Dawn broke softly over Aethelgard, like the realm was afraid to wake too loudly.
Lavender light spilled over the Spire, catching on the repaired quartz walls and the newly purified Heart. What had been jagged and scarred hours ago now shimmered like fresh snowfall.
Too peaceful.
Mary didn't trust it.
Peace after war always felt like the moment before another strike.
She stood on the balcony outside the Sovereign Hall, crown-light faint against her brow. Not metal. Not heavy.
But she could feel it.
A pressure behind her eyes.
A hum in her bones.
The realm watching.
Waiting.
Queen.
The word still felt like someone else's name.
Behind her, the doors opened with a low groan.
Axel's voice, rough with sleep and worry. "They're assembling."
Mary exhaled slowly.
"Already?"
"They've been waiting," Caspian said quietly. "Some for loyalty. Some for opportunity. Some for blood."
Kieran adjusted the straps on his bracers. "And some to see if you're weak."
Dante smirked lightly. "Let them try."
Mary gave a small, crooked smile.
Gods, she loved them.
Not just the bond.
Not just fate.
Them.
Axel's steadiness.
Kieran's quiet devotion.
Dante's warmth.
Caspian's wisdom.
If the Crown demanded she rule—
she'd rule because she had them.
"Okay," she whispered. "Let's go meet my enemies."
⸻
The First Royal Council
The Sovereign Hall was enormous.
Vaulted ceilings of crystal veins. Long stone table carved from a single slab of moonrock. Banners representing the old houses fluttered in slow, enchanted air.
War generals.
Mage scholars.
Territory wardens.
Spirit emissaries.
And every single one of them staring at Mary like she was either salvation…
or a mistake.
The air tasted like politics.
Like knives hidden behind smiles.
Caspian took position at her right—official advisor.
Axel stood behind her chair—silent threat.
Kieran leaned against a column like a bored assassin.
Dante flicked a spark between his fingers lazily.
No one missed the message.
Touch her and die.
Mary walked to the head of the table.
Her footsteps echoed too loud.
For a split second—
she was sixteen again.
Nervous.
Small.
Pretending to be braver than she felt.
Then the Crown pulsed warm.
And the room went quiet.
Not forced.
Instinctual.
Authority settling.
She sat.
And the world shifted.
A grey-haired general spoke first.
"Your Majesty," he said carefully, testing the word. "With the prince missing and the Void unstable, we request immediate military control of the outer territories."
Another cut in. "And we must seal the borders. No outside worlds. No contamination."
A mage leaned forward. "And what of the King and Queen? Are they to be recalled to oversee reconstruction?"
That.
That made Mary still.
Her fingers tightened on the armrest.
The King and Queen.
Her parents.
Or… what she'd always believed were.
Miles had been quiet all morning, but now his jaw flexed.
Jayda's eyes flicked to Mary.
Avery stopped breathing.
Caspian spoke smoothly. "The former monarchs remain… unreachable."
"Unreachable?" the general pressed.
Mary's voice came out calm.
Too calm.
"When the Heart fell, they vanished from every known ward and tracking sigil."
Murmurs rippled.
Dante muttered under his breath, "Convenient."
Mary continued, "Which means either they're dead… or they left before the fall."
Silence.
Thick.
Ugly.
The mage swallowed. "Left… knowingly?"
Mary didn't answer.
Because she didn't know.
But the thought had been gnawing at her all night.
There was no way.
No way ninety-nine timelines of her death happened…
and they had no idea.
Unless—
They weren't protecting her.
They were protecting something else.
Something bigger.
Something older.
The Crown pulsed faintly.
Like it agreed.
Caspian spoke carefully. "We are investigating."
Which meant:
We suspect them too.
Politics thickened.
Trust fractured.
The council wasn't just rebuilding a realm.
It was quietly deciding whether Mary was their Queen…
or a temporary placeholder until someone "better" appeared.
Mary felt it.
Every stare.
Every calculation.
Good.
Let them doubt.
It would make their loyalty real when she earned it.
⸻
Outside the Hall – The Friends
When the council finally adjourned, Mary stepped out like she'd been holding her breath underwater.
And immediately—
Avery tackled her.
Not violently.
Just desperately.
"Oh my God, you looked so scary in there," Avery said into her shoulder. "Like… hot and terrifying."
Mary laughed, surprised. "That's not a compliment."
"It absolutely is," Jayda said, crossing her arms. "I'd follow you into war. But I'd also absolutely rob you if we ever played poker."
Miles leaned against the wall, watching them with a soft, almost disbelieving expression.
"You didn't flinch," he said quietly.
Mary shrugged. "I was terrified."
"Couldn't tell."
"Good."
They stood there for a second.
Just… breathing together.
Alive.
Which felt miraculous.
Then something shifted.
Not dangerous.
Warmer.
Subtle threads between them.
Not mate-bonds like Mary's—
But connection.
Shared survival.
Jayda bumped shoulders with Avery. "So… are we just pretending we didn't almost die like ten times?"
Avery snorted. "Nope. Trauma brunch later."
Miles huffed a laugh.
And the tension broke.
They started talking over each other.
Teasing.
Laughing.
Jayda mock-punched Axel for "letting Mary get stabbed."
Avery cried hugging Dante.
Miles quietly checked every corridor twice like a paranoid older brother.
It was messy.
Loud.
Human.
And Mary realized—
This was her other anchor.
Not just mates.
Friends.
Chosen family.
People who knew her before destiny.
Before crowns.
Before prophecy.
They didn't bow.
They didn't kneel.
They just loved her.
And somehow—
that mattered more.
⸻
The Plan to Return Home
Later, in the private chamber—
Mary said it out loud.
"I have to go back to Marvin."
Silence.
Axel looked away first.
Kieran's jaw tightened.
Dante rubbed his neck.
Caspian nodded slowly. "You can't abandon the life you built."
"I won't," Mary said softly. "I just… need to make sure he's safe. Explain. Close things properly."
Jayda squeezed her hand. "We'll go with you."
Miles shook his head. "Not all of us. Too noticeable."
Avery frowned. "Then what, she goes alone?!"
"No," Axel said instantly.
Never alone.
Mary smiled gently. "I won't be. I just need to move quietly."
They planned routes.
Portals.
Wards.
Cover stories.
But none of them noticed—
The shadow pooling longer than it should near the doorway.
Listening.
Watching.
⸻
Elsewhere – Watching
Deep in the corridor beyond the light—
Mary's uncle stepped out from the stone like he'd been carved there the whole time.
Eyes cold.
Calculating.
"She's going home," he murmured.
Perfect.
Because people were weakest where they felt safest.
And if he couldn't take the Crown here—
He'd take her heart there.
He lifted his hand.
A thin, whispering shadow peeled off his sleeve.
"Follow her," he commanded softly.
The shadow bowed.
Then vanished.
⸻
Return
When Mary finally stepped back into her old world—
The air felt wrong.
Too thin.
Too normal.
No glowing sky.
No magic humming in stone.
Just streets.
Cars.
Noise.
And Marvin's apartment building across the block.
Her chest tightened.
Home.
Or what used to be.
But something prickled along her spine.
A presence.
Watching.
She glanced back—
Nothing.
Just a streetlamp flickering.
Too long.
Too still.
Shadow didn't move with the wind.
Mary's fingers flexed.
Someone had followed.
Or something.
And across the street—
A girl leaned against the fence.
Blonde.
Perfect.
Smiling too sweetly.
Watching the building.
Watching the door.
Watching the world like it was hers already.
Her gaze flicked to Mary.
Slow.
Assessing.
Possessive.
Then she smiled wider.
Like she'd just spotted competition.
Mary's stomach dropped.
Because the girl didn't look confused.
Didn't look normal.
She looked like a predator.
And when Axel, Kieran, Dante, and Caspian stepped out of the portal behind Mary—
The girl's eyes lit up.
Hungry.
"Oh," she whispered to herself.
"Four Alphas… and a Queen?"
Her smile sharpened.
"Guess I'll just take them all."