Chapter 1 Shattered Crown

|| Lilac's POV || "Please," I whispered, my voice shaking as I turned to Kael. "Let them go." The words felt foreign, bitter, like ashes on my tongue. I had never begged before, never thought I would have to. But for them-for my parents-I would swallow my pride. I had begged before Kael. I had pleaded with Kael to remember the vows we made, the promises he had whispered in the dark when the world felt safe. "You will always come first," he had told me, his voice a balm to my fears. That was before Coco. Before she swept into the palace like a storm, leaving ruin in her way. He swore nothing would change, that I would still be his queen, his love. It was all a lie. A beautiful, cruel lie. Kael's golden eyes flickered with something unreadable, gone before I could grasp it. His silence cut deeper than a blade. My hands clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms, but the pain was nothing compared to the ache inside me. The air reeked of blood and betrayal, thick and suffocating. The grand hall, once a place of celebration, felt like a tomb. The towering marble pillars, carved with our pack's history, seemed to lean inward as if they, too, couldn't bear to witness this. He killed all my trusted warriors, making sure my family was left vulnerable. Flickering torchlight cast jagged shadows across the polished floor ghosts mocking me, whispering of my downfall. My heart pounded, every beat a painful reminder of how far I had fallen. My knees buckled, and I sank to the cold stone. The impact barely registered. My dress once a symbol of my status as Luna Queen felt heavy, suffocating, meaningless now. I lifted my gaze, and there he was. Kael. The Alpha King. My husband of five years. The man I had given everything to. His broad shoulders were squared, his jaw set, his golden eyes colder than I had ever seen. This was not the man who once held me close, who swore to protect me. No, this was a stranger wearing his face. And in his arms, cradled like something precious, was Coco. Wrapped in silk, her raven hair spilling over her shoulders, she was breathtaking. To me, she was nothing but a viper wrapped in silk and secrets. Her lips curled into a smirk triumphant, cruel. She had unraveled my life with nothing more than a glance, watching as everything I built crumbled at her feet. Behind them, warriors stood motionless, swords drawn, aimed at my parents. My mother and father once proud, unyielding warriors were on their knees, heads howed, Silver chains bound their wrists and ankles, the enchanted metal searing their skin. The sight of them like this-broken, humiliated was a dagger to my heart. "He is your Beta, Kael. He is the proud of our country," I said. My father, the man who had once stood tall even in the face of war, sagged under the weight of his shame. My mother's fierce eyes were hollow now, empty of hope. The woman who taught me to fight for what I loved was now nothing more than a prisoner in the kingdom she once bled for. I swallowed hard, forcing down the sob clawing its way up. I couldn't break. Not yet. "Kael," I choked out, my voice cracking. "If you ever loved me, even a little.... let them go." Coco's laughter rang through the silence-sharp, mocking. "Oh, darling," she purred, tilting her head. "Love has nothing to do with this." She stepped forward, slow and deliberate, a predator circling its prey. In her hand, a dagger gleamed under the dim light. She pointed it at me, her smile dripping with false sweetness. "I'll let them go," she mused, "if you die instead." The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Before I could react, her smirk widened. "Too late," she whispered. "I changed my mind." She hurled the dagger. Time slowed. The blade spun through the air in a deadly arc. My father's eyes met mine steady, strong, the way they had always been. But now, they were filled with sorrow. With an apology he would never get to say. The dagger struck. A sickening thud. A strangled gasp escaped his lips. His body jerked violently as the silver burned through him. His fingers trembled, reaching-reaching for me-but his strength faltered. He crumpled to the ground. Convulsing. Dying. "Nol" The scream tore from my throat, raw and broken. I lunged for him desperate, frantic But before I could reach him, before I could touch him one last time, Coco threw another dagger. This one struck my mother's chest. A sharp gasp. Her body jolted. Her trembling hands clutched at the hilt, as if she could undo it, as if she could will the blade away. Crimson bloomed across her gown, violent against the pale silk. Her gaze found mine. Her fierce, loving eyes the ones that had watched over me my whole life-now filled with something else. Regret. Not for herself. For me. For the pain she couldn't stop. Her lips parted. No words came. Just a shuddering breath. She collapsed beside my father. A hollow, keening sound rose from my chest, a grief so raw it split me apart. My parents my home, my anchor were gone. just like that. Their lives. reduced to bloodstains on cold, unfeeling stone. The world blurred. My vision darkened as rage and sorrow swallowed me whole. My wolf surged forward, her growl shaking the hall. My claws elongated, my fangs bared. I was ready to tear Coco apart But Kael stepped in front of her, his massive frame shielding her from my wrath. His golden eyes bore into mine, cold and unyielding, and in that moment, I saw the truth. I was nothing to him. My love was less than nothing. The bond we had shared, the love I had believed in, had been an illusion, shattered by the arrival of his true mate,