She Is Under My Protection
614 Words
The courtyard fell into a deathly silence.
Every pair of eyes shifted from the hooded stranger... to Elara.
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
"Hand over the girl..."
She had never seen the man before.
Why was he hunting her?
Lucien stepped forward, placing himself between Elara and the castle gates.
His broad shoulders blocked her from the stranger's view.
His voice was calm.
Deadly calm.
"You crossed my border."
The hooded man laughed.
"And?"
Lucien's golden eyes narrowed.
"That was your first mistake."
A cold wind swept through the valley.
Even the rogue army fell silent.
The stranger slowly lowered his hood.
Elara gasped.
His face was covered in strange black markings that pulsed with an eerie crimson glow. One of his eyes was silver.
The other...
Completely black.
He smiled, revealing sharpened teeth.
"Always so arrogant, Lucien."
"I'll ask one last time."
"Give me the girl."
Lucien didn't move.
"Why?"
The stranger chuckled.
"You know why."
"I want to hear you say it."
The smile disappeared from the man's face.
"She belongs to my master."
Elara's stomach twisted.
"My... master?"
The stranger's gaze settled on her.
"Poor little wolf."
"You don't even know what you are."
Fear crawled down Elara's spine.
"What do you mean?"
"You were never meant to live this long."
Lucien's Alpha aura exploded across the courtyard.
The stone beneath his feet cracked.
"Enough."
The stranger laughed again.
"I struck a nerve."
Without warning, he raised one hand.
The rogues charged.
Their deafening howls shook the valley.
"Protect the citizens!" Lucien roared.
Blood Moon warriors surged forward, crashing into the rogue army.
Steel clashed.
Wolves snarled.
The peaceful city transformed into a battlefield.
Elara stumbled backward as two rogues broke through the front line.
One lunged at her.
Before she could react—
A massive black wolf slammed into the rogue, sending it flying across the courtyard.
Lucien.
Even in wolf form, he was enormous.
Larger than any wolf Elara had ever seen.
His fur was as black as midnight.
His golden eyes burned with terrifying power.
The remaining rogue hesitated.
That single moment was enough.
Lucien's jaws closed around its throat.
One brutal snap.
Silence.
The rogue collapsed.
The courtyard erupted in cheers.
"The Alpha!"
"Our Alpha is unstoppable!"
But Lucien wasn't celebrating.
His wolf stood protectively in front of Elara, eyes fixed on the hooded stranger.
The stranger sighed dramatically.
"Still as protective as ever."
He snapped his fingers.
Three more hooded figures emerged from the forest.
Unlike the rogues, they moved with unnatural grace.
Their eyes glowed the same unnatural crimson.
Lucien shifted back into human form.
His clothes remained untouched, as if the shift itself obeyed his will.
His Beta's face paled.
"Alpha..."
"They're here."
Lucien nodded once.
"I know."
Elara looked between them.
"Who are they?"
Neither answered.
The tallest hooded figure stepped forward.
"You've become careless, Lucien."
Lucien's expression hardened.
"I warned your Order to stay away from my territory."
"And yet..."
The hooded figure smiled.
"...you brought her home."
A strange symbol on Elara's moonstone pendant suddenly began to glow.
Heat spread across her chest.
She cried out, clutching it.
The pendant floated into the air.
A beam of silver light shot toward the sky.
Dark clouds spiraled above Blood Moon Castle.
Every wolf in the valley dropped to one knee.
Even the hooded strangers looked shocked.
"No..."
One whispered.
"It can't be."
Lucien looked up at the silver light, and for the first time since Elara had met him...
The unshakable Alpha looked genuinely stunned.
Then, slowly...
He lowered himself onto one knee before her.
His warriors followed.
Thousands of voices echoed through the courtyard as one.
"Welcome home..."
"...Our Luna."
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