Clara's POV
A heavy silence stretched between us."Elia, if you know something_"I know that the Council underestimates you. I know Lucas underestimated you. But Dorian?" Her voice dipped. "He never did. He always saw what you were becoming. That's what terrifies me most."I clenched the feather tighter. "Then he's coming not to destroy me—but to use me.""To twist you," she corrected. "Or worse, to force your hand."That idea sat heavy in my gut.Because there were still things I hadn't told Ryker. Still truths I hadn't faced myself. About my past with Dorian. About the deal I almost made with him once… back when I was still caged, still begging for someone to see me.Before I learned to see myself. "Elia," I said, voice low, "if there's a single noble left who's pledged to Dorian, I want their name. Their house. Their bloodline. I want them watched."She nodded. "And if he calls for you?"My answer came without hesitation."Then I'll answer. But not as his weapon. As his reckoning."She left in silence.I returned to the balcony, the wind now colder, sharper. The flames in the east had been doused, but their scent still lingered in the air.Smoke. Memory. Warning.Let Dorian come.Let the ghosts of my past rise.I didn't become Queen by surviving the fire.I became Queen by becoming it.The next morning dawned blood-red.It wasn't a storm that had rolled in—but the scent of iron and ash clinging to the wind told me exactly what kind of day it would be.War hadn't arrived at our gates, not yet.But it had left its calling card."Your Grace." A young scout knelt before me in the throne hall, dust caked into his uniform and a fresh cut slashing across his brow. "We found them at the Eastern pass. Four of ours. Executed. No signs of struggle. No scent trail."Sora's jaw ticked beside me. "Dorian.""No," I murmured. "This wasn't a message. This was a warning."Ryker stood from the side of the room, his voice low. "Or a challenge."He crossed to me, laying a map on the war table, and pointed to the ravine that cut through the forest like a scar. "This is where the bodies were left. Right outside the boundary of our patrol zone. Close enough to provoke. Far enough to deny.""Classic Thorne strategy," Sora said. "He's baiting us to move.""And if we don't?" I asked.Ryker met my gaze, grim. "Then he escalates."I looked around the hall, where the banners of the northern clans hung motionless. They'd once meant fear. Authority. Now they felt like relics—fading symbols of a kingdom too slow to evolve.But I wasn't slow.And I wasn't afraid."Ready the Riders," I said. "Send three to the ravine, cloaked. I want the area scouted before nightfall. No confrontation unless absolutely necessary. And call a court assembly at sundown."Ryker raised a brow. "You're convening the court?""I'm doing more than that," I said. "I'm claiming it."The day passed in a blur of orders and preparations. By nightfall, the Great Hall was alight with candles, the old chandeliers casting gold fire over the stone floor. Nobles from every major house stood in their designated circles, whispering and watching.At the center, I stood alone on the steps of the dais.When the hush finally settled, I spoke."I know why you're afraid," I began. "You've seen blood spilled at our borders. You've heard the name Dorian Thorne whispered in the dark. You fear he will bring chaos to our gates."I let the silence grow."And he will. But chaos doesn't scare me. Because I was forged in it."Gasps echoed. A few council members looked to Ryker, but he said nothing."I've bled for this kingdom. I've watched it crumble from the inside out—watched leaders let their power rot everything beneath them. I've seen what happens when we let fear dictate our alliances."I stepped forward."That ends tonight."I pulled free the ancient crest of House Ravenshade, once stripped from me when I'd been cast out. The crowd stirred."I reclaim my birthright not as an Omega… but as a sovereign. I will not ask your permission. I will demand your loyalty. Because the world beyond Blackmoor is changing—and if we do not change with it, we will fall."A long pause.Then Ryker stepped forward, unsheathing his blade, and lowered it to one knee before me."I pledge my loyalty to Queen Clara Ravenshade," he said, voice ringing out clear and firm. "First of her name, Flame of the Rebellion. May her enemies burn in her shadow."And one by one, the rest followed.Some eager. Some reluctant.But all bowed.I stood taller than I ever had in my life, the weight of legacy settling around me like a second skin.And somewhere, far in the distance, I felt Dorian's eyes watching.Let him come.Let him try to steal what I built.Because this kingdom didn't belong to Lucas.And it sure as hell didn't belong to Dorian.It belonged to me.And I would defend it with tooth, claw, and flame.The hall reverberated with the murmurs of sworn fealty and shifting allegiances. For a heartbeat, I let the silence hold—let the weight of my declaration settle in every corner of the room.But the moment passed quickly."Rise," I commanded, voice steady as steel. "There is no time for ceremony. We have less than a week before Dorian tests our borders again—and next time, he won't send corpses. He'll send fire."Ryker rose first, his expression unreadable. But in his eyes, I saw something close to pride… and something else. Worry. Not for himself, but for me.Sora stepped beside him.