The Alpha's Blind Fate
Chapter 196: The Coronation II

Chapter 196: The Coronation II

ZINA

"Let’s make your last day as Theta worthwhile."

Before Zina could process Daemon’s words, he was already shifting into his full form Direwolf, and the sight was a glorious sight for ordinary eyes such as hers to behold. And together with the crowd, she gasped at the sheer beauty of him.

She had only been opportune to see Daemon’s wolf once and that had been on the day he had rescued her. She hadn’t had the opportunity to enjoy the sight as the haze of her confusion as to her death and resurrection clouded her mind. But looking at Daemon now, all Zina wanted to do was to keep looking at his wolf till the world came to an end.

She was sure she would be content with her life just staring at the dark wolf.

The pure majesticness of it....

The raw power it easily exuded....

It’s eyes that held the power to compel any to do its bidding....

The wolf prowled for her but Zina stood rooted in place. And while the Temple representatives behind her enjoyed the sight of the wolf, they took noticeable steps backwards. Their hesitation might not necessarily have anything to do with fear but might be related to the insane mass of Daemon’s wolf.

Zina had never seen nor heard of a wolf that big. Even in wolf form, Daemon’s wolf’s height easily towered over Zina who wasn’t a short woman by any means. And its mast moved with a predatory sort of grace... the kind one would only see when beholding the lion, rumored to be the king of the jungle.

But in their world, a true King was the Alpha who could rule over other Alpha’s, and Daemon’s eyes that glowed the color of pure gold hit that point home if his body mast didn’t yet.

Being a supreme wolf was indeed different. Zina couldn’t begin to imagine just how insanely fast Daemon could be, or how much sharper he would be when hunting.

Zina cleared her throat as she noted that the crowd’s eyes now laid on her expectantly, waiting for her to start the coronation. Bracing herself, she began to speak in an authoritative voice that rang true in the entirety of the Square.

"Today, I, Theta Zina WolfKnight, Theta of the NorthSteed Pack that unites all of the Arctic North stands present today to represent the intentions of the NorthSteed Royal Family, the Temple who is their biggest advisor, the Five High Ranked Packs, and every other Pack that makes up the Arctic North."

The held breath of the crowd and the silence that swirled in the air only seemed to propel her further. But what urged her even more was the wolf’s golden eyes that had never left her for a moment.

"Today, we bear a common intention, and that is that Daemon NorthSteed, fourth son of the late Alpha King Xavier NorthSteed, Alpha of the DireWolf Pack, defeater of the Arising Rogues, and the Restorer of the Arctic North, now be the Alpha King of the North."

Three Temple aides stepped forward; one bore a crown on a fine pillow, another bore a golden robe, and the third bore the skull of the first NorthSteed Alpha King that was ceremoniously used to drink wine by every newly crowned Alpha King.

"In my representative capacity, I shall now list the common intention of the Arctic North. And that is that Daemon NorthSteed would unite us, that his intelligence would guide us, that his wisdom would be a shining beacon that would lead us out of the dark, and that his unlimited strength be a well we will draw from during the times of despair."

Throughout her speech, Zina’s blue eyes were locked with golden ones. She had said the words loud enough that everyone would hear her, and yet, a certain intimacy wrapped around her and Daemon and it felt like they were lost in their own world where they whispered sweet nothings—between a wolf and a woman.

The decadence of the imagery caused her to blush all the way to her toes, and she imagined her white dress would betray the contrast to her skin. Quickly, she attempted to conclude the whole affair.

"Do you Daemon NorthSteed understand the burden that has been placed on you tis’ day?"

A step forward by his wolf was his affirmative answer.

Zina swallowed, "Now that you’ve expressed your understanding, I must ask if you accept tis’ burden."

Another prowling step forward expressed Daemon’s answer.

Zina nodded. "Daemon NorthSteed understands and accepts his burden to serve as a protector, a leader, and guardian of the Pack. To never betray the ancestral pact of the NorthSteed ancestors, to keep to the true intention of uniting the North, and marshal forward a better and new prosperous era under his reign.

"The White Wolf is a symbol of the ancient culture that binds the NorthSteed Pack and House to serve the entirety of the North; tis’ an unbreakable bond. It’s the Alpha King’s Duty to maintain and uphold the dignity of his position with servitude as his guide while haughtiness and pride must be avoided like blight. He must not do what he isn’t supposed to do, and that which he is to do, he must try his best to perform it well."

Even without looking at the crowd, Zina could feel them nodding grimly to words that Eldric had taken lightly during his reign. Vows that should have remained unbreakable that he had all but shattered.

"In the witness of the NorthSteed pack and all of the Arctic North, I shall now crown Daemon NorthSteed as Alpha King of the North."

Zina lifted the crown off the pillow and she almost doubled down from the unexpected weight of it. Has gold always been that heavy? Or perhaps was it the little diamonds that adorned the crown that made for the heaviness? She didn’t imagine the fashion of the crown was true to Daemon’s dark and shadowy tastes, but she didn’t imagine they both had a choice in the matter. Lifting the crown and placing it on the wolf’s head, Zina declared,

"Here is the new Alpha King of the Arctic North, Daemon NorthSteed; the Alpha, restorer, and protector of the Northern Lands."

The people of the NorthSteed Pack first screamed and cheered in a shrill animalistic voice; Zina imagined they felt first hand the insane power that seeped through the bond as their connection with the Alpha King only grew deeper. Then the whole of the Arctic North were imitating the howling of a wolf in their human form while they cheered. Next, all the prospective competitors joined in and Zina could see in their eyes a prospective pride at the idea of being one of Daemon’s.

Hierarchy meant a lot to Werewolves, and Daemon happened to be at the very peak of it at such a young age. Zina couldn’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t want to serve him; it only served to show how fierce and foreboding the tournament would be.

Mere looking at the scene before her reminded Zina that the event could have also been that of her becoming Daemon’s wife and Luna. He had made the offer after all; an offer for her to stand by his side but only in a gilded cage.

But she had chosen a better offer; the one where she would stand by his side without anything separating them. Where she would stand as his almost equal for she never believed it was realistically possible for any man or woman to be Daemon’s true equal.

But she aimed to attain the highest percentage that was possible. Hence why she must compete for her position and win it fair and square.

Daemon’s DireWolf brown a suspicious bored expression more like he was trying to roll her eyes. Zina squinted to understand what he was trying to say, but then the crown in his head clattered to the floor while he shifted back to human form.

Zina knew the man would hate the extravagant crown.

Daemon ignored the golden robe and instead grabbed his dark ones back from Yaren who still stood impassively. He shrugged it on, looking oblivious to the wild cheers directed at him.

Facing the three Eldermen who greeted him with ’your majesty’, he said. "Not like I am consulting you, but I must let you know that Zina WolfKnight shall no longer be the Theta going forward."

Before any of the Eldermen could form a response, Sybril bowed aggressively, eyes spitting with undisguised venom. "You’ve no right to remove her, your majesty."