When The Moon Hides Her Crown novel Chapter 233

**He Promised to Give Me the World, Yet the Price Was My Soul**
**by Caden Blake**
**Chapter 233: Daughter of Defiance**

Seraphina

Phina felt a restlessness gnawing at her insides, her body taut with anticipation as the familiar scent of my father permeated the air around me. Memories of our last encounter at the heir selection ceremony, which had transpired a mere three months ago, haunted my thoughts—raw, vivid, and impossible to erase from my mind.

As I waited in this dimly lit space, the knowledge that he was on his way tested the very limits of my composure. But he wasn’t the only one observing me; the tension in the room was palpable, thickening with each passing second.

“It’s actually quite delightful to see you silent for once,” Austin drawled lazily from the doorway, his presence a unwelcome shadow. He had deliberately chosen to linger behind Finn, relishing my discomfort, perhaps seeking revenge for our last unpleasant encounter. “Could it be that your father is the cause of your newfound silence?” His tone was smooth, yet it cut like a knife. “Looks like it’s time to bid farewell to both the throne and the Academy. If you had simply accepted your expulsion without a fuss that day, none of this would have unfolded.”

I slowly raised my gaze to meet his dark, piercing eyes, refusing to flinch.

“Don’t concern yourself with my fate, Alpha Austin. I will determine who deserves my goodbyes and who deserves to be cast into hell. No one can take my dreams or my throne from me… unless they are seeking an early demise.”

His frown deepened, bitterness twisting his smirk into something more sinister. “Still as arrogant as ever, I see. Perhaps it’s because you’re still destined for the throne as the Luna Queen?”

His smirk widened when he noticed my expression falter. “Shouldn’t you feel satisfied with what you’re given? Whether you ascend as the Supreme Alpha or the Luna Queen, you’ll find yourself on a throne regardless. So why squabble over the details?”

He slid a paper bag across the floor, watching it come to a halt at my feet. “Welcome back to reality, Disney girl,” he sneered before pivoting on his heel and striding away. Inside the bag lay neatly folded women’s clothing—garments I had no intention of touching.

My gaze fell to the ground, where a crushed cigarette lay forgotten. I reached for the half-burned stick, the one I had snatched from Ronan’s lips earlier, clutching it tightly against my chest.

The window beckoned my attention toward the darkening horizon. The night was deep, the Moon a pale witness to all I had lost… and every fragment I still refused to relinquish.

“Ronan…” I whispered, the name slipping from my lips like a prayer.

Suddenly, the door swung open with a deafening crash.

“SERAPHINA!”

Father’s roar shattered the silence, reverberating through the walls with a force that made my heart race.

My head snapped in his direction, panic surging through my veins. “Dad…”

**Chapter 233: Daughter of Defiance**

If only I could convince myself that this was merely a nightmare—a terrible, unthinkable nightmare.

His eyes blazed with fury as they swept over me, taking in every detail of the Academy uniform I wore. Not just any uniform, but a boy’s uniform.

“How dare you…” His voice was low, trembling with rage before it erupted into a thunderous snarl. “HOW DARE YOU DISGRACE ME LIKE THIS?!”

He moved with a speed that was almost supernatural. I barely had time to react before his hand clamped around my wrist, his grip unyielding as he began to drag me toward the door.

“Dad! What are you doing?!” I cried out, panic rising as I struggled against him. “Dad, please, wait!”

He didn’t respond. He didn’t even spare me a glance. His face was a mask of fury, and his steps were relentless. My heart plummeted into my stomach.

“Dad… Dad!” I fought harder, my voice cracking under the strain. “I’m not going! Let me go!”

Planting my feet firmly on the ground, I summoned every ounce of strength to anchor myself against the man who had raised me, yet now treated me like a criminal. I had no idea what awaited me beyond that door, but I knew it would be worse than anything I faced in this room.

“Let me go!” I yelled again, twisting violently in his grasp. His grip tightened, his nails digging into my skin until it burned. In a moment of sheer desperation, fueled by fear and defiance, I yanked free, my skin scraped raw and bleeding.

He spun around sharply, his chest heaving like a bull ready to charge, his aura suffocating.

“Come with me quietly, Seraphina,” he growled, his voice rough and dangerous.

I took two steps back, chin held high, my heart quaking but resolute.

“No,” I declared firmly, my defiance unwavering.

“What?” His jaw clenched, his aura erupting through the room like molten lava. “Don’t make me REPEAT MYSELF!” he thundered, reaching out to seize my arm once more.

But I jerked back just in time, avoiding his grasp.

“And I said I’m not leaving!” I countered, my voice sharp as steel, my gaze locking onto his. “Why should I leave when I’m here as a student competing for the Supreme Alpha throne?! I fought for my place in this Academy. I earned it, with blood and sweat. I’ve survived among vultures for three months, faced every challenge thrown at me, and I’m just one step away from claiming what’s rightfully mine. I will not leave until I—”

“Your throne?” he cut in, his voice laced with fury as he advanced toward me. “You insolent girl! Do you have any idea what you’re saying?” His aura flared hotter, his eyes glowing with rage. “The throne you’ve shamed us for, the one you’ve brought disgrace upon our family over, is not meant for someone like you! The throne that stands second only to the Alpha King belongs to a man! Not to a woman! Not to you!”

His voice rose to a deafening roar that rattled the walls. “What sits on that throne isn’t strength; it’s gender. A MAN. The superior race of this realm! And you,” he jabbed a finger at me, his voice cracking with fury, “You are a woman!”

His words sliced through the air like knives.

“If you desired a throne so desperately, then why in the hell did you run from a marriage to the King?” he spat. “The King’s Luna sits beside him on the throne; it’s the highest position a woman could ever dream of! You could have ruled beside him, fulfilled your desires, lived in power and luxury! You could have had everything! So why—”

“But why with him?” I interrupted, my voice trembling not with fear, but with fury.

He froze, staring at me, momentarily taken aback.

“Why do I need someone else to accomplish what I can do on my own?” I demanded, my tone steady and sharp. “I can sit on that throne myself. I can rule myself. I can fight, lead, and build alone.” I stepped closer, meeting his gaze with a cold defiance. “If it’s gender that determines who sits on the throne, not strength, then tell me this, Father…” I leaned forward, my words low and cutting.

“Why does your reputation rise and fall with my actions?”

His jaw tightened, the tension palpable.

“You claimed men are the superior race. Then why,” I asked quietly, each word igniting like fire, “are they so terrified of a woman standing alone?”

“You…” Father’s voice trembled with barely contained fury as his fists clenched. He took a step toward me, his aura crackling in the air like a brewing storm. “You dare question the world? You think anything will change just because one foolish woman decides to rise?”

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