The Letter
1051 Words
As he entered the room, the silence struck him with the force of a storm.
Kael walked heavily, his boots echoing against the wooden floor until he stopped in front of the nightstand.
The picture frame was still there.
As if time had not dared to touch it.
For a moment… he did not see the present. He saw himself, smiling.
“How could she betray me after so much love?” he murmured to himself.
In the image, he was presenting Belilah to the pack as his Luna. He remembered his own words, the vow he had spoken under the light of a full moon, before hundreds of eyes that watched them with respect.
His jaw tightened. With a sharp movement, he grabbed the frame. The metal creaked under the pressure of his fingers as he hurled it to the ground.
The glass shattered, cutting through the smiling face of the woman who had betrayed him.
Kael stared at it without blinking.
“Never…” he said, his voice dragging the cold of winter. “No one will ever take my heart again.”
The echo of his words died in the empty room—and with it… the last piece of the man he once was.
Two months later
Kael stood before the Council of Elders in the assembly hall.
He was upright, imposing, and unreachable as ever.
The atmosphere was thick with an almost ceremonial tension.
The elders exchanged glances until the oldest stepped forward.
“Alpha Kael, it is necessary for your bloodline to continue,” he declared. “The Crimson Moon pack needs the security of an heir. The future of our blood depends on you.”
Kael did not move.
“I don’t need to be reminded of my duty.”
His voice was low, yet enough to silence them.
Another elder spoke, more cautiously.
“Then it is time to take a new Luna. A pack without one… is seen as weak.”
Kael’s power spread through the room, heavy and oppressive.
“Let the pack understand this,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “My bloodline will not die with me, and I will never again depend on anyone—least of all… love.”
At that moment, the doors burst open.
A guard entered, agitated, holding a sealed envelope.
“Alpha, forgive the interruption. An urgent letter has arrived from the Silverstream pack.”
Kael extended his hand without looking at him.
“Leave it.”
He took the envelope, then, without lifting his gaze, ordered the council to leave.
“Go.”
No one questioned the command. Within seconds, the hall fell silent.
Kael broke the wax seal. His eyes scanned the lines quickly.
“It is an honor to address you, Alpha Kael Blackthorn.
We have been informed of the recent absence of your Luna and understand the need to strengthen your bloodline.
Therefore, we offer our youngest daughter, Amaris Silverstream, for a formal union between our packs.
She has not been claimed by any Alpha. Her lineage remains intact.
We believe this union will benefit both territories.
We await your response.
Silverstream Pack.”
Kael lowered the letter slowly. There was no emotion on his face—only cold calculation.
The letter was exactly what he needed.
A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.
“Come in.”
Aldo entered with the confidence of someone who did not need to announce himself.
“There are no traces of Belilah,” he reported. “She’s not near the territory. She’s disappeared—there’s nothing to fear. She won’t return.”
“She knows what’s best for her,” Kael replied coldly. “It’s better if she never comes back.”
Aldo nodded, then glanced at the document.
“What do you have there?”
Kael handed it to him without a word. Aldo read it in silence and let out a faint exhale.
“This… is convenient,” Kael said before he could speak.
“You secure your bloodline. You fulfill your duty—and once you have what you need… you can sever the bond.”
The words were not cruel—they were practical.
Kael considered it, and it did not displease him.
“A marriage without emotions,” he said. “Without weaknesses.”
“Exactly,” Aldo confirmed. “No one gets in, no one stays.”
That was all Kael needed to hear.
He extended his hand. Aldo returned the letter.
“Respond in my name,” he ordered. “I accept the proposal.”
His eyes hardened.
“In one week, the wedding will take place in this territory.”
Aldo inclined his head.
“So it will be.”
He turned and left without adding anything more.
Silence returned. Kael opened a hidden drawer in his desk.
He pulled out a second photograph, older—of him and Belilah.
He stared at it for a long moment and couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
“What I promised to build with you… I will build with another.”
His fingers tightened.
“But this time…”
He put the photograph away.
Locked the drawer.
“…it will be without love.”
Kael left the mansion without warning. The night enveloped him immediately.
The forest surrounding the Crimson Moon territory was silent… too silent.
His senses sharpened. Something was wrong.
He moved between the trees, alert, letting his instincts guide every step.
Belilah—for a moment, his mind named her.
But no, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to return.
Then there was movement—too fast.
The attack came from behind.
Kael reacted on instinct, spinning violently, but the blade managed to graze his side.
In an instant, he shifted into the imposing wolf that he was.
“Show yourself,” he ordered, his voice sharp and lethal.
He growled, ready to strike back… but no one was there.
The forest fell silent again, and injured, he returned to his human form.
Then a sound behind him—light, too light to be a threat.
Kael turned sharply and saw her: a girl, standing among the trees, watching him.
“You’re hurt,” she said, with a calm that didn’t fit the situation.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
“Stay back.”
- Writer
