Chapter 10: Shadows Beneath the Throne
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The Road Back
The journey from the Temple of Red Water was long and tense.
Ava rested in Ethan's arms, her body still weak from the cursed wound and the power she used. The broken Second Seal had left a mark on both of them, not just physically, but spiritually.
Ethan kept his eyes on the road, but his mind was elsewhere — haunted by the thing that had spoken after the seal shattered.
> "The Third Seal awaits."
But this chapter of the journey wasn't just about seals. It was about what came next — the kingdom Ethan was now bound to lead, and the enemies already moving against him.
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Return to Hollow Fang
As they neared Hollow Fang — the capital of the werewolf kingdom — they were met with silence.
No soldiers.
No banners.
No scent of wolves in patrol formation.
Mathias narrowed his eyes. "Something's wrong."
"Too quiet," Ethan muttered, gripping the wheel.
They pulled into the city just as the sun dipped behind the hills. The gates were open — and blood was everywhere.
Burned-out homes.
Bodies of soldiers torn apart.
And one word painted in red across the Alpha palace gates:
"TRAITOR."
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Betrayal From Within
They burst into the Alpha court expecting a trap. Instead, they found Alyssa — Ethan's cousin — kneeling over the Alpha throne, tears in her eyes and blood on her dress.
"He's gone," she whispered. "General Nox led a coup."
Ethan froze. "Nox? He was my father's second-in-command."
"He claimed you were corrupted. That you broke the ancient balance by entering the Temple."
"He's not wrong," Ava muttered. "But he's still a bastard."
Alyssa wiped her eyes. "He has the Council behind him. The southern packs too. Ethan… they think you're the end of our bloodline. Not its heir."
Mathias looked at Ethan. "This is bigger than the seals now."
Ethan clenched his fists. "Let them come. I won't run."
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Romance in the Dark
That night, while Hollow Fang remained under emergency lockdown, Ethan stood on the palace balcony, staring at the stars.
Ava joined him silently, her pale skin glowing under the moonlight.
"I remember when stars meant something to me," she whispered.
He looked at her. "What do they mean now?"
"That I don't want to watch them die with you."
He stepped closer. "You think I'm going to die?"
"I think you're walking into a war. And I think your heart's already bleeding."
She reached up and touched his chest. "You're becoming more than Alpha. And I'm not just a vampire anymore."
"Ava…"
They kissed again — deeper this time. Desperate. Not just hunger, but fear. Fear of losing what they'd just started.
When they pulled apart, she whispered, "If I die, I want it to be with your name on my lips."
He held her tighter.
"You're not dying," he growled. "You're living with me."
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The Gathering Storm
By morning, messengers arrived from the northern packs.
"Nox has declared himself the True Alpha Regent," one of the messengers said, bowing low. "He's gathering armies. He's already summoned a summit of the Council. They'll strip your title, my lord."
Ethan didn't flinch. "Let them try."
But inside, he knew what it meant — they weren't just trying to remove him. They wanted to erase everything he stood for.
Mathias slammed his fist into a table. "This isn't about bloodlines anymore. It's about the seals, Ethan. Nox doesn't want them broken. He wants them sealed forever."
"Why?" Ava asked.
"Because he made a deal with someone," Mathias replied darkly. "And I think it wasn't human."
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A Letter from Luca
That night, Ethan found a black envelope on his desk.
No scent.
Just a sigil — the Black Fang — burned into wax.
He opened it.
> "You broke the Second Seal. Now everyone's watching you.
The Third Seal is beneath the Iron Mountains.
But it's guarded by something even your father feared.
If you come, come alone.
— L."
Ava read it over his shoulder.
"It's a trap."
"I know," Ethan said. "But we need to find the Third Seal before Nox does."
She grabbed his arm. "And if Luca's working with him?"
Ethan looked at her, and for a moment his Alpha eyes darkened.
"Then I end him."
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The Whispering Chamber
Before leaving for the Iron Mountains, Ethan descended into the Whispering Chamber — a secret room beneath the palace where past Alphas spoke to the spirits of the first blood.
He lit the ceremonial fire.
Smoke filled the air. Shadows danced across the walls.
A voice came — not his father's, but his grandfather's.
> "You are what we feared. A bridge between night and fang.
But the world does not need balance. It needs a king.
Do not waste time on peace. Burn the traitors. Rule with fangs bared."
Ethan's eyes glowed. But then another voice came — soft, but powerful.
His mother's voice.
> "Lead them with love, my son. Not just rage."
Ethan opened his eyes — tears in them.
He left the chamber changed.
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Call to War
At dawn, Ethan stood before what remained of the Hollow Fang army — barely 200 warriors.
He raised his voice.
"General Nox has declared war on our blood. The Council calls me traitor. But I ask you—who led you when the vampires came? Who held the packs together when my father fell?"
They shouted his name.
"I broke the Second Seal. I will find the Third. And if I must rip the truth from the heart of this world—I will."
A cheer went up — low at first, then rising like thunder.
"ETHAN! ETHAN! ETHAN!"
Ava stood beside him, eyes glistening.
And somewhere in the shadows of the cheering crowd… a pair of golden eyes watched. Smiling.