LYCAN KING REBORN

Chapter 6: Blood

I woke up on the bone throne.

For a second I did not know where I was. Then I remembered. The Forbidden Forest, the fifty guards, Lyra, the training. The cold black stone under me, the faint red glow of the wolf runes.

My body was sore, but different sore from before. When I was an omega servant, sore meant weak, meant I had been beaten and could not heal. Now sore meant growth, meant muscles rebuilding stronger.

Lyra was asleep on the steps below the throne, her white hair spread around her like snow, her shadow dress covering her like a blanket. Even asleep, her hand glowed faintly silver, still linked to me, still helping my bloodline heal and grow while I slept.

I stood up quietly so I would not wake her. My shadow clothes were still clean. The bone sword was inside my right hand, sleeping as mist, waiting to be called.

Rook and the other guards were not sleeping. Lycan guards do not sleep like werewolves. They sat around the circle in meditation, their eyes closed, their red gold eyes glowing faintly even through closed lids. They were recovering power after a thousand years of stone.

I walked to the edge of the black stone circle and looked out into the Forbidden Forest. It was still dark, but less dead now. Since I sat on the throne yesterday and used King's Roar, silver flowers had started to grow in the black moss. Small, glowing, beautiful.

My bloodline is changing the forest itself, I thought.

Fenrir woke up inside me. Morning, Kael. How do you feel?

Stronger, I answered. What percent are we at now?

Forty seven percent. Training yesterday pushed us up. Fighting, healing, roaring, it all feeds the royal blood.

Forty seven percent in one day. At this rate, sixty percent in ten days was possible.

I walked back to the throne and sat down. The moment I sat, the throne gave me information again, like yesterday.

[Throne Daily Gift: Royal Blood Pool Refill - Five Percent]

[Do you want to absorb now? Yes or No]

Yes, I thought.

The black stone under the throne glowed bright red. A pool of silver red liquid, like the lake from yesterday but smaller, rose up from under the throne and surrounded my feet, then rushed into my body.

It was less painful than yesterday, more warm. My bones hummed, my tattoos glowed brighter, spreading further down my arms to my wrists.

[Bloodline: Forty Seven Percent to Fifty Two Percent]

[New Skill Unlocked: Blood Sense]

[Effect: You can smell royal blood and alpha blood within ten miles. You can tell lies from truth when a werewolf speaks to you.]

Fifty two percent. I had passed half.

I roared softly, just to test. The sound was louder than yesterday, deeper. The fifty guards all opened their eyes and looked at me at once.

"My king has grown," Rook said, standing up. His wounds from yesterday were fully healed.

Lyra woke up, her golden eyes opening slowly. She felt the power increase instantly and smiled.

"Fifty two percent," she said, standing and walking to me. She placed her hand on my chest. "You grew while you slept. At this rate, you will be at sixty percent by tomorrow, not ten days."

"Good," I said. "Because I want to go back sooner."

Lyra frowned. "You said ten days."

"I know what I said. But I had a dream last night."

I told her the dream. In the dream, I saw Silver Moon pack. I saw Selene wearing a white Luna dress, standing next to Jax on the high platform, being crowned Luna by Alpha Magnus. I saw the whole pack cheering. I saw them bring out a cake that said, "Good Riddance to the Omega." They were celebrating my death.

And I saw Elder Rowan, the only one who ever taught me to read, being dragged away by warriors because he spoke against the crowning. He said, "Kael may still be alive."

Jax kicked him.

The dream felt too real to be just a dream. With my new Blood Sense skill, I could feel it was real, happening right now, or about to happen.

"They are crowning her today," I said, my fists clenched, claws coming out. "Not in three days. Today. They moved the ceremony early to erase me faster."

Lyra closed her eyes and used her own sense, older and stronger than mine. After a minute, she opened them, angry.

"You are right. I can feel it. The Moon Goddess altar in Silver Moon is being activated. They are starting the Luna crowning in two hours at noon."

Two hours. Silver Moon was a two hour run from the edge of the Forbidden Forest for a normal werewolf. For me at fifty two percent bloodline, maybe one hour if I ran at full speed.

"I have to go," I said, standing up. I called the bone sword, it appeared in my hand, glowing red.

"No," Rook said, stepping in front of me. "My king, you are still at fifty two percent. Alpha Magnus is at peak alpha, his guards are at high alpha, Jax is at mid alpha. You can beat Jax now, yes, but Magnus plus twenty guards, you will die."

"I am not going to kill them today," I said, my voice cold. "I am going to show them I am alive. I am going to stop them from crowning her with my death as celebration."

I looked at Lyra. "You said a Lycan King needs to make others kneel. Let me start with one pack today. Just to show them."

Lyra looked at me, at my red gold eyes burning with rage, then at Rook, then back at me.

She nodded slowly.

"Go," she said. "But take five guards with you, not alone. And do not sit on their throne yet. Just show them your eyes, your sword, and your roar. Make them fear. Then come back and finish training to sixty percent. Then we will take the pack for real."

Five guards plus me, against a whole pack, for a short show. It was risky, but better than alone.

"Rook, choose four more," I said.

Rook pointed to four of the biggest guards. They stepped forward, their black armor gleaming, their eyes glowing.

Lyra waved her hand, and shadow cloaks appeared around all six of us, including me, covering our armor, hiding our glow, making us look like six tall travelers, not Lycans.

"These cloaks will hide your royal smell for one hour," she said. "After that, all werewolves will know what you are. You must finish and leave before one hour."

I nodded and pulled the cloak over my shadow clothes. The bone sword disappeared back into my hand as mist.

"Stay here and guard the throne," I told Lyra and the other forty five guards.

Lyra grabbed my arm before I left. "Kael," she whispered, so only I could hear. "If you see Selene, remember, your mate bond is burned. She means nothing now. Do not let her words pull you back."

"I know," I said. "She means nothing."

But deep inside, a small part of me, the part that was still the boy who loved her for seven years, wanted to see her face when she saw I was alive and not an omega anymore.

We left the black stone circle and ran.

We ran through the Forbidden Forest faster than any werewolf I had ever seen. Black trees blurred past. Black moss flew behind us. At fifty two percent bloodline, my speed was already three times faster than Jax at his best.

In forty minutes, we reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. I could see Silver Moon pack territory in the distance, the white stone houses, the tall ceremony hall, the Moon Goddess altar glowing white for the crowning ceremony.

I could hear cheering from here.

They were already celebrating.

I pulled down my shadow cloak hood, my red gold eyes glowing, my tattoos glowing faintly under my shirt.

"Let's go remind them who they threw away," I said to the

five guards.

And we walked out of the Forbidden Forest toward Silver Moon, six shadows coming to ruin a Luna crowning.