Broken Chains (Book Two of The Black Alder Series) COMPLETED

Welcome To The Firelands

Kayla's POV

"You're my brother." I stared at Solem, eyes wide.

Solem chuckled. "Well, half-brother — but yes. We share the same mother, and I inherited her power. I can be brought back to life each time I die. Only a direct blast from the full force of the sun could kill me permanently, and no one in our family could survive channeling that much power, so it would likely destroy them in the process. Your father granted me a measure of celestial power instead. Only true descendants of the Sun God can harness the sun for any length of time."

I sat with that for a moment, turning it over alongside everything else that had shifted in the last few days.

"I've been through so much lately," I told him. "My old pack treated me like I was worthless, and their Alpha abused me — all because they believed I was human. And this whole time, you're telling me I had powers. Powers I could have used to protect myself." Solem looked at me with a deep sadness in his eyes.

"I searched for you for years. Once the seer placed a charm on you to conceal your identity, both you and she simply vanished. I assume she cloaked herself as well." He paused. "You are my sister — the only true family I have left. I have been alone here for a very long time. I never believed I would find you."

I thought about everything he had told me. My parents. I had spent my whole life wondering where I came from, but I had never imagined anything like this. A granddaughter of the Sun God. It sounded impossible, and yet I believed every word. He had been here alone for so long. My heart ached for him. All I had ever wanted was a family.

I walked over and hugged him.

"What's this?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me awkwardly.

"I've felt alone for so many years. I've only ever had one person truly in my corner, and I love her — but I always wished I had a brother or sister. Someone so I would never have to be alone." I pulled back and looked at him. "I'm glad I found you."

He tightened his arms around me then, holding me properly.

"Me too, little sister. Me too."

We spent time walking through the rest of the castle. He showed me our parents' room — enormous and untouched, preserved exactly as it had been left, as though they might walk back through the door at any moment. A large portrait hung on the wall. The king was a broad, solid man, but the smile lines around his eyes told you everything about who he was. Jet-black hair. Green eyes like mine. The queen was beautiful — deep red hair, vivid blue eyes. I stood there and just felt the room. There was love here, even now.

"I haven't touched anything since that day," Solem said quietly.

He led me through a connecting door into a nursery. A crib. Countless toys. A large bed pushed against one wall. I could picture my parents lying there with a baby between them, laughing. There was a photograph — my parents, holding an infant wrapped in a yellow blanket. They looked so happy. I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time.

We made our way back to the main hall, and we talked for a long time. He told me the story of how our parents met. I told him about my childhood, my life in the pack, and what had happened recently. As I spoke, his eyes darkened with rage — but I reached over and rested my hand on his, and he steadied himself. He held me while I cried through the worst of it. Then he told me about himself. He had begun serving in our father's army at the age of five.

"I'm a phoenix, the same as our mother," he explained. "Each time I die, I am reborn, and my life begins again from the age I was at death. I stopped aging at twenty." That explained why he looked so young.

"The king saw that as an asset and began training me early. He was hard on me, but I understood why — he wanted me to become his finest fighter. I was set to take over this realm, until you were born. You are the rightful heir," he said, and there was no resentment in his voice, only a quiet weight.

"I couldn't possibly lead," I admitted. "I don't know the first thing about any of this."

"You are the only one who can, Katiana. I can no longer channel the power of the sun — I can only manipulate the energy that already exists within this realm," he said. "The only reason Lord Alverez hasn't returned is because he still believes I carry solar power. The moment he discovers the truth, that changes."

I turned that over in my mind.

"Then teach me," I told him. "Teach me how to control the sun's energy. The sooner I understand my powers, the sooner I can learn to use them."

He opened his mouth to respond — and then I felt it. A gentle current of energy drifting through the air behind me, soft but unmistakable. Solem was on his feet instantly, placing himself between me and whatever it was.

"STATE YOUR NAME AND INTENTION," he commanded, every muscle braced for a fight.

"My name is Elena. Luna of the Black Alder Pack — the pack that is currently hosting and tending to her body as we speak," came a calm, steady voice. She nodded toward me. A blue mist shimmered around her, as though it were a shield she carried without thinking.

Solem's posture shifted — not fully relaxed, but no longer poised to strike.

"My body?" I said, confused. I looked down at myself. "My body is right here."

"Your spirit is here," Elena said gently, taking in the realm around her. "Your body is back at our packhouse, in the hospital. You have been unconscious for some time, and you are severely injured. I took your hand hoping to share some of my energy with you and help you heal."

I looked to Solem. He was studying her carefully.

"I have sensed since you arrived that you are not fully present," he said to me. "That explains the absence of your power. Any abilities you have not yet mastered cannot be accessed here — this realm only strengthens powers you have already claimed," he explained.

Elena was still looking around, quietly absorbing everything. She moved to the opening and looked out over the Firelands.

"Where are we?" she asked. "And who are you?"

"My name is Solem," he said, and bowed to her. "Protector of this realm, and brother to Katiana." He straightened and looked out over the landscape beside her.

"Welcome to the Firelands."