Chapter Four: She Shouldn't Be Alive
771 Words
The crack in the gravestone spread wider.
Kael couldn't breathe.
His wolf, Fenrir, had been silent for three years.
Now...
It was clawing violently inside him.
**Mate...**
The voice echoed through his mind.
Kael staggered backward.
"No..."
His wolf growled louder.
**She's here.**
Impossible.
He watched them bury her.
He heard the last scream.
He watched the final shovel of dirt cover her grave.
She couldn't be alive.
She couldn't...
Another crack.
The stone split completely in half.
Beta Ronan instinctively stepped in front of Kael.
"My Alpha..."
"We should leave."
Kael never took his eyes off the grave.
"No."
"If that's Evelyn..."
His voice trembled.
"...I'm not leaving her."
"If it isn't..."
He slowly unsheathed the silver sword hanging at his side.
"...then I'll face whatever crawled out of that coffin."
Silence.
Even the wind had stopped blowing.
The forest felt...
Wrong.
Too quiet.
Too empty.
As if every living creature had fled.
Then...
Boom!
The ground exploded.
Chunks of earth flew into the air.
Ronan barely managed to shield his face.
When the dust settled...
The grave was empty.
The coffin...
Gone.
Kael's eyes widened.
"What..."
There was no body.
No bones.
No broken wood.
Nothing.
Only a massive hole leading into darkness.
"It can't be..."
Ronan whispered.
"Someone took her."
Kael slowly approached the edge.
The air rising from the hole was freezing cold.
It smelled...
Like jasmine.
His heart nearly stopped.
That scent.
He would recognize it anywhere.
"Evelyn..."
Suddenly...
A whisper drifted through the trees.
"So..."
Both men froze.
"...you finally came."
The voice was soft.
Beautiful.
Female.
But...
It wasn't Evelyn's.
Ronan spun around.
"Who's there?"
No answer.
Only laughter.
Cold.
Ancient.
It echoed through every corner of the forest.
Kael searched the shadows.
Nothing.
No scent.
No footsteps.
No heartbeat.
Whoever she was...
She wasn't human.
Far away...
Beyond the mortal world...
Evelyn stood inside a vast hall built entirely of black crystal.
Towering pillars stretched endlessly toward the sky.
Thousands of empty thrones lined both sides of the room.
Each throne bore the crest of an ancient wolf kingdom.
At the very end...
One throne remained occupied.
Nyx.
She watched Evelyn with unreadable eyes.
"You've grown stronger."
Evelyn looked down at her hands.
Black veins pulsed beneath her skin before disappearing.
"I feel..."
She searched for the right word.
"...different."
"You are."
Nyx descended the throne's steps.
"The human called Evelyn is fading."
"I don't want to forget who I am."
Nyx smiled sadly.
"You won't."
"You'll simply remember who you were before."
Evelyn frowned.
"I still don't understand."
"You don't need to."
"Not yet."
Nyx stopped in front of her.
"Today..."
"You begin your first lesson."
With a wave of her hand...
The floor beneath Evelyn vanished.
She fell.
Down.
Down.
Down.
Until she landed in the middle of a battlefield.
Blood stained the earth.
Thousands of warriors lay dead.
Broken banners fluttered in the wind.
And standing in the center...
Was a woman.
She wore black armor.
A crown of obsidian rested upon her head.
Long raven hair danced behind her.
She looked exactly like Evelyn.
No...
She was Evelyn.
The woman slowly turned.
Her crimson eyes met Evelyn's.
"I've been waiting for you."
Evelyn's breath caught.
"Who are you?"
The woman smiled.
"The question isn't who."
She began walking closer.
"It's..."
"...when."
The battlefield disappeared.
Evelyn gasped.
She was back inside the crystal hall.
"What was that?"
Nyx's expression remained calm.
"Your first memory."
"My..."
"Every Shadow Queen inherits the memories of those who came before."
"You are the last."
"And the strongest."
Evelyn shook her head.
"No..."
"This is impossible."
Nyx stepped closer.
"Tell me."
"When your mate watched them bury you..."
"Did he choose you?"
Silence.
"No."
"When your pack accused you..."
"Did they trust you?"
"No."
"When you begged for your life..."
"Did anyone save you?"
Tears burned Evelyn's eyes.
"No."
Nyx gently lifted Evelyn's chin.
"Then stop mourning the people who never mourned you."
A strange warmth spread through Evelyn's chest.
For the first time...
She felt something disappear.
Not pain.
Not anger.
Hope.
The hope that someone would come for her.
It died.
Completely.
Nyx nodded in satisfaction.
"Good."
"Now..."
She extended her hand.
"Let's build a Queen."
...
Back in Darkwood Pack...
Selene stood on her balcony.
A raven landed on the railing.
She untied the tiny scroll tied to its leg.
As she read it...
The color drained from her face.
Three words.
Only three.
**The grave is empty.**
The scroll slipped from her fingers.
"No..."
She whispered.
"That's impossible."
For the very first time...
Luna Selene looked afraid.
**End of Chapter Four**
- Writer
