26. Diana
CHAPTER 26
Diana
T he Ceremony was in full swing, and Elka had done us all proud, reciting the words and committing herself to be the new queen of our people.
As was tradition, she was crowned not in the keep, but in the valley of the black willows. Where our people, past and present, could see her, and hear her words. The night was blessedly free of rain or wind, and the darkness was absolute except for the single torch that Elka held.
As she turned to face the crowd, crown on her head, she lifted her one torch high. “Let the light of wisdom and hope continue to guide us to be better, stronger, and more resilient with every challenge we face.”
The torches around the clearing all burst into flame and the crowd gasped. I saw Theo standing close to Myrr, rubbing his hands together. He’d made the suggestion, and I had to admit it was a nice addition. Not that I didn’t think that Elka was capable, but the more we could do to help her…the better.
And a little show of magic for our tech driven people would go a long way.
Raven stood down with the others. A sultry smile slid over his face, and he gave me a slow wink.
Heat flushed through me, and I winked right back at him.
His smile widened, and an elbow was jabbed into my side. “That’s enough, you two.”
Myrr wobbled past me. “There are some that still don’t believe, Diana. Some that need to be shown.”
I blinked as she stuffed a cookie into her mouth. Where the hell had she?—
She blinked up at me as she pulled a second cookie out of her pocket.
With a sigh, I made myself look out over the crowd. To see those who still had uncertainty on their faces, to see the subtle shake of their heads. The ceremony was done. She was queen, but our people had been so hurt, so betrayed…even by me at times.
“I would like to say something.”
Elka turned and looked at me, everyone stopped what they were doing. “Diana?”
“A goodbye present,” I murmured, thinking about how I’d been able to sense all the werewolves that had attached themselves to Maverick. I could again, I was sure, and if I could do that, and connect them all fully together….
“I was your queen, and my father was king before me, so you will always be my family. But perhaps somewhere in my efforts to protect you, I wasn’t truthful enough. I lost your trust. I should’ve shared more, and I aim to do that now.”
Frowns, the ripples of murmurs.
I opened myself to the shard, with as much calm and love as I could muster in my heart.
The power flowed through me once more, only this time I begged it to be gentle, to show them all how much they meant to me. How much being a part of their lives meant to me.
“Love is power, Diana, and you have great love for your people. Let it be done,” the shard whispered through me.
Like a warm rain, the power flowed down on them. Giving them access to see the truth of my heart. How I’d fought for them, worried and worked for them, how I’d always tried to do best by them, even when it cost me my own wants or desires. That losing my wolf had cost me dearly.
That I ached for her still, even knowing that I would never see her again.
The women were openly weeping, and even some of the men as my heart was laid out for all of them to see.
“No matter that I’ve lost my wolf, no matter that I am no longer your leader, I will always love you all. And I leave you with the greatest gift I can—a queen who loves you as much as I do.” The shard’s power flowed down my arm, and I touched Elka gently on the cheek.
A tiny star appeared, white, strident lines streaking outward. And then Elka’s heart was laid open to her people.
And they saw what I saw. How fierce she was in wanting the best for them all, the desire to protect and lift them up, and above all else, the deep and abiding love she had for each of them. The forgiveness she held for even those who had wronged her.
I drew back the power of the shard and slumped.
Raven caught me so I never hit the ground. “You did good, Frostbite.” His voice was thick with emotion. “That was the most beautiful display of power I’ve ever seen.”
He helped me stand and I turned to see my people—No, Elka’s people—rush toward their new queen, ignoring customs.
Pressing her into their arms.
Re-committing themselves to her.
The shard whispered something I already understood. They are more united than ever before. Seeing the hearts of their two queens allowed them to believe again.
Raven slipped his arm around my waist. “Where to, my Queen?”
“You can’t call me that anymore.” I shook my head as I turned to face him.
“You will always be my queen, and I will always be yours to command.” He pressed his mouth to the curve below my ear. “There is nowhere you would go that I wouldn’t follow.”
I wanted to look over my shoulder, to look back to my past one more time. But Raven was in front of me, and he was my future.
“What about a little treasure hunt?”
His eyebrows shot up. “As long as there are no big ass spiders involved, I’d be game. Are you thinking about something in particular?”
Again, I felt the pull of the shard, guiding me toward something I didn’t fully understand. But I didn’t need to understand. I just had to trust. And after seeing what my new power had enabled me to give to my people, trusting was easy.
“Yes. There’s this book that was stolen. I think…I think it needs to be returned to its rightful owner.”