The Princess's Revenge Chapter 113

Valencia’s POV

The question hung in the air like a blade. I could see the political calculations happening behind every pair of eyes. I had never truly thought through all of this before. If I really was from the Ogden family—now that the family had been slaughtered by Winston Ashwood—did I have a claim to Aldermere's throne? WHAT THE FUCK? The realization made my head spin. Ever since I had shifted into a dragon, I'd been deliberately avoiding thinking too deeply about it all. But now everything was laid bare before me, raw and unavoidable. I was discovering that my destiny was monumentally vast. I could barely breathe.

Logan noticed my distress. His hand found mine on the table this time, no longer hidden beneath it. His fingers intertwined with mine. The warmth of his touch anchored me, pulling me back from the edge of panic.

Through our bond, his voice reached me urgently. *Val, what's wrong? Are you alright?*

*I'm fine,* I responded through the mind link, forcing steadiness into my mental voice. *Just... processing everything.*

*Breathe. Stay calm. I've got you.*

*I know.* I took a slow, deep breath, my fingers tightening around his. I realized this was a critical moment. I couldn't afford to fall apart now, not with every eye in this room judging. I had to pull myself together. I consciously relaxed the tension in my shoulders.

"This is all speculation," Logan said, drawing attention back to himself. "We don't know if the dragon is connected to the Ogdens. We don't know if it can shift between forms. All we know is that a dragon appeared, destroyed Elton's army, and then left. Everything else is guesswork."

Soren's eyes shifted to me. The movement was subtle, but I felt it like a physical touch. "Perhaps. But there are other ways to identify Ogden blood. Distinct traits that the old royal family possessed."

My heart was hammering so hard I was sure everyone could hear it.

"Such as?" Luna Kestrel asked.

"Purple eyes," Soren said softly, his gaze never leaving me. "Legend says purple eyes were exclusive to the Ogden bloodline. No other pack in all of Vyrmarch has ever produced that particular trait."

The silence that followed was deafening. I felt every person in that room turn to look at me. At my purple eyes.

"Are you suggesting," Logan said, his voice carefully controlled, "that my Luna is somehow connected to this dragon?" His grip was tight and reassuring.

"I'm not suggesting anything," Soren replied with a slight smile. "I'm simply stating facts. Purple eyes are rare. Dragons are rare. Both appearing at the same time seems... noteworthy."

Beta Yves suddenly spoke up, his young face earnest. "I saw the dragon's eyes. They were golden. Not purple."

Thank the goddess. I wanted to kiss that young man for his observation.

But Soren wasn't deterred. "Dragons can have different eye colors in their shifted form. The Ogdens' human forms always had purple eyes, but their dragon forms varied—gold, red, amber."

Panic was rising in my chest. They were circling closer to the truth with every word. I had to say something to deflect.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice coming out steadier than I felt. "But I don't understand what any of this has to do with me. Yes, I have purple eyes. I've had them my entire life. But I've never shifted into anything. I don't even have a wolf." I forced myself to meet Soren's gaze directly. "If purple eyes truly were exclusive to the Ogdens, wouldn't someone have noticed before now? I was enslaved by Alpha Marcus for years. I've been seen by hundreds of people across multiple packs."

I paused, letting the logic settle. "I was supposed to be sacrificed to Alpha Marcus at his funeral. If Alpha Logan hadn't been there to intervene, I would already be dead. If I had a dragon inside me, why didn't it save me then? Why would it let me nearly die?"

I saw a flicker of uncertainty cross several faces.

"Unless," I continued carefully, "the legends aren't entirely accurate. Perhaps purple eyes aren't as exclusive as the stories claim. Or perhaps they're just... purple eyes. A rare trait, yes, but not necessarily proof of anything more."

Logan's hand squeezed mine in approval.

But Elton wasn't satisfied. He leaned forward, his voice dripping with mockery. "Or perhaps the dragon only awakened recently. Perhaps it was dormant until some trigger activated it—like watching Logan nearly die in battle?" My stomach dropped, but I kept my expression neutral.

Soren tilted his head thoughtfully. "An interesting theory. First shifts are often triggered by extreme emotional trauma. If Valencia witnessed Logan's near death, and if she had dormant Ogden blood..."

"That's pure speculation," Luna Kestrel interjected, surprisingly coming to my defense. "We're building castles out of clouds. Purple eyes and a dragon appearance don't prove causation. There's no evidence to support any of this."

Elton's face darkened with displeasure, clearly dissatisfied with Kestrel's intervention. His jaw clenched, and I could see him preparing to speak again, unwilling to let the matter drop.

Logan stood up suddenly, his chair scraping against the floor. "Enough. You're all circling around baseless speculation. My Luna has answered your questions. She has purple eyes because she was born with them. Unless someone has actual proof of anything else, this line of questioning ends now."

The authority in his voice was absolute. Even Elton seemed momentarily cowed.

Winston raised his trembling hand again. "Logan is right. Without concrete proof, we're wasting time on speculation. The real question is what we do about the dragon's existence, regardless of its origin."

"What do you mean?" Soren asked.

"I mean," Winston said slowly, "that if a dragon exists in Valdoria, our position against Aldermere changes significantly. Winston Ashwood has been preparing to invade. But if we have dragon power on our side..."

The implications rippled through the room. My heart began to race. Was he saying this for my benefit? Was this an attempt to seek cooperation? A proposal to fight Winston Ashwood together? My pulse quickened with each passing second, the implications crashing over me like waves.

"We don't have dragon power," Logan said firmly. "We have a dragon that appeared once, destroyed an army, and then disappeared. That's not the same as having an ally we can command."

"But if we could find a way to communicate with it," Soren mused. "If we could convince it to help defend Valdoria..."

"You're talking about trying to control something we don't understand," Logan said. "That's how people get killed."

Elton laughed. "Rich words coming from the man whose territory the dragon protects. Seems to me you're the only one who benefits from its existence."

"My territory was attacked by your army," Logan shot back. "The dragon saved us, yes. But it also saved Valdoria from losing one of its strongest border packs. Or did you forget that Aldermere is massing troops on our northern border? If Cliffwatch had fallen, the entire kingdom's defense would have been compromised."

Beta Grover cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should focus on what we can actually control. The Aldermere threat is real and immediate. Whether or not we have a dragon on our side, we need to prepare our defenses."

"Agreed," Soren said. "I suggest we—"

"Wait." Luna Kestrel stood up suddenly, her face determined. "Before we move on, I have something to announce."

All eyes turned to her. Even Winston looked surprised.

Kestrel's voice trembled slightly, but she pushed forward. "As you all know, my mate—Alpha Marcus of Mistmarsh Pack—died in a hunting accident three weeks ago."

A heavy silence fell.

"And my son, Wiley..." Her voice cracked, but she forced herself to continue. "Wiley was killed by Rogues at Marcus's funeral. Our only heir."

"My mate and I had only one son," Kestrel continued, her hands clenching into fists on the table. "No other heirs to take over the pack." She paused, her voice growing stronger. "My pack needs a leader. And I refuse to let my mate's legacy die with him. I refuse to step aside and become irrelevant."

Elton leaned forward with interest. "What are you saying, Kestrel?"

"I'm saying that I will become Alpha Female of Mistmarsh Pack. I will lead my people as my mate would have wanted. I will not remarry, and I will not relinquish power to anyone else."

Shocked murmurs rippled through the room. A Luna becoming Alpha in her own right was almost unheard of. It went against centuries of tradition.

But Soren was smiling. "Bold. I approve."

"The pack council agreed," Beta Grover added. "We recognize Luna Kestrel—now Alpha Kestrel—as our rightful leader."

Winston nodded slowly. "If your pack has accepted this, then so does the crown. Welcome, Alpha Kestrel."