The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter

Chapter 273: The World in One Place

Natalie~

I stood there, feeling every pair of eyes boring into me. My cheeks burned under their unrelenting gaze, and I instinctively clutched the glittering skirts of my gown tighter against my hips. For a long, painful moment, no one moved. No one spoke. The room was so silent that I could hear the thundering of my own heartbeat, deafening in my ears.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to take a step forward into the throne room. My heels barely made a sound against the polished marble floors as I walked in, glancing left and right. Hundreds of eyes followed me – wide, unblinking, like they were staring at a ghost.

"What... what is going on?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. I wasn’t speaking to anyone in particular. Honestly, I didn’t even know if I was asking them or myself. My words just tumbled out, raw and confused.

Jasmine was pacing restlessly in my mind. "They’re staring like you have horns growing out of your forehead," she muttered.

I was just about to open my mouth and spill everything – the guard who had been lying lifeless in the hallway, the blood smeared across the marble floors, the dead men I’d dragged back from the other side, the intruders sneaking around the palace right this very moment, turning everything upside down – when suddenly, a man in the front row rose to his feet.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and wore a tailored black traditional garment, embroidered with deep gold threads, exuding an aura of effortless authority. His skin was the smooth, sun-kissed brown of an African royalty, his short beard meticulously lined. His deep-set, intelligent eyes locked onto mine with such intensity that I almost took a step back.

Then, to my utter confusion, he bowed deeply at the waist, folding his arms over his chest in a gesture of deep respect.

What...?

I blinked at him. He straightened, then turned smoothly to face the king seated high on the golden dais.

"Your Majesty," he said, his voice calm and melodious, tinged with an accent I couldn’t place immediately. "With your permission, may I address the gathering?"

The king inclined his head gracefully. "You may, Elder Kenneth."

Elder? That title didn’t just mean he was old and wise. In the werewolf world, being called an Elder was something far rarer – it meant he carried powers most could only dream of. It could be Telekinesis, teleportation, the ability to bend the elements – fire, air, water, earth – to his will. Age had nothing to do with it.

And this man definitely wasn’t old. He looked like he could be in his early thirties, strong and confident. As he stepped forward, his long dark robes whispered against the polished floor, flowing behind him with an effortless grace. He moved to stand at the front of the vast room, his presence filling every corner, and for a moment, it felt like even the air itself paused to acknowledge him.

He turned to face everyone, including me, and gave a small smile, as if he knew how bewildered I felt right now.

"Greetings to all gathered here today," he began. "For those who may not know me, my name is Elder Kenneth Kunle, representative of the Nigerian Werewolf Clan and the Council of Supernatural Elders."

Nigeria? I thought, my mind whirling. An Elder from Africa...

He clasped his hands behind his back and continued, his voice echoing effortlessly around the grand hall.

"Seated here today," he said, his voice echoing through the massive hall, "are representatives from every werewolf pack across the world. You see those wolves over there? They’re from Russia’s icy tundras, where the snow never melts. And those ones, with the dark hair and earth-toned cloaks? They belong to the forest clans of Brazil. Look further back – those are the mountain wolves of Tibet, fierce and silent."

He paused, letting me take it all in before continuing. "But it’s not just werewolves here today, princess. We have vampires too, their skin as pale as polished marble, like death carved into beauty. And the fae – see their glowing eyes? It’s like staring into stardust. Then there are the witches, robed in garments embroidered with real vines that twist and bloom with their magic. Druids sit amongst them as well, quiet and grounded, carrying the ancient power of the earth in their veins."

My jaw slackened as I took it all in, sweeping my gaze over the vast assembly. The entire supernatural world... every creature I’d ever heard about in whispered legends and childhood warnings... they were all right here. And they were all staring at me."

Kenneth’s gaze softened slightly as he looked at me directly. "I understand your confusion, Princess Natalie. But allow me to explain. All of us gathered here today woke up to the same miraculous news: that the Celestial Princess had reincarnated once again."

"Celestial... princess?" I echoed, my voice shaking. They all came here for me? To see me?

He nodded solemnly. "Yes. The Celestial Princess – the chosen daughter of the Moon Goddess herself, born once every two millennia to heal the supernatural realm and protect its balance. When news spread that she had returned... that you had returned... every werewolf pack and supernatural faction sent their representatives here to see if this was true."

Around the room, murmurs of agreement rose like a tide, washing over me. Some bowed their heads. Others clasped their hands in silent reverence. I felt Jasmine stand taller inside me, her fur bristling with pride.

Kenneth turned slightly, gesturing to a side of the room with a graceful sweep of his hand. "And now... our curiosity has been answered."

I frowned. "What do you mean your curiosity has been answered?"

He smiled, a gentle, knowing smile, and pointed to where he’d gestured. I turned my head to follow his finger... and froze.

A massive TV screen took up nearly the entire wall. On it played a video... a video of me.

There I was, kneeling beside the dying guard, my hands glowing with silver light as I healed him. Then the footage switched to me reviving the two dead guards, their bodies jolting back to life under my touch.

Gasps rippled around the room as the video replayed those moments over and over. My knees felt weak.

They recorded me?

"Holy...shit," Jasmine breathed inside me.

Before I could process anything else, another man stood up from the crowd. He was pale with shaggy brown hair tied back in a low ponytail, wearing a dark suit with a silver tie. When he spoke, his voice carried the lilting cadence of Ireland.

"Princess Natalie," he said, bowing his head slightly, "my name is Elder Sean O’Malley, representative of the Irish Werewolf Council." His green eyes glimmered with a mix of respect and mischief as they met mine. "It turns out... the two guards you revived today had actually been dead for two days."

My eyes widened, my mouth opening and closing like a stunned fish. "What... what do you mean they’d been dead for two days?!"

He nodded gravely. "They were taken to the palace mortuary, preserved there. Today, their bodies were brought out here to test if you truly held the powers of resurrection like the Celestial Princess before you. The only guard who was alive – the one you healed first – had been gravely injured by a rogue attack yesterday. He was dying, with no hope of survival, so as a final resort, his parents brought him here, hoping the Celestial Princess would cure him. He was told what to say if he saw you, to not disrupt the flow of this...test."

The room spun around me. My breath came out ragged as my heart hammered in my chest.

"A... a test?" I whispered. "That was all just... a test?"

My eyes darted to Zane, who sat tall on his throne, his icy blue eyes narrowed in confusion. "Zane...?" I asked through our mind link, my voice trembling. "Did you... did you know about this?"

"No," he replied, his mental voice tight with restrained fury. "I swear to you, Natalie, I am just as surprised as you are."

I pressed my hand to my chest, feeling my racing heartbeat through the layers of corset and gown. "But... why?" I said aloud, turning back to Kenneth. "Why go this far to test me? You could have just... asked me to show you what I can do."

Before Kenneth could answer, another person stood up. This time, it was a woman. She was tall and slender, with golden-brown skin and long, thick black hair braided down her back. Her piercing blue eyes glittered under the lights, and she wore a deep purple dress embroidered with silver symbols that seemed to shift and shimmer as she moved. She bowed her head low to me, her hands folded gracefully before her.

"Princess Natalie," she said softly, her voice carrying a lyrical Caribbean accent. "My name is Elder Yvonne Baptiste from the Dominican Werewolf Faction."

I nodded shakily, wiping at the stray tear that had slipped down my cheek. noveldrama

She lifted her gaze to mine, eyes filled with an unreadable emotion. "The reason we went this far was because... there is something only this test could prove."

I frowned, confused. "Something... only this test could prove? What... what is it?"

She smiled faintly, a mysterious curve of her lips, and lowered her head again.

"Forgive me, Princess," she whispered. "But that... is a story for another moment."