CHAPTER8
969 Words
Chapter Eight: Blood at the Gate
The Tribunal Hall exploded into motion the moment the messenger collapsed.
Cries erupted from the Elders' seats. Guards unsheathed weapons, snapping to attention. The scent of blood, the messenger’s, raw and real, mixed with a rising fear that spread like wildfire.
Darius caught the man before he hit the floor completely. “Where are they coming from?”
“East…” the messenger gasped, blood bubbling in the corner of his mouth. “Vanguard of the Iron Fangs… armed… dozens. Maybe more. They broke the Southern watch line.”
The Elder Omega stood slowly, eyes sharper than before. “This tribunal is adjourned.”
“Wait!” Aria shouted over the din. “What do they want?”
The messenger coughed, eyes glassy. Not what… who.
They’re coming for the Omega, who carries both Dominic and Darius’s claim. "They said… ‘Bring her out, or we burn the Council.’”
All eyes turned to Aria.
She couldn’t breathe.
“They’re after me?”
Kael stepped forward, expression unreadable. “Then they’re making a grave mistake.”
Kiera was already moving, gliding to the side of the hall with quiet grace. “So dramatic,” she said, though her smile faltered. “Who knew her little sister would become such a lightning rod?”
Aria’s legs trembled beneath her, but she refused to fall. Not here. Not now.
“Why me?” she asked again, this time to Darius.
He hesitated.
Then: “Because your blood is not just tied to Riverclaw. Your mother came from the royal Omega line of the Vale. "The Eastern Packs see you as the last link to a claim they were denied two generations ago.”
“What?” Aria whispered. “My mother died in childbirth." She was”
“An heir to the Vale Luna line,” the Elder Omega confirmed. That power was buried. Hidden. Until now.”
Kael turned to her. “You should’ve told me.”
“I didn’t know,” Aria snapped.
A horn blast split the air low, guttural, and close. Too close.
“They’ve reached the outer gates!” someone shouted.
One of the Elders turned to Kael. “Your warriors”
“I only brought two guards,” he said. “This was supposed to be political, not war.”
The Elder looked at Darius. “And you?”
“Ten warriors,” Darius replied grimly. “Not enough for a siege.”
The Elder Omega’s voice cut through the panic like a blade. “Then we defend what we have.”
Chaos thundered above them as bells rang out from the towers. Soldiers scrambled to their posts. Omegas were escorted to the lower wings. The Elders vanished behind fortified doors.
And Aria stood frozen as the hall emptied.
This wasn’t just a territorial dispute anymore.
It was a war.
Moments Later — War Room
Aria stood beside Darius and Kael in the Council’s ancient war chamber. Maps littered the stone table. The sound of horns and steel echoed above them.
“They want me alive,” Aria murmured. That means they’ll come through the front. Fast. Brutal.”
Darius nodded. “And they’ll expect us to hand you over.”
Kael’s expression was hard, controlled. “They'd expect fear. We give them fire.”
“Easy for you to say,” Aria shot back. “You are both Alphas. Born for this. I’m just”
“You’re not just anything,” Darius said sharply.
“You are an Omega born of two powerful bloodlines. You survived exile. You returned without anyone’s protection. You are not weak.”
Kael’s gaze flicked to her. “You’re stronger than both of us realise. But now isn’t the time to question it. Choose.”
“Choose what?”
Kael stepped forward. “Stay hidden, and let us fight for you… or lead them into battle. Your choice, Aria.”
The question hit like a punch to the chest.
For years, she'd been invisible.
Unworthy. Ashamed. Forgotten.
But now, armies marched in her name. The world had turned its gaze towards her.
Kiera’s voice echoed in her memory: “Who knew my little sister would become such a lightning rod?”
Aria straightened.
“Then I fight,” she said. But not behind walls. If they come for me… let them see I’m not afraid.”
Hours Later — The Eastern Gate
Smoke choked the sky as the Ironfang warriors gathered beyond the stone wall. Armoured wolves. Warhorns. Flaming spears.
Aria stood atop the battlement in ceremonial armour too heavy for her slight frame, but she held her ground.
Kael and Darius flanked her.
The enemy Alpha stepped forward, tall and broad-shouldered, with eyes like polished obsidian. His voice boomed across the space.
“Bring out the Vale-blooded Omega. We will not ask again.”
Aria stepped forward.
The warriors on both sides held their breath.
“I am Aria Moonridge,” she shouted, her voice cracking at first, then gaining strength. Daughter of Alpha Moonridge. Blood of Riverclaw and Vale. You came for a ghost. I stand here in the flesh.”
The Alpha growled. “Then you’ll die with the rest.”
He raised his hand.
The archers behind him took aim.
Dominic snarled, lunging forward. “Get down!”
But before the first arrow flew, a howl erupted behind the enemy lines.
Not one. Not two.
Dozens.
Suddenly, wolves attacked from the trees, feral, fast, and not aligned with either side.
Darius cursed. “Rogues. They’ve joined the Ironfangs.”
Kael turned to Aria, eyes fierce. “This changes everything.”
Aria reached for her blade.
And then she saw her.
Standing behind the rogue lines, her face unmarked, her gown untouched, her expression.
Kiera.
Watching it all unfold.
Smiling.
- Writer
