Sera's POV
The Alpha King stared at my belly for what felt like an eternity.
"Your Majesty," Elder Mira said gently. "The revelation changes nothing about what must be done. The Luna Queen still needs rest and training."
He didn't respond. Didn't move. Just stood frozen, one hand reaching toward my stomach before dropping back to his side.
"Kieran," Elder Mira said, using his name for the first time. "She needs to rest."
That broke through. He stepped back sharply, his whole body rigid. "Theron. Post guards outside her chambers. No one enters without my permission."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Alpha King turned toward the door, his movements stiff and mechanical.
"Wait," I called. "You can't just drop that information and leave! My baby is your dead mate? What does that even mean?!"
He stopped but didn't turn around. "It means everything just became far more complicated. Rest, Sera. We'll discuss it tomorrow."
"I can't rest! You just told me I'm carrying—"
"Tomorrow." His voice held absolute finality. "Sleep. That's an order."
He left. Elder Mira bowed to me and followed him, leaving me alone with shattered windows and a thousand unanswered questions.
I lay back on the silk pillows, one hand on my belly. The baby—Elena—kicked gently, as if reassuring me.
"What have I gotten us into?" I whispered.
The Next Morning
I woke to voices outside my door.
"She's not receiving visitors yet," a male guard said firmly.
"I'm her personal attendant, not a visitor," a female voice argued. "The Luna Queen needs breakfast and clean clothes. Or do you want to explain to His Majesty why she's still wearing rags from the Outcast Lands?"
"Let me check—"
"Check nothing. I'm going in."
The door burst open. Luna strode in carrying a tray of food and a bundle of clothes. She kicked the door shut behind her with her foot.
"Men," she muttered. "Act like the whole palace will collapse if they don't follow every order exactly." She set the tray on a side table and looked at me. "You're awake. Good. How do you feel?"
I sat up slowly, checking myself. The marks on my arms had faded to faint silver lines. My belly felt heavy but not painful. "Better than yesterday."
"Good. Eat." She pushed the tray toward me. "Real food this time, not berries and roots."
The smell hit me—fresh bread, eggs, meat, fruit. My stomach growled loudly.
I devoured everything while Luna laid out clothes on the bed. Not the simple rogue clothes she wore, but a beautiful dress in deep blue with silver embroidery.
"I can't wear that," I said through a mouthful of bread. "It's too fine. I'll ruin it."
"You're the Luna Queen. You'll wear what Luna Queens wear." Luna held up the dress. "Besides, you need to look the part when I show you around the palace. The servants are already gossiping about who you are and where you came from."
"Let them gossip. I don't care what they think."
"Maybe not, but His Majesty does. You represent Crown City now. First impressions matter." She gestured to a bathing room I hadn't noticed. "Bath first. You still smell like the Outcast Lands."
I wanted to argue, but she was right. I did smell terrible.
The bath was enormous—more like a small pool than a tub. Steam rose from water that had somehow already been heated. Luna helped me undress, her eyes widening when she saw the full extent of my injuries.
"The scars," she breathed, touching the silver lines on my face gently. "They're already transforming. Look."
She held up a mirror. I barely recognized myself. The three scars had turned completely silver, glowing faintly like the marks on my arms. They didn't look like punishment marks anymore.
They looked like power.
"The blessing claimed them," Luna explained. "Turned your marks of shame into marks of strength. By the time you give birth, they'll shine like moonlight."
I traced one scar with my finger. "I survived."
"You did more than survive. You conquered." Luna smiled. "Now get in the bath before the water cools."
The hot water felt like heaven. I sank in up to my neck, letting the warmth soothe my aching muscles. Luna scrubbed my hair with something that smelled like flowers, washing away weeks of grime and blood.
"Can I ask you something?" I said as she worked. "Last night, Elder Mira said my baby is... is the Alpha King's dead mate reborn."
Luna's hands stilled. "Yes."
"How is that possible?"
"The Moon Goddess preserves special souls. Elena was one of them—the last Luna Queen who actually earned the blessing's favor." Luna resumed scrubbing. "When she died, the blessing scattered to protect her soul. It's been waiting for the right vessel to bring her back."
"Me."
"You." Luna rinsed my hair. "You're not just carrying a child, Sera. You're carrying the future of this entire kingdom."
The weight of those words pressed down on me. "I don't want that responsibility. I just want my baby to be safe."
"Then you'd better learn fast how to protect her. Because half the realm will want Elena back, and the other half will want her dead before she's born."
After the bath, Luna helped me into the blue dress. It fit perfectly despite my swollen belly, the fabric stretching to accommodate my pregnancy.
"How did you know my size?" I asked.
"The Alpha King is thorough. He had this made for you three days ago." Luna fastened the back. "He knew you'd accept his offer."
"Arrogant."
"Accurate." She smiled. "There. You look like a queen now."
I looked at my reflection. The dress, the glowing scars, my pregnant belly—I looked powerful. Important.
I looked like someone who belonged here, even though I didn't feel like it.
"Come on," Luna said. "Time for the grand tour."
She led me out of my chambers. Two guards immediately fell into step behind us—massive wolves in black armor who didn't speak.
"They're your permanent guard," Luna explained. "His Majesty's orders. They'll follow you everywhere."
"Everywhere?"
"Everywhere except your private chambers." She grinned. "Even the Alpha King isn't that paranoid."
We walked through halls of black stone that seemed to absorb and reflect moonlight simultaneously. Servants stopped and bowed as we passed, murmuring "Luna Queen" respectfully.
It felt surreal. Three weeks ago, I was being thrown off a cliff. Now people were bowing to me.
"The palace has five wings," Luna explained. "North wing is the Alpha King's private quarters—don't go there uninvited. South wing is the council chambers and throne room. East wing is servants' quarters and kitchens. West wing is the healing ward and library."
"And where are we now?"
"Central tower. Royal family chambers. Your rooms are on the top floor—the Queen's chambers."
We passed through a massive hall where portraits lined the walls. Past Luna Queens, all beautiful and regal. The last portrait showed a silver-haired woman with kind eyes.
Elena.
I stopped, staring at her face. My baby's soul. The Alpha King's lost love.
"She was beloved," Luna said quietly. "Fair, strong, merciful. When she died, something broke in His Majesty. He's been the Masked King ever since—ruling through fear instead of love."
"What happened to her?"
"His cousin, Darius, murdered her to steal her power. But the blessing couldn't be stolen that way. It scattered instead, and Elena cursed Darius with her dying breath." Luna's expression darkened. "His Majesty killed Darius with his bare hands. Then he put on the mask and never took it off."
Ten years of grief. Ten years of searching for the scattered blessing.
And now it lived in me.
We continued the tour. Luna showed me the library—three stories of books that reached to a vaulted ceiling. The training grounds where warriors sparred. The gardens where silver flowers bloomed under magical moonlight.
Everything was beautiful and cold and perfect.
"Last stop," Luna said. "The healing ward. His Majesty wants you examined properly."
The healing ward was enormous—rows of beds separated by curtains, healers moving efficiently between them. At the far end sat a private room where Elder Mira waited with three other healers.
"Luna Queen," Elder Mira greeted. "Please, lie down. We need to assess how the blessing is affecting your pregnancy."
I lay on the examination bed, nervous. The healers surrounded me, their hands glowing with diagnostic magic as they examined my belly.
"Twenty-two weeks development," one healer announced. "But the Luna Queen is only ten weeks along."
"Accelerated growth from the blessing," another confirmed. "The pup feeds on pure power. I've never seen anything like it."
Elder Mira placed both hands on my stomach. Her magic went deeper, searching. "The child is healthy. Strong. But—" She paused, frowning.
"But what?" My heart raced.
"The pup is drawing too much energy from you. At this rate, you'll reach full term in another ten weeks instead of thirty." Elder Mira's blind eyes found mine. "Your body can't sustain that pace. You need to learn to channel the blessing properly, or it'll drain you dry trying to feed the child."
"How do I learn that?"
"His Majesty will teach you. Starting today."
As if summoned, the door opened. The Alpha King entered, his presence immediately filling the room. He wore all black as always, the silver mask catching the light.
"How is she?" he asked Elder Mira.
"The child thrives. The mother struggles." The old seer stood. "She needs to begin training immediately. Every day we wait makes birth more dangerous."
He nodded, then looked at me. Even through the mask, I felt his intensity. "Can you stand?"
"Yes."
"Then come with me. Your first lesson begins now."
I slid off the examination bed, my guards immediately flanking me. Luna started to follow, but the Alpha King held up a hand.
"Alone. Luna Queen and I only."
"Your Majesty, protocol requires—"
"I AM the protocol." His voice turned cold. "She's perfectly safe with me. Wait here."
He offered me his arm. I took it hesitantly, and the marks on our skin glowed where we touched.
The bond. Always there now, connecting us.
He led me from the healing ward, down corridors I didn't recognize. We walked in silence, his pace measured so I could keep up.
"Where are we going?" I finally asked.
"Somewhere private. What I'm about to teach you, no one else can know." He glanced at me. "The blessing's power is both a gift and a weapon. If our enemies learn how to exploit your weaknesses before you learn to defend yourself, they'll kill you and take Elena before she's born."
"You keep saying 'our enemies.' Who wants me dead?"
"Everyone who wants the throne. Everyone who wants the blessing's power. Everyone who fears what Elena's return means." He pushed open a door. "Which is most of the realm."
We entered a massive circular room. Empty except for symbols carved into the floor—moon phases, star patterns, ancient runes I didn't recognize.
"What is this place?"
"The training sanctum. Where every Luna Queen before you learned to control their power." He released my arm and stepped to the center of the circle. "Elena trained here. Now you will."
I joined him in the circle. Energy hummed beneath my feet, responding to the blessing inside me.
"First lesson," the Alpha King said. "The blessing responds to emotion. Fear makes it defensive. Anger makes it offensive. Love makes it—" He stopped. "Love makes it unstoppable."
"How do I control it?"
"You don't. Not at first. You let it flow through you until you understand its nature." He held out both hands. "Take my hands. Let the connection guide you."
I placed my hands in his. The marks blazed, and power flooded between us.
I gasped as his emotions hit me through the bond. Grief. Hope. Fear. Determination. And underneath it all—
Longing. For Elena. For the mate he'd lost.
"Don't fight it," he commanded. "Let the blessing show you."
Images flashed through my mind. His memories, shared through our bond.
Elena laughing, her silver hair catching moonlight. Their hands joined in a bonding ceremony. Her telling him she was pregnant, his joy so pure it hurt to witness.
Then darkness. Screams. Elena dying, cursing her murderer, the blessing scattering.
His grief. Ten years of searching. Ten years of emptiness.
And now—hope. Because Elena was coming back.
The images faded. I opened my eyes, gasping.
The Alpha King stared at me. "You saw."
"Everything." Tears streamed down my face. "I'm so sorry. What you lost—"
"Don't." His voice was sharp. "I don't want pity. I want you trained so you survive long enough to bring her back."
"Is that all I am to you? A vessel for Elena?"
He was silent for a long moment. "I don't know yet. But right now, keeping you alive is all that matters."
Honest. Brutal. But honest.
"Then teach me," I said. "Teach me how to survive."
His hands tightened on mine. "This will hurt. The blessing doesn't give power freely. It tests you. Breaks you down to build you stronger."
"I've already been broken. What's one more time?"
Something that might have been respect flickered across his face. "Then let's begin."
He channeled power through our joined hands. The blessing inside me responded, exploding outward.
I screamed as silver light consumed everything.
My real training had finally begun.