The Wolf King's Burden

Into the Dark

Third Person POV

We left at midnight, right when the patrol guard changed shifts. For hours, I had been tracking Kaine’s wolves, learning their movements and searching for a weak spot. I found one; a blind gap in their rounds. Four minutes where no one watched the eastern wall.

Four minutes to disappear. Four minutes before they realized we were gone.

I packed light, a change of clothes, a bit of food, and my father’s hunting knife, the only thing I still valued. Elara carried even less: a small backpack of supplies and a leather book she held like it was her heart.

“Stay close,” she whispered as we crouched behind the collapsed wall. “Once we clear the tree line, we run. Kaine will send the trackers as soon as he knows we’re missing.”

“How far is the first stop?” I asked, peering into the dark beyond the ruins.

“Twenty miles northeast,” she said. “The Bone Garden; an old Alpha graveyard. The ground there still holds pack magic. We need dirt from an Alpha’s grave. From your family line.”

Perfect. Stealing from my own ancestors. My father would be thrilled.

Elara checked her watch, then nodded sharply. “Now.”

We moved fast and low, crossing the open ground toward the forest. My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my ribs. Any second I expected a shout, a gunshot, the sound of wolves on our trail.

But nothing came. The forest swallowed us whole, leaving only the sound of our breathing and the crunch of dry leaves.

We ran for an hour straight, pushing deep into the woods and away from the Blackthorne patrols. Elara moved like she’d done this before; quick, sure-footed, and quiet. Maybe she had. I knew little about her, except that she carried her grandmother’s blood and claimed she wanted to help.

Trust wasn’t something I could afford, but for now, I had no choice.

We stopped beside a creek to drink. The water was cold and clean. I cupped it in my hands, letting it cool my burning throat.

“They’ll know by now,” Elara said softly. “Kaine will send his best after us.”

“How long do we have?”

“If Garrett’s leading them, maybe six hours. He’s the best tracker in the pack. He can follow a three-day scent through a river.” She looked up. “We have to keep moving. The Bone Garden is still fifteen miles away. We need to reach it before dawn.”

I nodded, forcing myself up. I wasn’t as strong as I used to be. Once, I could run for days without tiring. Now, every step hurts.

We pressed on. Elara led us off the main paths, through thick brush and rocky slopes, a route that would slow our pursuers. Smart. She knew what she was doing, and that made me curious.

“How did you end up with Kaine?” I asked as we jumped a fallen log. “If your grandmother was Morganna Thorne, you should’ve been hunted the moment they found out.”

Elara was quiet for a long moment. Then she said, “My mother ran when Morganna died. She was pregnant and terrified the packs would kill her for being the witch’s daughter. She hid in a human town, kept me safe until I turned sixteen.”

“What happened when you were sixteen?”

“My first transformation,” she said flatly. “Being half-werewolf doesn’t care if you know what you are. The moon calls anyway. I killed my mother that night. Woke up covered in her blood with no memory of what I’d done. Sound familiar?”

The words hit harder than I wanted to admit. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. That’s when I found out who I really was from Morganna's bloodline. I studied everything I could about wolves, curses, and magic. Then Kaine’s men found me. He wanted Morganna’s research. When he learned who I was and that I had her journals, he gave me a choice: serve him as a healer, or die.”

“So you’ve been his prisoner.”

“For five years.” She ducked under a branch. “He keeps me alive because I’m useful. When I stop being useful, I die. Same as you.”

We walked in silence after that. The forest grew darker, older. The trees were huge, ancient untouched by humans, protected by old pack laws.

Morning light touched the horizon when we reached the Bone Garden.

I remembered it from years ago, when my father brought me here to honor our ancestors. The place hadn’t changed a quiet clearing filled with tall stones marked with ancient symbols. Each stone stood over an Alpha’s grave. My family’s stones lay on the eastern side, weathered but unbroken.

Elara dropped her pack and pulled out a small shovel. “We need soil from beneath your father’s stone,” she said. “The power is strongest there.”

My father’s name was carved in the granite: Marcus Veylor; Alpha, Protector.

Simple words for a man who had been anything but. He was strong, proud, and just. Everything I wasn’t anymore.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” I whispered, driving the shovel into the dirt. “I know this isn’t what you’d want.”

The earth was dark and rich, humming faintly with the power of my bloodline. Elara held out a cloth bag, and I filled it carefully.

“That’s enough,” she said, tying the bag. “We need to…”

A howl split the air.

Close. Too close.

Elara froze, eyes wide. “Garrett,” she breathed. “He’s found us.”

More howls answered, spreading through the woods like an echo of death. They were surrounding us with disciplined training. Kaine had sent his full hunting pack.

“Can we outrun them?” I asked.

“No. Not on foot.” Her hands trembled as she gripped her bag. “We’ll have to split up. They’re following both our scents. If we separate, we’ll confuse them.”

“That’s suicide. You’re not a fighter.”

“And you can’t finish the ritual without me.” She met my eyes. “I’ll go south, along the river. The water will mask my scent. You go north there’s a place called the Whispering Stones, ten miles from here. That’s where you’ll find the next piece. I’ll meet you there at sundown.”

“Elara…”

“We don’t have time!” Another howl, closer. “If we stay together, we die. If we split, at least one of us has a chance.”

She was right, though I hated it. I shoved the bag of grave dirt into my coat.

“Don’t die,” I told her.

“Same to you.” She gave a small, brave smile. “Follow the North Star. You’ll feel the magic when you’re close.”

Then she ran south, vanishing into the trees. I turned north and sprinted the other way.

The howls followed for a mile, then drifted south. They’d taken her bait. Relief and guilt fought inside me. She'd risked everything so I could escape.

I kept running until my lungs burned and my legs turned weak. When I finally stopped, the sun was high, and I’d made it about eight miles. Not enough, but I couldn’t push further without collapsing.

I found a hollow under an old oak, its roots forming a small cave. It felt safe and hidden. I crawled inside, breathing hard.

From my coat, I pulled the small bag of dirt. It was warm against my skin, alive with power. My father’s magic, his legacy. I wondered what he’d think now of his son, cursed, hunted, robbing his grave, and trusting the witch’s granddaughter.

Probably nothing good.

I closed my eyes, just for a moment.

When I opened them again, hours had passed. And something was watching me from the trees