Chapter 73

Cora

I stood behind the velvet curtain, clutching the notecards in my hands, though I already knew every word by heart. My palms were damp, my heart pounding with a rhythm that rivaled a war drum.

On the other side of the curtain, I could hear the murmuring crowd of reporters, council members, ambassadors from neighboring packs, hybrid envoys, and even a few human officials.

Werewolves, hybrids, humans. All gathered in one room. All waiting to see me.

I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t sure I ever would be.

“Hey.”

I turned at the sound of Kingston’s voice. He crossed the room in three long strides, his presence wrapping around me like a shield. He looked like a true Alpha King in his black suit with a Silverfang crest on his lapel. As always, he held the quiet authority of a man used to commanding attention, but his eyes were all mine. Soft. Steady. Unshakable.

I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until he cupped my cheek, grounding me with his gentle, reassuring touch.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said quietly.

I swallowed hard. “They’re going to hate me. Half the werewolves think I’m a human criminal, the hybrids think I’m a wolf loyalist, and the humans… I don’t even know what they think.”

All I knew was that Daisy had been appalled by the idea of what I was going to do until I let it slip that she would be able to attend important networking events with me if all went well. That shut her up quickly.

He brushed his thumb along my jaw. “They’re going to love you.”

I gave him a skeptical look.

“I mean it,” he said. “Because you’re going to walk out there, stand in your power, and tell the truth. And there is nothing more beautiful, powerful, or important than the truth.”

I shook my head, voice cracking. “This is bigger than just telling the truth.”

“I know,” he said. “That’s why I’m standing right beside you.”

I looked into his eyes, those storm-dark eyes that had once terrified me and now made me feel like I could move mountains. “What if I mess it up?”

“Then we fix it. Together.”

I drew in a shaky breath. “I don’t feel strong enough.”

“You are,” he whispered. “You’re the Moon’s Daughter. You’re the mother of our son. You are my mate, my Alpha Queen, and my heart. There is no one stronger than you.”

I let the words settle onto me like armor. He kissed my forehead, and I leaned into the warmth of him for just one more second before a gray-haired, jittery werewolf poked his head in.

“They’re ready for her.”

Kingston didn’t flinch. He simply reached down, took my hand, and squeezed.

I nodded. “Let’s do this.”

The curtain lifted, and blinding lights greeted me. Flashes sparked from every direction as cameras clicked and murmurs hushed to an expectant silence. Kingston stayed by my side until we reached the podium, then stepped back a pace to let me speak, but I could still feel him there, steady as ever.

I faced the crowd. My fingers gripped the edge of the podium to still the slight tremor in them. A thousand eyes stared up at me. Waiting. Judging.

I drew a breath. Held it. Released it.

“Thank you for coming to this press conference on such short notice. I’m sure many of you know of me already from the chaos you’ve seen on the news over the past few months. But if you don’t, my name,” I began, voice clear, “is Cora.”

A ripple went through the crowd. I spotted Ethan, Rock, and Liana in the crowd. Rock gave me an encouraging thumbs up, while Ethan and Liana smiled. She leaned her head on his shoulder while I continued.

“And despite the fire reported on weeks ago, I am not dead.”

Gasps. The murmuring surged again, louder this time, until someone in the back hissed, “Quiet!”

“I faked my death,” I continued, not hiding from it, “to protect my son from political threats that had begun to circle me like vultures. At the time, it was the only way I saw to keep him safe. And for that, I make no apologies.”

More murmurs, though this time, I heard something else: curiosity.

“I had nothing to do with my ex-husband’s death. I will work closely with authorities to clarify this, but frankly, he was not supposed to be in the apartment at the time. We were separated, and he had no right to be hiding out.

“But that is not why we are here today. I am standing before you to declare that I am no longer hiding. I have come here, not just to reclaim my name, but to reveal the truth I have carried for far too long.”

I looked to Kingston for strength, and he gave it to me without speaking.

“I am the mate and wife of Alpha King Kingston.”

More gasps. One reporter dropped her camera.

“And I am the Moon’s Daughter.”

The room went completely still.

“This prophecy has been whispered about in shadows, buried by fear and tradition for centuries. But I am here to confirm that it is true. I am the one the prophecy spoke of, the one born to unite humans, hybrids, and werewolves beneath one banner. Not through violence. Not through dominance. But through unity. Through choice. Through understanding.”

No one spoke. You could have heard a pin drop.

“I was born of a human mother and the infamous rogue Erik Thorn,” I said. “I have lived among humans. I have worked among werewolves. I have suffered under packs who judged me. I have run with humans and learned from them. I have seen all sides of this fractured world, and I am telling you now that it does not have to stay this way.”

I looked across the sea of stunned faces.

“From this day forward, I intend to use every ounce of my voice, my strength, and my title to ensure that no one is judged by their bloodline ever again. That no child grows up fearing what their blood will allow them to do. That no mother must fake her death to protect her child.”

My voice cracked, but I didn’t stop.

“That child—my son, Riley—is not only the heir to my heart. After receiving some clarifying tests, we can confirm that he is the biological son of Alpha King Kingston.”

The room exploded.

Cameras flashed in rapid succession. Shouts rang out. Questions were hurled. I saw a few stunned officials rise to their feet.

But I didn’t flinch.

“Yes,” I said into the chaos. “Riley is Kingston’s son. And we will raise him together as mates, as equals, and as the leaders of a new era.”

Kingston stepped forward then, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me to his side.

“We stand as one,” he said firmly into the microphone. “And we will rise as one. All of us, regardless of our bloodlines.”

The silence that followed stretched long, breathless, suspended like the beat before a storm.

Then someone stood. A woman in the front row. A hybrid delegate. She clapped once. Then twice. Then steadily.

Others followed.

And then, all at once, the room erupted into applause. Roaring, thunderous applause.

I blinked in disbelief, my heart soaring. It wasn’t all of them. Not yet. But it was enough.

It was a beginning.

Later, after the crowd had dispersed and the lights had dimmed, I stood on the stage and looked out at the empty chairs, the microphones, the spot where the world had shifted.

Riley came running up, his arms spread wide. The sight of him was enough to bring tears to my eyes. I was grateful when he buried his face into our hug so that he didn’t see them slip down my cheeks as I chuckled with disbelief.

“You did great, Mom!” he exclaimed, nuzzling deeper into our embrace.

Kingston was not far behind. He looked at us with deep love as he rustled Riley’s hair.

“You were incredible,” he whispered.

I leaned into him. “You really think so?”

“I know so.”

I turned to look at him, unable to contain the smile that broke over my face as I continued to hold Riley. “They didn’t seem to hate me.”

“They never stood a chance,” he said, kissing me slowly. “You made them believe.”

I rested my head against his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart. For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel like I was running from something.

I was walking toward it.

Toward a future I was finally ready to claim.