Moonborn: The Wolf’s Vow

CHAPTER FIVE: SECRETS OF THE ALPHA

Raine sat on the bed in her room, she pulled her legs closer to the bed , she kept her eyes fixed on the woods that stretched beyond the iron gates. It was morning now, but the dream still disturbing her so much. Every tree seemed to whisper every sound of wind sounded like a voice calling her name.

She hadn’t seen Kael again since the night encounter where she told him she dreamt. He disappeared like a shadow silent and cold. But his warning echoed in her head:

“Don’t follow the voices. Not yet.”

What did he know? What was he hiding?

In another side of the estate because it was a big place Kael stood before a mirror, shirtless, the silver pendant resting against his chest. He focused on the reflection of the dark veins beneath his skin.

His head bent down.

"It’s getting stronger now," he said to himself.

He pulled his pendant off and held it in his hand.

"I need more time a little more of it. She wasn’t supposed to wake so soon." He said to himself.

Then there was a knock.

Darek entered, head bowed. "The Council sent word. They want confirmation the vow was sealed."

Kael nodded. "They’ll get their answer."

"And the girl?"

Kael turned away. "She’s more than they said. More than even she knows."

Darek looked unsure. "Should I keep her under watch?"

Kael’s voice turned cold. "No. Let her explore. Let her remember. But quietly."

Back in her Raine's room, Raine changed into a soft cotton cloth she found in the wardrobe she was meant to arrange her clothes. It fit her surprisingly too well like it was hers.

She stepped out of her room, walking the halls alone. The estate was quiet, but she could feel life stirring behind doors servants, guards, and maybe secrets.

As she wandered, she came across a tall wooden door slightly open. Inside was a library. A grand one.

Books lined the shelves, old and heavy. Some were written in strange languages. Symbols she didn't recognize.

She touched a leather bound book.

Bloodlines of the Moon-Bound Packs.

She opened it. There were drawings wolves with markings glowing under the moon. Names that sounded familiar. Some that chilled her.

Then she saw it.

Lysaria.

Her family name and there was a symbol beside it like a flame.

Almost immediately she heard footsteps someone was coming towards her direction.

It was Kael.

He entered the library, looking at her furiously.

"You weren’t supposed to see that yet not now," he said.

Raine didn’t back down. "Why is my family name in this book? And what does this mark mean?"

He stepped forward slowly. "Your blood carries something ancient. Something that was hidden. Even from you."

She frowned. "And you knew."

Kael paused. "Not everything. But enough to know this marriage wasn’t just about power. It was about prophecy."

Raine swallowed. "Prophecy? What prophecy?"

He hesitated.

"There’s a flame that can destroy packs... or save them. It’s passed down through a bloodline. We thought it was lost. But your name… your dreams… they prove otherwise."

She backed away. "You think I’m some kind of weapon?"

Kael’s expression softened. Just slightly. "I think you’re more important than you’ve been told. And that terrifies the people in power."

"So what now? You just watch me? Use me?"

Kael moved closer. "No. I protect you. Even from yourself if I have to."

She glared. "I don’t need a prison with a fancy roof."

"And I don’t need a wife who thinks she can defy my rules. But here we are."

Silence filled the room.

Then Raine asked quietly, "Did you have the dreams too?"

Kael turned to the window, eyes dark.

"Every night. Since I was fifteen. The forest. The shadows. The flame. Always the same ending. Always burning."

Raine stepped closer, a chill running down her spine. "Then maybe we’re not enemies. Maybe we’re both stuck in something bigger."

Kael turned back to her. "That’s what I fear most. Because if we fail to unlock what’s inside you"

"The packs burn," she finished.

He nodded.

Raine sighed. "Then we better figure it out. Fast."

They stood there in the library, no longer strangersbut not quite allies either. Bound by a vow, drawn by a mystery neither of them fully understood.

And somewhere in the shadows, something was watching.