#Chapter 164: First Light

Aria “The Alpha King is… Darren Avarise. With Luna Aria by his side.” The room erupted into a mixture of cheers and tense murmurs as Wendy announced Darren’s victory. I felt a strange sensation in my chest. This wasn’t how I’d imagined our coronation would go, under the threat of imminent attack. I hadn’t imagined a coronation at all, honestly. Darren squeezed my hand before stepping forward to address the room. His face was set in a determined expression—every inch the Alpha King they’d just elected him to be. “Thank you for your trust,” he said, his words cutting through the noise and bringing immediate silence. “But we don’t have time for celebration. We have approximately five hours before sunrise, and we need to use every minute.” He turned to Wendy and Bella. “Our first priority is evacuation. Children, elderly, and anyone unable to fight needs to be moved to my father’s estate outside the village. Wendy, you know the code for the bunker underneath h