The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power (by Emily Reed) novel Chapter 204

Chapter 204 King Ryken’s Test

Cindy’s POV:

The air inside the palace always felt heavier than outside.

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It was saturated with the pressure left behind by generations of Wolf Kings. That blend of ambergris and apex predator pheromones acted as a natural suppression for lower-ranked wolves or weakened individuals.

The moment Astra stepped down from the carriage, his body swayed.

“That’s King Ryken’s pressure,” Diana warned in my mind, her voice low. “That old lion is releasing his pheromones. He’s testing whether this little wolf still has the right to stand on this land.”

Anger flared in me. I was about to release my own aura to shield Astra when I realized he had already steadied himself.

He clenched his teeth. His face went pale, but his eyes sharpened, fierce and unyielding.

That look was exactly like Steven’s on the battlefield when he had fought himself into a frenzy.

Against that suffocating pressure, Astra forced his head up and fixed his gaze on the towering palace gates.

An attendant led us through a long corridor toward Queen Elizabeth’s quiet courtyard.

King Ryken was already there.

The moment we crossed the threshold, before I could even bow, the silver-haired Queen Elizabeth rose to her feet in agitation.

“Astra…” Her voice trembled, tears instantly filling her kind eyes. “Come, come here. Let me look at you.”

Astra glanced at me.

I nodded and gave him an encouraging look. “Go on.”

Because he couldn’t walk quickly, and because this was the royal presence, Astra couldn’t limp in that ugly,

uneven way.

So he took a breath and did something that made my chest ache.

He lifted his agonized right leg and relied entirely on his good left one.

Step. Hop.

Each landing sent a jolt through his body, the shock traveling straight into the misaligned break in his leg. igniting searing pain.

Cold sweat instantly beaded on his brow. The veins at his neck stood out.

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Chapter 204 King Ryken’s Test

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Yet he bit down and made not a sound.

Like a wounded but proud young crane, he persevered, hopping all the way to Queen Elizabeth. Then, like a knight, he dropped his still-functional knee heavily to the floor.

Thud.

The dull sound struck every heart in the room.

“Get up, get up!” Queen Elizabeth cried.

She grabbed him at once, tears streaming down her face, and pulled him into her arms without any concern for decorum.

“How did you get so thin…” Her well-kept hands trembled as they traced his hollow cheeks and pressed against the sharp bones of his shoulders. “Out there… Did you suffer terribly? Tell me.”

Astra was enveloped by her warmth, by the faint sandalwood scent she carried.

His eyes reddened.

He looked at this elderly woman who truly loved him and gently shook his head.

Then he reached up, awkwardly wiping away her tears.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came. He could only shape the words silently. It didn’t hurt. It wasn’t that that bad.

“Such a good child, such a sensible child…” Queen Elizabeth wept harder and turned to King Ryken. “Ryken, look at him. He’s wasted away to skin and bone. Those damned traffickers deserve to be torn apart a thousand times over.”

King Ryken, seated nearby, had reddened eyes as well.

He withdrew his pressure and studied Astra, still kneeling on the floor, his expression complex.

“The bloodline of the Silverpeak Pack has endured after all,” King Ryken said. His voice was loud with imperial authority, yet threaded with unmistakable relief. “This child’s eyes are clear. He has suffered, but his spirit remains. His spine was not broken. As long as he draws breath, he will amount to something.”

King Ryken gestured, and an attendant immediately brought forward a tray.

On it lay a pure gold wolf-head insignia, the mark of royal recognition for a high noble, and a finely crafted short sword set with rubies.

“This is my gift to you,” King Ryken said solemnly. “Take care of your body and reclaim your skills. In the future, you must be like your father and grandfather. Stand tall as a man of honor. Become the sharpest fang of my northern realm.”

Astra accepted the tray with both hands and bowed deeply once more.

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Chapter 204 King Ryken’s Test

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When the formalities ended, King Ryken turned his gaze to me, his brows knitting as displeasure crept into his tone.

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