CHAPTER 17
I'm back with a fresh chapter for you all. Sit back, read, and enjoy!
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The council chamber smelled of rain and iron when Daniel entered, while Mia at his side.
Twelve elders sat in a crescent of stone seats, their eyes reflecting torchlight like hungry wolves.
"Your Highness," Elder Varek said, his voice smooth as polished steel,
"The scouts captured a rogue wearing this."
He held up a talisman: a disk of black moonstone carved with a symbol which Mia didn't recognize - two interlocking crescents.
A murmur rippled through the room.
"It's an omen," another elder whispered. "The mark of the Dual Moon."
Daniel's eyes narrowed. "Explain."
Varek's gaze shifted to Mia, lingering with open unease.
"Centuries ago, a seer warned of a union between the Lycan King and a wolf of Alpha lineage.
The words hung heavy, thick as storm clouds.
Mia felt the twins shift inside her, restless as if they sensed the tension.
Her heart pounded, but she forced her chin higher.
"They are not weapons," she said quietly.
"They are my children."
Varek's gaze sharpened. "Children who could one day command even you, Your Highness."
Daniel's growl rumbled through the chamber, low and lethal.
"Let the one who thinks I can be challenged come and prove it."
The elders fell silent under the weight of his fury.
But Mia heard what Daniel did not say:
he feared the prophecy, not because it threatened his reign...
but because it threatened her.
Later, as they left the chamber, Daniel's hand brushed hers, a fleeting touch hidden from the council.
"They will come for you," he murmured. "Not just rogues. Alphas who fear what our children mean."
Mia met his golden eyes, her own resolve hardening like steel.
"Then let them come," she said.
"I carry the future of the packs. And I will not hide."
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The corridors outside the council chamber smelled of rain and old stone.
Daniel moved fast, his long strides echoing against the walls, but Mia matched his pace without effort.
The elders' whispers still rang in her ears - Dual Moon... heirs of both bloodlines.
At the end of the hall Daniel stopped abruptly, turning so sharply she almost collided with him.
His golden eyes locked on hers, sharp as a blade.
"Tell me the truth," he demanded, voice low and burning.
"Your bloodline. Your father... was he truly just an Alpha?"
Mia froze.
"My father led the Blackwood pack. Why?"
"Not just a leader," Daniel cut in, his voice tight.
"I've faced Alphas all my life. Your scent, your presence, has always felt... different.
His jaw flexed. "The pieces fit."
Mia's heart thudded painfully.
"My father was an Alpha King before your reign," she admitted softly.
"He ruled the northern packs before the Lycans raised. When he died, his Beta betrayed us. I was just a child. My mother hid the truth to keep me alive."
Daniel stared, stunned into silence.
It wasn't fear in his eyes, it was recognition. And something else: regret.
Slowly, he exhaled.
"Of course," he muttered, almost to himself.
"I never knew it. I never looked. I am the Lycan King. I never bothered to measure anyone beyond their rank.
His gaze softened, dark gold flickering with a rare vulnerability.
"And all along, you were standing right in front of me."
Mia lifted her chin, meeting his gaze without flinching.
"I never wanted power," she said quietly. "I only wanted to survive."
"But power lives in you whether you want it or not," he murmured, a low growl threading through his voice.
"Our children..."
He broke off, breath catching as the thought landed heavy in the air.
"They won't just inherit my Lycan strength. They'll carry two Alpha lines. No wonder the council trembles."
The twins kicked, a sudden strong pulse beneath her palm.
Mia covered her belly, steadying herself.
"Then they have reason to fear," she said.
Daniel stepped closer, his hand covering hers over the swell of their unborn heirs.
For the first time, the most feared Alpha King looked almost humbled.
"Moon goddess helps me," he whispered, "you were never just a servant. You were a queen in hiding."
Mia's breath caught, but she didn't step back.
"Maybe..." she said, her voice quiet but unshaken.
Daniel's eyes lingered on hers, the storm of pride and desire breaking across his face.
"And I," he said, his voice rough with dawning truth, "was too blind to see the queen standing beside me."