Zane~
"Let the crowning of Prince Zane Anderson Moor… commence."
The silence shattered. Applause thundered. Cheers rose like a storm breaking loose.
The same crowd that was ready to tear me apart moments ago now praised me like a hero—just because of one revelation. One name. The Celestial Princess. Hypocrites. Every last one of them.
I didn't smile. Didn't flinch. I stood dead center, unshaken. Every muscle coiled tight, every breath controlled like the calm before a kill.
Responsibility didn't just loom over me—it wrapped around me like armor I hadn't asked to wear. Still, I stood firm, my hands folded behind my back, chin high beneath the black and silver ceremonial robe of the Lycan heir. Moon emblems shimmered across the fabric with each subtle movement, a silent reminder of what this night meant.
Prince. Heir. Crowned. Exposed.
I should have felt proud. Triumphant. But all I could think of was her.
Natalie.
She wasn't here.