Chapter 9: The Alpha Kings Kneel
676 Words
A heavy silence fell over the battlefield.
Every warrior...
Every rogue...
Every Alpha...
Stared at the masked man standing in the middle of the burning village.
Malachar.
The name alone made Elder Gideon tremble.
"No..." the old man whispered. "He was supposed to have died twenty years ago."
Malachar chuckled.
"So everyone keeps saying."
He slowly removed the bone-white mask from his face.
A deep scar stretched from his forehead to his chin, crossing one glowing violet eye. The other eye was as black as midnight.
His smile was terrifying.
"I survived because death fears me."
Kael's grip tightened around his sword.
"Don't listen to him, Aria."
"He feeds on fear."
Malachar laughed louder.
"And yet, you're the one trembling, Lycan."
The five Alpha Kings gathered beside Kael.
Damon stood at the front, his gray eyes fixed on Malachar.
"Who are you?"
Malachar looked amused.
"You don't remember me."
"But your fathers did."
The words hit the Alphas like a punch.
"My father?" Ryker growled.
"You knew our fathers?"
"I killed some of them."
The battlefield erupted in angry growls.
Ryker exploded forward first.
"You bastard!"
He shifted into his massive wolf and lunged.
Damon, Zane, Lucian, and Kieran followed without hesitation.
Five Alpha Kings attacked at once.
The ground cracked beneath their speed.
But Malachar didn't move.
He simply lifted one hand.
A wall of black flames erupted from the earth.
Boom!
The five Alphas crashed into the invisible barrier and were thrown backward.
They landed hard, carving deep trenches into the ground.
"No..." Noah whispered.
"Impossible."
No single warrior should have been able to stop five Alpha Kings.
Yet Malachar hadn't even taken one step.
He smiled coldly.
"You children inherited your fathers' strength..."
"But none of their wisdom."
Damon rose slowly, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
"We attack together."
The others nodded.
Five Alpha auras burst into the sky, their combined power shaking the clouds.
Warriors watched in awe.
"I've never felt power like this..."
"They're fighting as one."
The Alpha Kings charged again.
This time, their attacks were perfectly synchronized.
Ryker struck from the front.
Zane attacked from behind.
Lucian and Kieran flanked both sides.
Damon leaped from above.
For the first time...
Malachar's smile disappeared.
He blocked Ryker's claws.
Turned to stop Zane's sword.
But Damon slammed into him from above.
Boom!
The impact sent Malachar crashing into the ground.
Dust exploded into the air.
The Silver Moon warriors erupted into cheers.
"They got him!"
"We're winning!"
The dust slowly settled.
A figure stood in the center of the crater.
Malachar.
Not a scratch marked his body.
He sighed.
"You almost made me serious."
A dark aura burst from him.
The cheering stopped instantly.
The pressure was unbearable.
Warriors collapsed to their knees.
Some couldn't even breathe.
I felt my legs shaking.
The crescent mark on my wrist burned again.
Kael stepped in front of me.
"Don't look into his eyes."
But it was too late.
Our eyes met.
Suddenly...
Another vision flooded my mind.
A palace beneath a silver moon.
A little girl—me—laughing as a young Kael handed me a moon-shaped pendant.
A beautiful queen kissed my forehead.
"My daughter," she whispered.
"You must never let Malachar find the Moon Heart."
Then flames consumed the palace.
Malachar walked through the fire, his sword dripping with blood.
"The Moon Queen dies tonight."
The vision shattered.
I gasped and staggered backward.
"The Moon Heart..."
I whispered.
Malachar's head snapped toward me.
His smile returned.
"So..."
"You remember."
Everyone turned toward me.
"What is the Moon Heart?" Noah asked urgently.
Before I could answer, a blinding silver light burst from the pendant hanging around my neck.
It rose into the air.
The sky above the battlefield darkened.
A giant full moon appeared—even though it was still daylight.
Every wolf instinctively bowed.
Even the five Alpha Kings dropped to one knee against their will.
Only Kael remained standing beside me.
Malachar's smile faded into something far more dangerous.
"The Moon Queen..."
"...has begun to awaken."
- Writer
