Chapter 7 The Ashes and the Crown

The sky above the Silverfang lands was red with fire.

Smoke curled through the trees, and the once-imposing packhouse now stood broken-its towering walls cracked, the Alpha's crest scorched black.

Selena stood at the edge of the forest, holding Saria close. The girl trembled in her arms, blood on her cheek, but alive.

"S-Selena..." Saria whispered, voice hoarse. "You came back."

"I never stopped looking for you," Selena said, kissing her forehead. "And I never will."

Behind them, Thorne stood with his dragon warriors, now in humanoid form-tall, powerful, with molten eyes. The wolves of Silverfang, those who hadn't fled or fought, knelt in a circle around the ruins. They didn't dare move.

Not with the Flame Queen and her Dragon King standing over them.

Kael knelt too, a bloodied cut on his cheek, his pride shattered. His voice broke the silence. "Selena... I didn't know. If I had known what you were..."

"You would have used me," Selena said coldly. "Like you used everyone else."

He dared a step forward. "But we were fated once. That still means something."

Selena turned to him slowly.

"It did. But fate is weak. I don't need fate to tell me my worth anymore."

Kael's mouth opened, then closed.

Selena stepped closer, her voice low and cutting. "You threw me out like garbage. You chained my sister. You bent your knee to a dark force you couldn't control. And now you want forgiveness?"

He didn't answer.

"You're not worth hating anymore," she said, turning away. "You're just... small."

---

Hours later, back through the Veil, Selena sat in her chambers in the obsidian palace.

She had bathed Saria, wrapped her in warm silks, and left her sleeping in a room near the royal wing.

Now, alone with her thoughts, she stared at her reflection in the crystal mirror.

Her hair shimmered faintly with flame-tinged strands. Her eyes glowed gold beneath long lashes. And on her collarbone, the mark of the Flamebound pulsed like a living ember.

"Was it worth it?" she asked the mirror softly.

The door creaked open behind her.

"It had to be done," Thorne said, stepping inside.

Selena didn't turn. "I could've killed him."

"I know."

"But I didn't."

"Because you're not him."

She finally looked at him. "You came for me."

"I always will."

They stood in silence for a beat. Then Thorne crossed the room and sat beside her.

"You crossed the Veil and returned with your fire intact," he said. "That's never been done before."

Selena arched a brow. "That supposed to impress you?"

Thorne smiled. "You impressed me the moment you stood up to that council and dared to breathe like a queen."

She exhaled slowly. "The Binder of Veils... he said I hadn't unlocked the final seal. What did he mean?"

Thorne's jaw tightened. "There are layers to the Flamebound bond. Power, memory, bloodline, legacy. You've awakened your strength. But your lineage remains a mystery."

"You think my parents were...?"

"I think," he said carefully, "you're not just the first of your kind. I think you might be the last."

Selena's heart thudded. "The last of what?"

Before he could answer, a knock came at the door.

It was Seraya, breathless.

"My Queen. You need to see this."

---

In the war room, a glowing map hovered above the center table.

One of the dragon scouts-a lean, silver-scaled warrior named Vael-pointed to a shifting red ripple across the border of the Veil.

"The Binder of Veils has begun to tear the threads between realms," he said grimly. "The breach is growing."

Thorne's eyes narrowed. "Where?"

"Near the Moonstone Range," Vael said. "It borders the lands of the Nightclaw wolves."

Selena's eyes widened. "That pack was neutral. Peacekeepers."

"Not anymore," Seraya said. "They've fallen under the Binder's influence. Their Alpha declared war against both wolves and dragons this morning."

Selena felt a cold coil settle in her stomach.

"So this is it," she said. "The beginning of something bigger."

Thorne nodded. "This isn't just about revenge. It never was. The Binder is planning something older. Deeper. Something buried in your bloodline."

Selena clenched her fists.

"Then I need to remember who I am."

---

That night, as the palace slept, Selena descended alone into the Cavern of Embers-the lowest level of the dragon realm, where ancient memories were stored in flame.

The walls burned with slow-moving visions-echoes of the past.

She stepped into the firelight, letting it wash over her.

Flashes came:

A woman with hair like burning gold cradling a baby-Selena.

A battlefield soaked in ash and blood.

A pact made in secret between dragons and wolves.

And then-

A seal. A lock. A fire-bound gate with her name carved into it.

Selena reached out-

And the gate exploded into light.

She fell backward, gasping.

And when her eyes opened again, she remembered.

Everything.

---

She climbed back to the throne room just before dawn.

Thorne was waiting.

She didn't speak right away.

Just looked at him and said: "My mother was the last Fireborn Queen. My father... was a dragon general."

Thorne's eyes widened. "That bloodline was wiped out."

"They missed one," she said.

She held up her hand-and a golden crown of fire formed in her palm.

"I was never just Flamebound," she said. "I'm heir to the Fireborn Throne."

The room trembled.

And outside, across the Veil, war began.