: Coronation Day Crisis
Coronation Day Crisis
9 (Third–person’s POV)
+25 Points
The grand Eastern Territory Coliseum gleamed under the morning sun, transformed into a spectacle of power and tradition. Banners bearing the Kane family crest fluttered in the gentle breeze, while thousands of werewolves from every major pack filled the seats, their excited murmurs creating a constant hum.
Matthew Kane stood at the center of it all, resplendent in ceremonial robes of midnight blue embroidered with silver threads. His powerful frame exuded authority as he faced the ancient stone altar where generations of Alpha Kings had been crowned before him.
“Today marks a new era,” announced Elder Tiberius, his voice carrying across the hushed crowd. “The crowning of our new Alpha King.”
From the royal box, Olivia watched with pride swelling in her chest. Beside her sat Leo, fidgeting slightly in his formal attire, and baby Aurora, nestled in the arms of her caregiver,
Nora.
“Mom, how much longer?” Leo whispered, tugging at his collar.
Olivia smiled, ruffling his hair gently. “Not long now. Remember what we practiced?”
Leo nodded solemnly. “I’m the big brother. I protect Aurora no matter what.”
“That’s my brave boy,” Olivia whispered, ignoring the familiar twinge in her chest–a reminder of the heart condition she’d inherited from her mother.
Unnoticed by the security detail, three figures in ceremonial attendant uniforms slipped through the service entrance. They moved with practiced ease, their eyes constantly scanning for threats as they positioned themselves near the royal family’s exit route.
“Target confirmed,” one whispered into a concealed communicator. “The pups are with the mother.”
On the ceremonial platform, Matthew knelt before the Council of Elders, his voice strong and clear as he recited the ancient oath.
“I, Matthew Kane, pledge my life, my strength, and my honor to the protection of our people…”
As the ceremony progressed, Olivia was summoned to the stage. The crowd erupted in applause as she gracefully made her way down, her elegant silver gown catching the light.
1/5
25 Points
This was her moment too–her official crowning as Luna to the Alpha King.
Back in the royal box, Nora leaned toward Leo. “Aurora seems hungry. I’ll get her a small cake from the refreshment table. Can you watch her for a moment?”
Leo nodded importantly, taking his sister’s tiny hand. “Aurora needs the bathroom,” he announced suddenly, noticing his sister’s discomfort.
“Take her to the royal washroom just down the garden path,” Nora instructed. “I’ll meet you there with her snack.”
Leo guided his little sister along the stone pathway, lined with blooming moonlight roses. The sounds of the ceremony faded behind them.
A twig snapped.
Leo froze, his young senses instantly alert. He caught a whiff of unfamiliar wolves–rogues, not pack. His heart hammered in his chest as he remembered Matthew’s training sessions.
“Aurora,” he whispered urgently, “remember the hiding game?”
The little girl nodded, her eyes wide with fear.
Leo quickly led her to a decorative stone bench. With practiced movements, he pressed a hidden mechanism, revealing a small compartment beneath–one of many secret safe spaces Matthew had shown them during their “special games.”
“Stay quiet like we practiced,” Leo instructed, helping Aurora inside. “Don’t come out until Mom or Dad comes with the special password.”
“Moonlight cookie,” Aurora whispered back, clutching her stuffed wolf toy.
Leo sealed the compartment just as three figures emerged from the shadows. He straightened his shoulders, deliberately walking away from Aurora’s hiding place.
“Hey kid,” one called out. “Your mom sent us to get you.”
Leo knew it was a lie. “My mom is at the ceremony.”
“Smart boy,” another figure growled, lunging forward.
Leo could have run, could have hidden himself. Instead, he stood his ground, allowing himself to be captured while keeping Aurora’s hiding place secret.
As rough hands grabbed him, he pressed the emergency beacon on his bracelet–another of Matthew’s precautions.
2/5
C
+25 Points
Inside her hiding place, Aurora trembled but remembered her training. With tiny fingers, she activated her own communicator, sending an alert directly to her mother,
On the ceremonial platform, Olivia felt her concealed communicator vibrate against her wrist. Glancing down discreetly, she saw the emergency signal and Aurora’s location marker.
Her blood ran cold, but her face remained composed. Matthew was in the final moments of the ancient ritual–the culmination of years of preparation. To interrupt now would create chaos, potentially endangering everyone.
Making a split–second decision, Olivia caught Beta Tristan’s eye from across the platform and
gave him the prearranged distress signal. He nodded almost imperceptibly.
“I must attend to an urgent matter,” she whispered to Elder Elspeth beside her. “Please convey my deepest apologies to the Council.”
Slipping away through a side entrance, Olivia broke into a run the moment she was out of sight. She found Tristan waiting with a vehicle.
“Aurora’s signal is active, but Leo’s is moving,” Tristan reported tensely. “I’ve dispatched a
team to secure Aurora and another to follow Leo’s tracker.”
“I’ll go after Leo,” Olivia said firmly. “Keep Matthew focused on the ceremony–this is too important for our people. And send reinforcements when you can.”
“Luna, it’s too dangerous-”
“He’s my son,” Olivia cut him off, “I’ll handle this.”
Taking the wheel herself, Olivia sped away from the Coliseum, following the tracking signal on her device. The beacon led her to an abandoned warehouse in the industrial district of
Stonehaven.
Parking a block away, Olivia approached cautiously, her wolf senses heightened. She could smell Leo’s scent, tinged with fear but not pain. And another scent–one that made her blood
boil.
Clara.
Slipping through a broken window, Olivia crept along the shadowy interior of the warehouse. Voices echoed from the central area.
“You promised we’d just take them as leverage!” a female voice hissed–Audrey Vale. “This wasn’t the plan!”
“Plans change,” Clara replied, her voice unnervingly calm. “Theodore took everything from me.
3/5
Now I’ll take everything from him.”
+25 Points
Olivia peered around a stack of crates. Leo sat tied to a chair in the center of the open space, his young face brave despite his fear. Clara paced around him, a wild look in her eyes. Audrey stood nearby, looking increasingly uncomfortable.
“Let my son go,” Olivia announced, stepping into the open.
Clara whirled around, her face lighting up with malicious delight. “The great Luna herself! How perfect.”
“Mom!” Leo cried out.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Olivia said calmly, her eyes never leaving Clara. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
Audrey shifted nervously. “This has gone too far, Clara. We agreed-”
“Shut up!” Clara snapped. “You wanted her humiliated. I want her dead.”
Olivia took a careful step forward. “Take me instead. Let Leo go, and I’ll stay willingly.”
Clara laughed, the sound brittle and unhinged. “Oh, Olivia. Always so noble. But I don’t want you as a hostage.”
With frightening speed, Clara pulled a gun from her jacket. “I want Theodore to feel what I felt when he betrayed me. When he used my daughter as nothing but a vessel for spare parts for his precious son.”
“Clara, think about what you’re doing,” Olivia said, taking another step closer. “This isn’t you.”
“You don’t know me!” Clara screamed. “You never did! While you played Luna, I was being harvested for my genetic compatibility!”
She swung the gun toward Leo. “Theodore’s precious heir and you! The reason for it all.”
“No!” Olivia lunged forward as Clara’s finger tightened on the trigger.
The gunshot echoed through the warehouse. Olivia felt the impact in her chest–a burning, tearing sensation that told her immediately what it was.
Silver.
She crashed to the floor, the poison already spreading through her system. Through dimming vision, she saw Leo’s terrified face, heard Audrey’s shocked gasp.
“Mom!” Leo screamed, struggling against his bonds.
In the distance, Olivia heard the sound of approaching vehicles, the howls of wolves. Matthew had found them. As darkness closed in, her last thought was of her children- praying they would be safe.
The impact sends her crashing to the ground, silver poisoning immediately beginning to affect her system. As she loses consciousness, she hears the sound of approaching vehicles and hopes Matthew has found them.
