The golden light pierced straight through the roof, staining the entire sky with a solemn, ruthless glow.
The sheer force of the royal aura was so overwhelming that even the raging flames around me hesitated for a heartbeat.
Moments later, the heavy thrum of helicopter rotors rolled in from the distance.
At the same time, police sirens screamed closer and closer.
The human firefighters and officers arrived far quicker than I had expected.
"Over here! Someone's trapped inside!"
"Break the door! Move!"
The thuds of axes splitting the door echoed through the smoke.
Seconds later, the front door crashed to the ground.
Fresh air rushed in, thinning the deadly wolfsbane smoke.
Several firefighters in full gear burst through the flames and hauled my half-conscious body outside.
"The victim inhaled a massive amount of toxic fumes! Get the oxygen on her!"
They laid me on a stretcher, and I sucked in the clean air pushing through the mask as if it were life itself.
The wolfsbane was still rampaging through my system, but that crushing suffocation finally eased.
I cracked my eyes open and saw the villa surrounded by a crowd—firefighters, police officers, and far too many nosy neighbors.
At the very edge of the crowd, I spotted two all-too-familiar faces.
Lucas and Sarah.
They were lurking among the onlookers, pretending to be worried, heads craning for a better view.
The moment they saw me alive, their faces drained of all color.
The police were already questioning witnesses.
I yanked off my oxygen mask.
"I want to file a report. This was arson—attempted murder."
An officer hurried over.
"Ma'am, do you know who started the fire?"
I lifted my hand and pointed straight at the pair.
"It was them. Lucas Hale and Sarah Quinn."
The crowd erupted instantly.
Every gaze zeroed in on the two of them.
Realizing she couldn't hide, Sarah launched straight into theatrics.
She burst out of the crowd, dropped to her knees, and wailed like the world was ending.
"It wasn't us! She did this to herself! She wouldn't listen! We tried to stop her!"
Lucas snapped back into character, scrambling to save himself.
"Yeah, exactly! She's unstable! She went crazy because I refused to marry her! We're the victims here—this house was supposed to go to my son someday!"
The neighbors around us began whispering.
"No way… she looks completely normal."
"You never really know a person. People do crazy things when they're heartbroken."
The officer frowned and looked straight at me.
"Ma'am, is that true?"
I let out a sharp, humorless laugh, about to speak—when a violent gust tore through the sky above us.
A dozen black military helicopters dropped into low hover, each one marked with a golden wolf-head crest.
Ropes dropped.
Dozens of warriors—dressed in black tactical gear and heavily armed—descended from the sky.
Real Alpha elites. Each one strong enough to take on the entire Silver Moon Pack alone.
The crowd recoiled in shock, stumbling backward.
Even the officers reached instinctively for the weapons at their belts.
"Identify yourselves!"
The leading soldier was tall and severe, his expression carved from ice.
He ignored everyone else and strode straight to my stretcher.
Then, in full view of everyone watching, he dropped to one knee.
His right fist pressed to his chest, his proud head bowed low.
"Leon Drake, Captain of the 1st Royal Guard Squadron, paying respects to the Crown Princess."
Behind him, every black-clad warrior sank to one knee in perfect unison.
The world fell silent.
Lucas's jaw dropped so wide a whole egg could've fit inside; his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Sarah collapsed onto the ground, trembling like a heap of melted wax.
C-Crown Princess?
The "orphan," the unwanted Beta they mocked—was the heir to the highest throne in the Lycan Kingdom?
I pushed myself upright on the stretcher.
Leon immediately stepped forward, steadying me with careful hands.
I looked at the two of them, already petrified, and a cold smile curved across my lips.
"Lucas. Sarah. Weren't you just saying I was an unwanted orphan? Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Elena Kingsley, first in line to the Lycan King's throne. And now… we can settle what's been long overdue."
