Episode 2: The Northern Alpha
770 Words
The palace courtyard fell into stunned silence.
Every eye remained fixed on the stranger.
Ryker Frostbane.
The Alpha of the forgotten Northern Moon Clan.
His icy blue eyes never left Princess Elara.
“The prophecy has begun,” he repeated.
King Kael stepped forward, his Alpha aura filling the courtyard.
“You walk into my kingdom, accuse my family of hiding the truth, and expect us to believe you?”
Ryker remained calm.
“I expect nothing.”
“I came to warn you.”
Commander Damian rested a hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Sounds more like a threat.”
The warriors of the Royal Guard surrounded Ryker and his companions.
One wrong move…
…and a battle would begin.
⸻
Queen Lyra stepped between the two Alphas.
“Enough.”
Her calm voice carried the authority of the Moon Queen.
“No blood will be spilled in this palace.”
She turned to Ryker.
“If you truly came with a warning, then speak.”
Ryker nodded once.
“The North has fallen.”
A murmur spread through the crowd.
“No one has lived beyond the Frozen Peaks for centuries,” an elder whispered.
Ryker’s jaw tightened.
“We did.”
“Our people survived.”
“We guarded a prison.”
Elara frowned.
“A prison?”
Ryker’s eyes darkened.
“For something older than the Shadow Beast.”
⸻
The crowd exchanged nervous glances.
Cassian gripped his staff tightly.
“There were only two ancient evils…”
Ryker looked at him.
“That’s what history tells you.”
“But history was rewritten.”
The old advisor’s face turned pale.
⸻
Ryker slowly reached into the pouch at his belt.
The Royal Guards immediately raised their weapons.
“Don’t.”
Kael warned.
Ryker ignored him.
He pulled out a weathered silver scroll.
The seal on it bore an unfamiliar crest—a crescent moon surrounded by snowflakes.
“This was passed down through every Alpha of the Northern Moon Clan.”
He handed it to Lyra.
“You should read it.”
Lyra carefully broke the seal.
As soon as she opened the scroll…
Silver letters began glowing across the ancient parchment.
Her eyes widened.
“This handwriting…”
Kael looked over her shoulder.
“It belongs to Queen Althea.”
The legendary Moon Queen.
Lyra’s ancestor.
⸻
The courtyard became deathly quiet.
Lyra read aloud.
“If this message is ever uncovered, then the Moon Crown has rejected its heir. Know this: the rejection is not punishment. It is protection. The true enemy sleeps beneath the Frozen Peaks. Do not awaken him until the Heir of Moon and the Heir of Frost stand together.”
Elara looked at Ryker.
“Heir of Frost…”
“That’s you.”
Ryker gave a slight nod.
“My family has protected that prison for a thousand years.”
“Until last week.”
His expression grew grim.
“The seal was broken.”
⸻
Before anyone could respond—
A palace guard burst through the crowd, breathless.
“Your Majesty!”
“We’ve received reports from the northern border!”
Kael stepped forward.
“What happened?”
“The villages…”
The guard struggled to catch his breath.
“They’re gone.”
Gasps echoed through the courtyard.
“What do you mean, gone?” Damian asked.
The guard swallowed hard.
“There are no bodies.”
“No survivors.”
“No buildings.”
“It’s as if the villages simply… disappeared.”
A chill ran down Elara’s spine.
⸻
That night…
The royal family gathered in the war room.
Maps covered the massive oak table.
Red markers had been placed across the northern border.
Damian pointed at them.
“These disappearances started three nights ago.”
“Every village vanished without a fight.”
Selene frowned.
“No blood.”
“No tracks.”
“No witnesses.”
Ryker stared at the map.
“It’s moving south.”
Kael folded his arms.
“What is?”
Ryker looked each of them in the eye.
“The Forgotten King.”
Silence filled the room.
Elara felt her heartbeat quicken.
“If he’s real…”
“Can he be stopped?”
Ryker hesitated.
“For a thousand years…”
“My clan believed he couldn’t.”
His gaze met hers.
“But the prophecy says otherwise.”
Outside, thunder rolled across the sky.
Far beyond the kingdom, beneath the frozen mountains, a pair of glowing crimson eyes opened in the darkness.
A deep voice echoed through the ice.
“Find… the Moon’s Heir.”
🌙❄️🐺
- Writer
