Chapter 20;-The Day He Returned
1190 Words
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(Leyla POV)
I woke before the sun,not because I wanted to,but because I couldn’t sleep.
Samir was already sitting up in bed, eyes wide with anticipation.
“Is today the day?” he whispered.
“Yes,” I said softly.
He grinned like a boy who believed heroes were real,maybe they were.
I braided my hair simply, tied it back the way I always did. Nothing elaborate. Nothing that drew attention.
In the mirror, I looked like myself just Ordinary, Safe, and Invisible.i prefer this way
Outside, Warda was waiting, vibrating with energy.
“You’re coming to the gates, right?” she demanded before I even greeted her.
“I have infirmary duty.”
“You can go after. No one will be injured in the first five minutes of his arrival.”
“You don’t know that.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“You’re afraid.”
I adjusted the basket of herbs in my hands.
“I’m realistic.”
She smirked.
“Fine. Be realistic at the gates.”
---
The morning was too bright. streets too loud, and too alive.Silver Claw had never looked like this in all the two years I had lived within its borders.
Banners stretched from tower to tower. Warriors stood in polished formation armor. The scent of pine smoke and fresh bread drifted from the kitchens where preparations had begun before dawn.
Today, the Alpha-in-waiting returned.
Today, Idris came home.
And the pack did not try to hide its excitement.
---
Silver Claw did not simply gather.
It assembled.Warriors in full formation. Elders robed in council silver.
Healers standing respectfully to the side. Children hushed by mothers who had dressed them in their best.
At the front platform stood the ruling family.
Alpha Ibrahim, Broad-shouldered, streaks of silver threading through his dark hair, his gaze sharp and experienced. He had ruled for decades.
Beside him stood Luna Aisha.
Graceful. Composed. Watching everything,and between them, barely contained in excitement stood Princess Intisar.
Almost seven. Crown braid slightly crooked from too much movement,her eyes bright with restless anticipation.
“That’s my brother,” she whispered loudly to no one in particular.
Luna Aisha gently touched her shoulder. “Stand still, Intisar.”
But her own smile betrayed pride.
Then the hooves thundered.
The entire pack gathered near the entrance road.
Children perched on fences. Elders stood with proud, knowing expressions. Warriors lined the pathway like a corridor of honor.
I stood near the back,Where I belonged.
The distant thunder of hooves came first.
Then dust.Then silver cloaks.My heartbeat changed.
Slow.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
And then, saw him.Idris rode at the front.
Not the boy who had carried survivors from burning ruins.
Not the young warrior who stood in the infirmary doorway two years ago.
This was something else.Broader shoulders. Sharper posture. Authority woven into every movement.
His presence shifted the air itself.
Behind him rode Saadun steady, composed and Rihab, formal and precise.
They stopped before the Alpha’s platform.
And when Idris dismounted,The pack bowed.Even I did.But for a moment, before my head lowered, His gaze swept the crowd.
And paused.
Not long,
Not obvious.
But paused.
My breath caught.
No.
I told myself firmly.,He was looking at everyone, Not you.
---
Alpha Ibrahim step forward.
He did not rush.He did not show over emotion.But when Idris approached
The Alpha gripped his son’s forearm.
A warrior’s clasp.Equal pressure.
Acknowledgment.
“You return stronger,” Alpha Ibrahim said, voice carrying across the courtyard.
“I return ready,” Idris answered.
Not proud.
Not boastful.
Certain.
Luna Aisha stepped forward next.her hand rose to cup his cheek, and Idris slightly tilt his head to show affection.
“My son,” Luna Aisha said softly.
The words held two years of absence.
Princess Intisar could not restrain herself.She ran forward, nearly breaking formation, throwing her arms around Idris’ waist.
“You took forever!” she declared.
A ripple of laughter moved through the crowd,and there for the first time, Idris smiled openly. He lifted her easily.
“I was training to outrun you,” he replied.
“You can’t,” she said confidently.
“I’m faster.”
The future Alpha, holding a laughing child.
The image settled deeply into the pack’s heart.
Into mine too.
Then Lady Salma approached.
Of course she did.
White ceremonial attire. Perfectly measured steps.
She bowed to Alpha Ibrahim first. To Luna Aisha second.
Then to Idris.
“Silver Claw welcomes its future Alpha,” she said clearly.
The words were intentional.
Claiming alignment.
The council members nodded approvingly.
Luna Aisha’s gaze flickered between Salma and her son.
Careful.
Assessing.
Alpha Ibrahim said nothing.
But he watched everything.
Idris responded with formal respect.
“Lady Salma.”
No warmth.
No rejection.
Political neutrality.
Which somehow felt louder than either.
Warda leaned toward me and whispered, “She looks like she already rehearsed being Luna.”
I nudged her sharply.But my chest felt… strange.Not jealousy.Not exactly.
Something quieter.
something that hurt in places I refused to name.
The ceremony speeches began.Elders praising discipline.Council members praising strength.Words about legacy. Stability. The future of Silver Claw.
I should have been listening.Instead, I watched him.The way he stood feet grounded, hands steady at his sides.
The way he listened fully before responding.The way his voice carried without shouting.
He had changed.But when a small child stumbled near the front, almost tripping over a banner rope,he moved instantly.
Caught the boy before he fell.Knelt briefly to steady him.Spoke something too quiet to hear,and the child beamed.
And for a second, I saw the same warrior who once carried us out of cages.My heart betrayed me with warmth.He is Alpha now, I reminded myself.
Not a memory.Not a hero in the shadows.
And certainly not yours.
I stood far behind the warriors.Just a healer’s assistant, a herbal basket in my hands, Just another survivor folded into Silver Claw’s structure.
As speeches continues Princess Intisar was lifted again. she was excited,
Her gaze wandered,and unexpectedly
It found me. She studied me for a moment, then whispered something to Idris , his expression changed Slightly,then he lifted his gaze.
Swept the crowd.
And stopped, On me.not long.
Not dramatic.
But unmistakable.
Recognition.
The kind that says: I remember.
My breath faltered,and I lowered my gaze.
When the ceremony ended, Alpha Ibrahim raised his hand for silence.
“Next week,” he announced, voice firm and resonant, “Silver Claw will witness the coronation of its new Alpha.”
A roar of approval followed.
“And the Moon will reveal what must stand beside him.”
The words were deliberate.
Not: Salma will stand beside him.
Not: A chosen Luna will be declared.
The Moon will reveal.
Luna Aisha’s expression remained unreadable.
Salma’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
And somewhere within me,something trembled.
That night, the celebration continued long after sunset.
But as I lay beside Samir, listening to distant laughter and music echo through the pack grounds, one truth settled quietly into my bones:
Idris had returned not just as a son.
Not just as heir.
But as a storm wrapped in composure.
And storms,Do not ask permission before changing everything. 🌙
- Writer
