Vaelwynd was especially quiet and solemn today.
Merchants had closed their shops, tradesmen had stopped their work, and every house was barred shut.
There was not a single wolf beastfolk wandering through the capital.
But if one shifted their gaze toward the Castle of the Wind, the towering castle jutting from a cliff like a formation of carved rocks, they would find that all the wolf beastfolks had gathered in the training ground directly below the castle.
They were all looking up at a tall platform with many steps, shaped like a pyramid cut in half.
At the very top stood a throne made from carved stone.
A wolf’s head had been sculpted above it, while wreaths wrapped around the throne as though claiming it as a part of the woods themselves.
Today, the once-in-a-lifetime coronation of the Alpha of the West Wolf Pack was being held.
It should have taken place six months ago, at the beginning of spring.
However, their much-beloved Alpha, Gareth of Vaelwynd, who was supposed to be crowned as the official Alpha of the West Wolf Pack the following day, had suddenly gone missing.
Nobody knew where he was, whether he was still alive, or what had caused him to simply vanish without a trace.
But the West Wolf territory had continued on without an Alpha for six full months, and the situation had started becoming increasingly unstable.
The wolf beastfolks knew that someone had to attend the Court of Moonlight as their monarch.
Since Alpha Gareth was missing, they had no choice but to choose the second-best candidate, his older brother, Roland.
Of course, many had voiced their displeasure at the thought of Roland becoming their Alpha.
He was strong, of course, but they had grown accustomed to being ruled by the ever-powerful Gareth.
The thought of having the West Wolf Pack represented by someone they considered a mere weakling during the Court of Moonlight felt like a slap in the face to many wolves.
Roland slowly stepped toward the throne.
He would be crowned Alpha of the West Wolf Pack soon enough.
As he looked up, he saw Elder Wulfric, the prime minister responsible for managing the West Wolf Pack’s bureaucracy, standing on the right side of the throne.
The old man held a wooden crown with a deep blue sapphire embedded in its center.
It was the crown gifted by the Moon Priestess during the forgotten era, and it had been preserved as the West Wolf Pack’s most important treasure ever since.
Meanwhile, on the left side of the throne, a beautiful dark-haired woman stared anxiously at Roland.
She looked as though she had many things on her mind, yet dared not say a single word.
Roland grinned but said nothing as he finally reached the top.
He slowly sat on the throne with dignity, facing the massive crowd of wolf beastfolk gathered below.
Soon, he would be their king.
He knew there were sneers and mockery spreading throughout Vaelwynd, and the wolves outside the capital would continue to ridicule him.
But they had no choice, did they?
Gareth was gone, and someone had to take control of the situation.
Naturally, Roland had been chosen because nobody was able to challenge him.
His gaze shifted toward the woman on his left.
Willow looked tense as she clenched her fists, but she still said nothing.
Roland understood her situation, though.
She was supposed to become Gareth’s future mate, the next Luna of the West Wolf Pack.
But since Gareth was gone, Willow would become his Luna instead and would give birth to his pups.
Roland took a deep breath, preparing himself for his coronation.
Once Roland had settled onto the throne, Elder Wulfric, who was holding the crown, nodded toward a female wolf standing among approximately fifty other wolves under her command.
Then, they began to speak loudly and in unison, announcing the coronation to the entire crowd.
“We are here to witness the coronation of our Monarch, our new Alpha, Alpha Roland of Vaelwynd.
May his reign flourish with peace, prosperity, and an abundance of game for us all.
May the new Alpha be blessed by the moon, and may everyone submit to his strength.” After a long speech that echoed across the training ground and was heard by all the wolf beastfolks gathered below, Elder Wulfric finally stepped forward and stood directly in front of Roland.
He looked at the supposedly new Alpha, and the old man was unable to hide the disappointment in his eyes.
“Just do it, old man.
The Court of Moonlight will start in a week, and we need to prepare for the journey to the Lake of Fate,” Roland said.
Elder Wulfric took a deep breath and was about to place the crown on Roland’s head when a powerful gust of wind suddenly swept through the entire city.
A black figure leaped from the mountain and landed directly beside the throne.
A black wolf, twice the size of a regular wolf, stared at the throne, his gaze sweeping over Roland, Willow, and Elder Wulfric.
Then, the wolf shifted back into his human form.
Gareth stood there, his expression calm, yet his presence carried such overwhelming dignity that everyone around them, except those standing near the throne, immediately fell to their knees.
“What is happening here?” “G-Gareth!” Willow’s eyes widened.
Tears immediately pooled in her eyes as she ran toward Gareth.
She threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck as she cried against his chest.
“Gareth, you…
I…” She was so overwhelmed that she could barely form a sentence.
All she could do was hold him tightly while tears continued to fall.
Gareth did not try to push her away.
He simply allowed her to cry in his embrace while keeping his gaze fixed on Elder Wulfric and Roland.
Elder Wulfric quickly pulled the crown away before it could land on Roland’s head, then immediately dropped to his knees in front of Gareth.
“My Alpha, I thought that you were dead!” the Elder exclaimed.
“I am very much alive,” Gareth replied.
His gaze bored into his older brother.
“And I want an explanation as to what the hell is happening here.” Roland stared at Gareth for a long moment, his fingers tightening around the armrest of the throne.
Then, he quickly rushed down and knelt beside Elder Wulfric, lowering his head in submission before the strongest wolf of the West Wolf Pack.
“Brother!
Where have you been?
We’ve been searching for you ever since you went missing!” Roland exclaimed.
By the way, the name of Gareth’s beta is Roland, not Ronald, I’ve fixed the name in chapter 18.
Thank you for reading!