Chapter 105 The new heir II

Chapter 105: Chapter 105 The new heir II

Noah moved.

He finally reached the emperor, though he could barely feel his feet beneath him. He wasn’t even sure he was consciously walking anymore. His body simply kept moving until he reached out with trembling hands.

The emperor immediately took them into his own.

Then, with surprising gentleness, he guided Noah toward the golden seat beside his throne.

His hands were incredibly warm.

Warm enough that Noah felt as though a faint glow had settled against his skin.

And strangely, the moment their hands touched, something inside Noah shifted.

He didn’t understand it.

He shouldn’t have been able to feel anything toward a man he had only just discovered was his father. Yet there was something about the emperor’s presence that felt disturbingly familiar.

A paternal bond.

It was as though something that had been missing inside him for his entire life had suddenly snapped into place.

Noah swallowed.

This didn’t make sense.

None of it did.

"It doesn’t make sense, does it?"

The emperor seemed to read the confusion on his face.

"You probably don’t even know whether you should believe anything I’m telling you right now. But I will explain everything to you."

He studied Noah’s face, his expression becoming softer.

"And I know, of course, that you’re pure-blooded. Your mother was one, after all. I kept your existence a secret for reasons that I will explain later."

His fingers gently brushed Noah’s hair away from his face.

"But now that I’m looking at you..."

His voice became strangely emotional.

"I can see that you’re her exact copy."

Noah froze.

"Your eyes. Your hair. Everything."

The emperor’s gaze traveled across his face.

"Your features, your grace..."

His eyes suddenly glistened.

"Oh, my baby."

Before Noah could react, the emperor pulled him into his arms.

The embrace was so tight and sudden that Noah’s entire body stiffened.

He had been feeling empty.

Confused.

Overwhelmed.

And now this man was hugging him as though he had been waiting his entire life to hold him.

Noah didn’t know what to do.

His arms remained stiff at his sides.

Around them, the entire court had gone silent.

The official court members, including the mages and the emperor’s sister, could only stare.

They had never seen him behave like this.

Not once.

The emperor had always been known for his coldness. He rarely allowed his emotions to slip through his carefully constructed mask, and even Slyvia, despite spending years in the imperial palace, had never received this kind of affection from him.

Yet here he was.

Embracing Noah as though he were the most precious thing in the world.

No one understood what had triggered such a dramatic change.

Even Slyvia, who had managed to pull herself upright, could only stare in disbelief.

She had never been treated with such tenderness.

Not once during all her years in the imperial palace.

And now this worthless omega was receiving everything she had once believed belonged to her.

The emperor eventually released Noah and guided him toward the golden chair beside his throne.

It was another royal seat, one that had originally been prepared for someone special to the emperor.

For years, everyone had assumed that person would be Slyvia.

Now Noah was sitting there instead.

The sight alone was enough to make Slyvia’s face burn with humiliation.

Meanwhile, the Moonlight Alphas were being completely ignored.

Irene walked toward the main stage with Roshan beside her, their hands intertwined.

"Calm down, Roshan."

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Let’s sit down. It’s only the beginning of the drama, and I can already feel something bigger is about to happen."

Roshan narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I can feel it."

Irene’s expression became serious.

"The air has changed. There are different creatures around us, different power signatures. And I can sense something preparing to attack from the corners of the hall."

Roshan’s eyes immediately sharpened.

"You can feel someone preparing to attack and you’re telling your brother to stay quiet?"

He paused.

"What about him? Won’t he—"

He stopped when he realized Irene wasn’t paying attention.

She was already looking toward the stage.

"Just ignore it."

She finally answered.

"Nothing bad is going to happen. Do you honestly think my brother can be brought down by some power unleashed inside this place?"

Her confidence was absolute.

"That’s impossible."

Roshan didn’t look convinced, but he said nothing.

Together, they took their seats.

Then the ceremony began to change.

The two mages were the next to step onto the stage.

Immediately afterward, the imperial guards surrounded the entire hall and the stage itself.

Each guard carried a sword.

They stood prepared to tear through anyone who dared raise a hand against the crown.

The atmosphere became increasingly tense.

Noah barely noticed.

His attention had fallen on Lamia.

She was sitting alone now.

Her expression looked painfully lonely as she stared back at him.

Then Noah glanced toward the Moonlight Alphas.

All of them were looking at him.

He suddenly felt trapped.

He didn’t know what he was supposed to say to the emperor.

He didn’t even know what question he should ask first.

But somehow, he gathered enough courage.

"What’s your name, Your Eminence?"

The emperor looked at him.

Noah’s question made him smile.

His regal posture and the single golden strand of hair that refused to stay away from his delicate, gorgeous face made him appear even more intimidating.

There didn’t seem to be a single weakness in him.

Noah couldn’t help wondering how Rose intended to attack such a man if that had truly been her plan.

The emperor’s cold expression disappeared for a moment.

"Don’t call me that."

Noah blinked.

"We aren’t ruler and subject."

The emperor leaned slightly closer.

"I am your father. We have just been reunited, son. I’m supposed to throw a grand ball in your honor and introduce you as my heir."

Another bombshell.

Noah stared at him.

"Heir?"

The word barely left his lips.

How was he suddenly the heir?

Wasn’t the succession supposed to remain connected to the Moonlight Alphas?

The emperor smiled at his expression.

"You’re my heir, love."

He reached out and gently patted Noah’s hair.

"That’s why I’ve been searching for you all these years."

Then his expression shifted.

"But I still don’t understand how you managed to hide your whereabouts from me."

He suddenly laughed.

The sound stunned everyone.

Nobody had expected it.

The court members stared as though they had just witnessed something impossible.

Then the emperor shook his head.

"Of course, I’m joking."

Noah’s eyes widened.

"I know you had no idea that I was your father, so you couldn’t possibly have been hiding from me."

He smiled.

"But you should still call me Father."

He straightened.

"My name is Damon Ashborn."

The name alone seemed to carry weight.

"I come from the Ashborn line. You can research the family yourself if you wish. You’ll discover exactly how powerful the bloodline you were born into truly is."

Noah’s heart skipped.

Ashborn.

The name immediately reminded him of something.

An affinity.

One that was believed to be extinct.

The Grave Affinity.

Noah had awakened a trace of that power during the night of the blood moon.

It had been impossible.

As a pure-blooded omega, he shouldn’t have possessed such an affinity.

His natural power should have been light, an affinity said to be capable of consuming darkness.

Yet there had been something else inside him.

Something ancient.

Something connected to death itself.

Could it be related to the emperor?

Noah looked at him.

"You’re a Grave Affinity user, aren’t you?"

The question escaped before he could stop himself.

The emperor’s lips curled into a knowing grin.

"You have that too, don’t you?"

Noah’s eyes widened.

The emperor didn’t answer.

He didn’t need to.

That silence was an answer all by itself.

Damon Ashborn.

Even hearing the name felt ominous.

Noah suddenly understood that there was far more to his bloodline than he had ever imagined.

"Don’t worry," Damon said casually. "Anything you want will be provided for you."

He rested a hand on Noah’s shoulder.

"You’re my son, after all."

Noah’s heart sank.

He had just realized what that meant.

He was leaving the academy.

He was going to the imperial palace.

And before he could process the thought, a loud horn suddenly blared through the hall.

Everyone turned.

Mrs. Danielle had also managed to get herself upright.

With the help of Mr. Harold and Mr. Oliver, she was carefully guided toward a chair.

The atmosphere grew tense again.

Then Lamia suddenly raised her voice.

"Would the mating ceremony still hold?"

Everyone looked toward her.

"Since Slyvia isn’t the one anymore?"

Slyvia’s face immediately turned red.

She was sitting in one of the lowest chairs, and she lowered her head in shame, her hands clenching tightly against her dress.

The whispers began almost instantly.

Everyone waited for the emperor’s response.

Damon slowly lifted his hands and clapped them together.

Once.

Twice.

Then he looked across the hall.

"The Moonlight Alphas will all line up."

Silence.

"My son will choose the one he wishes to mate with."

Noah’s eyes widened.

Damon continued.

"And that union will automatically make him his consort before he eventually ascends the throne."

The declaration hit the hall like an explosion.

Killian’s eyes bulged.

"The emperor..."

He stared at Damon in disbelief.

"He was never planning to leave the throne."

His voice lowered.

"So why the sudden change?"

The other Alphas looked equally horrified.

The implication was obvious.

Noah would choose one of them.

And there was already one person among them who had marked him.

Damian.

That mark could influence Noah’s decision whether he wanted it to or not.

Noah’s eyes moved from one Alpha to another.

Eugene, Damian, Marcus and Killan.

Then the others.

His chest tightened.