Chapter 17: Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17: The Weight of Crowns

The runes pulsed beneath Liam's palms like a second heartbeat.

He'd been kneeling in the Moonlit Temple's central chamber for what felt like hours, surrounded by symbols that burned silver every time he touched them. Luna stood at the edge of the circle, her silver hair catching the ethereal light, her face unreadable.

"Again," she said.

"I've done it twelve times."

"Then do it thirteen."

Liam bit back a curse and pressed his hands flat against the stone floor. The runes flared. Heat crawled up his arms, through his chest, settling in the mark over his heart. The wolf stirred. Hungry. Impatient.

*She's testing you,* Alexander said. *Stop thinking. Feel.*

"Easy for you to say," Liam muttered. "You're dead."

*Dead. Asleep. Same thing. Focus.*

The runes responded to his bloodline. That's what Luna had explained. The Moonlit Temple wasn't just a sanctuary—it was a lockbox. Built by the first Wolf Kings to store knowledge that couldn't be trusted to memory. Every time Liam touched the runes, fragments of the past bled into his consciousness.

He saw battles fought centuries ago. Heard the screams of wolves who'd lost themselves to the blood rage. Felt the weight of a crown that had crushed every king who'd worn it.

And always, always, he saw Alexander's face.

Not the wolf. The man. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Eyes that held the same gold flecks Liam saw in the mirror. Standing beside a woman with silver hair.

Luna.

"You're thinking about him again," she said.

Liam opened his eyes. "You were his mate. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you weren't ready."

"And I am now?"

She stepped into the circle. The runes didn't burn her feet. They curved around her like water around a stone. "Your father didn't want you to know about me. He thought it would put you in danger."

"He was dead, Luna. What danger could there be?"

"The same danger that killed him."

Liam stood. His knees cracked. The mark on his chest throbbed in rhythm with his heartbeat. "You're going to have to give me more than vague warnings. I have five days until the Blood Moon. Five days to learn how to fight rogues, navigate Council politics, and keep myself from becoming a mindless beast. I need answers."

Luna studied him. Her eyes held the same ancient weight he'd seen in Marcus's gaze. The same sadness.

"The Silverwood Pack didn't kill Alexander," she said.

Liam's blood went cold. "What?"

"He died fighting them. That part is true. But they weren't the ones who struck the killing blow." She paused. "Your father was assassinated. By someone close to him. Someone who knew his weaknesses. His patterns. His hunting grounds."

The words hit like a physical blow. "One of his own pack?"

"No. Someone who wanted his bloodline to end."

"Who?"

Luna's jaw tightened. "I don't know their name. But I know their symbol. A broken crescent. Three claw marks through it."

The mark of the Shadowmoon Sect.

Liam had heard Marcus mention them once. A splinter group of wolves who believed the Wolf King bloodline had become corrupted. That the ancient power should be destroyed, not inherited. He'd assumed they were a myth. Boogeyman stories to scare young wolves into obedience.

"They're real," he said.

"Very real. And they know you're alive."

"How?"

"The awakening. Every time a Wolf King's power surfaces, it sends a ripple through the supernatural world. The Sect felt it. The Council felt it. Every pack within a thousand miles felt it." She stepped closer. "You've been marked since the moment you shifted. The only question is who finds you first."

Liam's hands trembled. He pressed them flat against his thighs. "Then why are we wasting time with runes? Teach me to fight. Teach me to shift at will. Give me something I can use."

"These runes *are* something you can use. They're the only thing that can suppress the blood rage during the full moon. Without them, you'll lose yourself completely."

"Like Alexander did?"

She flinched. Just slightly. But he saw it.

"Your father never wanted the crown," she said softly. "He was forced into it. His brother died in the Blood Moon ceremony. The wolf consumed him. Alexander had to take the throne or watch the pack fall apart."

"There was another heir?"

"He didn't tell you. Of course he didn't." Luna turned away. "The Wolf King bloodline doesn't pass through a single line. It awakens in whoever is strongest. Alexander's brother, Damian, was the original heir. But he wasn't strong enough. The wolf broke him."

Liam's stomach twisted. "And if I'm not strong enough?"

"Then you'll die. Or worse. You'll become what Damian became."

"What did he become?"

Luna faced him. Her eyes glowed bright silver. "A monster. The Sect took him in after his transformation. Used him as a weapon. Forced him to hunt his own bloodline." She paused. "He's the one who killed your mother."

The air left Liam's lungs.

He'd always been told his mother died in childbirth. A complication. Nothing more. Marcus had said it with such finality that Liam never questioned it. Never had reason to.

"Your father found Damian three days later," Luna continued. "They fought for an entire night. By morning, Alexander was wounded. Damian was dead. But the damage was done. The Sect had what they needed."

"Which was?"

"Proof that the bloodline could be corrupted. That the Wolf King's power wasn't sacred. It was a weapon. And weapons could be stolen."

Liam's hands clenched into fists. "So the Sect's been waiting for me. For thirty years."

"Longer. They've been hunting the bloodline since the first Wolf King fell. Every time a new heir awakens, they try to claim them. Sometimes they succeed." Her voice dropped. "Sometimes they don't."

"But Alexander stopped them."

"He did. At the cost of his life. The Sect never forgave him for killing Damian. They've been rebuilding their strength ever since. Waiting for the next heir."

Waiting for him.

Liam looked down at his hands. The hands that had shattered a window. The hands that had clawed at his own skin during his first shift. The hands that had held Marcus as he died.

He wasn't ready for this. He was a college student. A guy who'd spent the last three years studying business and avoiding his roommate's questions about why he slept through every full moon. He wasn't a king. He wasn't a warrior.

But the mark on his chest said otherwise.

"Teach me," he said. "Everything. The runes. The shifting. The history. I need to know it all."

Luna's expression softened. Just for a moment. "You remind me of him."

"Alexander?"

"No. Damian. Before he fell." She shook her head. "The same fire. The same desperation. The same fear that you'll hurt the people you love."

"I don't have anyone to hurt."

"That's what Damian said too. Right before he killed his own mother."

The words hung in the air like smoke.

Liam wanted to argue. Wanted to tell her she was wrong. That he was different. That he'd never—

But he remembered the rage. The burning in his blood. The way his vision had turned red when the rogues attacked. He remembered wanting to tear them apart. Wanted to feel their flesh between his teeth.

He'd held back. Barely.

"What if I can't control it?" he asked.

Luna met his gaze. "Then I'll do what Alexander couldn't."

"You'd kill me."

"I'd put you down. Before you became a weapon for the Sect." She said it without hesitation. Without emotion. Like she'd already made peace with it.

Liam nodded slowly. "Then let's make sure it doesn't come to that."

He knelt again. Pressed his hands to the runes. The heat flared. The wolf stirred. But this time, he didn't fight it. He let the power flow through him. Let it fill the cracks in his bones. Let it become part of him.

*Good,* Alexander said. *Now hold it. Don't let it consume you. Hold it like a weapon. Not a master.*

The runes blazed silver. The temple shook. Dust rained from the ceiling.

And somewhere in the distance, Liam heard howling.

Not wolves. Something darker. Something that made his blood go cold.

"What was that?" he asked.

Luna's face had gone pale. "They found us."

"The Sect?"

"No. Worse." She grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the temple's inner chamber. "The Council's enforcers. They've been tracking the bloodline's signature. If they catch you—"

"They'll kill me?"

"Worse. They'll take you to the Blood Moon ceremony early. Before you're ready. The last time that happened, the heir didn't survive the night."

The howling grew closer. Voices joined it. Deep. Chanting.

Liam's chest burned. The mark over his heart pulsed like a second heartbeat.

*Run,* Alexander said. *Now.*

But Liam didn't run.

He turned toward the entrance, toward the sound of approaching footsteps, toward the enemies who wanted to claim him.

"What are you doing?" Luna hissed.

"Buying us time."

"You can't fight them. You've barely learned to shift."

"I'm not going to fight." He grabbed the ceremonial dagger from the altar. The blade was silver. Etched with runes identical to the ones on the floor. "I'm going to make them think twice about following me."

Luna's eyes widened. "You're going to lead them away."

"Unless you have a better idea."

She stared at him. For a long moment, she looked like she wanted to argue. Then something shifted in her expression. Recognition. Respect.

"Alexander would be proud."

"Save the sentiment for later." Liam slashed the blade across his palm. Blood welled up. The runes on the dagger flared, and the mark on his chest responded. A wave of power rippled outward. "I'll draw them off. You get to the safe house."

"Liam—"

"I'll find you. I survived Marcus's death. I survived my first shift. I can survive a few enforcers."

He didn't wait for her response.

He ran.

Through the temple's main hall. Through the stone archway. Into the forest that surrounded the sanctuary. The howling followed. Closer now. Hungry.

The dagger burned in his hand. His blood dripped onto the leaves, leaving a trail no wolf could miss.

*You're going to get yourself killed,* Alexander said.

*Probably.*

*That's not a plan.*

Liam grinned. It felt wrong on his face. Sharp. Feral. "It's the only one I've got."

Behind him, the first enforcer broke through the trees.

And the hunt began.