Chapter 9 : The Alpha’s Warning
433 Words
The clearing fell silent.
The wolves formed a circle around Elena and Mara, their low growls echoing through the forest.
The young man stood between them and Damien.
His blue eyes never left the vampire.
"You have ten seconds to leave," he said.
Damien smirked.
"Or what?"
The stranger cracked his neck.
"You'll find out."
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Damien laughed.
"Another night, perhaps."
His eyes drifted to Elena.
"Read your mother's journal."
"When you discover the truth..."
"...you'll come to me willingly."
His body dissolved into a cloud of black mist that disappeared into the night.
The forest grew quiet again.
The wolves slowly relaxed.
The stranger turned to Elena.
"My name is Kael Thorn."
"I'm the Alpha of the Raven Hollow Pack."
Elena blinked.
"So... you're a werewolf."
Kael gave a small grin.
"Guilty."
Mara folded her arms.
"You always make dramatic entrances."
Kael chuckled.
"And you always find trouble."
His smile faded as he looked at Elena.
"We need to leave."
"Why?"
"Because Damien wasn't the only one tracking you."
As if to prove his point, distant horns echoed through the forest.
Hunter horns.
Kael's expression hardened.
"They're closer than I thought."
─
The wolves escorted them through the forest until they reached a hidden valley.
Nestled beneath towering cliffs was a village Elena had never seen before.
Small wooden homes glowed with warm lights.
Children laughed as they ran through the streets.
Men and women greeted Kael with respectful nods.
"It's beautiful," Elena whispered.
"The world believes we're monsters," Kael said.
"We're just people trying to survive."
He led them into the largest cabin in the village.
Inside, an elderly woman with silver hair looked up from a fire.
The moment she saw Elena...
...she dropped the cup in her hands.
"It can't be..."
Kael frowned.
"What is it, Grandmother?"
The old woman slowly approached Elena.
With trembling fingers, she touched the silver locket around Elena's neck.
Tears filled her eyes.
"I never thought I'd see this again."
"You know this?" Elena asked.
The woman nodded.
"I knew the woman who wore it first."
"My mother?"
"No."
She swallowed.
"Your grandmother."
Elena froze.
"My grandmother?"
The old woman looked directly into her eyes.
"Your family didn't begin in Raven Hollow."
"It began with the last Queen of the Witches."
The room fell silent.
Kael stared at Elena in disbelief.
Mara's mouth fell open.
Elena could barely breathe.
"My mother..." she whispered.
"...never told me any of this."
The old woman sighed.
"Because if she had..."
"...you never would have lived long enough to hear it."
- Writer
