Chapter 4: The Alpha Who Hated the Moon
Three days passed.
I trained from sunrise until sunset.
Every day, my powers grew stronger.
Every day, Kael became more difficult to understand.
He was patient when I failed.
Strict when I gave up.
And strangely protective whenever someone came too close.
But he never tried to control me.
That was what confused me most.
Damon had always called control protection.
Kael didn’t.
He simply stood beside me.
One afternoon, I was practicing elemental control when my flames suddenly exploded.
The training field caught fire.
Everyone scattered.
Kael appeared instantly.
“Elara!”
“I can’t stop it!”
“Look at me!”
I couldn’t.
The flames were everywhere.
My wolf was panicking.
Kael grabbed my shoulders.
“Look at me.”
I forced my eyes open.
His silver eyes locked onto mine.
“You’re not the fire.”
I breathed heavily.
“You’re the one controlling it.”
“I can’t!”
“Yes, you can.”
He placed his forehead against mine.
“Trust yourself.”
The flames began to disappear.
Slowly.
Then completely.
I stared at him.
Neither of us moved.
His hand remained against my cheek.
My heart was racing.
Then someone cleared their throat.
We stepped apart.
Mira stood several feet away.
She was trying not to smile.
“Sorry.”
Kael glared at her.
Mira looked at me.
“The council is waiting.”
“What council?”
“The Black Moon Council.”
My stomach tightened.
“What do they want?”
“They want to decide whether you are worthy of the throne.”
Kael’s expression darkened.
“They don’t decide.”
Mira raised an eyebrow.
“Then you should tell them that.”
—
The council chamber was filled with twelve elders.
All of them stared at me.
One elderly man stood.
“You are the daughter of Adrian Vale.”
“Yes.”
“The accused traitor.”
I clenched my fists.
“My father was innocent.”
“We have no proof.”
“I do.”
The room went silent.
I pulled the letter from my mother from my pocket.
“My mother left this.”
The elder read it.
His face changed.
“This handwriting…”
“What?”
He looked toward the other elders.
“We believed she died.”
My heart stopped.
“My mother?”
The elder nodded.
“She disappeared twenty years ago.”
“She wasn’t killed?”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“She was hiding.”
My entire world shifted again.
My mother might still be alive.
I looked at Kael.
He looked equally shocked.
The elder continued.
“And if she is alive…”
He slowly sat down.
“Then the king is in greater danger than we thought.”
“Why?”
The chamber doors suddenly exploded.
Everyone turned.
A warrior rushed inside.
“Enemy attack!”
Kael immediately drew his sword.
“How many?”
“Thousands.”
I felt the mark on my wrist burn.
The same voice I had heard in the forest whispered inside my mind.
Find me.
I froze.
Kael noticed.
“What happened?”
I looked toward the northern mountains.
“Someone is calling me.”
“Who?”
I didn’t know.
But my wolf did.
The Shadow.
Then every torch in the chamber went out.
Darkness swallowed us.
And a voice echoed through the room.
“Hello, little moon.”
I heard Kael’s wolf roar.
The doors slammed shut.
Something was inside with us.
And it had come for me.
—
