Chapter 663 – She’s bleeding

Chapter 663: Chapter 663 – She’s bleeding

The chopper’s blades carved through the evening sky, a thunderous heartbeat that announced their arrival long before the wheels touched down.

Below, the pack had gathered in a sprawling crescent, their faces lifted toward the descending aircraft. Floating candles dotted the crowd like earthbound stars, their warm glow flickering against the gathering dusk—a welcome befitting royalty.

But as Corvine and Liah descended the metal steps, the warmth in the crowd’s eyes flickered into confusion. Their gazes darted between the two, searching for something that wasn’t there. The crown. It was absent from their heads.

Kael stepped forward, voicing what everyone was thinking. His brow furrowed, his jaw tight with unease. "What happened? Did we lose the crown?"

Neither Corvine nor Liah offered an answer. It wasn’t their place. They simply moved aside, their expressions unreadable, and the crowd’s murmurs swelled, anxious, and uncertain.

Then Seraphine appeared at the chopper’s door.

The moment her foot touched the ground, the gasps came. Sharp, collective. The candlelight caught the diadem perched upon her brow, and for a heartbeat, the entire clearing seemed to hold its breath. The crown. Their Luna wore the crown.

Eyes swept the crowd, searching desperately for their Alpha. He wasn’t there. Disappointment rippled through the gathered werewolves like a stone dropped in still water.

Kael’s voice cut through the silence, rough with confusion. "Where is Alpha Voren?"

Seraphine let the question hang for just a moment. Then she smiled, a radiant, knowing smile that seemed to chase away the evening shadows. "Point of correction." Her voice rang clear and strong across the clearing. "Alpha King Voren. He went to attend to some business."

There was three seconds of stunned silence. Then the cheers erupted.

"Our Alpha is the Alpha King!"

The cry was taken up by others, a wave of jubilation that crashed over the crowd. Bodies pressed forward, faces split wide with joy. Somewhere in the throng, a voice rang out above the rest.

"Our Luna is now the Queen. Congratulations, Queen Sera!"

Damon pushed through the crowd, his arms wrapping around Seraphine in a fierce embrace. His voice was thick with emotion as he murmured his congratulations against her ear.

Beside him, Jasmine appeared, herding Bryan and Espe before her. The two children stared up at Seraphine with wide, bewildered eyes, excited and confused in equal measure.

Before Seraphine could speak, Liah crouched to their level, her gown pooling around her like liquid silver. Her eyes, soft with affection, found Esperanza’s. "I’m surprised you two are still awake. Didn’t I tell you before that only your parents deserve to be King and Queen?"

Esperanza’s face split into a brilliant smile. She launched herself into Liah’s arms, and Liah caught her with a laugh, the sound warm and genuine. She pulled back gently, her hands cupping the little girl’s cheeks.

"I told you, you were a princess, right?"

Corvine stepped forward, something small and glittering cradled in his palm. He passed it to Liah—a tiara, delicate and ornate, its jewels catching the candlelight like captured starlight. Liah’s eyes misted as she looked at it.

"This is mine from when I was little," she murmured, her voice thick with memory. "Around your age."

A hush fell over the crowd. Every eye was fixed on the scene unfolding before them as Liah placed the tiara gently on Esperanza’s head, adjusting it with tender care.

"See?" Liah’s voice was barely above a whisper, meant only for the child. "You shall now be called Princess Esperanza."

Tears welled in the little girl’s eyes, glistening like dew. She threw her arms around Liah once more, squeezing tight, before pulling away to look at her mother. Her voice trembled with wonder. "Mommy, am I really a princess now?"

Seraphine’s heart swelled until it ached. She knelt, gathering her daughter’s hands in hers. "Yes, darling. You are indeed a princess. And it’s all thanks to your aunt and uncle Corvine." Her voice rose, carrying across the crowd. "They gave the crown to me and your daddy."

The words landed like thunder. Whispers rippled through the pack, heads turning toward Corvine and Liah with new eyes.

Not everyone had welcomed the announcement of them as Co-Alpha and Luna. But now, hearing of their sacrifice and understanding what they had surrendered, the respect in the crowd’s gaze deepened into something approaching reverence.

"Wow," someone breathed. "It’s unheard of for anyone to give up such a powerful crown."

Liah turned, her gaze finding Bryan in the crowd. Her voice softened, filled with affection. "Bryan."

The boy stepped forward, his expression uncertain.

"This belonged to my brother." Liah gestured to Corvine, who held a smaller circlet—a coronet, gleaming in the candlelight. "And now, you are the one deserving of it."

Corvine stepped forward and placed the coronet on Bryan’s head. The boy’s face transformed, a smile bursting across his features like sunrise. He launched himself at Corvine, arms wrapping around the Alpha’s waist. "Thank you, uncle Corvine, and aunt Liah."

Corvine’s arm came around Liah, drawing her close. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and the crowd watched with soft, wondering expressions.

Seraphine seized the moment. Her voice rang out, carrying the weight of authority and joy. "Alpha King Voren has authorized me to announce to the pack - your new Alpha and Luna shall be Alpha Corvine and Luna Athaliah."

At that moment, Liah leaned close, her lips brushing Seraphine’s ear. Whatever she whispered brought a smile to Seraphine’s face.

"She wants to be called Luna Tahliah." Seraphine’s announcement drew chuckles from the crowd. "The coronation shall be held a day before the Blood Moon Festival."

The clearing exploded. "Congratulations, Alpha Corvine and Luna Tahliah!"

Cheers shook the trees, echoing off into the night. Pack members embraced, tears flowed freely, and the floating candles seemed to burn brighter, as if the very earth was celebrating.

Seraphine bent to embrace her children, pulling them both into her arms. Their warmth pressed against her, their small hands clutching at her gown. For a single, perfect moment, everything was right.

Then she took a step.

A sharp, vicious pain tore through her abdomen, ripping the breath from her lungs. Her vision swam, and the world tilted violently. Cold sweat erupted across her skin, plastering her gown to her back. As a doctor, she knew exactly what it meant, and the knowledge turned her blood to ice.

"Sera, are you alright?"

Corvine and Liah were at her side in an instant, their faces pale with alarm. Around them, the pack’s joyous cheers faltered into worried murmurs, faces turning toward their Queen with fear in their eyes.

Seraphine’s voice came out strained, barely above a whisper. "To the hospital."

Corvine didn’t think, didn’t ask. He swept her into his arms, her weight nothing against his strength, and moved. His long strides ate up the ground as he raced toward the pack’s medical center, the crowd parting before him like waves before a ship.

Liah followed close behind, her gown bunched in her fists. Damon, Vladimir, the shaman, and Oriana streamed after them, a procession of fear and urgency.

The hospital doors burst open. Fluorescent lights blazed overhead. The smell of antiseptic burned Seraphine’s nostrils as Corvine carried her through the corridors, orderlies and nurses scrambling out of their path.

"Emergency ward," Seraphine gasped, her hand pressed tight against her abdomen.

She was rushed through the double doors, the gurney wheels squeaking against the linoleum. Only Oriana was permitted inside after her fierce insistence, the others left to pace and pray in the hallway.

Doctor Finn appeared, his expression grim. He thrust a set of scrubs at Oriana. "Luna Oriana, you have to put these on."

She obeyed without hesitation, the fabric rustling as she pulled them over her gown. Then she was at Seraphine’s side, her hands wrapping around her daughter-in-law’s frail, trembling fingers.

Seraphine was still giving instructions, her voice weak but steady, her medical training overriding the panic threatening to consume her. The doctors listened, followed her commands without question. She was more experienced than any of them.

"As long as she isn’t bleeding, it’s okay," Oriana said, her voice a desperate prayer.

Doctor Finn looked up from where he was examining Seraphine, his face ashen. He shook his head slowly, and the movement seemed to drain all the air from the room. "She’s bleeding."