The fire in my chamber hissed softly, throwing restless shadows across the walls. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the closed door.
Stay here. Don't open the door for anyone.
Kael's voice replayed in my head like a drumbeat.
My fingers itched to do the opposite.
I was not a child to be locked away while the men with claws decided my fate. And worse—he'd dangled a name like bait before vanishing into the night.
The Shadow Alpha.
I'd never heard the name, but something about it left a sour taste in my mouth, as if the words themselves carried a warning.
A faint sound reached my ears—steps. Slow. Steady. Too deliberate to be casual.
I rose and crossed the room quietly, pressing my ear to the door.
Two voices. Low, but not low enough.
"…he brought her here. The human girl."
"She's not human," the second voice replied. "I could smell it the moment she crossed the gate. The king knows it too."
I frowned. Not human?
"She's dangerous," the first voice said. "If the Shadow Alpha finds her, the prophecy—"
"Keep your voice down," the other hissed. "You want the whole fortress to hear?"
Prophecy. My stomach twisted.
The voices moved away, their steps fading into silence. My pulse was racing now, each beat screaming at me to follow.
I cracked the door open. The hallway was dim, lit only by slivers of moonlight leaking through the arrow-slit windows. I slipped out, barefoot, letting the cold stone keep me alert.
Down two flights of stairs, the air grew colder and damp. The scent of smoke and steel gave way to something earthier—moss, wet stone… and blood.
I turned a corner and froze.
A pair of guards stood at the entrance to a narrow corridor. Beyond them, the walls glowed faintly, runes etched into the stone. My wolf stirred inside me—restless, anxious.
"She's here," a voice whispered from the shadows.
I spun, but no one was there. The hair on my neck prickled.
The guards suddenly stiffened, their eyes turning glassy, as if listening to something only they could hear. Then, in perfect unison, they stepped aside.
The corridor yawned open. An invitation… or a trap.
I hesitated only a moment before slipping inside.
The runes pulsed faintly under my fingertips as I walked. A low hum filled the air, almost like the stone itself was breathing.
At the end of the passage, I found a circular chamber. In the center stood a black altar, slick with something dark and wet. Chains dangled from the ceiling, their ends stained.
And carved into the altar's surface were words I didn't understand—until I touched them.
Suddenly, the letters flared gold, and a voice echoed inside my skull.
Blood of moon, heir of wolf, fated to crown and shadow alike.
My vision blurred, a rush of heat flooding my veins. Images flashed before my eyes—a silver wolf howling beneath a blood-red moon, Kael's face twisted in pain, and another man's smile, sharp and cruel.
Then the voice again, whispering one last thing:
He will love you. He will destroy you.
A hand clamped over my mouth.
"Curiosity," a deep voice murmured in my ear, "is how little wolves end up dead."
I tried to twist free, but the grip only tightened. The scent hit me then—wild, sharp, and nothing like Kael's.
"You…" I whispered against the hand.
The man chuckled. "The Shadow Alpha sends his regards."