The Ghost in The Gold
813 Words
The scent of sandalwood and ash hit me before I even saw them.
It used to be the scent that meant home. Now, it smelled like a lie.
I stood at the edge of the Night-Star cliffside, Ryker looming like a dark shadow at my back. Below us, in the valley that marked the border, five wolves shifted into their human forms. At the lead was Killian. He looked exactly as he had two days ago—strong, arrogant, and wearing the Alpha-crest of the Blood-Moon pack.
Beside him stood Sienna, her hand possessively on his arm. She wore a smug grin, but it faltered as she looked up at the fortress she wasn't allowed to enter.
"Who goes there?" Killian’s voice boomed, echoing off the obsidian rocks. "We tracked a surge of illegal energy to this coordinate. Hand over the Rogue, and we will leave your lands."
Ryker stepped forward, his voice like rolling thunder. "You are standing on Night-Star soil, Killian. You have no authority here. And as for the 'Rogue'..."
Ryker looked at me, a silent question in his violet eyes. Are you ready?
I took a breath, feeling the Solaris fire purring beneath my skin. I stepped out from behind the jagged rocks into the full light of the midday sun.
Down in the valley, I saw Killian’s entire body stiffen.
He didn't recognize me at first. How could he? The girl he knew was covered in soot, with dull hair and a broken spirit. The woman standing before him now wore a dress of violet silk, her silver-blonde hair flowing like a river of moonlight, and skin that literally shimmered in the sun.
"Elara?" Killian whispered. His Alpha-voice cracked.
"Elara?!" Sienna shrieked, her face twisting in horror. "That's impossible. That... that thing is a maid! She should be dead!"
I didn't scream. I didn't cry. I looked down at them with a cold, detached pity.
"The 'thing' you're looking for died in the woods, Sienna," I said, my voice amplified by the power humming in my chest. "I am Elara of the Solaris Line. And you are trespassing."
Killian took a step forward, his eyes blowing wide. I could see the bond—the shredded, blackened remains of it—twitching in his chest. He looked like he’d been hit by a physical blow.
"Elara... your eyes," he stammered. "Your scent... it's different. It's... beautiful."
"Careful, Alpha," Ryker’s voice was a low, dangerous growl as he placed a heavy hand on my waist, pulling me flush against his side. "The lady doesn't care for the opinions of those who throw away treasure because they're too blind to see it."
Killian’s gaze dropped to Ryker’s hand on my hip. A raw, animalistic growl ripped from his throat. Even though he had rejected me, his wolf was reacting to another male touching his fated mate.
"Get your hands off her, Night-Star," Killian snarled, his claws beginning to unsheathe. "I don't know what kind of trick this is, or what you did to her, but she belongs to the Blood-Moon."
"I belong to no one," I snapped.
I raised my hand, and the air temperature in the valley spiked forty degrees in a second. Golden sparks danced between my fingers, and the ground beneath Killian’s feet began to smoke.
"You rejected me, Killian. You broke the bond. You chose your Queen," I pointed a finger at the trembling Sienna. "Now, take her and get off this mountain before I show you exactly what happens when the sun sets on a traitor."
Killian looked at my hand—the raw power I was wielding—and then at my face. For the first time, I saw it. The look I had dreamed of.
Regret. Pure, agonizing, soul-crushing regret.
"Elara, wait—" he started, reaching out.
"Leave," I commanded.
I let a tiny fraction of the Solaris fire snap toward his feet. The explosion of golden light sent the Blood-Moon party scrambling back in terror.
As they retreated into the trees, Killian looked back one last time. He looked like a man who had realized he’d traded a star for a handful of gravel.
I didn't watch him leave. I turned toward Ryker, my knees suddenly shaking.
"He’ll be back," Ryker said, his voice soft as he caught me before I could stumble. "He’ll bring an army for you now. Not because he loves you, but because he craves your power."
I looked up at the Alpha King, the man who had seen my fire and didn't try to quench it. "Let him come," I said, my voice hardening. "I have a new pack now. And I have a crown to take."
- Writer
