The coronation

RHEA
By midnight, I awoke only to find that Jaden was no longer lying in bed, beside me. He was standing by the window gazing at the moon. I stared at him for a moment. Then, I got out of bed and embraced him from behind, taking a deep breath.
"Still can't sleep?" I asked.
"I had a dream. When I woke up, I couldn't go back to sleep" he replied.
"Want to talk about it?" I asked and he let out a sigh. He turned to look at me, the moonlight highlighting his handsome features.
"In the dream, I saw your aunt. She was preparing an army of witches against you" he said and I frowned.
"That's strange. If she wants to attack me, why wait until now?" I said and he shrugged.
"Maybe, she was waiting for the right time to strike."
I wondered what it was that made it seem like it was the right time to strike. Jaden's dream might be an ordinary one, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that a storm was approaching. Jaden gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
"I'm still with you and I'll always be with you, no matter what happens" Jaden assured me, his gaze locked on mine.
I pressed a kiss to his jaw.
"I know" I breathed.
....
DAYS LATER
The coronation day had finally arrived and I was a little nervous. Ever since Jaden's return from the custody of the valerian wolves, we've been on edge. We didn't know what else Zaden was planning. We wanted to be ready for anything he throws our way. While Jaden had a conversation with Klaus and Darryl, Haru approached me. I was standing just outside Jaden's office, waiting for him to come out.
"I love your dress" Haru said, giving me a brilliant smile. I was wearing an emerald, sleeveless dress which had a high neck. The dress had a long slit on the side and was ankle length. Haru was also rocking a white dress. It was the first time I was seeing her in one.
"Thanks" I responded to her compliment.
"It's okay to be nervous. Heck, I would be nervous if I was in your shoes" Haru stated and I embraced her, a smile tugging at my lips.
"It's finally happening" I breathed and she nodded.
"That's right. You're about to become South Queen. You and Jaden deserve this. I'm sure you two will do great" she said.

The door opened and my mate stepped out with Klaus and Darryl. He was wearing a well-tailored dark blue suit that fit perfectly on his tall frame. His dark hair was in a neat bun and he was wearing a pair of black dress shoes. He looked like a total gentleman.

"You look really good" I commented and he grinned.

"You look great" he said taking my hand in his. He pressed a kiss to the back of my palm and Haru cooed at us. "You two are so cute" she gushed and Darryl chuckled.

We got into the car and Jaden started to drive. Dana, Haru, Klaus and Darryl were right following right behind us. They were in Klaus' car.
"Daniel called me" Jaden said and I raised a brow.
"He did? What did he say?"
I questioned.
"He got rid of Hunter. But, before he did, Hunter told him he was only following Thalia's orders. She might've spelled him to do her bidding"
I nodded slowly.
"So, Thalia and Zaden are now working together. They are mates after all" I said.
"Well, Thalia asked Zaden to surrender the pack to her and let her become alpha, that's what Hunter said" Jaden told me and my eyes widened in surprise.
"Gosh, they are both more delusional than I thought. They are both obsessed with power, it's really sad" I said, shaking my head.

When we arrived at the venue of the coronation, we were greeted with the beautiful sight of the venue. Different werewolves from different packs-dressed in formal suits and elegant dresses-had arrived already. Amongst them was Matthias and his mate, Stephanie.
They were sitting side by side. They waved at us when they saw us. The color of the sunset reflected on the glasses of champagnes and the rest of the cutleries.

After Jaden and I had been crowned and declared South King and Queen of the wolves, the ceremony dragged on even after night fall.

We danced the night away and drank to celebrate our victory. When there was still no sign of Zaden and Thalia, we were convinced that they were not going to show up. As the ceremony was coming to an end, Jaden and some of the Alphas who'd attended the ceremony, had a meeting.

The full moon was out tonight and my wolf was restless. I really needed to shift. I could feel Crystal under my skin, she was trying to take over. Unable to rein her in any longer, I walked away from the gathering and made my way into the woods. I'd never felt like this before and Crystal wasn't telling me why she desperately needed to make an appearance.

Just as I took off my dress, I felt the presence of several magic users. I froze, the hair on the back of my neck rising stiffly. Goosebumps appeared on my skin as the cold air nipped at my exposed skin. I looked around but couldn't find anyone watching me. I decided to shift anyways.
But, as soon as I dropped down to all fours, something hard and heavy, collided with the side of my head, and I fell to the ground, my ears ringing. The world turned gray as I was hit with offensive magic. The last word on my mind just before I passed out, was the name of my mate.
...
When I awoke, I found myself in a cold, dark room with no source of illumination. The pain in my head had long vanished and there was dry blood on the side of my face. I tried to move. But, I realized that my ankles and wrists were all bound by heavy chains that had been spelled. I was perplexed on realizing that I'd been kidnapped for the second time. I wondered if it was just another bad dream even though I knew that it was very much real.

Using my heightened senses, I was able to see in the dark. I coughed when the dust particles in the air, coated my lungs. The metallic door of the room creaked open and someone walked into the room with a lit white candle. The yellow glow illuminated the whole place and my countenance darkened when I saw who had just stepped into the room. Morgana.
Truth was, she was the last person on earth I'd expected to walk into the room.

"You" I hissed and she lowered the candle onto the surface of a large box in the room.
"Yes, me. Looks like I've caught you in my net, Rhea. What are you going to do now? Scream?" She said in a mocking tone.
I curled my hands into fists and yanked at the chains holding me captive. The chains clanked, but did not give way.
I growled at her, fury boiling inside me like molten lava.
"Let me out of these chains and I'll tear you apart!"
She chuckled.

"Why do you think I brought you here? Do you think I kidnapped you just to hear you spew those words out of your mouth?" She taunted.
"What do you want?!" I demanded and she beamed.
"Now, that's the right question you should be asking" she said.
"You see, sooner or later, your twin sister would fight against you and destroy you in order to get her hands on your magic. I'm doing you a favor by preventing you from facing the shame of being stripped of your magic by your own twin sister"
I frowned.

"You know about the prophecy of twos?" I asked and she grinned.
"Of course. That's why I'm going to be the one to strip you of your magic" she said and I growled at her.
"You're completely defenseless, you know? You might be strong, but I've been preparing for this moment for quite a long time" she said and started to leave the room.
She halted by the door.
"You know what happens to a witch who loses her magic, don't you?" She said and exited the room.

As soon as she was out of sight, I started to struggle with the chains. I started to cast different spells but nothing was working. I was trembling now. I didn't want to lose my magic to the woman who had made me an orphan. My magic was important to me, just as much as Crystal. It was a part of my life. It was what my mother had left behind, for me. I needed to escape as quickly as I could. The problem was that, I didn't know where I was, not even in the slightest. I reached out for Jaden, through our mind link. His voice flooded my mind and I became even more desperate.

'Where are you?! I've been searching everywhere. I couldn't find you. You were unconscious when I tried to reach you. Where did you go?!'
'I don't know where I am. My aunt... she....'
He cut me off.
'I'm going to find you, I promise. Hang on, tight. I'll find you'
He sounded so worried, it made my heart ache.
'I'm scared... she wants to steal my magic' I told him.
'No' he breathed.
'I don't know how long I have until she comes in again. I can't move...'
'I'll find you' he rasped.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I could feel the magic in my blood. The chains around my ankles and wrists were blocking it. They were stopping the spells from working. I took another deep breath and tried to push against it. Sweat slid down my spine as I pushed against the barrier again. The chains groaned under the pressure, but remained intact. My heart was pounding faster and I was desperate.

My breath had quickened as I continued to push against the barrier. Tears filled my eyes and I gritted my teeth. Each time I thought that I was close to freedom, the chains would snap back in place. It was a terrible feeling. My frustration was growing and so was the fear lingering at the back of my mind. I stiffened when I heard the growing footsteps. It sounded like a group of people were descending a staircase. It made me assume that I was in the basement of a building. As the footsteps came closer, my anxiety raged. I couldn't help but wonder. Would I make it out unscathed?