Chapter 5: The Lycan King's Claim
683 Words
The council hall fell into a suffocating silence.
The stranger stood in the shattered doorway, surrounded by swirling dust and splintered wood.
His black cloak fluttered behind him like a living shadow.
A silver wolf mask concealed half of his face, but nothing could hide the terrifying crimson eyes fixed on me.
They didn't look at me with curiosity.
They looked at me with certainty.
As if he had searched for me his entire life.
"My Queen," he repeated, his deep voice calm yet commanding.
Noah stepped in front of me, his Alpha aura exploding through the room.
"You've got the wrong woman."
The masked man chuckled.
"I never make mistakes."
Damon, Ryker, Lucian, Kieran, and Zane instinctively spread out, forming a protective wall around me.
Five Alpha Kings.
One Lycan.
The tension was enough to suffocate anyone caught in the middle.
The stranger's gaze swept over them before he laughed again.
"So..."
"The famous Alpha Kings."
"I expected more."
Ryker's temper snapped.
"You've got a death wish."
With a furious roar, he shifted in an instant.
Bones cracked.
Golden fur burst from his skin.
A massive gray wolf lunged across the hall.
"Ryker, wait!" Noah shouted.
Too late.
Ryker's claws sliced through the air.
The masked man didn't move.
He simply raised one hand.
A dark wave of energy exploded from his palm.
Boom!
Ryker's enormous body was hurled across the hall, crashing through a stone pillar before slamming into the floor.
The room froze.
My eyes widened.
One strike...
He defeated an Alpha King with one strike.
Even Damon narrowed his eyes.
"So the rumors are true," Lucian murmured.
"He's a pure-blood Lycan."
The masked man lowered his hand.
"I didn't come here to fight children."
His crimson eyes found me again.
"I came for her."
Noah growled.
"Over my dead body."
"It can be arranged."
The stranger's words were so calm that they sent chills down everyone's spine.
Kieran stepped forward, his playful smile gone.
"You've already crossed into our territory."
"Leave before we bury you here."
The Lycan King tilted his head.
"Do you really think you can stop me?"
Before anyone answered, he reached up and slowly removed his silver mask.
The sound of several sharp gasps filled the hall.
He was younger than I expected.
Perhaps twenty-eight.
His jet-black hair framed a striking face with sharp features, strong brows, and piercing crimson eyes that seemed to glow with ancient power.
A faint silver scar ran from his temple to his jaw, making him look even more dangerous.
He was... unbelievably handsome.
And somehow...
Familiar.
My heart skipped.
A strange ache spread through my chest.
The voice inside my head whispered again.
"Remember him..."
I frowned.
Remember?
I had never seen this man before.
Had I?
The Lycan King's lips curved into a faint smile.
"You've forgotten me."
His words made my blood run cold.
"I don't even know you."
"You will."
He took one slow step toward me.
Every Alpha in the room growled.
Another step.
Damon stood directly in his path.
"You won't touch her."
The Lycan King's smile disappeared.
"You mistake protection for ownership."
A terrifying aura erupted from his body.
The windows shattered.
The floor cracked.
Even the five Alpha Kings were forced back a step.
Only Noah refused to move.
"I'll ask you one last time."
"Who are you?"
The stranger's crimson eyes never left mine.
Then, in a voice that echoed through the hall, he declared,
"I am Kael Draven."
"The last Lycan King."
"And the man fate chose to protect the Moon Queen."
Before anyone could react, Kael lifted his hand toward me.
A beam of silver light shot from the crescent mark on my wrist.
Another burst of silver light flared from the center of Kael's chest.
The two lights intertwined, forming a glowing thread between us.
The entire hall stared in disbelief.
Elder Gideon staggered backward.
His lips trembled.
"It can't be..."
"The Guardian Bond..."
Kael smiled without taking his eyes off me.
"I wasn't too late."
Then the silver thread tightened...
And I was suddenly pulled toward him.
- Writer
