The Dragon King's Heart

As Kol continued to drink Laina's blood, his wounds began to heal rapidly. Since he obeyed her command, the seal on his chest stopped burning. When Kol finally regained enough energy, he regained control of his blood lust. 

Realizing what he was doing, he quickly retracted his fangs. Selene took over. She placed both of her hands on Laina's wrist wound and whispered an incantation of healing. 

The Crown Princess felt a slight tingling sensation on her wrist. When Selene removed her hands, the wound was nowhere in sight. 

"You have some impressive healing skills, Moon Goddess," Laina praised. 

"It's all thanks to the power of the moon and her light," Selene responded with a smile.

The Moon Maidens, with Shylla the High Priestess entered the room, surprised by the damage to the room that was caused by the attack. When they saw the Moon Goddess, all of them got down onto their knees. 

"There's no time for formalities, all of you may rise. Shylla any status updates on the assassins? I returned their fire. Those who were hit should be incapacitated at the very least," Selene said to her subjects. 

"Yes my Goddess, we have found the bodies of the assassins in the courtyard. The Moon Maidens on patrol also caught two of them who were fleeing the scene. Unfortunately, one managed to escape," Shylla reported to Selene.

"That's alright. I want those two assassins questioned. Also, please bring the half-blood to the healing room," Selene instructed. 

"As you wish, my Goddess," Shylla replied. 

The High Priestess turned to the other Moon Maidens and gave out a series of orders. Some of them came forward to take Kol to the healing room as instructed, while others worked on repairing the damage to the room. 

Laina was a little light-headed from the blood loss, but apart from that, she was relatively unscathed. Selene looked up into the sky before inviting the Crown Princess to take a seat so that they may continue their discussion. 

"I am sorry to rush our conversation, having just recovered from an attack and all; but we do not have much time left to waste," Selene explained, "I won't be here for long."

Though Laina was curious as to what the Moon Goddess meant, she did not question it any further as they continued where their conversation had left off. According to the information they have gathered, it was safe to say Laina was not meant to be Alpha King Kragen's mate. 

His mate was the woman in the painting, Victoria. 

Selene massaged her temples as she let out a sigh, "The Mate Bond is not something to be taken lightly. Kragen has taken things too far this time. Though it is not confirmed, I am quite certain the assassination attempt was made towards me as well."

"Assassinate a Goddess? Just what is he trying to hide?" Laina gasped in horror. 

"That Alpha has been getting wildly out of hand. Matching Victoria with him has caused that poor child nothing but pain. But it was necessary," Selene looked up at Laina. 

Though things had not gone the way she had hoped, the Moon Goddess knew she had to use it to her advantage. 

"Your Highness, I need a favor from you. In exchange, I will provide the evidence you seek to prove Kragen is lying. I will also be in your debt."

"In my debt? Goddess Selene… I…" Laina was speechless. 

Was it possible for someone like her to be owed a favor from the Moon Goddess? 

But the terms she was offering were fair. After all, without Selene's help, Kol might be in more serious danger than he already was. So, Laina agreed. 

"Good. I need you to rescue Victoria. That bastard Kragen locked her up in the dungeon beneath his castle. She would likely be pretty weak when you find her, this should help her regain her strength," the Moon Goddess materialized a small vial of liquid and handed it to Laina. 

It was a health potion. 

"She would be the perfect witness to stand against Kragen and prove him wrong," Selene added. 

"What if I'm not able to convince her?" Laina asked. 

The Crown Princess brought up a fair point. If the Alpha King was daring enough to conspire and attempt to assassinate a goddess, what more did he not dare to do? But the traditions of Wolfenheim would still be upheld. 

There were some things even a King had to abide by. 

"In the case, he chooses to ignore all the evidence brought before him, there is one thing you can do."

"Oh? What would that be?"

"You can request for a Battle of Destiny."

"Battle of Destiny?" Laina echoed Selene's words. 

Since long ago, the werewolves often could not agree with one another. When such an occasion arose, they may consider solving their differences with a fight. The winner has the final say in the matter.

Usually, a knight would be chosen to represent the King or Lord to battle one another. But it does not always have to be the case. Kragen himself had chosen to enter the battlegrounds himself on multiple occasions. 

"In fact, if my memory does not fail me, that was how he won his seat on the throne," Selene explained. 

This meant Kragen was a seasoned warrior. Recalling his tall frame and muscular chest, Laina knew he would not be an easy opponent. If it came down to it, who would she call upon to fight for her?

Selene looked down at her hands, they were turning translucent. Putting her hand up towards the moon, she could almost see through her own palm. High Priestess Shylla, who also noticed this, quickly came over. 

"My Goddess, your time to depart is fast approaching," she reminded. 

"Indeed it has. My apologies, Crown Princess Laina, but this is where we must part ways. While I wish to stay longer so that we may further our discussion, it would not be possible," Selene sighed. 

Before she left, Selene materialized a handcrafted whistle. She handed it to Laina. The whistle was carved out of crystal. It took the shape of a wolf. 

"This is the Whistle of the Moonlight Wolf. The sound of the whistle will summon the Moonlight Wolf. Should Kragen or the other werewolves refuse to believe you have met me or anything you say, simply blow this whistle,"

"What happens after that?"

Selene grinned, "The Moonlight Wolf is sacred. They would have no choice but to believe you. But, use this wisely.. It can only be used once."