Chapter 80

Chapter 80: The Crown Beneath the Ashes

The world was quiet after the wraith's binding — too quiet.

The Unwritten Lands were never meant to be still. Not for this long. Not for them.

Selene stirred against Valerian's side. "It's over, isn't it?"

Valerian didn't answer.

Because he felt it — the presence.

It wasn't the wraith. This was something older. Something the wraith had feared.

Selene stood slowly, her eyes narrowed at the horizon. There, in the soot and glass where the altar had been, the earth cracked open.

And from beneath the stone…

A throne rose.

Not forged by hand. Not placed by gods. Grown. From bone, shadow, and forgotten blood.

Valerian stepped forward. "That's not possible."

Selene didn't breathe. "That's the real crown."

The one before the wraith. The one before everything.

The Crown of the Abyss.

> You bound the vessel, the wind whispered.

But you disturbed the root.

They weren't alone anymore.

Figures emerged from the mists — pale-eyed, whispering. Not enemies. Not allies. Echoes.

Selene turned, heart racing. "What are they?"

"Former bearers," Valerian said, low and cold. "Those who wore the crown. Those who fell."

And then…

The throne moved.

It breathed.

Something sat atop it now, draped in a black cloak threaded with stars — a face hidden beneath a fractured gold mask. The very air around it distorted with power.

Selene felt her knees weaken. Not from fear, but from recognition.

This creature had been part of her dreams. The voice that whispered during her Change. The one that always said: "Come home."

Valerian stepped in front of her, but the being didn't rise. It only lifted its hand… and the bond between them shuddered.

Valerian cried out, falling to one knee.

Selene screamed, grabbing him, shielding him with her body. "Stop!"

The masked being tilted its head. And then it spoke.

> "You woke me, child of the bloodhound line. You bear the unspoken curse. You dared forge a bond with the Night King."

"You carry fate like a dagger. You carry prophecy like a leash."

Selene gritted her teeth. "I carry my choice."

The crown pulsed.

> "Then choose," it hissed.

"Bond to me… or break everything you've healed."

Valerian rose again, face pale but furious. "She chooses no one but herself!"

Selene gripped his hand.

But she looked at the crown. And something deep in her chest whispered truths she wasn't ready for.

This crown knew her.

It belonged to her.

Valerian's voice broke through her silence. "If you take it, Selene… there's no going back."

Tears slid down her cheeks. "I know."

"But I'll follow you," he whispered, voice breaking. "Even if it ends me."

Selene turned toward the throne.

One final time.

---

She stepped forward.

The echoes parted.

The being on the throne vanished — as if it had never been there.

And the Crown of the Abyss rose into her hands.

It was cold, not with death — but with truth.

And when she placed it on her head, the skies opened, and the earth wept.

Valerian didn't fall.

He knelt.

Not in fear. Not in worship.

But in awe.

Because his omega had become sovereign.

And her reign had only just begun.

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🔥 Chapter 81 is going to be feral, guys — Selene crowned, the world awakened, and the war to come. 💛