The King’s Claim
939 Words
Chapter Five: The King’s Claim
The victory celebration lasted three days.
Music echoed through the village.
Bonfires lit the night sky.
Warriors drank and laughed as they celebrated Kael’s triumph over the Eastern Pack.
Yet beneath the joy, tension lingered.
Because the Alpha King had returned.
And everyone knew he had unfinished business.
Elara.
⸻
Elara avoided the celebrations.
The secret Elder Selene had revealed haunted her thoughts.
A lost royal bloodline.
A forgotten kingdom.
Ancestors who had once ruled vast territories.
It felt impossible.
Like a story told to children around a fire.
Yet the images in the moon pool had been real.
She couldn’t deny what she had seen.
Nor could she ignore the strange feeling growing inside her.
As if her life were changing in ways she could no longer control.
⸻
Late one evening, a knock sounded on her cottage door.
Her heart immediately sank.
She already knew who it was.
When she opened the door, Kael stood outside.
Fresh scars marked his face from battle.
His black coat hung heavily over broad shoulders.
The moonlight made his silver eyes glow.
For a moment neither spoke.
Then Kael said quietly,
“Walk with me.”
⸻
This time she didn’t argue.
The village was crowded.
Everyone watched them.
Refusing would only create more rumors.
Together they headed toward the cliffs overlooking the forest.
Far from curious eyes.
Far from listening ears.
The wind howled around them.
Below, endless trees stretched toward the horizon.
Beautiful.
Wild.
Dangerous.
Much like the man beside her.
⸻
Kael leaned against a stone ledge.
For several moments he simply watched the moon.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
His voice remained calm.
Elara crossed her arms.
“You’ve noticed.”
A faint smile appeared.
“I notice everything about you.”
The answer made her uncomfortable.
And Kael knew it.
Yet he didn’t apologize.
⸻
Finally, he turned toward her.
His expression became serious.
“I learned something during the war.”
Her pulse quickened.
“What?”
His eyes locked onto hers.
“You’re not who you think you are.”
The words struck like lightning.
For a split second, panic flashed across her face.
Kael immediately noticed.
And that reaction confirmed his suspicions.
“You know.”
It wasn’t a question.
⸻
Elara looked away.
Silence stretched between them.
The wind carried fallen leaves across the cliffside.
Finally, she nodded.
“A little.”
Kael stared at her.
Then something unexpected happened.
He laughed.
Not mockingly.
Not cruelly.
Genuinely.
“You spent your whole life believing you were ordinary.”
She frowned.
“So did everyone else.”
His expression softened.
“Not anymore.”
⸻
The statement sent a chill through her.
Because it sounded less like an observation and more like a warning.
⸻
“You don’t understand.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“If people learn the truth—”
“They will.”
The interruption startled her.
Kael’s gaze hardened.
“Eventually.”
Fear settled inside her chest.
“What happens then?”
His answer came instantly.
“They come for you.”
⸻
The words felt like ice.
Because she knew he was right.
Royal bloodlines attracted enemies.
Greed.
Power.
War.
Everything her ancestors had tried to escape.
⸻
Kael stepped closer.
Not threateningly.
Protectively.
“As long as I’m alive, nobody touches you.”
His voice carried absolute certainty.
The confidence of a king who had never lost a battle.
A man capable of destroying armies.
Yet somehow that promise frightened her almost as much as the threat itself.
Because Kael’s protection always came with possession.
⸻
“You can’t protect me forever.”
A shadow crossed his face.
“I can try.”
The answer was so honest it caught her off guard.
⸻
For a moment she saw something beneath the Alpha King’s strength.
Loneliness.
Determination.
Fear.
Not fear for himself.
Fear of losing her.
⸻
Before either could speak again, a howl shattered the night.
Sharp.
Urgent.
Dangerous.
Kael’s entire body tensed.
His instincts activated immediately.
Predator replacing man.
“What is it?”
Elara asked.
Another howl echoed.
Closer this time.
Warriors.
Alarm signals.
⸻
Kael’s expression darkened.
“Stay behind me.”
The command left no room for argument.
Moments later, a bloodied scout burst from the forest.
He stumbled before dropping to one knee.
“My King!”
Kael moved instantly.
“What happened?”
The scout struggled to breathe.
“The southern border.”
His voice shook.
“We found them.”
⸻
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“Them?”
The scout swallowed hard.
“The Crimson Fang.”
Silence.
Dead silence.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
⸻
Elara had never heard the name before.
But judging by Kael’s reaction, she didn’t need an explanation.
Every muscle in his body tightened.
His eyes turned cold.
Dangerously cold.
“What are they doing here?”
The scout lowered his head.
“They’re searching for someone.”
⸻
Kael already knew the answer before the words came.
He could feel it.
Deep inside.
Like a storm approaching.
⸻
The scout finally spoke.
“They’re searching for the last heir of the Moon Kingdom.”
Elara’s blood ran cold.
⸻
The secret was out.
And somewhere beyond the darkness, powerful enemies were already coming for her.
For her bloodline.
For the legacy she never knew she possessed.
⸻
Kael slowly turned toward her.
His expression unreadable.
But his next words changed everything.
“They’ll have to go through me first.”
And judging by the look in his eyes…
The Alpha King was prepared to start a war.
- Writer
