Chapter 7 Between the land and legacy
565 Words
Silver Moon was more than just a pack—it was a bridge.
It sat on the long granite spine that joined the main continent to the icy peninsula beyond the Narath Sea, an ancient land most wolves feared to enter. Where other territories spread out like empires, Silver Moon ran narrow and long, nestled between cliffs, forests, and cold rivers that never froze. The pack guarded one of the oldest travel routes known to wolves, and their traditions were as cold and sharp as their mountains.
No one crossed between continent and peninsula without Silver Moon’s approval.
And now, someone was coming for them.
---
Araya stood outside the training fields, her boots pressed into the frost-hardened soil. The morning fog still hung low, weaving around the spears and targets like ghosts from another war. She stared out over the ridge, arms folded tight, cloak rustling gently in the wind.
She hadn’t slept. Not really.
The dreams had returned.
First scent, then sound. A voice, deep and ancient, whispering her name.
And fire.
Always fire.
The kind that didn’t burn skin—but burned through the soul.
---
Inside the Silver Moon council hall, Beta Darion stood at the head of a long table, frowning down at a folded piece of parchment just delivered by messenger hawk.
The seal was unfamiliar—an old crest, faded but still marked with silver ink.
> A personal summons.
Three wolves stood beside him: a Gamma, a senior guard, and a traveling scout who had just returned from the southern edge.
“Riders were seen three leagues from the Shadow Bridge,” the scout said. “Wearing neutral colors. No aggression. But they asked for Araya by name.”
Darion’s fingers drummed against the table.
“How many?”
“Three. Two men, one woman. Traveling light. Not rogues.”
“And you’re sure they didn’t speak to anyone else?”
The scout nodded. “Their words were careful. They said they serve an Alpha of Old Blood.”
Darion’s frown deepened. He looked at the letter again.
Then, slowly, he opened it.
Inside was only a single line:
> Send her to me, before the Moon chooses for us both.
No signature.
No threats.
Just weight.
---
By evening, Araya was summoned.
She stood before her father in the war hall, heart pounding, shoulders square. She could feel the tension rippling through the room, even before he spoke.
“Someone is asking for you,” he said.
She kept her face calm. “Who?”
“They didn’t say. But they crossed the sea to find you.”
The silence between them stretched like wire.
“And?”
He stepped down from the dais, eyes burning.
“Tell me, Araya. Is there something I need to know?”
Her mouth opened. Closed.
She had practiced her lies. But now, they felt heavy.
“No,” she said quietly.
He studied her for a long time. Then nodded once.
“Pack what you need. You leave at dawn. You’ll go with two guards. See what they want.”
And just like that, her fate began to turn.
As she walked from the hall, her hand drifted to her belly.
The child stirred.
And in the far distance, beneath stars veiled in frost, an Alpha waited for her return.
Not to claim her.
But to bring her home.
- Writer
