Chapter 5 Crown of Wolves

The underground tunnels beneath Damon's safehouse were ancient, older than the city itself-forgotten remnants from a time when werewolves ruled in shadows and whispers. Lyra followed Seraphina and Damon through the twisting labyrinth, the flickering torchlight casting shadows on damp stone walls etched with old runes.

She had always heard the legends of these hidden sanctuaries, secret lairs where rogue packs gathered in exile. But she never imagined she'd actually walk among them.

Behind her, the weight of her new identity pressed down like a heavy crown. Alpha blood. Mafia heir. Chosen queen. Yet, none of it felt like her choice.

Seraphina glanced back at her. "You feel it, don't you?"

Lyra met her gaze. "Feel what?"

"The pulse. The bond calling out to you. This place remembers you, even if you don't remember it."

Damon interjected, "Cut the cryptic nonsense, Seraphina."

She smirked. "Still charming, I see."

As they walked, the corridor opened into a vast underground chamber, its ceiling a dome of obsidian stone. Wolves-some fully shifted, others partially-stood in a circle around a glowing symbol etched into the floor. The runes pulsed with red and silver light.

Damon halted at the entrance. "This is sacred ground."

"Exactly," Seraphina replied, stepping into the circle. "And she's the reason it still breathes."

The wolves growled softly, a mix of respect and caution. Lyra stepped forward, feeling the warmth of the runes against her skin like a distant memory.

"What is this place?" she asked.

Seraphina raised her arms. "The Seat of Luna. Long before the bloodlines fractured, this was where the Alpha Queens ruled. Every thousand years, one is chosen to return and restore balance."

"And you think that's me?" Lyra whispered.

"I know it's you."

Damon moved closer, his voice low but firm. "Prophecies are dangerous. They make people act foolishly. Desperate."

Seraphina turned to him. "Is that why you never claimed her?"

Silence fell over the room.

Lyra stared at him, confusion flooding her. "What is she talking about?"

Damon clenched his jaw. "This isn't the time."

"No," she insisted, stepping closer. "It's exactly the time. What did you do, Damon?"

He looked at her, his eyes revealing years of unspoken words. "The night you died... I felt it. The bond. It snapped. I thought it meant you were gone, but I was wrong. You'd just been taken. Changed."

"You felt it?" she asked, her breath catching.

"I claimed you, Lyra. Even if I didn't mark you. My wolf... he never stopped calling for you."

Seraphina watched them, satisfaction glinting in her eyes. "Then it's stronger than we thought. The bond wasn't just romantic. it's royal. Alpha to Alpha."

Lyra reeled at the revelation, feeling something inside her crack open. "So all this time... you belonged to me too?"

"I never stopped," Damon replied, his voice rough with emotion. "Even when I tried."

The runes flared brighter, and a tremor shook the ground.

Suddenly, one of the rogue wolves shifted mid-growl and staggered toward Seraphina. "They're coming. Cassian's pack. Hundreds. They're calling it a hunt."

Lyra turned to the circle of wolves. "Then let them come. I won't run again."

Another tremor rocked the chamber.

The walls cracked, dust falling from the ceiling as the earth groaned with magic and movement.

A powerful voice echoed through the tunnels:

"Daughter of fire, queen of blood-your crown awaits."

Lyra's knees buckled, but she didn't fall. Energy surged through her veins like wildfire. Her eyes glowed gold, her skin shimmering faintly with a silvery sheen. On her palms, crescent runes appeared, pulsing like a heartbeat.

She gasped.

Damon caught her before she hit the ground, his arms steadying her as the power coursed through her like a storm.

"I'm fine," she whispered, even as her vision blurred. "I'm fine."

Seraphina knelt before her.

"Rise, Lyra Valente," she said solemnly. "Heir of the Blood Pact. Luna reborn. Queen of Wolves."

And Lyra rose.

The chamber echoed with howls in unison.

For the first time, the girl who had run from a wedding, from a name, from fate-stood tall as the woman the world would bow to.

Damon met her gaze. "This changes everything."

"No," she replied softly. "It just reveals what was already true."

From far above, the first howls of Cassian's hunt echoed through the city streets.

The war had begun.