Chapter 3: The Hidden Truth
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Kael followed Alpha Magnus through the winding stone corridors of the Moonfang Hall. The voices of the villagers faded behind them until only the echo of their footsteps remained.
Neither of them spoke.
At the end of the corridor stood a pair of enormous oak doors engraved with wolves beneath a crescent moon. Two elderly guards bowed as the Alpha approached and pushed the doors open.
Inside was the Council Chamber.
Five elders sat around a circular table carved from a single slab of black granite. Candles flickered, casting long shadows across their weathered faces.
Every eye turned to Kael.
"Come closer," Magnus ordered.
Kael stepped into the centre of the room.
Elder Rowan, the oldest among them, leaned heavily on his staff.
"Tell us exactly what happened at the Stone of Awakening."
"I already did," Kael replied. "Nothing happened."
"That is not true."
Kael frowned.
"The sacred stone has stood untouched for nearly a thousand years," Rowan continued. "It has never cracked."
Another elder, a stern woman named Selene, folded her hands.
"And witnesses reported seeing a burst of silver light."
Kael hesitated.
Should he tell them?
Would they believe him?
"I..." he began slowly. "I heard a voice."
The room fell silent.
"What did it say?" Magnus asked.
Kael swallowed.
"It said... 'The last heir has awakened.'"
The colour drained from Elder Rowan's face.
Selene gripped the edge of the table.
One elder whispered a prayer beneath his breath.
Magnus's expression hardened.
"Leave us."
The guards immediately obeyed, shutting the heavy doors behind them.
Kael looked from one elder to another.
"You know what those words mean, don't you?"
No one answered.
Finally, Rowan sighed.
"There is an old legend."
Magnus shot him a warning glance.
"We agreed never to speak of it."
"The boy deserves the truth," Rowan replied.
After a long silence, the Alpha nodded.
"Only what he must know."
Rowan turned back to Kael.
"Long before the Moonfang Pack existed, there was only one kingdom."
"A kingdom ruled by wolves?" Kael asked.
"No."
"Ruled by something far greater."
He reached into an ancient chest beside his chair and withdrew a faded scroll.
Its edges crumbled with age.
He carefully unrolled it.
Drawn upon the parchment was the figure of a towering warrior cloaked in silver flames.
Behind him stood not one wolf...
...but many.
"What is this?" Kael whispered.
"The First King."
"The first Alpha?"
Rowan shook his head.
"The first ruler of all wolves."
Kael stared at the drawing.
"He possessed a gift no wolf has held since."
"What gift?"
"He could command every wolf in existence."
Kael frowned.
"That's impossible."
"Exactly."
The old elder rolled the scroll shut.
"Which is why the legend says his bloodline was destroyed."
"But legends have a habit of hiding pieces of the truth."
Before Kael could ask another question—
BOOM!
The chamber doors burst open.
A young scout stumbled inside, covered in blood.
He collapsed onto one knee.
"Alpha..."
Magnus rushed forward.
"What happened?"
The scout struggled to breathe.
"The northern border..."
His voice shook.
"The Shadow Claw Pack has crossed into our territory."
Every elder stood at once.
"How many?" Magnus demanded.
The scout looked up with terror in his eyes.
"Thousands."
The room froze.
"That's impossible," Selene whispered.
"They've never gathered an army that large."
The scout swallowed hard.
"They aren't alone."
Magnus's face darkened.
"Who leads them?"
The scout's answer sent a chill through everyone in the chamber.
"A man wearing a black crown."
Far away, in the ruins beneath the mountain, the crimson-eyed king stood before an army of wolves dressed in dark armour.
He smiled as ravens circled overhead.
"The pieces are moving."
He looked toward the distant Moonfang lands.
"Find the boy."
"And bring me... the heir."
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