Chapter 7: The Mother Behind the Throne
The first thing I felt was anger.
Not fear.
Not confusion.
Anger.
My mother was alive.
She had known where I was.
She had known what would happen.
And yet she had never come for me.
I didn’t understand.
The fortress exploded into movement.
Warriors rushed down the stairs.
Kael shifted.
Mira drew both swords.
I felt my wolf rise.
But my eyes remained fixed on my mother.
“Mom!”
She looked at me.
“Run!”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t understand!”
“Then explain!”
The Alpha King laughed.
“She cannot.”
My mother turned toward him.
“Silence.”
He smiled.
“You’ve been waiting twelve years for this moment.”
I stared at her.
“Twelve years?”
She closed her eyes.
“I had no choice.”
“You always have a choice.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I did it to protect you.”
I shook my head.
“That’s what everyone says.”
The words hurt more than I expected.
My mother looked at Kael.
“You brought her here.”
Kael’s face was hard.
“She found you.”
“You should have kept her away.”
“I tried.”
The Alpha King stepped forward.
“Enough.”
His eyes settled on me.
“You’ve awakened.”
I felt the mark burn.
“Why do you want me?”
“Because your blood can open the ancient gate.”
“What gate?”
My mother whispered:
“The Moon Gate.”
Kael looked shocked.
“The Moon Gate was destroyed.”
“No.”
My mother shook her head.
“It was hidden.”
The Alpha King smiled.
“And your daughter is the key.”
I stared at my mother.
“What is the Moon Gate?”
She looked at me.
“A door to something that should never be opened.”
“What?”
Before she could answer, the Alpha King raised his hand.
“Take her.”
Warriors charged.
I unleashed my power.
Silver flames erupted from my body.
The soldiers screamed.
The walls shook.
Kael attacked from the side.
Mira fought beside him.
For several minutes, the fortress became a battlefield.
I fought my way toward my mother.
She didn’t move.
She simply watched.
When I reached her, I grabbed her hand.
“Come with me.”
She stared at me.
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
She looked toward the Alpha King.
“Because I made a deal.”
My heart broke.
“What deal?”
Her voice trembled.
“Your life…”
She swallowed.
“…for mine.”
The Alpha King smiled.
“Exactly.”
I stared at him.
“You threatened her.”
“No.”
He stepped closer.
“Your mother came to me willingly.”
My mother whispered:
“I thought I could protect you.”
The truth struck harder than any weapon.
She hadn’t abandoned me.
She had sacrificed herself.
But there was still something she wasn’t telling me.
I could feel it.
“You lied to me.”
She looked at me.
“About what?”
“You didn’t just make a deal for my life.”
Her face went pale.
“You gave him something else.”
Silence.
Kael looked at her.
“What did you give him?”
My mother closed her eyes.
“The location.”
“Of what?” I asked.
“The Black Moon Temple.”
Kael’s face changed.
“Why?”
“Because he promised he would never hunt Elara.”
The Alpha King laughed.
“And I kept my promise.”
My mother looked at me.
“I didn’t know he would wait for you to awaken.”
I stepped backward.
The betrayal wasn’t simple anymore.
It had layers.
My mother had sacrificed herself.
The king had manipulated her.
And Kael had hidden the truth.
Everyone had been making decisions about my life without me.
I was done.
I looked at the Alpha King.
“You wanted my blood.”
He smiled.
“Yes.”
“You wanted the Moon Gate.”
“Yes.”
“And you think you can control me.”
His smile disappeared.
“I don’t think.”
He raised his hand.
“I know.”
The ground beneath me began to glow.
Ancient symbols appeared.
My mother screamed.
“NO!”
Kael lunged toward me.
But it was too late.
The symbols formed a circle around my feet.
My body became weightless.
The black crescent on my wrist burned like fire.
Then a massive crack appeared beneath the fortress.
Something ancient began waking beneath us.
The Alpha King smiled.
“The Moon Gate is opening.”
And from somewhere deep beneath the mountain…
something answered.
A howl.
So ancient…
that every wolf in the fortress dropped to its knees.
My mother whispered:
“The Shadow Wolf.”
The ground split open.
And two enormous red eyes opened beneath us.
