Page 74 of A Crown of Fates
My link to the pack, and even the tether to Estee, glows at my core. I hold tight to that connection and the longer I do, the more I realize I never needed that dagger to take my essence back from Orix.
There’s a simmering shift in the air around me and when I open my eyes again, I know everything is about to change.
Orix tenses above me and opens his mouth to speak, but his time here is done.
The dagger is still lodged in his chest, but I quickly remove it. Ignoring the blisters still on my palm, I keep a tight grip around the hilt and shove him off me as I stand.
He scrambles back but gets to his feet within seconds. “You can’t kill me.” His hiss is venomous, his voice dripping with hatred.
“Maybe not, but I will stop you.” I charge forward as a new presence fills the room.
Aurora.
I’m not sure if she’s here to kill Orix herself, but I don’t stop. This has always been my fight and I’m going to finish this.
He tries to turn away from me, but I kick the back of his leg, forcing him to his knees. Gripping the back of his head, I step around him and tilt his head up. “Goodbye, Orix.”
“This isn’t over,” he mutters, but his words mean nothing to me anymore. He means nothing.
I drag the blade across his throat, the cut deep enough to nearly take his head off, then release him. His body drops to the floor with a thud and his eyes stay open, unmoving, while black blood paints the floor beneath him.
There’s a brief moment where I’m tempted to celebrate, but Estee is still at the forefront of my thoughts. I start to go to her,but before I can take a step, I find her at Aurora’s side, back in her human form and walking toward me.
One of the shadows moves to attack them but seems to be repelled by Aurora’s aura. Her lip curls as she snaps her fingers. I watch as the creature is forced upward, back into the portal it came from. Two more follow suit and I realize that’s the last of them just as the opening begins to stitch itself back together.
With the threat seeming to be taken care of, I run to Estee and wrap my arms around her waist as I lift her off the ground. “Thank you.”
The goddess next to us scoffs. “You should be thanking me.”
Aurora might have helped with the shadows, but it was Estee’s belief in me that won this fight. Something I’ll spend the rest of my life repaying her for.
Shouts of victory ring out from the pack members still present, most of them barely standing, but each filled with pride.
We did it.
Aurora steps forward until she’s standing over Orix and sneers. “This one’s being burned. I won’t let anyone get in my way again.”
Her way?I glance at Estee, and she seems just as confused, but before we can question the goddess, she turns back, her commanding expression locked on me.
“You’ve surprised me, King Theo,” she seems to reluctantly admit. “I didn’t believe you were worth my time, but I see I was mistaken. Just don’t make me regret coming to clean up after you. If you abuse that which you’ve been given, I will be back.” She places her heel on Orix’s limp hand, and his body takes on a brief purple glow before disappearing. “I’ll dispose of Orix. A favor for you. One I’ll be back to collect on.”
Her words linger as she vanishes in a burst of light, leaving us alone in the aftermath of the battle. I should worry what thegoddess means to collect from us, but as I look over at Estee, I only care that she and my pack are safe.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
ESTEE
Remnants of the battle linger like a storm—both turbulent and strangely soothing—over Selaris. I stand on the balcony of the royal suite, the early morning air cool against my skin, as the kingdom below awakens to a new era. From here, I see the heart of the kingdom: shifters working tirelessly, bringing supplies into the castle, their movements swift and purposeful as they begin to repair the damage caused by the shadows. Yet, even amidst their labor, distant laughter echoes—a group of children running through the square, their joy like sunlight breaking through the clouds.
Theo joins me, the warmth of his presence grounding me in the way only he can. He wraps his arm around my waist, his warmth seeping into me as I lean into him. “They’re resilient,” he says softly. “Stronger than I ever gave them credit for.”
“And so are you,” I reply, tilting my head to meet his eyes. The haunted shadows that lingered in his gaze for so long are fading, replaced by something brighter, more certain. Hope.
Still, the road ahead won’t be without its challenges. Aurora’s intervention may have saved us from complete devastation, but the battle left scars—some visible, others buried deep. We lost several wolves to Orix’s shadow creatures: the young man whowas attacked first, along with some of our elder members not strong enough to fight the darkness.
Their deaths won’t be in vain, though. We’ll honor each of them in the coming days and, with this new start, do better for the pack as a whole. The people have continued to show their support, but after so much destruction, I can sense their unease, their need to see that the rug isn’t about to be pulled out from under them once more. It’s our job as king and queen to give that to them and I know we will, every day moving forward.
“I do have some good news,” Theo admits, and his heart pounds faster beneath my touch.