I didn’t realize I was crying until a tear slipped from my chin and disappeared into the grass beneath my knees.
Welcome home.
Two simple words.
Yet they shattered something inside me.
For twenty-two years, no place had ever felt like home.
Not the crowded kitchens of Blackfang.
Not the cold servant quarters.
Not the pack house where I spent most of my life trying to become invisible.
And certainly not the wilderness that had nearly killed me.
But standing inside the hidden valley of Astravia, surrounded by silver-eyed strangers who looked at me with warmth instead of contempt, I felt something unfamiliar bloom inside my chest.
Belonging.
The old man slowly lowered his hand from my head.
His weathered face carried the exhaustion of countless years, yet there was peace in his expression.
As if a burden he had carried for decades had finally been lifted.
Beside me, Vance released a breath I didn’t realize he had been holding.
“We made it,” he murmured.
The words were quiet.
But hearing them from a man like Vance made their meaning feel heavier.
We had made it.
Against the rogues.
Against the hunters.
Against the storm.
Against fate itself.
The elderly man smiled gently.
“Come, Princess.” I instinctively flinched at the title.
“I’m not a princess.” The words escaped before I could stop them.
His smile only widened.
“Perhaps not in your heart.” His silver eyes softened.
“But in your blood, you have always been one.” Before I could respond, several other villagers approached.
Men.
Women.
Children.
All of them carried traces of silver in their eyes.
Some stared openly.
Others looked emotional.
One elderly woman began crying the moment she saw me.
Another pressed both hands against her mouth as if she couldn’t believe I was real.
The attention made my skin burn.
I lowered my gaze immediately.
The old instincts returned.
The servant.
The omega.
The girl who avoided eye contact.
But these people weren’t looking at me with cruelty.
They weren’t judging me.
They weren’t whispering insults behind my back.
They looked at me as if I mattered.
And somehow that was even harder to endure.
A young girl no older than eight stepped forward carrying a small bouquet of white flowers.
She hesitated before offering them to me.
“For you.” I blinked.
No one had ever given me flowers before.
My throat tightened.
“Thank you.” The little girl beamed.
Her smile was so innocent that it hurt.
For a brief moment, I imagined my own children standing there one day.
A boy.
A girl.
Safe.
Alive.
Loved.
The thought nearly broke me.
My hand drifted protectively toward my stomach.
Immediately, a strange warmth answered beneath my palm.
Tiny.
Gentle.
Alive.
The twins.
Corin’s gaze followed the movement.
His expression sharpened.
“Bring her inside.” At once, the mood shifted.
The villagers stepped aside.
Vance moved closer.
Corin led us toward the towering sanctuary at the center of the valley.
The structure looked ancient.
White stone covered in silver vines.
Tall arches.
Weathered carvings.
It felt less like a building and more like a living memory preserved through time.
Inside, the air smelled of herbs and old books.
Corin guided me into a circular chamber filled with glowing crystals.
Several elderly healers waited quietly.
I suddenly felt nervous.
Corin gestured toward a stone seat.
“Sit.” I obeyed.
The old healer knelt before me.
His wrinkled hands hovered over my stomach.
A soft silver glow emerged from his palms.
Immediately, warmth spread through my body.
The cracked pain in my ribs eased.
The nausea faded.
My breathing steadied.
Then Corin’s eyes widened.
Only slightly.
But I noticed.
The room fell silent.
Even Vance straightened.
“What is it?” he asked.
Corin didn’t answer immediately.
His silver magic deepened.
The glow surrounding my abdomen brightened.
For several seconds nobody spoke.
Then the old healer slowly pulled back.
A look of astonishment crossed his face.
“Extraordinary.” Fear clenched my chest.
“What’s wrong?” Corin looked directly into my eyes.
“Nothing is wrong.” His voice sounded almost reverent.
“In fact, that is precisely the problem.” I frowned.
“I don’t understand.” The old healer exchanged glances with the others.
Then he spoke carefully.
“The twins carry unusually powerful energy.” My pulse quickened.
“Powerful?” “They should not possess this level of magical resonance before birth.” The room grew colder.
Even Vance looked concerned.
Corin continued.
“The royal bloodline has always been strong.” His eyes lowered toward my stomach.
“But these children are different.” A strange knot formed in my chest.
Different.
The word sounded dangerous.
“Different how?” The old healer hesitated.
“As if two ancient forces exist within them simultaneously.” Silence.
My heart hammered.
Royal blood.
Alpha blood.
The realization struck me instantly.
Kael.
The twins carried both lineages.
Corin slowly stood.
“The prophecy may have been speaking of them.” I froze.
“The prophecy?” The old man’s expression darkened.
“For centuries, Astravia preserved fragments of an ancient prediction.” He turned toward one of the crystal windows.
“It spoke of a lost princess.” My breath caught.
“A silver phoenix.” “A kingdom reborn.” His gaze shifted toward me.
“And twin heirs born beneath the shadow of war.” The room seemed to tilt.
I stared at him.
Unable to speak.
Unable to breathe.
For the first time since learning I was pregnant, true fear settled into my bones.
Not fear for myself.
Fear for them.
Because prophecies attracted enemies.
Power attracted enemies.
And my children already had too many.
Corin seemed to sense my thoughts.
“Which is why the Sacred Veil must be taught immediately.” Vance frowned.
“The Sacred Veil?” The old healer nodded.
“It is the oldest protective spell Astravia possesses.” He looked directly at me.
“It can conceal your royal scent.” My eyes widened.
“Completely?” “For a time.” Hope flickered inside me.
If nobody could sense my bloodline…
If nobody could sense the twins…
Maybe we could finally survive.
But Corin’s expression remained grim.
“A veil is not a wall, Princess.” The hope immediately faded.
“The stronger your power becomes,” he continued, “the harder it will be to hide.” A cold feeling crawled down my spine.
“So eventually they’ll find me.” Corin didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
His silence told me everything.
The room remained quiet for several long moments.
Then suddenly the old man’s expression changed.
The color drained from his face.
His gaze snapped toward the northern mountains.
The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
The silver crystals lining the walls flickered.
Vance immediately reached for his sword.
“What is it?” Corin’s eyes narrowed.
For the first time since meeting him, genuine fear appeared on his face.
A fear so deep it made my stomach twist.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
The elder turned back toward me.
“The Silver Crest did not awaken by accident, Princess.” The room fell silent.
Every healer froze.
Every crystal dimmed.
I swallowed hard.
“What do you mean?” Corin’s voice became barely more than a whisper.
“Something awakened first.” A chill ran through my entire body.
The warmth of the sanctuary vanished.
The safety vanished.
The hope vanished.
Only dread remained.
I forced myself to ask the question.
“What awakened?” Corin looked toward the distant mountains beyond the sanctuary walls.
His expression was haunted.
Ancient.
Terrified.
Then he finally answered.
“The same darkness that slaughtered Astravia.” [END OF CHAPTER 17]