Chapter five
887 Words
We left before sunrise.
Kael didn’t alert the pack. He didn’t even tell Jace. Whatever lay ahead, he’d decided it was better if no one knew where we were going.
The journey through the mountain pass was quiet. Cold air bit at my skin, and every crunch of gravel beneath our boots echoed louder than I liked.
“You said the ruins hold answers,” I said finally, breaking the silence. “How do you know?”
“My father took me there once. Long before I became Alpha. He said it was sacred to the old bloodlines. There were carvings… scrolls. Names carved into stone.”
“Like mine?”
“Maybe,” Kael replied. “Or maybe something worse.”
I glanced sideways at him. His face was carved from stone, unreadable—but I could still feel the pull of the bond, like a string tied between our ribs. He was fighting it, I could tell. But I didn’t know how much longer either of us could pretend we didn’t feel it.
Not when we were this close.
Alone.
In the wild.
Around midday, we reached a ridge that overlooked the valley. Below, broken towers jutted from the earth like ancient bones. Moss-covered walls sprawled in all directions—half-swallowed by forest, but unmistakably alive with energy.
“The Temple of Cindros,” Kael said softly. “This is where the old bloodlines gathered before the Elders rewrote history.”
I stepped forward slowly. “Why would they erase an entire bloodline like Riven?”
Kael’s gaze darkened. “Because they feared it.”
Inside the ruins, everything smelled like ash and memory. Crumbled stone altars bore faded symbols. A carved wall had shattered, but Kael traced a spot where I could still make out part of a crest—a wolf’s head surrounded by a ring of flame.
“Riven,” he confirmed. “This was your bloodline’s seal.”
I stepped closer, reaching out to touch it.
The second my fingers brushed the stone, a pulse of energy surged through me. I gasped, stumbling backward, but Kael caught me again—hands gripping my arms, his face inches from mine.
“Are you alright?”
I nodded, breathless. “It felt like… it recognized me.”
Kael’s eyes flicked to my lips, then back up to my eyes. His hands didn’t move.
“You’re changing,” he murmured. “I can feel it in you. You’re waking up.”
I swallowed hard. “Does that scare you?”
“No,” he whispered. “It terrifies me.”
His face dipped closer.
His breath warmed my cheek.
Our lips were just—just—about to meet when—
SNAP.
A twig.
Kael spun around, shoving me behind him in one motion. His eyes glowed silver, and claws slid from his fingers.
“Stay low,” he growled.
I ducked behind a fallen pillar just as figures emerged from the trees—three of them, masked and armed with silver-tipped blades.
Kael stepped forward, voice cold. “State your allegiance.”
One of them laughed. “We’re not here to talk, Alpha.”
The leader raised a blade.
“We’re here for her.”
Kael didn’t hesitate.
He shifted mid-air.
His wolf slammed into the nearest attacker with bone-cracking force. The other two lunged for me. I ducked the first swing and grabbed a shard of broken stone, slashing wildly.
One caught my arm.
Pain burned through me, but I didn’t stop.
I kicked him back just as Kael tore into the third attacker, blood soaking the mossy floor.
In seconds, it was over.
Three bodies.
One message.
I clutched my bleeding arm, shaking. “How did they find us?”
Kael knelt beside one of the corpses, ripping off the mask. A black sigil was burned into the man’s throat—three crescent moons forming a circle.
His face darkened.
“That’s the mark of the Shadowborn.”
I blinked. “What’s that?”
“A secret order,” he said grimly. “They answer to no pack. No council. Only to blood.”
He met my eyes.
“They believe the Riven bloodline must be destroyed. And if they’re moving now… that means someone powerful just found out who you really are.”
I sank to the ground, breath ragged.
“I’m not ready for this.”
Kael crouched in front of me, brushing damp hair from my face. “You don’t have to be. I’ll carry the fight until you can.”
His touch lingered for a second too long.
I leaned in before I could stop myself—but again, he pulled away.
“I can’t,” he said hoarsely. “If I give in to this bond, it’ll destroy everything I’ve built.”
I stared at him, chest aching. “And if you don’t… it’ll destroy me.”
The silence between us was heavier than any blade.
Then Kael stood, voice hard again. “We can’t stay here. There’s more coming.”
As I followed him deeper into the ruins, my thoughts burned.
If the Shadowborn knew who I was… the rest of the world wouldn’t be far behind.
And if I didn’t awaken my wolf soon—
There wouldn’t be anything left of me to protect.
- Writer
