Welcome to Nightfall
1076 Words
The towers of Nightfall Estate appeared just after sunrise.
Amelia stopped walking.
For a moment, she simply stared.
The estate was enormous.
Stone walls rose high above the surrounding forest.
Silver banners danced in the breeze.
Multiple towers stretched toward the sky.
Beyond the gates, she could see elegant gardens, fountains, training grounds, and buildings larger than the entire center of Tinder Paw.
Owen stopped beside her.
"Well."
Amelia blinked.
"Well what?"
"We officially look poor."
Several Tinder Paw warriors laughed.
Amelia smirked.
"We are poor."
"Fair point."
The closer they got, the larger everything seemed.
Warriors patrolled the walls.
Guests arrived in expensive vehicles and horseback caravans.
Servants moved with practiced efficiency.
Everywhere Amelia looked there was wealth.
Power.
Influence.
The kind of world she'd only heard about.
And for the first time, she understood just how different her life might have been.
If she had been raised as Amelia Blackwood.
At the front gates, Nightfall warriors greeted arriving guests.
Garrett stepped forward.
The lead guard bowed respectfully.
"Alpha Garrett of Tinder Paw."
Amelia noticed the surprise.
The guard clearly hadn't expected them.
Interesting.
Garrett handed over their invitation.
The guard checked the list.
Then froze.
His eyes darted toward Amelia.
A strange expression crossed his face.
Recognition.
Confusion.
Fear.
Then it vanished.
"We've been expecting you."
Amelia frowned.
That sounded odd.
Very odd.
The guard stepped aside.
"Welcome to Nightfall."
The massive gates opened.
And suddenly they were inside.
The courtyard buzzed with activity.
Pack members hurried in every direction.
Guests filled the grounds.
Amelia immediately noticed the variety of wolves present.
Some wore expensive designer clothing.
Others carried themselves with unmistakable Alpha authority.
Several warriors radiated enough dominance to make younger wolves instinctively move aside.
None of it impressed her.
What impressed her were the training grounds.
They were incredible.
Massive obstacle courses.
Weapon ranges.
Combat arenas.
Running tracks.
Amelia immediately veered toward them.
Owen laughed.
"We've been here thirty seconds."
"I just want to look."
"You're staring at training equipment like other women stare at shoes."
"Training equipment is useful."
"That's the most Amelia sentence ever spoken."
A loud voice interrupted them.
"Tinder Paw?"
The group turned.
A young man approached.
Tall.
Muscular.
Dark blond hair.
Friendly smile.
Nightfall colors marked his jacket.
The man stopped in front of Garrett.
"Alpha Garrett."
Garrett smiled.
"Beta Lucas."
The two men shook hands.
Lucas looked toward Amelia.
His eyebrows immediately rose.
"You're Amelia."
She frowned.
"How do you know my name?"
Lucas grinned.
"Because my little sister won't stop talking about you."
Now Amelia was confused.
"What?"
A female voice suddenly appeared behind Lucas.
"You teach balance training."
Amelia turned.
A young woman stood there.
Dark hair.
Bright green eyes.
Excited smile.
The woman practically bounced.
"I knew it was you!"
Amelia blinked.
The stranger continued.
"Your training methods."
"...My what?"
"The balance runs."
Amelia stared.
The woman pointed excitedly.
"The wolf runs. The human endurance drills. The moon ceremonies."
Owen leaned toward Amelia.
"You've become famous."
Amelia looked horrified.
"Absolutely not."
The woman laughed.
"Actually, yes."
Garrett looked entirely unsurprised.
Which annoyed Amelia.
A lot.
Elsewhere inside the estate, Kieran Nightfall froze.
Mid-conversation.
Mid-step.
Mid-breath.
Everything stopped.
Onyx surged forward.
Hard.
Powerfully.
Certain.
The wolf nearly knocked through his mental barriers.
She's here.
Kieran's golden eyes widened.
The bond.
The pull.
The feeling he'd been experiencing for days.
It exploded.
Stronger than ever.
Like a magnetic force drawing him toward something essential.
Toward someone.
His friend and future Beta, Jace, frowned.
"Kieran?"
No answer.
"Kieran."
Still nothing.
"Kieran!"
The Alpha heir finally blinked.
"What?"
Jace stared.
"You look like someone just hit you."
Kieran looked toward the courtyard.
His heart thundered.
"No."
His voice came out rough.
"She's here."
Understanding immediately flashed across Jace's face.
"Mate?"
Kieran nodded.
One word.
One simple word.
Yet it changed everything.
Back in the courtyard, Amelia felt it too.
The warmth.
The pull.
The invisible thread.
Only now it wasn't subtle.
Not even close.
The sensation slammed into her chest.
She stumbled.
Owen caught her arm.
"Whoa."
Amelia grabbed her chest.
"What is happening?"
Nyx immediately stood.
Alert.
Focused.
Excited.
He's close.
The wolf sounded almost smug.
Amelia ignored her.
The pull strengthened.
Every instinct screamed the same thing.
Move.
Go.
Find him.
Her feet took a step.
Then another.
Then another.
Without realizing it, Amelia began walking.
Straight through the crowd.
Past guests.
Past warriors.
Past confused pack members.
Toward the main estate.
Toward the grand staircase.
Toward him.
Inside the mansion, Kieran was doing the exact same thing.
Ignoring everyone.
Ignoring protocol.
Ignoring common sense.
His mother called after him.
He didn't stop.
His father called his name.
He kept moving.
The bond had taken hold.
And neither wolf intended to be denied.
The crowd began noticing.
People stepped aside.
Whispers spread.
Confused glances followed.
Something was happening.
Nobody knew what.
But everyone could feel it.
The energy in the air changed.
Electric.
Anticipatory.
Ancient.
Amelia climbed the front steps.
At the exact same moment...
The massive front doors opened.
Kieran stepped outside.
The world stopped.
Completely.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Every sound disappeared.
Every voice faded.
Every movement ceased.
Amelia's breath caught.
Golden eyes.
The same golden eyes from her vision.
The same eyes she'd seen in dreams.
The same eyes she'd felt across mountains.
And somehow...
She knew.
Across the courtyard, Kieran stared.
Waist-length auburn hair.
Hazel eyes shimmering with gold and green.
A silver crescent moon resting against her throat.
Beautiful.
Strong.
Familiar.
His wolf roared.
MATE.
The word echoed through every fiber of his being.
Amelia felt Nyx surge forward.
For the first time in her life, her wolf sounded completely overwhelmed.
We found him.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Neither looked away.
The entire world narrowed to a single moment.
A single heartbeat.
A single connection.
Then disaster struck.
A voice exploded across the courtyard.
"AMELIA BLACKWOOD!"
Every head turned.
Every conversation stopped.
Every Alpha froze.
The voice belonged to a man standing near the entrance.
Tall.
Powerful.
Silver-streaked dark hair.
Ice-blue eyes.
A man who looked startlingly familiar.
The stranger stared at Amelia.
Emotion filled his face.
Shock.
Relief.
Love.
Heartbreak.
Hope.
The man's voice cracked.
"My daughter."
The entire courtyard went silent.
Amelia froze.
Kieran froze.
Every guest froze.
Because standing before the most powerful Alphas in the werewolf world...
The greatest secret of the last nineteen years had just been exposed.
And nothing would ever be the same again.
- Writer
