THE LETTER MY MOTHER LEFT BEHIND
985 Words
My dead mother left me a warning.
I just didn’t know why she had waited until now to speak to me.
Morning sunlight spilled through the tall windows of my room, warming the polished wooden floor.
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my hands.
The poison was gone.
My strength was slowly returning.
But my mind refused to rest.
Someone had tried to kill me.
Someone inside this palace.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
An elderly maid stepped inside carrying a tray of breakfast.
She bowed politely.
“Good morning, Lady Aria.”
Lady.
The word still felt strange.
“I’ve brought your meal.”
“Thank you.”
She smiled kindly before placing the tray on the table.
“His Majesty asked me to make sure you finished every bite.”
I sighed.
“He really doesn’t know how to stop worrying.”
The maid chuckled.
“The King hasn’t slept properly since bringing you here.”
I looked up.
“He hasn’t?”
She shook her head.
“He spent the entire night outside your room after the physicians left.”
My heart skipped.
“Why?”
She looked genuinely surprised by the question.
“Because he was afraid you wouldn’t wake up.”
She bowed again and quietly left.
The room suddenly felt much larger.
And much quieter.
After eating, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in my chest.
I needed answers.
If someone wanted me dead…
There had to be a reason.
I glanced around the room.
Everything was elegant.
Everything was unfamiliar.
Everything except one thing.
A small wooden box sat on the shelf beside the fireplace.
It looked old.
Much older than anything else in the room.
Curious, I picked it up.
Dust coated the carved moon symbols on its lid.
When I touched the carving, I heard a soft click.
The box opened.
Inside lay a faded silver ribbon…
A tiny moon-shaped pendant…
And a folded letter.
My breath caught.
The handwriting on the front stopped me cold.
For my daughter.
My fingers trembled.
I knew that handwriting.
I’d seen it only once before.
On the birthday card my father refused to let me keep.
My mother’s handwriting.
She had written this.
Years ago.
With shaking hands, I unfolded the letter.
My dearest Aria,
If you are reading this, it means I am no longer there to protect you.
Tears blurred my vision.
I swallowed hard and kept reading.
Please don’t hate your father. He made impossible choices to keep you alive.
Alive?
What did she mean?
I hurried to the next line.
One day the Lycan King will find you.
My breathing stopped.
Kael.
The letter continued.
When that day comes…
Don’t run.
I frowned.
Why would my mother trust the Lycan King?
She had written this long before I was born.
How could she possibly know him?
I turned the page.
There was more.
Much more.
But before I could read another word—
A sudden gust of wind burst through the open window.
The curtains flew wildly across the room.
“What—”
Something brushed past me.
Fast.
Too fast.
The letter was ripped from my hands.
“No!”
A dark figure landed silently on the windowsill.
Dressed completely in black.
Face hidden.
The letter was already in their hand.
“Stop!”
I ran forward.
The figure jumped from the window.
Without thinking, I climbed onto the ledge and looked down.
The thief landed gracefully in the palace gardens below before disappearing among the trees.
“No!”
I rushed toward the door.
By the time I reached the hallway, guards were already running.
“Lady Aria!”
“The intruder went that way!”
We searched the gardens.
The courtyard.
The training grounds.
Nothing.
The thief had vanished.
My mother’s only letter…
Gone.
I leaned against a stone pillar, fighting back frustrated tears.
Whoever stole it knew exactly what they were looking for.
Which meant they already knew about my mother.
And about me.
A familiar voice spoke behind me.
“Aria.”
I turned.
Kael.
He had obviously run here.
His breathing was uneven.
“What happened?”
“They took it.”
“What?”
“My mother’s letter.”
His expression darkened.
“What did it say?”
“Not much.”
I looked down.
“But it mentioned you.”
His eyes narrowed.
“What exactly?”
I repeated the words slowly.
‘If the Lycan King ever finds you… don’t run.’
For the first time since I had met him…
Kael looked genuinely shocked.
Almost… guilty.
Before I could question him, Captain Rowan approached with another guard.
“We’ve searched the palace, Your Majesty.”
“And?”
“No sign of the intruder.”
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“Double the guards.”
“Seal every entrance.”
“No one leaves the palace.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As everyone hurried away, I couldn’t stop staring at Kael.
“You knew my mother, didn’t you?”
Silence.
His silence answered more than words ever could.
“I’ll explain,” he said quietly.
“But not yet.”
I stepped back.
“That’s becoming your favorite answer.”
“It has to be.”
“No.”
My voice trembled.
“It doesn’t.”
I turned away before he could see the disappointment in my eyes.
If he knew the truth…
Why wouldn’t he tell me?
Hidden behind a row of flowering trees, someone watched us.
The hood fell back just enough to reveal the thief’s face.
Aria’s heart would have shattered if she had seen it.
Because the person holding her mother’s letter…
Was someone she had already begun to trust.
The thief smiled sadly.
“I’m sorry, Aria.”
“But you can never read the rest of this letter.”
To be continued…
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