Chapter 10 - The Eternal Hearth
Three months later, the spring thaw finally broke across the northern marches, turning the snow-covered valleys into a vibrant expanse of green pine and rushing mountain streams.
Inside the grand sanctuary of the Moonstone Citadel, the Altar of Eternal Flames burned brighter and steadier than it had in three hundred years. The blue-and-silver fire of the old era had merged seamlessly with the brilliant crimson-and-gold blaze of the new, casting a warm, living glow across the marble floors.
There were no chains. There were no terrified servants hiding in damp cellars.
At the center of the sanctuary, standing before the sacred altar, Serafine wore a gown woven from fine white silk and embroidered with glowing golden threads that mirrored the ancient runes of the First Hearth. Her hair fell in dark, glossy waves down her back, and her eyes shone with quiet, unshakeable strength.
Beside her stood Alpha King Casius, his dark hair trimmed, his scarred jaw held high, dressed in the formal ceremonial furs of the northern sovereign.
There was no high priest to officiate the ceremony—Dorian had long since been stripped of his title and sent into quiet exile in the southern lowlands, while Isold had fled to the distant merchant provinces, her political influence reduced to dust. They didn't need a priest. The pack was gathered around them in a vast, respectful circle, their heads bowed not out of fear, but out of absolute, devoted loyalty.
Casius took Serafine’s hand in his. His calloused fingers intertwined with hers, warm and solid.
"Do you accept this bond?" Casius asked, his voice low and rich, meant only for her ears, though the entire hall hung on every word. "Not under the laws of old priests or broken treaties, but by the will of the fire and the mountain?"
Serafine smiled, feeling the familiar, wonderful hum of her wolf stirring happily beneath her skin.
"I do," she whispered.
May you like
When Casius pulled her close and kissed her before the five hundred wolves of the northern pack, the Altar of Eternal Flames roared upward toward the sky in a brilliant cascade of golden sparks, illuminating the high mountain peaks as far as the eye could see.
The orphan who had hidden in the shadows was gone. The servant who had scrubbed the stone floors had awakened the mountain. And as the new Luna of the Moonstone Pack, Serafine knew that the fire she carried inside her would never go out again.
