Weeks had passed since the day we had begun to rebuild the City of Wolves, and now, against all odds, the city stood tall and proud once more. The outer walls gleamed in the sunlight, newly reinforced, and the streets were alive with the buzz of excitement. Flags waved from rooftops, people cheered in the square, and there was a palpable energy in the air. Today was the coronation of the new patriarch—Kai.
To be honest, I still wasn’t entirely sure how we got here. Kai as the patriarch felt... well, like putting a wolf in charge of a flock of sheep. He didn’t like the idea any more than I did, but after the deal we made with The Spider, it was inevitable. We needed someone to lead, and apparently, the only person stubborn enough to take that role was Kai. Despite his protests, he had a sense of duty, and when he promised something, he followed through. Today was that promise made real.
Rose and I had been roped into the festivities, and by "roped," I mean dragged into it by some very determined seamstresses who seemed to believe that we were royalty in need of dressing.
"Can you believe this?" Rose muttered as she stared at her reflection in the ornate mirror. She was wearing a deep red gown, embroidered with gold thread, the fabric shimmering as she moved. Her usual rough-and-tumble appearance had been polished into something almost regal. Almost. "I look like a walking velvet cake."
I stifled a laugh, glancing at my own reflection. My outfit was equally over the top, a deep blue ensemble with silver accents that somehow managed to be both elegant and suffocating at the same time. "I feel like a peacock. Are we sure this is a coronation and not some kind of costume parade?"
Rose grinned. "Hey, if we're going to look ridiculous, at least we're doing it together. Besides, the city’s never seen anything like this before. Might as well give them a show."
I adjusted the cuffs on my sleeves, trying to get comfortable. "You know Kai hates this whole thing, right?"
"Of course he does," Rose said, rolling her eyes. "The guy can barely handle being called 'captain,' and now he’s going to be patriarch? It's going to be priceless watching him squirm through his speech."
"Can't wait," I replied dryly, though part of me was curious to see how Kai would handle the whole thing. I imagined he’d grit his teeth and smile through it, all while plotting how to sneak out of the responsibilities later.
Outside, the streets were alive with cheering as Kai, Rose, and I mounted our horses. Kai was wearing ceremonial armor, custom-made to fit his new role—Patriarch Kai—though he looked more like he was heading to a dentist appointment than a coronation.
“You sure you don’t want to make a run for it?” I teased, leaning over as my horse trotted next to his. “I hear there’s a quiet village a few miles south where nobody would ever find us.”
Kai groaned, adjusting the heavy mantle that hung from his shoulders. “I’m still not sure why I agreed to this. You and Rose could’ve taken this over.”
Rose, who had been cheerfully waving at the crowd, piped in. “Oh no, this is all you, Kai. The Spider said you were the chosen one. We just get to ride in the parade and look good.”
Kai muttered something under his breath, but before I could ask what, the cheers grew louder. People lined the streets, throwing flowers and waving banners as we made our way toward the capital square. Kids were hanging from rooftops, waving as if we were heroes in some epic ballad. It was surreal—only a few weeks ago, we were scrambling to put the city back together, and now it looked like a festival straight out of a dream.
“Okay, I’ll admit,” Kai said, glancing around, “this part isn’t so bad.”
“I thought you liked being the reluctant leader type,” I said with a grin. “It suits you.”
“Yeah, well,” he sighed, “I liked it better when all I had to do was swing a sword and not make speeches.”
As we arrived at the capital, a massive platform had been erected in the square. Kai dismounted first, and the crowd quieted, anticipation hanging in the air. Rose and I followed, standing off to the side as Kai stepped up to face the gathered citizens.
He cleared his throat and shot me a look that screamed ‘I’m going to kill The Spider for this.’ I just gave him a thumbs-up, which earned me a glare.
“People of the City of Wolves,” Kai began, his voice booming across the square. “Today marks the start of a new chapter for our city. You have all shown resilience, strength, and unity in the face of destruction. It is because of you that we stand here now, with our walls stronger, our spirits higher, and our hope brighter than ever.”
The crowd roared with approval, and I could see Kai loosening up slightly. He was doing great, actually. Much better than I expected for someone who’d rather fight wolves barehanded than give a speech.
“And now, as we look to the future,” Kai continued, “we must prepare to defend what we have built. We need an army—a strong one. But an army is only as good as its leaders.”
I glanced at Rose, both of us smiling, knowing he was about to wrap up. But then Kai paused, a glint in his eyes that I didn’t trust for a second.
“And that’s why I’ve decided to appoint two new generals to lead our forces.”
My eyebrows shot up. Wait—what?
“Rose,” he announced, “will be General of Recruitment and Combat Logistics. And Luna,” he looked at me directly now, his expression far too innocent, “you’ll be General of Strategy and Magic Combat.”
The crowd erupted in applause, but I just stood there, frozen. Did he just... did he just promote us? Without asking? I shot him a look, but he smiled that annoyingly charming smile as if he had just done us a huge favor.
Rose recovered first, raising her hand and waving like a queen accepting her new role. “That’s right! I’ll whip you all into shape,” she shouted, winking at the crowd.
Meanwhile, I was still processing. General of Strategy and Magic Combat? Me? My shadow powers were still unpredictable at best, and now I was supposed to lead an army? My brain short-circuited. How had this happened?
I leaned toward Rose, muttering, “Did you know about this?”
“Nope,” she whispered back, “but I’m rolling with it. Besides, you’ll be great. We’ll just put you in front and hope you don’t trip on your dress.”
I groaned, giving her a look that said I hate you, but she just laughed and waved to the crowd.
Kai finished his speech, thanking the citizens again for their loyalty and promising that together we would make the city thrive once more. The applause was thunderous as we stepped down from the platform, Kai grinning as if he hadn’t just blindsided us.
“You couldn’t have mentioned this beforehand?” I hissed at him once we were out of earshot.
Kai shrugged. “What? I figured you two would want the promotion. Besides, The Spider thought it would be funny to surprise you.”
Rose crossed her arms, smirking. “I can’t lie, Luna, you’re going to look great leading an army of recruits.”
I rolled my eyes, exasperated but unable to hold back a small smile. “Fine. But if I mess this up, I’m sending all the recruits your way.”
“As long as I get to boss them around, I’m in,” Rose said, grinning.
Kai laughed, patting me on the back. “You’ll do fine, Luna. We’ve survived worse.”
I sighed, finally allowing myself to relax. “I guess this means I need to start making a strategy book. Great.”
Rose perked up. “Can I add fashion advice in the back? Battle armor that’s also chic?”
I shook my head, but the weight of everything didn’t feel so heavy now. The city was rebuilt, the people were united, and we had each other. And, if nothing else, I had learned one thing from all of this:
Never trust Kai with surprises.
As we mounted our horses again to ride back through the city, I couldn’t help but smile at the cheering crowd. Maybe, just maybe, we really could make this work.
As we rode back through the city, the cheers from the crowd still rang in my ears. My mind was a blur of thoughts, but I was doing my best to stay focused.
“You’re really taking this ‘general’ thing in stride,” I muttered as our horses trotted side by side.
Rose flashed me a grin. “Oh, come on, Luna. Think about it—General of Recruitment and Combat Logistics. It means I get to design the uniforms. Do you know how long I’ve waited for that kind of power?”
I groaned. “This is about uniforms for you?”
“No, it’s about leading, obviously.” Rose winked. “But if the uniforms look great, morale goes up. That’s just basic psychology.”
“Basic psychology, sure,” I muttered. “And what happens when you recruit someone who doesn’t care about fashion?”
“Oh, they’ll care,” she said confidently. “Once they see what I have in mind.”
I shook my head, half-amused, half-dreading the day we had to actually form this army. My thoughts drifted back to Kai, who was riding ahead of us, looking every bit the part of the reluctant leader. He hadn’t said much since his surprise announcement, but I could tell from his posture that he was still not entirely comfortable with his new role.
“Are we going to talk about how he just made us generals without asking?” I asked Rose.
“We could,” Rose said, “but I’m thinking we save it for when we’re not surrounded by thousands of cheering people. Just a thought.”
I sighed, knowing she was right. Still, the weight of what had just happened pressed on me. It wasn’t that I doubted my abilities, but leading an army? I was barely holding my powers together half the time. What if I screw this up?
As if sensing my thoughts, Rose leaned over. “Don’t worry, Luna. We’ve been through worse. And hey, now we’ve got titles to back us up. I mean, ‘General Luna’ has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
I couldn’t help but snort. “Yeah, sure. Sounds like someone who accidentally blows up the enemy—and her own army—at the same time.”
Rose just laughed. “If you did, I’d just call it ‘restructuring.’”
Despite myself, I smiled. Rose always knew how to lighten the mood, even in situations like this. Maybe being generals wouldn’t be so bad. At least we’d have each other—and Kai—to lean on.
By the time we reached the palace, the sun was starting to dip below the horizon, casting a golden glow over the city. The guards opened the gates for us, and we dismounted, handing off our horses to the stable hands. Kai stretched, looking like a man who had just survived an ordeal.
“I need a drink,” he muttered.
“I second that,” I said, pulling at the collar of my dress. “But can we get out of these clothes first? I’m starting to feel like I’m being strangled.”
Rose gave me a once-over. “You look fine. The whole ‘I could murder you and look good doing it’ aesthetic works.”
“Thanks,” I deadpanned, “but I’m still changing.”
Kai chuckled. “Fine. I’ll meet you both in the council chambers in an hour. We’ve got… you know… actual work to do now.”
“Right,” Rose said, giving him a mock salute. “General business and all.”
We split off, heading to our respective quarters. As I walked through the halls of the palace, the reality of everything started to settle in. The city was counting on us. On me. And for the first time, that thought wasn’t completely terrifying.
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-To be continued19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1LYVFXP2U
