Chapter 2 The Weight of a Crown 

Elaria's POV

This council room is suffocating. The stone walls feel like they're pressing in on me, cold and unyielding. Every time I sit here, it reminds me that I am alone. My father's throne remains empty, a cruel reminder that the burden now rests entirely on my shoulders. The air is thick with tension, the kind that makes your skin prickle.

The Elders sit at the far end of the long wooden table, their expressions unreadable but their judgment clear. They don't trust me—not fully. And Rowan? They don't even try to hide their disdain. He sits beside me, his posture rigid, his gaze locked forward. His silence is a shield, but I can feel the unease radiating off him.

Elder Varen finally speaks, his voice sharp and unwavering. "Another village is gone." He slides a worn map across the table. "Thirty people dead. No survivors. No witnesses."

My stomach clenches. That's three attacks in less than two weeks. Three villages were wiped out overnight. And we still have no answers.

I force my voice to stay steady. "What about the patrols?"

Elder Soren shakes his head. "Nothing. No scents. No tracks. Whatever did this… it left no trace."

A chill snakes down my spine. Our warriors are trained to hunt, to track even the most elusive prey. No enemy should be able to slip past them unseen. Unless…

"Unless it's something beyond our understanding," Rowan said a bit lower like a breath.

The silent voice spread around the room. The council doesn't like uncertainty. They like hard facts and solid plans. And they especially don't like Rowan voicing his opinions. Tradition dictates that an Alpha Queen's mate must be of noble lineage, and Rowan, though strong, is not the mate they wanted for me. They tolerate him because they have no choice.

Elder Varen leans forward, clasping his hands. "We must act, Alpha. The people are scared. If we don't take control of the situation, panic will spread, and pains will radiate."

I know what he means. "Take control" is just a softer way of saying a lie to the kingdom. Pretend we have everything under control.

I tighten my teeth. "I won't make reckless decisions based on fear. Not without understanding what we're up against."

Someone scoffs. "Indecision is just as dangerous as being unprepared, Queen."

A challenge. Direct and deliberate. The room falls into silence.

Rowan's hand barely brushes against mine, a subtle reminder that I am not alone. That I have strength beside me.

I meet Varen's gaze with steel in my own. "Then perhaps you'd like to investigate yourself, Elder, and tell me exactly what we're dealing with."

The silence is deafening. Varen's jaw tightens, but he doesn't argue. He won't risk being the one to go out there.

I rise to my feet, the scrape of my chair echoing through the chamber. "This meeting is over."

The Elders hesitate before standing. They murmur amongst themselves as they leave, but I don't need to hear their words to know what they're thinking. Varen lingers the longest before finally departing.

As soon as they're gone, I exhale. The weight on my chest lessens, but only slightly.

"You handled that well," Rowan says.

I arch a brow. "You mean I didn't leap across the table and rip Varen's throat out?"

A ghost of a smile flickers across his lips. "Something like that."

For the first time today, I breathe freely. But the relief is short-lived.

Because outside these walls, something lurks in the dark.

And it has its sights set on Nyxvale.

The silence in the woods is unnatural. The deeper I walk, the heavier the air becomes. Each step feels like wading through something unseen, something watching.

I shouldn't be here alone. But something pulled me here.

The lake ahead glows under the moonlight, still and perfect, like a piece of glass. It's too still. Too quiet. I know the whispers I heard earlier were real. I didn't imagine them.

"Who's there?" My voice barely reaches past the water's edge.

The air thickens, charged with an energy that makes my skin crawl. My wolf stirs restlessly inside me, a warning I know better than to ignore.

Then, the whisper comes again.

Rowan.

A shiver rakes down my spine. The voice is everywhere and nowhere, carried on the wind but impossible to place.

I turn sharply, scanning the trees. My heart began to beat heavily against my ribs. No one comes here. This place is supposed to be cursed. And yet…

I step closer to the lake, kneeling at the shore. The second my fingers touch the water, a jolt of icy energy shoots up my arm. I gasp, stumbling back. The lake ripples unnaturally, a strange, silvery light moving beneath the surface.

The whispers grow louder.

And then I see her.

A face emerges in the water—not mine. A woman stares back at me, her eyes empty voids, lips twisted in a grotesque smile. Her reflection shifts, distorting, and for a brief moment, her mouth moves, forming words I cannot hear.

Then, just as suddenly, the water stills. The image is gone.

I scramble to my feet, my breath coming in sharp gasps. Whatever this is—whatever called me here—I'm not ready to face it. Not yet.

A rustling in the trees snaps my attention away from the lake.

My blood runs cold. Someone is watching me.

I turned sharply toward the sound, every muscle tense.

"Who's there?"

Silence... But the wind doesn't move the leaves. It's *wrong*.

My wolf is restless.

A branch snaps behind me. I turned around, my heart pounding.

Something moves between the trees. A shadow was watching.

The puddle near my feet ripples again. My breath catches. The presence was so heavy, unseen but suffocating.

The trees shift. A shape emerges from the darkness.

Before I can react, it moves faster.

...and darkness crashes over me.

Without a second thought, everything goes black right in my presence.