Chapter 239 - Ordering the Steps Ahead

There was a heavy, solemn silence on the battlefield, replaced by the clashing of swords and guttural roars. As the last of the resistance faded, Aryana and Cyrus stood amid their enemies' debris, looking around the ruins of Arcanis. Aryana watched as her men buried Alpha Kaveh and her treacherous half-brothers in the ground. With a pounding chest, Cyrus walked over to Aryana. Despite the destruction all around them, his eyes were gentle as he reverently raised her into his arms, "The war has been won, my queen” he whispered, pride lacing his words. As she leaned toward him and traced his cheek with her fingers, Aryana's expression relaxed and her lips curled. For the first time, they laughed together, a happy sound that was strange in the ruins. She was bonded to Cyrus by marriage, love, and a bond formed in war, he was her real family. They had committed themselves to one another as partners, obligated to one another by laws and gods, Alpha and queen. Cyrus's demeanor changed