LYCAN KING REBORN

Chapter 7: Return

The Silver Moon pack looked the same, but I saw it differently now.

When I was an omega servant, I saw the white stone houses as beautiful, the tall ceremony hall as sacred, the Moon Goddess altar as holy. I saw the pack as family, even when they treated me like trash.

Now at fifty two percent Lycan King bloodline, with Blood Sense active, I saw the truth.

The white stone houses were built with blood money from my parents' death. The ceremony hall was where my mother was judged as traitor a thousand years ago. The Moon Goddess altar was stained with royal blood that only a Lycan could smell.

I smelled it. Old blood, a thousand years old, under the white paint.

The five guards walked behind me, their shadow cloaks hiding their huge size and glowing eyes. Rook was on my right, his hand near his sword hidden in mist.

The pack border patrol did not stop us. Two young warriors at the gate looked at our cloaks and felt something that made their wolf whimper and step back.

"What pack are you from?" one asked, his voice shaking.

"None of your business," Rook said, his voice deep under his cloak.

The warrior looked at me, at my hood covering my face, and stepped aside quickly. He could feel alpha power, but stronger than any alpha he had ever felt.

We walked into the pack. Wolves stared. Children hid behind mothers. Old wolves bowed their heads without knowing why. My king aura at fifty two percent was too strong for low ranked wolves to resist, even hidden by shadow cloak.

The ceremony hall was in the center, its doors open. White flowers and silver candles decorated it again, just like three days ago for my rejection, but now for Selene's crowning.

I could hear Alpha Magnus speaking from inside.

"Today, we crown Selene as Luna of Silver Moon, future mate of Alpha heir Jax. This is a day of joy, a day we leave behind the shame of the past three days and look to a strong future."

Shame of the past three days. He meant me.

Rook growled low under his cloak. I put a hand up to stop him.

We walked to the hall doors and pushed them open.

The hall was full, five hundred wolves again, same as my rejection day. Selene stood on the high platform in a pure white Luna dress, more beautiful than three days ago, her hair braided with moonflowers. Jax stood next to her in black alpha armor, his arm around her waist. Alpha Magnus stood behind them with Elder Rowan's staff in his hand, ready to crown her.

Everyone turned to look at the doors when we entered.

Silence fell, same as my rejection day.

Alpha Magnus frowned. "Who are you? This is a private pack ceremony. Outsiders are not allowed."

I did not answer. I walked slowly down the middle aisle, the five guards behind me, our shadow cloaks making soft sounds on the stone floor. My hood was still up, hiding my face.

Selene looked annoyed. "Guards, remove them," she said, her new Luna voice sharp.

Two pack warriors stepped forward to grab me.

I looked up.

My hood fell back slightly, and my red gold eyes with silver rings glowed.

The two warriors froze, their own wolves howling inside them in fear, and fell to their knees without touching me. Their bodies shook.

King's Territory, even at one percent outside the throne, still works on low wolves.

Gasps filled the hall.

Jax stepped forward, his alpha aura flaring. "Who the hell are you to make my warriors kneel in my pack?"

He released his full mid alpha power. The air became heavy. Low ranked wolves bowed lower. That power used to make my omega wolf whimper and make me fall to the floor.

Now it felt like a warm breeze.

I smiled.

"Your warriors kneel because they know a king when they see one, Jax," I said, my voice still deep with echo, but recognizable. My real voice under the king echoed.

Jax froze. His eyes went wide. "That voice... No..."

Selene also froze, her white Luna dress suddenly too bright. "No... that cannot be..."

I pulled my hood down completely.

The black tattoos on my neck glowed red. My red gold eyes glowed. My shadow cloak fell open slightly, showing the black shadow clothes and the faint silver fur on my arms.

It was me. Kael. The omega they threw into the Forbidden Forest to die three days ago.

But not omega anymore.

Screams and shouts filled the hall.

"He is alive! The omega is alive!"

"He went into the Forbidden Forest and lived!"

Alpha Magnus stood up from his high seat, his peak alpha aura exploding, his eyes wide with shock and fear, not joy. "Kael? How... How are you alive? The Forbidden Forest... no one..."

"I lived," I said simply, walking closer to the platform. The five guards stayed at the hall entrance, blocking it, their cloaks still on, looking like statues of death. "You threw me into a forest to die, father, and I lived. Are you not happy to see your adopted son?"

The word father made Magnus flinch. He knew the truth about my parents.

Selene stepped forward, her face pale. "Kael... you... you are alive... we thought you died..."

She tried to sound happy, but with my new Blood Sense skill, I could smell her lie instantly. Her blood smelled sour with fear and disgust, not joy. She was not happy I was alive. She was afraid, because an omega who was supposed to die came back looking like something that could kill her new mate.

I looked at her white Luna dress, the crown in Magnus's hand ready for her head.

"You are crowning yourself with my death as an excuse," I said, loud enough for the whole hall to hear. "You said good riddance to the omega. You ate cake."

Selene's face turned red. "We did not—"

"You did," I cut her off. My Blood Sense let me know every word spoken in this hall today. "Elder Rowan told me."

Elder Rowan was in the corner, bruised, held by two warriors. When he saw me, tears came to his eyes. "Kael, my boy, you live..."

Jax saw me looking at Rowan and got angry, trying to reclaim control.

"You come back here with tricks, omega," Jax shouted, drawing his silver sword. "Red eyes from witch magic, tattoos from the forest, you think you can scare us? You are still an omega! I will kill you again properly this time!"

He jumped off the platform, his sword glowing with alpha power, and swung at my head.

Three days ago, that sword would have killed me. I would have been too slow, too weak to block.

Now I did not even call my bone sword.

I raised two fingers and caught his silver sword between them.

The hall went dead silent again.

Jax pushed with all his mid alpha strength, his face red, veins popping. The silver sword that could cut through stone could not move one inch between my two fingers.

I looked into his eyes, my red gold eyes glowing brighter.

"You kicked me three days ago," I whispered, so only he could hear. "Now kneel."

I used King's Roar, low, focused only on Jax.

"KNEEL."

The skill hit Jax directly. His alpha wolf Ragnor howled in pain inside him as it was suppressed by fifty percent. His legs buckled, and he crashed to his knees in front of me, his sword falling from his hand and clattering on the stone.

Alpha heir Jax kneeling to the omega servant in front of five hundred wolves.

Gasps turned to screams.

Selene covered her mouth, her white dress shaking.

Alpha Magnus stood up, his peak alpha aura exploding so strong the candles blew out.

"Enough!" Magnus roared. "I do not know what witch magic you found in the Forbidden Forest, Kael, but you will not disrespect this pack! Guards! Kill him and his cloaked friends!"

Twenty pack guards drew swords and surrounded me and my five guards.

The five guards finally pushed back their hoods.

Red gold eyes, seven feet tall, black armor, bone swords appearing from mist.

Fifty percent Lycan guards.

The twenty pack guards froze mid step, their swords shaking.

Magnus's face turned from angry red to pure white.

"No... it cannot be... Lycans..."

I picked up Jax's fallen silver sword and broke it with one hand, the metal snapping like dry wood.

"I am not here to kill you today, Magnus," I said loudly, looking at him on his high seat. "If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead. I am here to tell you three things."

I held up one finger.

"One, Elder Rowan is free. He will not be punished for speaking truth."

I held up second finger.

"Two, Selene will never be Luna of this pack while I live. Because this pack will be mine."

I held up third finger.

"Three, in seven days, I will come back. Not with five guards. With fifty. And I will take this pack, this hall, and this throne. If you want to live, you will be kneeling when I arrive."

I turned and walked back down the aisle. The crowd parted, wolves falling to their knees without me even using skill, just from fear of my eyes.

Rook and the four guards followed me, their cloaks flowing, their bone swords disappearing.

At the hall doors, I stopped and looked back at Selene, who was still frozen on the platform, her white Luna dress now looking like a funeral dress.

"You rejected an omega, Selene," I said, my voice echoing. "But you will never get a chance to be queen of a king."

Then we walked out, leaving five hundred wolves kneeling in si

lence, Jax still on his knees vomiting blood from my roar, and Alpha Magnus shaking on his throne, finally remembering the story his grandfather told him about the last Lycan King.