Bab 700 - Mahkota Takkan Tergerakkan

Candy and Jane spotted Daisy across the hall the moment Ravyn left to use the restroom.

Their eyes lit up with a hungry, predatory gleam, like wolves who had just caught the scent of wounded prey.

They so much wanted to have a word with her, but there was a woman who never left Daisy’s side, a constant shadow that refused to be shaken. Ravyn’s mother, Kylie.

They needed Daisy to come along with them.

So they could pin the theft on her. A perfect scapegoat, a convenient distraction. A name to offer up when the accusations began to fly.

Candy had another mission entirely.

To use a spell that would transform herself into the image of Seraphine. The moment Voren lay with her, the transformation would become permanent. And Seraphine would become a wandering wolf, trapped in Candy’s skin, exiled from everything she had ever loved.

Candy came for revenge.

But Jane came on behalf of the Lycans. Amelia, Coco’s mother, was waiting for their signal outside the Grimroot pack. As soon as they laid hands on the crown, Jane would disappear into the shadows.

And Candy would take Seraphine’s form, wearing her face, living her life, sharing her bed.

"Daisy, care for a drink?"

Candy’s voice was sweet, honeyed, dripping with false warmth. She reached out, her fingers brushing against Daisy’s arm when Kylie stared coldly at her. The old woman’s eyes were chips of ice, her expression carved from granite.

"If you take another step, I will roast and serve you for dinner under the blood moon."

Candy froze.

Her blood turned to ice in her veins, chilling her from the inside out. Kylie had been mean to them since they arrived at the Centenary pack, her disdain barely concealed behind thin veneers of politeness.

So she was certain the elderly woman wasn’t joking.

However, the gallery was open. People were already moving there, their footsteps echoing against the marble floor like a tide of bodies flowing toward the display. It was clear that this theft could not be pinned on Daisy.

"We have to find another way." Candy whispered in Jane’s ear before pulling her away. They joined the crowd admiring the items on display, their eyes feasting on treasures that had been accumulated over centuries. And even when Ravyn returned, they pretended not to have seen him.

Ravyn didn’t bother either. His job was done, the role he had been forced to play now complete. And now, he only had to send a video to Battal. Voren had mentioned the no-pictures rule, so he’d have to wait for footage from the cameras installed at the gallery later.

One by one, the gallery was becoming quiet.

People were leaving to their suites to rest for the Blood Moon the next day, their voices fading into the distance, their footsteps growing softer until only silence remained.

The excitement of the evening had faded, replaced by the heavy pull of exhaustion and anticipation.

Ravyn finally walked up to them. "I’m going to sleep."

Both Candy and Jane nodded, no longer pretending to be with him. They watched him walk away, their eyes cold and calculating, their minds already spinning with new plans. After he left, only Jane and Candy remained.

"Amelia has arrived, and she is already at the pack entrance." Jane informed Candy, her voice dropping to a whisper that barely carried beyond the space between them.

"I don’t know how you’re going to get the Queen’s belonging for the soul swap but..."

Candy laughed at her naivety, the sound was sharp and mocking, cutting through the quiet of the gallery like a blade.

A grand witch who had lived for centuries, her power a living, breathing thing that curled through the air around her like smoke. She was ruthless in ways that made lesser creatures tremble, merciless in ways that left no room for weakness.

"Isn’t the necklace and the crown the Queen’s belonging? Take the crown and go meet Amelia."

Amelia was Candy’s mother, a grand witch who had walked this earth for longer than most could remember, her power a force of nature that bent the very fabric of reality to her will. She was ruthless, merciless in her pursuit of what she wanted.

"I will wear the necklace and the moment I set eyes on the Queen again, our souls would be exchanged. She would be trapped in my body, and I in hers."

Jane smiled.

They didn’t have Daisy to pin the theft on. So indeed, they just had to hurry to the entrance. Amelia would be able to help them escape if they got caught.

Jane reached for the crown. At the same time, Candy reached for Seraphine’s necklace.

But what they did not expect was the heaviness that followed.

It was as if they were pulling the root of a tree from the earth, the resistance so strong that their muscles screamed in protest. The jewelry didn’t budge. Didn’t yield. Didn’t give even an inch.

"What’s going on?" Jane gritted her teeth, her fingers straining against the metal, her face contorting with effort.

"The crown won’t move."

"It’s the same with the necklace." Candy’s voice rose, panic threading through every syllable like poison through veins. "And I can’t get my hands off it either."

"No, something’s wrong. We should inform Amelia..." Jane was saying when the pack alarms began to blow.

Red lights flashed around the gallery like a security alert, bathing everything in a crimson glow that pulsed with menace. The noise was loud enough to wake the whole pack.

A shrieking, blaring siren that tore through the night like a blade, shattering the silence into a thousand jagged pieces.

Warriors had already surrounded them.

But the rest of the pack only watched from outside the gallery. It was made of glass, but when inside, they could not see out. They did not know that they were being watched all along.

Corvine walked in with Kael. "You dare to steal from the Grimroot pack?"

His voice boomed through the gallery, cold and commanding, carrying the weight of absolute authority. He sent a mindlink to Voren. ’Voren, they fell into the trap.’

Jane and Candy tried to get their hands off the jewelry as they spoke. "No, we just touched it to see if it was real."

"Then why can’t you remove your hands?" The shaman stepped forward, her voice hoarse as she stood there with Oriana. Her ancient eyes burned with knowing, with centuries of wisdom and power that radiated from her like heat from a fire.

"Do you think the Grimroot pack leaders are fools to leave behind such priceless assets? The crown and necklace protect each other, and only the owners take it without being glued to it."

Candy and Jane paled. The color drained from their faces, leaving them ashen and trembling. They didn’t know about this side of the crown and necklace. But before they could seek Amelia’s help, the crowd was already parting.

Heads lowered. The King and Queen had arrived...