Chapter 5
1463 Words
The word survive echoed in my head.
Not win.
Not prove.
Survive.
My fingers curled slightly at my sides.
“So… this Varek,” I said slowly, trying to steady my voice, “he wants to fight me?”
Nyra didn’t soften it.
“Yes.”
My heart dropped.
A fight?
With a Lycan?
I could barely shift.
I could barely defend myself.
This wasn’t a challenge.
This was a death sentence.
Kael’s voice cut in, sharp and cold.
“It won’t happen.”
Nyra looked at him calmly.
“You know the law.”
“I am the law,” Kael replied.
The room seemed to tighten around us.
Power pressed against power.
But Nyra didn’t back down.
“And if you break it,” she said quietly, “you weaken your throne.”
I didn’t fully understand their world yet…
But I understood one thing.
This wasn’t just about me.
This was about him too.
His power.
His rule.
His position.
Kael’s jaw tightened.
For a moment, he didn’t speak.
And that silence…
Told me everything.
He couldn’t stop it.
I took a small breath.
“When is it?” I asked.
Kael turned to me immediately.
“No.”
His voice was firm.
Final.
But I didn’t look away.
“If it’s going to happen anyway…” I said quietly, “then I need to know.”
Nyra answered instead.
“Tomorrow.”
So soon.
Too soon.
“You’ll be given time to prepare,” she added.
Prepare?
Prepare for what?
My death?
Kael stepped closer to me.
“Leave us,” he said to Nyra.
She didn’t argue this time.
But before she turned to go…
She looked at me one last time.
And for a brief moment…
Something in her gaze shifted.
Not kindness.
But… something less harsh.
“Don’t underestimate him,” she said.
Then she left.
The door closed behind her.
I could feel Kael’s presence… heavier now
“You’re not doing this,” he said.
I looked at him.
“I don’t have a choice.”
“You do,” he replied. “I can end it before it begins.”
“And lose your people’s trust?” I asked softly.
He didn’t answer.
Because we both knew.
That was exactly what would happen.
I took a step closer to him.
“I don’t want to be the reason your kingdom falls apart,” I said.
“It won’t,” he said immediately.
“But it could,” I replied.
This time… different.
“I’ve spent my whole life being weak,” I continued. “Being looked down on. Being nothing.”
“But I don’t want that anymore.”
I met his eyes.
“I don’t want to run from this.”
Kael’s gaze searched mine.
As if trying to see something inside me.
“You don’t understand what you’re facing,” he said quietly.
“Then help me understand,” I replied.
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Then finally…
He exhaled slowly.
And nodded once.
“Varek is one of my strongest warriors,” Kael began.
That didn’t make me feel better.
“He has never lost a challenge,” he added.
Of course he hasn’t.
“He doesn’t fight for honor,” Kael continued. “He fights to dominate.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“Why would he challenge me?” I asked.
Kael’s expression darkened slightly.
“Because you are an easy target.”
“But more than that…” he added, “he wants to challenge me.”
My brows furrowed slightly.
“How?”
“By breaking what is mine.”
My chest tightened.
So this wasn’t just about strength.
It was about power.
Sending a message.
“What are the rules?” I asked.
Kael was quiet for a moment.
“There are none.”
My heart dropped.
“No… rules?”
He shook his head.
“It ends when one side can no longer stand.”
A cold fear settled deep in my chest.
“And if I…” I hesitated, unable to finish the sentence.
“If you fall,” Kael said quietly, “no one will stop it.”
I looked down at my hands.
They were shaking slightly.
Not from fear alone…
But from reality.
This was real.
This was happening.
Tomorrow.
“I can’t even shift properly,” I whispered.
The words felt heavy.
Embarrassing.
But true.
Kael stepped closer.
“Then we fix that.”
I looked up at him.
“Fix it?”
He nodded.
“Tonight.”
Before I could ask anything else…
He moved.
Fast.
One moment he was standing in front of me—
The next…
He was right behind me.
My breath hitched.
His hand gently took my wrist.
Warm and firm.
“Relax,” he said softly.
That was impossible.
But somehow…
His voice made it a little easier.
“Your wolf isn’t weak,” he continued. “She’s suppressed.”
I frowned slightly.
“Suppressed?”
“You’ve been treated like you’re nothing your whole life,” he said. “Your wolf learned to hide.”
My chest tightened.
That… made sense.
More than I wanted to admit.
“But she’s still there,” he added. “And tonight… we bring her out.”
My heart began to race again.
Not from fear this time.
From something else.
Hope?
“What do I need to do?” I asked.
Kael stepped in front of me again.
His golden eyes locked into mine.
“Trust me.”
The words were simple.
But they felt big.
Something I hadn’t given easily… or often.
But right now…
Standing here…
With everything at stake…
I nodded.
“I do.”
Kael’s expression shifted slightly.
Just for a moment.
Then he reached out.
His hand hovered near my face… before gently touching my forehead.
Warmth spread through me instantly.
My breath caught.
“Close your eyes,” he said.
I obeyed.
Slowly.
At first…
There was nothing.
Just darkness.
Silence.
Then—
A faint sound.
A heartbeat.
Not mine.
Different.
Stronger.
Aria…
My eyes snapped open.
“What was that?” I whispered.
Kael didn’t move his hand.
“Her,” he said.
My heart raced.
“My wolf?”
He nodded slightly.
“She’s been waiting for you.”
I closed my eyes again.
This time…
I listened.
Really listened.
And there it was.
Soft.
Faint.
But real.
Aria…
Tears burned behind my closed eyes.
“I can hear her…” I whispered.
“Good,” Kael said quietly.
“Now… call her.”
I didn’t know how.
I had never done this before.
But I tried.
I’m here… I thought.
Silence.
Then—
Stronger this time.
Clearer.
You came back…
My breath shook.
“I never left,” I whispered softly.
A sudden warmth spread through my chest.
Through my body.
Through my entire being.
My wolf stirred.
Moved.
Woke up.
Pain followed.
Sharp.
Sudden.
I gasped, my body tensing.
“It’s okay,” Kael’s voice grounded me. “Don’t fight it.”
The pain grew.
My bones ached.
My skin burned.
“I— I can’t—” I choked out.
“Yes, you can,” he said firmly. “Stay with her.”
My nails dug into my palms.
My breathing became uneven.
But I didn’t stop.
I couldn’t.
Not now.
Not when I was this close.
The warmth turned into fire.
My body trembled.
And then—
A surge of energy exploded through me.
I gasped loudly.
My eyes snapped open.
For a moment…
Everything felt different.
I could hear more.
Smell more.
Feel more.
“What… what just happened?” I whispered.
Kael slowly lowered his hand.
“You just took your first step,” he said.
My heart pounded.
“Step… toward what?”
He looked at me.
And this time…
There was no softness in his expression.
Only truth.
“Becoming someone who can survive tomorrow.”
Before I could respond…
A sudden, powerful roar echoed through the kingdom.
Loud.
Deep.
Challenging.
My body froze instantly.
“What was that?” I asked.
Kael’s eyes darkened.
“That,” he said coldly…
“Is Varek.”
My heart dropped.
The sound came again.
Closer this time.
More aggressive.
More dangerous.
Like a warning.
Or a promise.
Kael stepped toward the door.
“He’s calling you out.”
My breath hitched.
Already?
But then
Kael paused.
And glanced back at me.
“Rest while you can,” he said.
“Because tomorrow…”
His voice dropped slightly.
“…you face him.”
Another roar echoed.
Even louder.
Even closer.
And this time…
I felt it.
Deep in my bones.
A challenge.
A threat.
A storm that was coming straight for me.
- Writer
