Crowned by Fate (Skye) novel Chapter 93

Skye’s POV

One week after Radia funeral, the desert alt hung beway with the scent of extinguished candles and grief, Four warrior graves joined Bach boas struck t fresh wound in our community.

According te werewolf tradition, families must keep vigil for seven days beside their deceased relatives, ensuring candles hum continuously around the body, I had called Nadia’s father, Steven Bennett, to inform him of his daughter’s death, asking if he would come to maintain the vigil for her.

answer haunted me still.

I final: “When Nadia chose to follow Adrian out of tool three years ago, I already

After a long silence, his voice had come through the phone, cold and final; moumed her. She died to me them. You bury her properly.”

The line had gone dead, leaving me staring at my phone in shock. How could a father refuse to say goodbye to his daughter? How could he have hardened his heart so completely?

The question spiraled into a darker one that kept me awake at night: Would my own parents feel the same if they learned of my fate?

Had they already buried me in their hearts when i fled Frostshadew?

I found myself reaching for my phone repeatedly, my parents‘ numbers burned into my memory from years of writing them in journals, thinking about them during holidays, imagining calls I never made. Once, I actually dialed my mother’s number, only to hang up the moment it began ringing.

Next time, I told myself. Maybe on Mother’s birthday, the timing will be better.

But I knew I was just bring a coward.

Seven days after the battle, Adrian finally emerged from his grief–stricken isolation and returned to his office. The dark circles under his eyes had faded slightly, though his usual commanding presence seemed dimmed, like a flame burning lower thanual,

Skye,” he s

said one morning. “It’s time you leamed what being lleta truly means.”

I followed him to the Beta office–Nadia’s office with my stomach in knots.

The room still carried her scent, a faint mix of leather and sage that made my chest tighten with guilt. Her desk remained exactly as she’d left it, with training schedules meticulously organized and pack reports filed with mathematical precision.

Adrian noticed my hesitation as I lingered in the doorway. “It’s yours now,‘ he said gently, though I heard the strain in his voice. She would want you to use

I forced myself to step inside, running my fingers along the edge of her desk. Part of me felt like an imposter, siging in a chair that had been shap years of Nadia’s presence. But another part of me straightened my spine, remembering her final request

Take care of him. Be the Beta he needs

“Teach me,” I said, meeting Adrian’s gaze directly. “Show me how to honor what she built.”

Relief flickered across his features as he began explaining the daily responsibilities–coordinating training schedules, managing security rotations, mediating daputes between pack members, reviewing border patrol reports.

His voice grew stronger as he fell into the familial rhythms of leadership, though I caught him glancing at Nadia’s empty chair more than once.

By evening, as I organized the last stack of papers, Adrian appeared in

doorway.

“Call the council,” he said, his expression serimus. ‘I need to speak with everyone. Tonight.”

“What’s happened?

1/3

Chapter 93

Gjust call them, Skye Pleme,

An hour later, the council chamber filed with

viliar faces. One absence would forever change our dynamie,

Adrian gestured to the beat beside him. “Skye.” It was Nadia’s seat.

The room fell silent as I moved to take my place, feeling every eye upon me. The leather creaked differently under my we

Adrian bond. For a moment, he seemed to gather himself, amber eyes sweeping across each council member before settling on me.

“As you know,” he began, his voler steady but strained, The Alpha King election takes place this year.”

A murmur rippled through the room. The Alpha King election occured every four years, determining who would lead all North American werewolf packs. Currently, Alpha Thomas of the Eastern Territories held the position.

“After considerable thought, Adrian continued, meeting each gaze in turn, “I’ve decided to enter the election as a candidate.”

Shocked silence greeted his announcement. Then everyone seemed to speak at once.

“About time,” Venus declared, her single fist pounding the table for emphasis. “You’re exactly what this continent needs.”

The resources required for a campaign… Garrett began, worry creating his features. “The travel, the publicity, the political maneuvering–it’s enormous”

“We can handle it,” Marcus said firmly: “Our pack is stronger than ever. And after w

with intensity.

what we’ve just endured, Adrian is ready.” His blind eyes seemed to burn

Ryder had remained quiet, staring at his hands. When he finally spoke, his voice was hollow. “Nadia always said you’d become Alpha King someday. She believed in that dream more than anyone.”

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