The Cursed Gift | B1 [EDITING]

31 | Royal Ceremonies

A few days had passed since Alisa had learned more about this grand place, and some new things about Ryder too.

But as always, with more answers only came far more questions.

The one that kept bugging her the most was that tonight was Alpha Ryker's ceremony in front of all of the packs - reinstating him as the King of Wolves in time for the looming war.

He never officially lost his title, but tonight he would regain the political responsibilities that were required of him.

It kept nagging at the back of her mind that this meant the Eclipse Dominion would be their new home now and Ryder would once again be officially given his royal title.

Which inadvertently would mean herself if she accepted her destiny but she was still on the fence about it all.

However, the question kept hovering in the forefront of her mind - 'How can I be the next Queen if I am only half a wolf?'

As she stood out on the balcony of her new room, she vaguely wondered if she was truly in over her head.

The palace was grand and the land that surrounded it was even larger than she could've ever anticipated.

Evergreen trees were planted in a perfect rectangle around the back of the palace grounds, indicating just how far the royal castle lands stretched.

There was also a lavish fountain nestled right in the middle, depicting two large wolves.

One was howling towards the sky and the other was standing beside it in a protective stance. Both had water coming from their mouths into the large bowl below.

In the bottom of the fountain laid many various pebbles, one for every wish a wolf had ever made.

On either side of the fountain, the pathways to it were lined in bushes with white roses growing on them in abundance.

There were many pathways that lead to the two ones where the fountain met in the middle.

The entire grounds looked like a paradise in the midst of the desert.

Alisa remembered the desolate roads that lead them from Snake's Canyon to here.

It seemed as if nothing could grow in the dusty landscape but this palace and the pack land that surrounded it all seemed to be untouched by the wasteland beyond.

It was truly incredible to behold.

'I wonder if all the lunar territories are this blessed,' she thought to herself as she noticed the fruit trees in each corner of the lush backyard.

"Hey, there you are." Ryder's voice came from the double glass door that connected the balcony to her quarters.

Alisa turned around and noticed he was standing lazily in the doorway with a smirk on his face. He took her look as a cue to approach.

"Admiring the lands, eh?" He asked rhetorically as he came to stand beside her.

"You know, our lands go as far as the Redemption Hills in the far north there," Ryder commented casually as he pointed ahead at the horizon where the many hills could vaguely be seen.

"Is that what those are?" Alisa asked aloud with her eyebrows furrowed.

She remembered back to three years ago when she trekked the other side of those hills for many moons before stumbling into Snake's Canyon. At the time, she had been unsure if it was a large mountain or something else.

The brunette girl could see the hills almost clearly to the side of her but never imagined a grand palace would be on the other side of it.

"How did the Lunar Eclipse pack get to us so quickly during that last battle?" She asked, turning to face her mate to ask one of her nagging questions.