Chapter 4 – Walls with Ears
862 Words
The words haunted her.
“If the crown lies… the kingdom falls.”
Aurelia left the library with shaking hands, her mind spinning faster than her feet could carry her. She didn’t know what scared her more—the prophecy itself or how calmly Kaelen had locked her in a room with someone who knew it.
He didn’t deny anything.
He didn’t explain anything.
Why bring her to someone who would tell her the truth… unless he already knew she was beginning to suspect?
The corridors were quieter now, almost eerily so. The torches flickered against the stone as she walked, clutching the sides of her dress, heart pounding.
She turned a corner and nearly collided with a young woman carrying a tray of folded linens.
“Oh—my lady,” the girl gasped, bowing low. Her face was pale, but her eyes curious. “I didn’t see you.”
“That’s alright,” Aurelia replied, steadying herself. “What’s your name?”
The girl hesitated. “Elena, my lady.”
Aurelia softened. “Don’t call me my lady. I’m not used to it.”
The girl smiled slightly. “Very well… Aurelia.”
They stood there for a beat in the dim hallway.
“Do you work in the east wing?” Aurelia asked.
“No, I—I work near the Temple Wing. Where the old shrines are kept.”
“The shrines?”
Elena’s voice lowered. “Where the Alpha’s ancestors prayed to the moon goddess. It’s quiet there now. Too quiet. They say the Seer still visits, even when she’s not seen.”
Aurelia leaned closer. “Do you believe it?”
Elena hesitated. “I believe there are things in this castle that walk without sound… and know every secret.”
A chill danced up Aurelia’s spine.
“Elena,” she said softly, “can you show me the Temple Wing?”
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Later that night, cloaked in a long gray shawl and escorted only by moonlight, Aurelia followed Elena down a back staircase made of ancient stone. They passed iron sconces that had gone out ages ago, walls that bore names carved in Old Wolf Tongue, and a carved archway that opened into a forgotten temple.
The air was thick with dust and power.
She stepped inside slowly.
Moonlight bled through a tall circular window at the temple’s peak, falling in a perfect column onto the cracked marble floor. Statues of wolf gods lined the perimeter—some shattered, others glowing faintly.
At the far end of the chamber stood a high altar. Candles, mostly melted, surrounded it.
But what drew Aurelia’s eyes was the massive tapestry hanging on the far wall.
She walked to it slowly, her breath catching as she recognized… herself.
Not exactly herself—but a woman with golden skin, red hair, standing in flames, wearing a crown of moonlight.
In her arms was a dying wolf.
Her eyes burned like stars.
Beneath the image were words etched in silver:
> She who is both and neither shall bleed for the crown.
She who is loved shall save.
She who is used shall destroy.
Aurelia stepped back, trembling.
“Elena,” she whispered, “this… this is me.”
“It’s the prophecy,” the maid replied quietly. “Older than Valcryn itself.”
“Why would Kaelen bring me here if he knows this?”
Elena’s lips thinned. “Maybe he wants you to see it. Maybe he thinks it’s too late for you to run.”
Aurelia turned away from the tapestry, fury rising in her throat.
She had walked willingly into a trap. A trap dressed in velvet and laced with kisses.
Kaelen Drayke—Alpha King, supposed protector, the man who took her hand and said “you are mine”—was preparing her for slaughter.
But why had he looked at her with something close to affection? Why offer kindness now?
Unless…
Unless he was starting to care. And caring was dangerous.
Because if he loved her, she’d become powerful enough to defy the prophecy’s destruction. But if he betrayed her with a lie…
He’d unleash everything.
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Back in his chamber, Kaelen stood alone.
The fire roared quietly behind him. His crown lay on the table, untouched.
He stared at his reflection in the darkened glass of his window, watching the moon climb higher into the sky. Its pull twisted inside him like a cord he couldn’t cut.
He could feel her now. Her heartbeat. Her fear. Her fire.
And something else—something ancient—stirring beneath her skin.
He gripped the window frame tightly, his claws beginning to show. His wolf was restless. Not for battle. Not for blood.
For her.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He was never meant to want her. The prophecy had been clear: bind her, use her, destroy her before the Blood Moon.
But when he looked into her eyes… he’d seen more than a sacrifice.
He saw the girl who would either break him…
Or save him.
And for the first time since the crown touched his head—
Kaelen Drayke was afraid.
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- Writer
