The Forgotten Daughters
1657 Words
Morning arrived without warmth.
The sun rose above Black Moon Manor, but the estate remained covered in shadows.
Ariana had barely slept.
The sentence she had written in her notebook stayed in her mind.
You are not the first.
It should have brought relief.
Knowing there had been others meant she wasn't alone.
Instead, it created a deeper fear.
Because every story she had found about the Moonblood ended the same way.
A disappearance.
A mystery.
A forgotten name.
She closed the notebook and looked at the silver mark beneath her skin.
It was faint now.
Almost invisible.
But she could still feel it.
Like a heartbeat that didn't belong entirely to her.
---
The archive was already open when Ariana arrived.
She wasn't surprised to find Kael there.
Somehow, she had expected him.
He stood beside the ancient records, his attention fixed on a large book resting on the table.
"You knew I would come."
Kael looked up.
"Yes."
She raised an eyebrow.
"That confident?"
"No."
A pause.
"I knew you would want answers."
Ariana walked closer.
"And you?"
"I want the same thing."
That answer caught her off guard.
She expected him to say he wanted to protect the clan.
Or protect her.
But not this.
The truth.
"You don't know everything."
"No."
Kael closed the book.
"But I know where we start."
---
The book on the table contained the oldest records of the Moonblood line.
Most pages were damaged.
Some were missing.
Others had been deliberately removed.
Ariana carefully turned through the remaining pages.
"Someone erased parts of this."
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
"Who?"
"The first clans."
She looked at him.
"Why would they erase their own history?"
"Because history can become a weapon."
Ariana traced a faded symbol.
"What were they afraid of?"
Kael was silent for a moment.
Then he answered:
"The truth."
---
According to the records, the Moonblood was not a single person.
It was a bloodline.
A rare connection between the first wolves and the moon itself.
Every few centuries, a woman would be born carrying the ability to awaken ancient power within the werewolf species.
But the records became darker after that.
The first Moonblood united the clans.
The second disappeared.
The third was hunted.
The fourth...
There was no record.
Only one sentence remained.
"The moon chooses, but the wolves decide."
Ariana frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Kael's expression became serious.
"It means the clans had a choice."
"What choice?"
He looked at her.
"To protect the Moonblood."
A pause.
"Or control her."
---
Ariana looked away.
"So that's why everyone wants me."
Kael's expression hardened.
"No."
She looked back at him.
"No?"
"They want what they believe you can give them."
"Which is?"
"Power."
The answer was simple.
And terrifying.
Ariana laughed quietly.
"So I'm not a person anymore."
Kael immediately looked at her.
"Don't say that."
"Why not?"
"Because it's not true."
"Isn't it?"
Her voice softened.
"Everyone looks at me and sees a prophecy."
Kael stepped closer.
"I don't."
The words came too quickly.
Too honestly.
Ariana went silent.
For a moment, the distance between them felt smaller.
Then Kael looked away.
Because admitting too much was dangerous.
---
The door to the archive opened.
Lucian entered.
The expression on his face immediately changed the mood.
"Kael."
The Alpha turned.
"What happened?"
"We received a message."
"From who?"
Lucian hesitated.
"Silver Fang."
Darian.
Ariana noticed the change instantly.
The tension.
The anger.
The history.
"What does he want?"
Lucian looked at Kael.
"He wants a meeting."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
Lucian handed him the message.
Kael read it silently.
Then his expression became unreadable.
Ariana watched him.
"What did it say?"
Kael folded the paper.
"Darian wants peace."
She immediately noticed something.
"You don't believe him."
"No."
"Why?"
Kael looked at her.
"Because Darian Voss has never offered peace unless he already knows how to win."
---
Hours later, preparations began.
The meeting would take place at neutral territory.
An abandoned cathedral between clan borders.
A place where no Alpha had shed blood in over a century.
Ariana watched from the manor entrance as Kael prepared to leave.
"You are going."
It wasn't a question.
"Yes."
"Because of me?"
Kael stopped.
"No."
Ariana looked surprised.
"Then why?"
His eyes met hers.
"Because if war is coming..."
His voice lowered.
"I need to know who is standing against us."
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Ariana said:
"Be careful."
Two simple words.
But they affected him more than she realized.
An Alpha was used to commands.
Warnings.
Orders.
Not concern.
Kael nodded once.
"I will return."
Ariana didn't know why those words mattered.
But they did.
---
As Kael disappeared into the forest, neither of them noticed the shadow watching from the trees.
A woman.
Hidden.
Ancient.
Her eyes carried the same silver glow as the moon.
She whispered one name.
"Ariana."
And smiled.
"Finally."
The road to the abandoned cathedral was silent.
Kael preferred it that way.
Silence gave him room to think.
And lately, his thoughts had become more dangerous than any enemy.
Ariana.
Her voice.
Her questions.
The way she looked at him like he was not an Alpha, not a symbol, not a weapon.
Just a man.
That was the problem.
For centuries, Alphas had been trained to separate themselves from emotion. Attachment created hesitation. Hesitation created mistakes.
But Kael had already made one mistake.
He cared.
And he had no idea when it happened.
---
The cathedral appeared through the fog just before sunset.
Once, it had been a place where humans prayed.
Now, it belonged to no one.
That was why the clans chose it.
Neutral ground.
A place where even enemies could meet without bloodshed.
Kael stepped inside.
The old wooden doors closed behind him.
Darian Voss was already waiting.
Of course he was.
The Silver Fang Alpha stood near the altar, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. Unlike Kael, who carried his power openly, Darian hid his behind charm and intelligence.
That made him more dangerous.
"Kael."
"Darian."
Neither offered a greeting.
Neither trusted the other enough.
Darian smiled faintly.
"Still as welcoming as ever."
"You didn't invite me here to discuss manners."
"No."
Darian looked toward the broken stained-glass windows.
"I invited you because something has changed."
Kael remained still.
"The Moonblood."
Darian's smile disappeared.
For the first time, there was seriousness in his eyes.
"You know what she is."
"I know enough."
"No."
Darian shook his head.
"You know what the elders told you. That is not the same as knowing the truth."
Kael's expression hardened.
"Then tell me."
Darian stepped closer.
"The Moonblood was never meant to belong to one clan."
"I know."
"No, you don't."
His voice became quieter.
"She was created to unite all wolves."
A pause.
"Or destroy them."
---
Back at Black Moon Manor, Ariana sat in the archive.
She should have been resting.
Instead, she was searching.
The more she learned, the less she believed she had a choice.
She opened an old record book and found a list of names.
Women connected to the Moonblood.
The first.
The second.
The third.
She traced each name carefully.
Then she reached the final entry.
Her hand froze.
There was no name.
Only a symbol.
The same mark that appeared on her skin.
Below it were three words:
"The unfinished blood."
Ariana felt a chill.
"What does that mean?"
"You tell me."
She turned quickly.
A woman stood at the entrance of the archive.
Ariana immediately stepped back.
She hadn't heard anyone enter.
The woman looked young.
Too young.
But there was something ancient in her eyes.
Silver eyes.
Like moonlight.
"Who are you?"
The woman smiled.
"My name is Lyra."
Ariana's instincts told her to be careful.
"Are you a werewolf?"
The woman tilted her head.
"That is a very human question."
"That isn't an answer."
Lyra smiled slightly.
"I like you."
Ariana frowned.
"That doesn't make me trust you."
"It shouldn't."
Lyra walked closer.
"Trust is something people earn."
Ariana noticed something.
Lyra wasn't afraid.
Not of her.
Not of the manor.
Not of the wolves surrounding them.
"How did you get inside?"
The woman's expression changed.
"I was invited."
"By who?"
Lyra looked toward the ancient books.
"By the same person who has been waiting for you."
Ariana's heart tightened.
"Who?"
Lyra looked directly at her.
"The first Moonblood."
---
At the cathedral, Kael's patience was disappearing.
"You knew she would appear."
Darian didn't deny it.
"Yes."
"And you waited."
"Yes."
Kael's eyes flashed gold.
"You let me find her."
Darian smiled.
"Because you were always going to."
The words angered him because part of him knew they were true.
"What do you want?"
Darian looked toward the moonlight entering through the broken ceiling.
"I want to know if the prophecy was wrong."
"And if it wasn't?"
Darian's eyes met his.
"Then the next war will decide who controls the future."
Kael stepped forward.
"You won't touch her."
Darian studied him.
"There it is."
"What?"
"The reason you will lose."
Kael's expression darkened.
"You think caring makes me weak."
"No."
Darian smiled.
"I think caring makes you predictable."
---
When Kael returned to the manor, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
The wolves were tense.
The guards were searching.
His instincts awakened.
"Ariana."
He moved before anyone could answer.
He found her in the archive.
Alive.
Safe.
But not alone.
The woman with silver eyes turned toward him.
For the first time in centuries...
Kael Vargan forgot how to breathe.
Because he recognized her.
Not from memory.
Not from history.
From something deeper.
The same feeling he had when he saw Ariana.
The same impossible connection.
The woman smiled.
"Hello, Kael."
His voice was barely a whisper.
"Who are you?"
The woman looked at Ariana.
Then back at him.
"I am the reason your world is about to fall apart."
A pause.
"I am the first Moonblood."
- Writer
