Chapter 43: The ceremony

The day of the welcome back ceremony finally arrived, and Basileia had never looked so crowded in its entire history.

From the palace gates to the huge central square, thousands of werewolves had gathered from different packs and territories, all dressed in their finest clothes and warrior uniforms. Some had traveled for several days just to witness the return of their king, while others had arrived from faraway packs before sunrise because nobody wanted to miss the moment King Caius would finally appear before the entire werewolf race.

The palace itself looked like something from an ancient royal kingdom. Huge white banners carrying the royal wolf symbol hung from the towers, while golden flags moved with the wind from every side of the palace walls. Long red carpets stretched from the main gate all the way to the throne hall, and hundreds of warriors stood on both sides of the path with their weapons held firmly in their hands.

The sound of drums filled the entire territory, and the noise was so loud that even people standing far away could feel the vibration in their chests.

Alpha leaders from different packs stood together with their families, while ordinary wolves filled the spaces behind them. Some had tears in their eyes because they had grown up hearing stories about the legendary king who had disappeared for two hundred years, while others were simply curious to see whether the stories about his strength were really true.

Near the palace entrance, Azula stood proudly in her warrior attire, her sword already drawn from its sheath. Her armor covered her shoulders and chest, while her long hair moved slightly whenever the wind passed. Behind her stood hundreds of royal warriors, all wearing the same dark uniform.

Nobody was allowed to move from their position or allowed to make unnecessary noise.

Everyone was waiting for their king. Then the drums suddenly stopped.

The entire palace became silent. Azula immediately straightened her body.

The royal doors slowly opened. A powerful presence came from inside the palace, and every werewolf in the square felt it.

One by one, people lowered their heads the moment they they saw Caius walked out.

He was dressed in dark royal clothing that made his pale skin and silver hair stand out even more. His long black coat moved behind him as he walked, and the royal symbol of the white wolf was displayed across his chest.

He did not need to say anything or put on scary face because his presence alone was enough.

Every werewolf placed a hand over their chest and bowed deeply."Welcome back, Supreme Alpha!"

The words exploded through the entire territory. The drums began beating again, louder than before, while the royal army marched in front and behind Caius.

Ethan walked on one side of him, calm as always, while Alexander walked on the other side with his usual confident expression.

Caius continued walking without changing his expression.

Behind them came the High Priest. And beside her was Hazel.

Hazel was not exactly walking freely.

The High Priest was holding her arm firmly, almost as if she was afraid Hazel would suddenly disappear into the crowd.

Hazel quietly tried to pull her arm away. "Do you really have to hold me like this?" she whispered.

The High Priest chuckled. " I’m afraid you will flew again"

Hazel sighed and continued walking.

Her dress was completely different from anything the wolves had seen her wear before. It was elegant and royal, with beautiful layers that moved around her legs whenever she walked. The material sparkled slightly under the sunlight, and delicate decorations covered the edges of the gown.

But the most noticeable part was the red net covering her face from the nose downward.

Nobody could clearly see her face because only her eyes were visible. That immediately made people curious.

"Who is that?"

"I’ve never seen her before."

"Why is the High Priest walking with her?"

"Is she from the royal family?"

" or could it be..."

Hazel heard some of the whispers and almost laughed. So they are curious.

She secretly looked toward Caius.

She was sure he did not know about the high Priest plan. Hazel rolled her eyes beneath the red veil.

A few steps behind them came Rita. But this time, Rita did not look like the mischievous witch everyone knew.

She was dressed in a full royal-blue velvet cape that reached the ground, and her red hair was carefully arranged behind her shoulders.

But what shocked the witches the most were the two powerful wands she carried.

Rita held both wands across her chest. The moment the witches saw them, their expressions changed.

Rebecca stared at her in disbelief. "What is going on here?" Rebecca looked at the two wands again. "She has both royal wands." Her voice became nervous. "How can that be?"

Another witch swallowed. "The ritual..."

Rebecca’s face changed. "The ritual for the next Witch Queen!" She looked toward the throne. "But Susan is still alive."

Her eyes moved back to Rita. "Then why is he choosing another queen?"

Nobody knew how to answer her. Rita’s two wands were proof that something much bigger was happening.

Behind Rita were several beautiful women dressed in different shades of blue and white. Their presence alone made the witches uncomfortable because each of them carried an energy that was completely different from ordinary witches.

One of the women was holding Susan by the arm.

Susan looked exhausted and humiliated as she walked behind Rita.

Sarah stared at them nervously.

"Light witches?" she whispered.

The words spread through the witches like fire.

Light witches.

The race that everyone believed had disappeared.

The women walked calmly, completely ignoring the shocked expressions around them.

At the center of the royal square, the representatives of other immortal races had already taken their seats.

The Dragon King sat with his wife, surrounded by several powerful dragon warriors whose presence made the werewolves uncomfortable. Nearby sat the Vampire King with his wife, along with several vampire nobles.

Representatives of the fairies sat together with their godmother, while the Fae Queen sat proudly beside her guards.

The representative of the superhuman people was also present, watching everything with great interest.

It was not just a werewolf ceremony anymore.

The entire Immortal World seemed to be watching them through the lives and whole social medias.

The drums became louder. Caius finally reached the throne. He climbed the short stairs and turned toward the crowd.

For a moment, nobody breathed until Caius sat on his throne. Every person in the enormous hall looked up at him.

The royal warriors immediately lowered their weapons.

The High Priest moved forward. "Welcome back, Supreme Alpha."

The entire hall repeated after him immediately "Welcome back, Supreme Alpha!"

The sound shook the walls.

Caius slowly looked across the hall. His silver eyes moved over the werewolves, witches, vampires, dragons, fairies, and every other race that had gathered to witness his return.

Then his eyes stopped on the black witches who looked away immediately. Afraid he may see through them.

Caius’s expression remained cold, they won’t even know whatever going through in his head

The High Priest then stepped forward and raised one hand. "Today is not only a celebration of the return of our king. It is also the beginning of a new era for the witch race."

The witches became silent.

Rita stepped forward elegantly. She stood directly in front of the throne.

Two witches approached her carrying a beautiful golden crown decorated with four gemstones.

The moment Rita saw it, her eyes widened slightly.

Even she had not expected the crown to look that beautiful, and it has red, blue, purple and black.... which represents all the types of witches. The High Priest took the crown from them and slowly placed it on Rita’s head.

"By the ancient laws of the witch race, by the power of the royal wands, and by the decision of the current royal authority, Rita is hereby recognized as the new Queen of the Witches."

The hall exploded with whispers.

Rita lowered her head for a moment and smirk. Then she slowly raised it. The two wands in her hands began glowing with powerful blue light.

The entire hall went silent again, Rita is recognised figure in wolf world. How come she’s witch?

Susan’s face became pale.

Rebecca looked as if she had just seen a ghost. And Sarah could barely breathe.

The impossible had happened. The witches had a new queen.

And she was a Light Witch. Hazel watched everything with wide eyes.

She had no idea what was going to happen next. But then she noticed something.

Several people were still staring at her. The red veil covering her face had only made their curiosity worse.

"And again who is that woman beside the High Priest?"

"Why is she dressed like that?"

"Could she be someone important?"

"She must be."

"She walked beside the High Priest."

Another voice whispered, "Maybe she is related to King Caius."

" I’m still waiting for them to announce who she is"

Hazel quietly swallowed. She was even forced by the high Priest! and want to be there without causing trouble.

her, that was already impossible...