You're still the jealous stepsister who needed to steal to feel worthy. And I'm still the one Kade dreams about every night.
I walk toward her, and she scrambles backward in fear.
Tell me, Vivian. When Kade touches you, does he call your name? Or does he call mine?
Vivian's face goes red. You
Answer the question, I command, using my Queen Alpha authority. She has no choice but to obey.
Yours, Vivian chokes out, humiliated. He calls your name.
Kade looks stricken. He doesn't deny it.
And when he closes his eyes, I continue, whose face does he see?
Yours, Vivian whispers, tears of rage streaming down her face.
I crouch beside my stepsister. You won, remember? You got the mate, the title, the pack. But you never got his heart. That was always mine. Even broken.
Vivian lunges at me with a scream, claws extending.
Damien moves like lightning, slamming her to the ground before she gets close.
You just attacked the Queen, he says coldly. That's treason. Punishable by death.
No, I say. Everyone looks shocked. She's not worth it.
I look down at Vivian. You're banned from the Royal Court. If you return, you'll be arrested. And Kade I turn to him. If you want my help for Bloodmoon Pack, she steps down as Luna. Today.
Done, Kade says immediately.
Vivian's eyes go wide. You can't we're mates! You chose me!
I made a mistake, Kade says, his voice firm. One I'm going to spend my life fixing. You're done, Vivian. Pack your things and leave Bloodmoon territory.
Vivian looks between us, realizing she's lost everything. You'll regret this, she hisses at me. Both of you.
I already have plenty of regrets, I say. You're not even in the top ten.
Guards drag Vivian away, still screaming threats.
After she's gone, Marcus and Claire are brought in.
My father no, Marcus, because he's not my father anymore looks older. Tired. The silver chains binding his wrists make his skin burn.
Isla, he says. Please. Let me explain
Explain what? I cut him off. How you tried to murder my mate to kill me? How you joined a conspiracy to erase my bloodline? How you blamed me for Mom's death my entire life?
Marcus flinches. I was wrong. About everything. But Isla, I'm your father
No, you're not. My voice is steady even though I'm shaking inside. My father died the day he disowned me. You're just a stranger who shares my blood.
Isla, please
Your trial is tomorrow, Lucian interrupts coldly. The charges are attempted murder of the Queen, conspiracy, and treason. If convicted, the sentence is death.
Claire gasps. You can't kill him! He's her father!
He tried to kill her first, Damien points out.
It was a mistake! Marcus shouts. The Old Guard they convinced me the Moonborne line was dangerous. That you'd start wars like your ancestors. I thought I was protecting the werewolf world!
By murdering your own daughter? I ask quietly.
Marcus's face crumbles. I never wanted you dead. I just wanted the bloodline to end. I thought if Kade died, the bond would kill you peacefully. You wouldn't suffer.
How merciful, I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
I'm sorry, Marcus whispers. Isla, I'm so sorry. Your mother would hate what I've become.
At the mention of Mom, something inside me cracks.
Don't talk about her, I say, my voice breaking. Don't you dare. She died giving birth to me, and you spent twenty-one years making me pay for it. You don't get to use her name now.
She loved you, Marcus says desperately. Before she died, she made me promise to protect you. To love you. And I failed. I failed her and I failed you.
Tears burn my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. Yes. You did.
Guards take Marcus and Claire to the dungeons.
I stand in the empty study, shaking.
Kade approaches carefully. Isla
Don't, I whisper. Just don't.
But he doesn't listen. He pulls me into his arms, and I'm too broken to push him away.
The bond sings at the contact. Two years of separation, and my body still remembers his.
I'm sorry, Kade murmurs into my hair. For everything. For the rejection, for not protecting you, for not being what you needed.
You're two years too late, I say against his chest.
I know. His arms tighten. But I'm here now. And I'll prove I've changed. However long it takes.
I pull back, looking up at him. The bond pulses between us, warm and insistent.
Actions, I say. Not words.
Then let me act, Kade says. Let me help you find the rest of the Old Guard. Let me stand beside you at the Summit. Let me prove I'm worthy of you.
Before I can answer, Theron bursts into the study.
His face is white with shock.
We have a problem, he says. A big one.
What is it? Lucian demands.
Theron looks at me, his expression grave. The Old Guard sent a message to all Seven Territories. They revealed your identity. Every Alpha knows you exist now.
My stomach drops. That's we were going to announce at the Summit
There's more, Theron interrupts. They're calling you a false queen. Saying you're not really Moonborne. They're demanding proof of your bloodline at the Summit, or they'll challenge your right to rule.
Can they do that? I ask.
Yes, Lucian says grimly. And if you can't prove your bloodline beyond doubt, they can vote to strip your crown.
The room spins. Everything I've built the power, the respect, the crown all of it could be taken away in three days.
How do I prove it? I ask desperately.
Theron and Lucian exchange dark looks.
There's only one way, Lucian says quietly. The Blood Trial.
What's that? Kade asks.
An ancient test, Theron explains. You put your blood on the Moonborne Crown. If you're true royalty, the crown accepts you. If you're not
It kills you, Lucian finishes.
My blood runs cold. And if I don't do the trial?
Then you lose everything, Lucian says. The crown, the throne, your authority. Everything.
I look at the three princes who saved me. At Kade, who destroyed me. At the crown sitting on my desk the one I've fought so hard to earn.
When is the Summit? I ask.
Three days, Damien says.
Three days until I either prove I'm Queen.
Or die trying.