Open the Gates
1436 Words
The first horn sounded beyond Blackwood’s northern wall.
Then another.
Then another.
Before long, the whole valley was echoing with them.
Thousands of wolves had gathered outside the estate.
Luna stood next to Darius at the entrance to the Hidden Archive.
Behind them, glass pods kept opening.
Ancient Alphas woke up coughing, growling, or just staring in stunned silence.
Ahead of them was an army that fully believed Darius had been holding them prisoner.
“They sound friendly,” Mason said.
“They think we stole their ancestors,” Serena replied.
“Yeah… less friendly,” he muttered.
Evelyn folded a letter and tucked it into her coat.
“How long before they attack?”
“Minutes,” Darius said.
Cassian glanced up at the ceiling.
“We can’t move all the prisoners in time.”
“We’re not moving them,” Luna said.
“You want to bring hostile Alphas in here?”
“I want to show them the truth.”
“You think they’ll listen.”
“No.”
She looked at Darius.
“But we still give them the choice.”
Cassian frowned.
“You’ve turned that word into a religion.”
“No,” Darius said, taking Luna’s hand. “A boundary.”
The mark on his wrist pulsed.
Close the gates. Protect the estate.
He let out a slow breath.
“No.”
Luna squeezed his hand. “You okay?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Another horn. Closer this time.
The walls shook.
Darius turned to Mason.
“Tell the guards: stand down. No attacks. Shields only if they charge.”
“That’s going to look like weakness.”
“Let them think what they want.”
Mason hesitated, then nodded.
Evelyn started to follow him.
“You should stay,” Mason said.
“There are thousands out there,” she replied.
“And you think going alone helps?”
“No. So move.”
He looked at Darius.
Darius shrugged. “Not my call.”
Luna smiled.
Mason sighed. “I liked him better when he was controlling.”
“No, you didn’t,” Evelyn said.
They left.
Ethan stayed behind.
“What do you need?” he asked.
“Help Maris keep them calm,” Darius said.
Kael leaned against a pod.
“You’re going to the gates.”
“Yes.”
“They’ll see the mark.”
“I know.”
“They’ll think you’re Lucian’s king.”
“I know.”
Kael frowned. “You say that a lot.”
“So does Luna.”
Kael almost smiled, then winced.
Ethan caught him.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he said.
“I can talk to them.”
“You can barely stand.”
Luna stepped in. “Kael is proof.”
“He’s a person,” Darius said.
“Which means he gets a choice,” Luna replied.
A tremor rolled through the estate.
Stone cracked overhead.
Time was up.
Darius looked at Kael. “You come, but you stay behind the shield line.”
“Deal.”
They headed upstairs.
The courtyard looked like a war zone waiting to happen.
Warriors stood ready. Healers were set. Families watched from the windows.
Outside, thousands of wolves packed the road.
The gates were shut tight.
Darius stopped at the steps.
Mason came over.
“They want proof the prisoners are alive.”
“They’ll get it.”
“They want the Book.”
“No.”
“And the Thorn pack says Maris is their missing Alpha.”
Maris went still at the name.
“The Thorn pack survived?” she asked.
Mason nodded. “Your daughter became Alpha.”
Maris froze. “My daughter?”
“She lived,” he said.
Maris almost collapsed.
Serena caught her.
“And her son leads them now.”
“My grandson…”
She looked out toward the army.
“Open the gates,” she said.
Darius nodded.
He walked down alone.
Luna followed.
At the gates, Darius put his hand on the bar.
The mark burned.
Keep them out.
Luna felt it through the bond.
“You don’t have to do this alone,” she said.
“They’re my gates.”
“Our choice.”
He looked at her.
Then moved his hand.
She placed hers next to his.
Gold and black light hit the iron.
The bar lifted.
The gates opened.
A wall of hostile faces waited.
No one moved.
Then a man stepped forward under a silver thorn banner.
He saw Maris.
“Grandmother?”
Her voice broke. “Who are you?”
“Adrian Thorn.”
“My mother was Elise.”
Maris trembled. “Elise…”
“She waited for you,” he said. “Until she died.”
Maris stepped through the gate.
They embraced.
The armies watched, uneasy.
A woman stepped forward.
“This doesn’t prove anything.”
Darius faced her. “No. It proves we’re not hiding them.”
“You carry Lucian’s mark.”
“Yes.”
“Why should we trust you?”
“You shouldn’t.”
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
“You can send ten representatives,” Darius said.
“Chosen by you?”
“No. By you.”
Luna lifted the Book. “It has every name Lucian took.”
Cassian stepped forward.
Weapons came up instantly.
“Order of Ash!”
He stood there, bare-faced.
“I helped build it,” he said.
Anger rippled through the crowd.
A spear flew.
Luna stopped it midair.
Cassian looked at her. “You should’ve let it hit.”
“No.”
“I deserve it.”
“That’s not your call.”
“You can judge me later,” Luna said to the crowd.
A voice shouted, “Who gave you authority?”
“No one,” she said. “That’s the point.”
Darius added, “Cassian stays because he knows how to wake the prisoners.”
“When the last one is awake, he answers for everything.”
Cassian nodded.
A large Alpha stepped forward.
“And you?”
Darius met his eyes.
“I answer for every choice I make.”
The mark burned.
Silence them.
Luna felt the pressure of it.
He held her hand tighter.
“I answer for opening my territory when I shouldn’t have,” he said. “For releasing my pack. And if I ever use this power to take away choice, I expect to be stopped.”
Silence.
Mason drew his sword and planted it in the ground.
“I will.”
Others followed.
Darius looked at them, shaken.
The Alpha studied him.
“And you?” he asked Luna.
“I’ll stand against him first,” she said.
A few people laughed. The tension cracked just a little.
A woman stepped forward. “Talia Rook. I’ll go in.”
Adrian followed.
“So will I.”
The large man finally sheathed his sword.
“Ronan Vale.”
Luna froze.
Ethan stepped forward. “Who was your father?”
“Gideon Vale.”
Ethan went still.
Luna whispered, “Uncle Gideon…”
Ronan looked at her. “You’re Luna.”
“You knew my family?”
“My father searched for you both.”
“He was alive?”
“Until three months ago.”
Ronan handed Ethan a ring.
“He left this for you.”
Ethan shook. “What did he know?”
“Everything.”
Luna’s breath caught.
“About my parents?”
Ronan shook his head. “They didn’t die the way you were told.”
Ethan stiffened.
Luna whispered, “My mother?”
“She survived,” Ronan said.
Everything stopped.
“Where is she?”
“Lucian took her.”
Ethan stepped forward. “Is she alive?”
“She was six months ago.”
Hope and fear slammed together.
“I’ll show you where,” Ronan said.
A horn sounded inside the estate.
Mason turned. “What now?”
A guard ran in. “The Book is gone.”
Luna opened it.
The pages were blank.
Cassian swore. “It was never here.”
Ink formed:
THANK YOU FOR OPENING THE GATES.
Darius’s mark burned.
A second line appeared:
NOW NOTHING CAN KEEP ME OUT.
The boundary collapsed.
Outside, darkness rose.
Lucian stood at the forest edge holding the real Book.
And a chain.
At the end of it stood a woman.
Luna knew her instantly.
Her mother lifted her head.
Their eyes met.
“Luna,” she whispered.
Lucian smiled.
“You wanted the truth,” he said, pulling the chain. “So I brought it home.”
- Writer
