The Wolves Bow
920 Words
Chapter Four
The growls echoed through the ancient chamber like distant thunder.
Aurora stood frozen.
Dozens of wolves surrounded the stone throne, their enormous bodies emerging from the darkness one after another. They were unlike anything she'd ever seen in nature documentaries. Their shoulders reached nearly to her waist, their black and silver coats gleamed under the pale moonlight filtering through the collapsed ceiling, and their golden eyes never left her.
Every instinct screamed at her to run.
But her feet refused to move.
The largest wolf stepped forward. A jagged scar ran across his muzzle, disappearing into thick charcoal-colored fur. His amber eyes studied Aurora carefully, not with hunger, but with curiosity.
Then...
He lowered his head.
The rest of the pack followed.
One by one.
Every wolf bowed before her.
Aurora's mouth fell open.
"What... are they doing?"
Her voice echoed softly through the ruins.
Kael didn't answer immediately.
For the first time since she'd met him, the cold, emotionless Alpha actually looked stunned.
His eyes moved from the wolves to Aurora and back again.
"They're acknowledging you."
"What does that mean?"
"It means..." He swallowed, choosing his words carefully. "They believe you're someone worthy of respect."
Aurora laughed nervously.
"They don't even know me."
Kael's gaze lingered on her face.
"That's what worries me."
Before Aurora could ask what he meant, the scarred wolf slowly approached.
Every step was cautious.
Respectful.
It stopped only a few feet away.
Aurora's heart pounded.
"Kael..."
"Don't run."
"I wasn't planning to."
"Don't scream either."
"I wasn't—"
The wolf leaned closer.
Its nose hovered inches from Aurora's hand.
She held her breath.
Then something extraordinary happened.
Instead of growling...
The wolf gently nudged her fingers.
Warm.
Soft.
Almost affectionate.
Aurora blinked.
"He's..."
The wolf let out a low rumble that sounded oddly comforting.
"He likes you," Kael muttered.
Aurora slowly looked at him.
"You sound disappointed."
"I am."
She frowned.
"Why?"
"Because he doesn't like anyone."
The corner of Aurora's lips lifted despite everything.
"So, I'm special?"
Kael met her eyes.
"You have no idea."
For a heartbeat, the world disappeared.
No collapsing ruins.
No danger.
Just his amber eyes locked onto hers.
They weren't as cold as she'd thought.
There was sadness hidden behind them.
Regret.
Pain.
It was gone before she could study it.
The scarred wolf suddenly growled.
Not at Aurora.
Behind them.
Kael turned instantly.
His expression darkened.
"They're here."
Heavy footsteps echoed through the tunnels.
Metal scraped against stone.
Voices.
At least twenty men.
Kael stepped in front of Aurora.
"Stay behind me."
She crossed her arms.
"You know, saying that every five minutes isn't making me any less annoyed."
He didn't even glance at her.
"If we survive tonight, you can complain all you want."
"If?"
Before he could answer, figures emerged from the darkness.
They wore black tactical clothing with crimson wolf emblems stitched onto their jackets.
Some carried rifles.
Others held silver blades that glowed faintly in the darkness.
Their leader smiled.
"Alpha Kael."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"Marcus."
The man spread his arms dramatically.
"What a touching reunion."
Marcus looked to be in his early thirties. His blond hair was slicked back, and a long scar cut across one side of his face. Despite the smile on his lips, his icy blue eyes were empty.
Then he noticed Aurora.
"There she is."
His smile widened.
"The lost princess."
Aurora frowned.
"I think you've got the wrong person."
Marcus laughed.
"Oh, if only that were true."
Kael's voice became deadly calm.
"Leave."
"You know I can't."
Marcus slowly unsheathed one of the silver blades.
"It took us twenty-three years to find her."
Aurora's stomach twisted.
Twenty-three years.
Again.
Everyone kept mentioning her age.
"What do you want from me?" she demanded.
Marcus looked genuinely surprised.
"They never told you?"
Aurora looked between him and Kael.
"Told me what?"
Marcus chuckled.
"This is priceless."
He turned toward Kael.
"You've been protecting her all this time... and she doesn't even know what she is."
Aurora's heartbeat quickened.
"What am I?"
Kael remained silent.
"Answer me!"
Still nothing.
Marcus laughed louder.
"I will."
Kael's voice echoed through the chamber like a warning growl.
"You'll say another word over my dead body."
Marcus tilted his head.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
Without warning—
He raised his hand.
"Kill them."
The tunnel exploded into chaos.
The wolves charged first.
Their deafening howls shook the ancient ruins as they launched themselves at Marcus's soldiers.
Gunfire erupted.
Silver bullets ricocheted off stone pillars.
Aurora ducked behind the throne as dust rained from the ceiling.
She watched in horror as one enormous wolf tackled a soldier to the ground.
Another leaped nearly fifteen feet through the air.
This wasn't a fight.
It was a battlefield.
Kael moved faster than her eyes could follow.
One second he stood beside her.
The next he was in the middle of the enemy ranks.
He disarmed one attacker with a brutal elbow strike, spun, and kicked another into a stone pillar hard enough to crack it.
Marcus smirked.
"So predictable."
He reached into his jacket.
Aurora noticed it before anyone else.
A small silver grenade.
"Kael!"
She screamed his name.
He looked up just as Marcus pulled the pin.
Time slowed.
Marcus threw the grenade—not toward Kael...
But toward Aurora.
Kael's eyes widened with fear.
"Aurora!"
She froze.
There wasn't enough time to run.
The grenade landed at her feet.
Three...
Two...
One...
A blinding white light swallowed the chamber.
- Writer
