CHAPTER THREE:A Kingdom In Waiting
767 Words
The arrow on Lyra's wrist refused to disappear.
She scrubbed at the mark until her skin turned red, but the glowing silver lines remained, faintly pulsing beneath the surface.
North.
Always north.
She wrapped a fresh strip of linen around her wrist before returning to the village. If anyone saw the mark, questions would follow. Questions led to fear, and fear always found a reason to destroy what it didn't understand.
As she stepped through the wooden gates, conversations died.
The villagers stared.
An elderly woman quickly pulled her grandson behind her.
"Stay away from her," she whispered.
Lyra lowered her eyes and continued walking.
She had long accepted that she didn't belong.
She simply wished it didn't hurt every single time.
---
Old Mara's cottage smelled of dried herbs and cedar wood.
The old healer looked up the moment Lyra entered.
"You're late."
"I got lost in the forest."
Old Mara frowned.
"You?"
Lyra nodded.
"The paths changed."
For the first time in years, the old woman's face lost its calm expression.
"The forest doesn't change its paths..."
She stopped speaking.
Instead, she slowly walked toward Lyra.
"Show me your wrist."
Lyra hesitated.
"It's nothing."
"Show me."
Reluctantly, Lyra removed the linen.
The silver mark glowed softly.
Old Mara's face turned pale.
"No..."
Her hands trembled.
"It has awakened."
"You've seen this before?" Lyra asked.
The old healer remained silent.
"Tell me the truth."
Old Mara closed the cottage door and drew every curtain shut before speaking.
"Twenty-three years ago, your mother came to this village carrying a newborn baby."
"My mother?"
"She was wounded. Terrified. She begged me to hide you."
Lyra's heart skipped a beat.
"You knew her?"
Old Mara nodded slowly.
"She stayed only one night."
"What happened to her?"
"I don't know."
"She never came back?"
"No."
Lyra swallowed hard.
"Did she tell you who I was?"
Old Mara looked away.
"She said only one thing."
"What was it?"
The old woman took a shaky breath.
"'When the mark awakens... don't let them find her.'"
"Them?"
Before Old Mara could answer—
BANG!
The cottage door flew open.
A young hunter stumbled inside, gasping for breath.
"Mara!"
"What happened?"
"The northern watchtower..."
He struggled to catch his breath.
"It was attacked."
"By what?"
He looked directly at Lyra.
"Wolves."
"Not ordinary ones."
"They were looking for someone."
---
Hundreds of miles away...
The Silver Moon Kingdom prepared for the Moon Ascension Ceremony.
Thousands of torches illuminated the royal courtyard.
Future Alphas from all seven kingdoms gathered beneath banners bearing the symbols of their packs.
Some exchanged respectful greetings.
Others measured each other like rivals preparing for war.
Kael stood quietly beside the Moon Altar.
His expression betrayed nothing.
Inside...
His wolf was restless.
Find her.
Again and again, the command echoed through his mind.
He had never struggled to control his wolf before.
Tonight felt different.
Dangerously different.
A tall warrior with golden hair approached him.
"Still pretending you're not nervous?"
Kael glanced at him.
"Darian."
Future Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack.
One of the few men capable of matching Kael in combat.
Darian folded his arms.
"Tomorrow we meet our mates."
"So we're told."
"You don't sound excited."
"I don't make plans around destiny."
Darian laughed.
"That's because you've never been surprised."
Before Kael could answer—
The ceremonial bell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Every conversation stopped.
The High Priestess stepped onto the marble platform.
Her silver robes shimmered beneath the moonlight.
She raised an ancient crystal staff.
"The Moon Ascension Ceremony begins at tomorrow's first moonrise."
"The Moon Goddess will reveal what has remained hidden."
"The future of every kingdom shall be decided."
As the crowd bowed their heads—
The crystal staff suddenly cracked.
A sharp sound echoed through the courtyard.
Everyone looked up.
The High Priestess stared at the fractured crystal in horror.
"This..."
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"This has never happened."
A cold wind swept across the kingdom.
Far beneath the palace...
Another chain around the Hollow King snapped.
He slowly stood within his prison.
The darkness surrounding him trembled with anticipation.
"The Moon Goddess..."
he whispered with a smile.
"You've already lost."
Miles away, Lyra stood outside Old Mara's cottage as frightened villagers barred their doors against the coming night.
She looked toward the northern horizon.
The mark beneath her bandage pulsed once.
Then twice.
And somewhere beyond the mountains...
Someone answered.
Not with words.
But with a long, powerful wolf howl that echoed across the moonlit sky.
Lyra had never heard that howl before.
Yet somehow...
It felt like home.
- Writer
