Chapter 2 The Shattered Seal

Ilinca-Viorica Drăghici

The First Sovereign.

The title hung in the war room, and for once, I couldn't think of a single thing to say.

Rain battered the windows while the fire crackled behind Lucian's desk. I kept my expression calm, refusing to let Radu see how deeply his words unsettled me.

Five years in Romania's supernatural underworld had taught me one thing: never let anyone see you lose control.

"Explain yourself, Commander," Lucian ordered.

Radu straightened. "The moment Prince Cyprian entered the Citadel, the Moon Temple's sacred seal shattered. Golden flames burst from it, leaving the Crest of the Unmaker on the floor."

His gaze shifted to me.

"The mark belongs to the First Sovereign."

"Impossible," I replied. "That bloodline was supposedly wiped out three centuries ago. The Moon Temple used that story to justify its control over the Alpha kingdoms."

"Then why did the seal react to you?"

I had no answer.

According to every historical record I'd ever read, the First Sovereign was nothing more than a legend. Yet something inside me stirred at the mention of that name, an unfamiliar sensation I couldn't explain.

"Prince Cyprian demands an audience with you," Radu added.

Lucian's expression darkened.

"He makes demands in my kingdom?"

His Alpha aura filled the room, and even Radu stiffened beneath its weight.

"Lucian," I said quietly. "Let him speak."

The King turned to me, his amber eyes still burning with anger.

"You owe that man nothing, Ilinca."

"I know. But if he believes I've threatened his religious authority, he'll use this incident to destroy our treaty. I've spent five years preparing for this negotiation. I won't let him ruin it because an ancient relic decided to turn to ash."

Lucian studied me before nodding.

"Fine. We'll face him together."

He stepped closer, his voice dropping.

"But if he insults you, I'll forget every reason I have to keep him alive."

Despite myself, my heart skipped.

I quickly pushed the feeling aside. Lucian was my king, my ally, and the man who had given me a place when the rest of the supernatural world had turned its back on me.

That was enough.

We descended to the Great Hall, with Radu leading the way.

Before we reached the doors, Cyprian's voice rang through the corridor.

"I know she's here! I demand to see Ilinca Drăghici!"

He sounded nothing like the confident prince who had once severed our bond before five hundred witnesses.

Another voice interrupted him.

"Remember whose territory you're standing in, Prince."

Lord Evander-Tiberiu Vale. His calm voice carried a warning that needed no explanation.

Radu opened the doors.

Silver moonlight spilled across the marble floor. Obsidian guards stood along the walls, their hands resting on their weapons.

Cyprian stood in the middle of the hall, surrounded by four knights. Mud stained his silver armor, and his platinum-blonde hair was disheveled.

At his feet lay the remains of a shattered relic.

A golden symbol had burned itself into the marble.

The Crest of the Sovereign.

When Cyprian saw me, he went completely still.

"Ilinca?"

I continued walking until I stood beside Lucian.

"Prince Cyprian," the King said coldly. "You arrive without warning, bring a dangerous religious artifact into my home, and disrupt my court. Explain yourself before I consider this an act of war."

Cyprian barely acknowledged him.

"The seal reacted to you," he said, staring at me. "It shattered the moment you entered the Citadel."

"Perhaps you should stop carrying fragile antiques into places with damp weather," I replied. "Stone breaks, Prince. It doesn't mean the Moon Goddess has suddenly decided to speak."

"You're wrong!"

He stepped forward.

Radu's hand moved to his sword, while Lucian's Alpha aura swept through the hall. Cyprian's knights dropped to their knees, struggling beneath the pressure.

Yet Cyprian kept looking at me.

"I found something in the Moon Temple's sealed archives," he said, pulling a parchment from inside his cloak. "I've spent five years searching for answers. The bloodline that can save the dying packs wasn't destroyed. It was hidden."

I watched him carefully.

"Get to the point."

His fingers tightened around the parchment.

"Your father didn't die of fever, Ilinca."

The words struck harder than I expected.

My father had been gone for years. I had mourned him, accepted his death, and eventually learned to live with the emptiness he left behind.

"What did you say?"

"He was executed by the High Priestess because of your bloodline. Your power predates the Moon Goddess herself. You can rewrite the laws of wolfkind and restore the magic our packs are losing."

The hall fell silent.

I wanted to dismiss him as a desperate man inventing stories to save his kingdom. But the fear in his eyes looked real.

Then Cyprian did something I never thought I'd see.

He dropped to one knee before me.

"Come back to the Silver Spire," he pleaded. "I was wrong. The council manipulated me, and I let them. I'll make you my princess. I'll give you the crown you deserve. Just save my people."

I stared at him.

Five years ago, those words would have meant everything. I would have believed his apologies and searched for excuses to forgive him.

But that girl was gone.

I stepped over the broken relic and stopped before him.

"You discarded a broken girl, Cyprian." My voice was quiet, but every word carried through the hall. "Don't look so surprised that she's become someone you can no longer control."

His mouth opened, but before he could respond, the floor trembled beneath us.

I looked down.

The golden symbol had changed. Its light deepened into a fierce crimson, and a sharp ringing filled my ears.

Beside me, Lucian staggered.

His hand flew to his chest as a low growl escaped him. His amber eyes blazed, and for the first time since I'd known him, the Alpha King looked genuinely shaken.

Then something pulled at me.

It felt as though an invisible thread had tightened around my heart, drawing me toward him. Lucian's familiar scent of cedar and rain suddenly overwhelmed my senses.

Heat rushed through my veins.

Golden ribbons of light rose from the symbol, winding around our wrists.

I tried to step back, but my feet wouldn't move.

Lucian turned toward me. His expression mirrored the shock spreading through my chest.

Cyprian stumbled away, dropping the parchment.

"No," he whispered. "That can't be."

Lucian reached for me, his fingers brushing my neck as though he needed to confirm I was real.

His voice came out rough and unsteady.

"My wolf recognizes you."

He stared into my eyes, and I saw something in his expression I'd never witnessed before.

Fear.

Wonder.

Disbelief.

"Ilinca," he whispered, "you're my fated mate."