THE ANNOUNCEMENT
1402 Words
The night seemed endless.
Harel had barely slept.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his father's face.
He remembered Dominic's final warning.
Do not immediately trust the official explanation.
Those words had stayed in Harel's mind throughout the night.
By dawn, the castle was already awake.
Servants moved quietly through the corridors. Guards stood at their assigned positions, while ministers gathered in the eastern council chamber.
Something about the atmosphere was different.
Harel felt it the moment he stepped outside his room.
The castle was too quiet.
He walked toward the Alpha's chambers.
Two guards stood before the door.
Harel stopped.
“How is my father?”
The guards exchanged a glance.
Before either could answer, the door opened.
The royal physician stepped outside.
His face was expressionless.
Harel immediately knew something was wrong.
“Doctor?”
The physician looked at him.
“Alpha Harel…”
Harel frowned.
“My father?”
The physician lowered his head.
“I am sorry.”
The words struck Harel harder than any physical blow.
He stared at the physician.
“No.”
The physician remained silent.
“No,” Harel repeated.
He pushed past him and entered the chamber.
His father's body lay peacefully on the bed.
The room was filled with several ministers.
Damon stood near the window.
Harel walked slowly toward the bed.
“Father?”
There was no response.
He reached for Dominic's hand.
It was cold.
Harel's chest tightened.
For a moment, he couldn't breathe.
The strongest man he had ever known was gone.
The Alpha who had ruled the Blackthorn Pack for more than twenty years had died.
Harel lowered his head.
He didn't cry.
Not immediately.
He simply stood there, holding his father's hand.
Damon approached him.
“Harel…”
“Don't.”
Damon stopped.
Harel looked at his father.
“He was speaking to me last night.”
Damon said nothing.
“He told me he had something important to tell me.”
Still nothing.
“He said there were enemies inside the pack.”
Damon's expression changed slightly.
Harel noticed.
Then he looked directly at him.
“Did he tell you anything?”
“No.”
The answer was calm.
Too calm.
Harel looked away.
The physician stepped forward.
“I am sorry, but we must prepare the official announcement.”
Harel nodded.
“Do it".
The physician left.
Within an hour, the news spread throughout the territory.
Alpha Dominic Blackthorn was dead.
The announcement was made from the castle balcony.
The royal representative stood before the gathered pack members.
“By order of the royal family, we announce with deep sorrow the passing of Alpha Dominic Blackthorn.”
A wave of grief swept through the crowd.
Women cried.
Warriors lowered their heads.
Children clung to their parents.
The Blackthorn Pack had lost its leader.
But the grief was quickly followed by another question.
Who would become the next Alpha?
The answer was already known.
Harel.
Yet the royal family did not immediately announce his coronation.
Instead, the ministers called for a period of mourning.
Thirty days.
Thirty days before the succession ceremony.
Thirty days before Harel would officially take his father's throne.
Harel accepted the decision.
He had no interest in celebrating anything.
His father's funeral was held three days later.
Thousands of wolves gathered.
The ceremony lasted for hours.
Harel stood at the front, dressed entirely in black.
He listened as ministers spoke about Dominic's achievements.
They called him a great Alpha.
A loyal leader.
A protector.
A father.
Everything they said was true.
But Harel could not stop thinking about the final conversation they had shared.
There is a traitor among us.
Who?
And why had Dominic been afraid to name the person?
After the funeral, Harel returned to the castle.
He entered his father's study.
The room was exactly as Dominic had left it.
Harel stood behind the desk.
He opened the drawer where he had found his father's journal the previous night.
It was gone.
His heart skipped.
He searched the drawer again.
Nothing.
The journal had disappeared.
Harel looked around the room.
Someone had entered the study.
Someone had taken it.
He immediately called a guard.
“Who entered this room today?”
The guard looked nervous.
“No one, Alpha.”
“Think carefully.”
“No one has entered without authorization.”
Harel's eyes narrowed.
“Then how did something disappear from a locked drawer?”
The guard lowered his head.
“I don't know.”
Harel dismissed him.
He remained alone in the study.
Something was wrong.
His father had suspected a traitor.
His journal had disappeared.
And now Harel had become Alpha by his father's final command.
Could the two things be connected?
He walked toward the bookshelf.
Dominic had always kept important documents hidden among ordinary books.
Harel searched carefully.
One shelf.
Then another.
Nothing.
Finally, he noticed a small gap behind several old books.
He removed them.
A narrow compartment appeared.
Inside was a sealed envelope.
Harel's heart began racing.
He opened it.
There was only one sheet of paper.
His father's handwriting.
Harel read the first line.
To my son, Harel.
He stopped.
He continued reading.
If you are reading this, then I am no longer here to protect you.
Harel's fingers tightened around the paper.
There are things about this pack that I could never tell you while I was alive. Not because I did not trust you, but because knowing the truth would place your life in danger.
Harel swallowed.
He continued.
The Blackthorn Pack has survived because certain truths have remained hidden. But if I die under suspicious circumstances, you must investigate the royal records before you trust anyone.
Harel stared at the page.
Royal records?
Why?
He read the final lines.
Look for the document dated seven days before my death. It contains the name of the person who has been working against our family.
Harel's eyes widened.
He immediately checked the date.
Seven days before Dominic's death.
He searched through the documents on the desk.
Nothing.
He opened the cabinets.
Nothing.
He checked the records stored in the study.
Still nothing.
The document was missing.
Someone had already taken it.
Harel stepped back.
A terrible realization entered his mind.
The person who had removed his father's journal might also have taken the document.
And if that person knew what Dominic had written, then they might know exactly what Harel was searching for.
A knock sounded.
Harel quickly folded the letter and placed it inside his coat.
“Enter.”
The door opened.
Damon walked inside.
“The royal family wishes to speak with you.”
“About what?”
“Your coronation.”
Harel looked at him.
“When?”
“In one month.”
Harel nodded.
“Fine.”
Damon hesitated.
“Alpha Harel, there is something else.”
“What?”
“The royal family expects you to cooperate fully during the transition.”
Harel's expression hardened.
“I will cooperate with anyone who respects the laws of this pack.”
Damon looked at him carefully.
“Of course.”
Harel watched him leave.
Something about the conversation bothered him.
The royal family was suddenly very interested in his succession.
Why?
He returned his attention to his father's letter.
One sentence continued to trouble him.
Look for the document dated seven days before my death.
Harel knew where the royal archives were.
But accessing them without permission could create a political problem.
Still, he had learned one thing from his father.
If you wanted the truth, you sometimes had to look where others told you not to.
That evening, Harel made his decision.
He would investigate secretly.
He would tell no one.
Not the ministers.
Not the royal family.
Not even the guards.
For the next thirty days, he would watch everyone around him.
And he would search for the missing document.
But Harel did not know that someone had already begun watching him.
Across the castle courtyard, a man stood beneath the shadow of an ancient stone arch.
His eyes followed Harel as he walked toward his chambers.
The man reached into his coat.
Inside was a small black notebook.
He opened it to the final page.
A single sentence had been written there:
Harel has found his father's letter.
The man closed the notebook.
Then he smiled.
“Let the game begin.”
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