CHAPTER 17 THE NIGHT OF THE HEIR
1177 Words
The celebrations refused to die.
From one end of Midnight Pack to the other, joyous howls echoed beneath the silver moon as warriors celebrated the birth of the first Blackthorne heir in a generation.
Torches burned brighter.
Drums thundered.
Even the oldest wolves smiled.
The future Alpha had arrived.
Inside the Royal Pack House, however, the celebration carried a quieter dignity.
The royal birthing chamber had finally settled into silence.
Luna Seraphine rested against embroidered cushions, exhausted but radiant, while the tiny infant lay peacefully beside her.
Alpha Kael remained standing.
He had scarcely taken his eyes off either of them.
His expression had softened in a way only Seraphine had ever witnessed.
Not Alpha.
Not ruler.
Not Blackthorne.
Simply… A father.
Seraphine smiled weakly.
"You've barely blinked."
Kael looked down at the child.
"I waited years for this moment."
His voice was unusually quiet.
Seraphine reached for his hand.
"And now he's here."
Kael slowly nodded.
"Our heir."
Outside the chamber, warriors stood twice as alert as before.
No celebration would ever make Midnight careless.
Especially not tonight.
Far beyond Midnight's borders...
Inside Redclaw Pack House...
The atmosphere could not have been more different.
No music.
No celebration.
Only silence.
A raven landed upon the balcony outside Alpha Darius' private chamber.
The bird let out a sharp cry.
Darius immediately lifted his head.
"The signal."
He walked toward the balcony.
The raven stretched out its leg.
Fastened beneath it rested a tiny black crystal etched with ancient runes.
Darius crushed it inside his palm.
Instantly...
The Shaman's voice echoed directly into his mind.
"My Alpha..."
"The heir has been born."
Darius remained perfectly still.
"It is a boy."
Silence.
Then came the next words.
Words that made even Alpha Darius stop breathing for the briefest moment.
"His aura..."
"It is unlike anything I have ever sensed."
"Even as a newborn..."
"His dormant wolf already surpasses what his father possessed at birth."
For the first time...
Something flickered across Darius' face.
Not fear.
Not panic……. Shock…. Unexpected shock.
His fingers tightened around the crystal until it shattered completely.
Beside him, Luna Mira immediately noticed.
She had spent years reading the smallest changes in her mate.
His eyes had changed.
Only for a heartbeat.
But she had seen it.
"You felt something."
Darius remained silent.
Mira stepped closer.
"What did the Shaman say?"
Another long silence followed.
Then Darius slowly exhaled.
"The child."
"What about him?"
Darius looked toward the moon.
"When wolves like that are born..."
"...history changes."
Mira stared.
For several moments neither of them spoke.
Then...
The shock disappeared.
Every trace of it.
The calculating Alpha returned.
His gaze became colder than before.
"If that child survives..."
"...everything changes."
He slowly turned.
His voice carried no emotion whatsoever.
His fingers tightened around the enchanted crystal.
Then the ruthless Alpha regained his composure.
Then, he sent a signal back through the mindlink.
"Change of plans."
His voice was low, but carried unquestionable authority.
"This has gone beyond what we anticipated."
He turned toward the palace doors, already moving.
"Keep the plan alive."
"I am coming."
"This time... I need to see the Blackthorne bloodline with my own eyes."
"And erase them all."
Another pause.
"Every Blackthorne carrying that blood..."
"...dies tonight."
Mira never questioned him.
She simply nodded.
"Then tonight..."
"...Midnight falls."
Back inside Midnight...
Commander Megan burst through the hidden passage leading toward Viera's secluded quarters.
His breathing was uneven.
His armor bore fresh cuts from the three warriors who had delayed him.
Yet none of it mattered.
Only one thing remained.
"My son..."
He pushed open the door.
Viera immediately stood.
"Megan!"
Without another word, he uncorked the small crystal vial and hurried toward the cradle.
Little Raegan's cries had weakened.
The tiny warrior barely moved.
The dark veins spreading beneath his skin had climbed farther than before.
Viera covered her mouth.
"No..."
Megan gently lifted his son.
"You will fight."
His voice trembled.
"You carry my blood."
"You carry the blood of Midnight."
"You will not surrender."
He slowly poured the antidote between the baby's lips.
For one endless moment...
Nothing happened.
Then...
Raegan's tiny body jerked.
The veins beneath his skin pulsed violently.
Darkness collided with silver light beneath the newborn's flesh.
The antidote had begun battling the poison.
Viera gasped.
"It isn't disappearing..."
Megan watched every movement carefully.
"No."
"It isn't."
His warrior instincts immediately understood.
"The poison stayed inside him too long."
Another violent tremor passed through the baby.
The veins neither spread...
Nor vanished.
Instead...
They seemed locked in battle beneath his tiny skin.
Almost...
As though two ancient forces were tearing each other apart.
Raegan suddenly cried.
Louder this time.
Stronger.
Megan's eyes softened.
A smile almost appeared.
"That's it..."
"Fight."
"My son..."
"You are already fighting."
Viera dropped to her knees beside them, tears streaming freely.
"He'll live?"
Megan looked toward the child.
"He isn't healed."
"But he's resisting."
"The antidote is buying him life."
Viera released a trembling breath.
Relief mixed with terror.
Megan gently returned Kaelen to the cradle before looking at her.
His face hardened again.
"They delayed me."
Viera frowned.
"What?"
"They never intended for me to return immediately."
Everything suddenly connected.
"They wanted time."
His eyes widened.
"The Pack House."
Viera immediately understood.
"The Alpha..."
Megan nodded once.
"They're making their move."
He reached for his sword.
"I have to return."
Viera grabbed his wrist.
"Megan..."
He looked back.
"My son is fighting."
His voice became firm.
"So will I."
Without another word...
Commander Megan sprinted into the night.
Deep inside the Royal Pack House...
The disguised Shaman moved through the corridors wearing Omega Dawn's face flawlessly.
No warrior questioned her.
No servant hesitated.
She was one of them.
Exactly as planned.
Reaching an empty passageway, she quietly pressed two fingers against the ancient rune hidden beneath her sleeve.
A whisper escaped her lips.
"The antidote also reached Megan's son."
A brief silence answered.
Then Darius' voice echoed through the magical link.
"Forget the child."
"Focus on the true mission."
The disguised Shaman lowered her head.
"As you command."
The connection faded.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
A wicked smile curved across her lips.
Not because the child had survived.
But because she had already found what Alpha Darius had truly sought from the moment she stepped inside Midnight Pack.
She turned her eyes toward the deepest section of the Royal Pack House.
Toward the heart of Blackthorne authority.
Everything she had been sent to accomplish...
Was now within reach.
Across the Pack...
Commander Megan ran harder than he had ever run in his life.
Every instinct screamed.
Every heartbeat thundered.
Every step whispered the same terrifying thought.
Please...
Don't let me be too late.
Behind him...
The moon shone over Midnight Pack.
Ahead of him...
The Royal Pack House stood illuminated beneath silver light.
Majestic.
Untouchable.
Yet somewhere inside its ancient walls...
An unseen enemy had already made the first move.
And Commander Megan had no idea...
That tonight was never truly about his son.
It had always been about the Blackthorne bloodline
- Writer
