The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power (by Emily Reed) novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55 Evelyn’s Value

Chapter 55 Evelyn’s Value

King Ryken’s POV:

It was Cindy again.

The girl I once thought was just causing trouble. The silver wolf who escaped my house arrest. She had made it to Southreach. And once again, she proved she was right and I was wrong.

Am I truly getting old? Have my biases blinded me? I lifted my eyes to the vaulted ceiling of the great hall. The faces of past Wolf Kings were carved into the stone above me. A heavy weakness settled in my chest.

If Southreach fell, the vampire army would pour straight into the heart of the kingdom. There would be no defenses left.

And I would become a criminal in werewolf history.

“Send the order!” I took a deep breath and forced myself to be calm. The panic was pushed down. The king returned.

“Call a Royal Council meeting! Every Alpha must be here within 10 minutes. I don’t care if they have to crawl-get them here!”

“And one more thing…” I paused. My throat felt dry. “Bring James to me. This mess started because of his Luna. This time, she will pay for it.”

I knew it would not fix everything, but I needed an outlet for my anger.

More than that, I needed every piece of strength I could find. Something had to be thrown into the gap before it broke wide open.

Even if it were two pieces of rotten meat, they would be sent to the front lines to slow those greedy vampires down.

James’s POV:

We were dragged into the palace late at night. Evelyn and I both thought this was a chance to turn things around.

Since the day we broke the bond, our lives have been miserable. We were treated like public enemy.

Duskfang Pack had been stripped bare. Cindy had taken away every last resource. Grandma’s illness was getting worse by the day. Without elixirs, her illness was eating her alive.

My wolf spirit, Kenzi, was still asleep. The bond backlash had crushed him. My strength had dropped to a level I had never known before.

We needed an opportunity.

A chance to rise again.

1/2

18:05 Sat, Jan 10 GR

Chapter 55 Evelyn’s Value

< (64)

+10 Free Coins

When we stood in the suffocating great hall and heard King Ryken roar out the battle report, my head

spun.

Three hundred thousand vampires? A war sparked by Evelyn’s town massacre?

I snapped my head toward Evelyn, who stood beside me.

Her face was pallid. Her body shook. But her eyes held no fear. What I saw there was something else. Something I did not understand. A wild, twisted obsession.

“Your Majesty!” Evelyn suddenly looked up at the king. Her voice was sharp and loud. “I volunteer to lead the army! I will fix the mess I caused myself!”

King Ryken looked at her coldly. The disgust in his eyes was clear. “Fix it?” he said. “With what? Your reckless moves that got an entire unit killed? Or your glory of being captured on the battlefield?”

“I know shame, and I will rise from it!” Evelyn lifted her head; wildfire burned in her eyes. “Give me 100,000 elite troops, the best archers, and all the silver-coated bullets. I will reach the frontline before the vampire army breaks through. I will wipe out those filthy bats and lay their heads at your feet!”

“You will reach there before they arrive?” King Ryken narrowed his eyes. “Do you know how far that is? Even an Alpha-level werewolf, running day and night in wolf form, would need five days. And our scouts say the enemy will attack in three.”

“I have a way!” Evelyn shouted. “There’s a shortcut through Deadmarsh. It’s dangerous, but if we pass through it, we can reach the enemy’s rear within five days!”

I stared at her in shock.

Deadmarsh? That place was forbidden land. Even high-level dread beasts avoided it. Poison gas, hidden traps, death everywhere.

Taking 100,000 soldiers through that place? That wasn’t a plan. It was a gamble.

“Your Majesty,” I tried to speak, “this is too-”

“Approved.” King Ryken cut me off without hesitation. His eyes were cold and cruel, as if he were looking at two discarded pieces on a game board. “I give you 100,000 royal guards, plus 3,000 elite archers. This is every strength I can gather. If you win, your past crimes are forgiven, and Duskfang Pack will rise again. If you lose…”

He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to. The killing intent in the air said everything.

18:05 Sat, Jan 10 GR