“Where did you get that?” the Alpha King asks, nearly stumbling over the words, his gaze locked on the glowing necklace. Where did you find it?”
I watch him closely, every line of his face pulled tight with confusion… and something else. Is it fear? Guilt?
Celestia only smiles, lifting her chin proudly. “So now you see why I had to be here myself,” she says with a sickening sweetness. “It’s my surprise for Mother. I know it’s something she’ll love when she sees it. A piece of our family’s legacy… and the fact that it’s coming from her one and only daughter must make it even more special.”
But her words don’t soothe him. If anything, they rattle him more His breathing quickens.
“But how… how can you wear the necklace without it hurtin
the room.
you he mutters, and there’s a tremor in his voice that silences
My pulse spikes.
He knows. He’s always known she wasn’t truly his blood.
He
only treated her as if she were.
“What do you mean by that statement, Father?” Celestia questions, still trying to play the perfect princess, trying to sound composed–but her pitch is higher now, the mask slipping. “Why should the necklace hurt me if I am your daughter? Your blood. I am royalty-”
“No,” the Alpha King snaps, voice booming like thunder through the hall. “You are not.”
A sharp gasp echoes. Even Jack stiffens beside me, and my heart stops beating for a moment. I didn’t expect him to say it—at least not like that. But a warmth spreads through my chest, because part of me… wanted him to.
Celestia’s face drops, the blood draining from her cheeks. “You–what?” she whispers, trying to smile through it, to pretend it’s some cruel joke.
“Well, too bad you can’t prove that,” she scoffs, lifting the necklace between her fingers like a trophy. “With this necklace, it shows I am royalty. Blood or not, I am now your daughter, which the necklace recognizes-”
But her voice is shaking now, and her eyes flick nervously to the people in the room, all watching in stunned silence. Judging. Whispering.
Her hands begin to tremble.
“You may be my daughter by name,” the Alpha King says slowly, his voice quieter now, but no less sharp and thick with something unspoken. “But not my real blood. I don’t know how you’re wearing that necklace, but there is only one daughter I have–and she is my true blood.”
Celestia’s lips twitch into a snarl. “Then who is it?” she growls. “Tell me, Father. Tell everyone here. I’m dying to know who your precious little daughter is, if not me. Go on–tell us all.”
My heart thunders in my chest as I try to stay calm beside Jack. He reaches over, brushing his fingers gently against mine, as if he knows I’m on the verge of snapping.
“Come on, Father,” Celestia continues, louder now, her voice rising into a scream. “Tell me who your real daughter is, if not me -the one who’s been by your side all this time! Because as far as I’m concerned, the first one got lost in the woods and died- probably eaten by a wild animal! I’m the only one alive, the only one breathing, the one who should be Queen. Would you really be foolish enough to lose me too?”
The Alpha King exhales a long, tired breath. His shoulders slump. Slowly, he raises a hand, as if preparing to speak. And then…. he looks at me.
Right into me.
His eyes lock with mine, and it feels like the entire world fades away. There’s something raw in his gaze–conflict, regret, longing… fear. I see it all. He wants to say it. I can feel it in my soul
1/3
But he doesn’t.
His hand drops. And with it, something inside me breaks.
I don’t know what takes over–maybe it’s the blood in my veins screaming to be acknowledged, or maybe it’s the years of silence and denial finally bursting free–but my body moves before I can stop it.
“Kali” Jack tries to grab my arm, but I’m already tising to my feet.
And I don’t just walk.
I command the room.
Each step carries power, history, truth. My aura unfurls like a storm as I move to the center of the hall.
All eyes turn to me. Whispers ripple through the crowd.
And one by one… they bow.
I see the ripple of shock on faces–shock, awe… fear. But what makes my chest tighten is the way Lady Celestia looks at me. She blinks rapidly, as if trying to make sure she’s seeing clearly this time. Unlike earlier, when she caught a glimpse of me and convinced herself her eyes had deceived her–this time, there’s no denying it.
Her face drains of color. Her lips part in horror. It’s like her entire world is unraveling before her eyes–and I am the blade cutting through every lie she ever told.
I stop at the center of the room, chin lifted high, my voice ringing out like thunder.
“It’s me,” I say coldly. “I am the Alpha King’s true and only daughter–not your fake ass.”
Gasps echo all around.
“I don’t know how you’re able to wear that necklace without getting burnt, “I continue, my tone sharp and unforgiving. “But whatever game you’re playing ends here.”
The weight of my truth silences the hall. And in that moment–standing tall, no longer hidden, no longer silent–I feel it.
Power.
Real power, not stolen or given.
Born of blood.
And for the first time… the kingdom sees me.
The true heir.
