Chapter 11: The Mark of the Moon
700 Words
The battlefield had gone silent.
Smoke drifted through the courtyard as fallen torches flickered weakly against the cold stone walls of the palace. Warriors slowly pushed themselves off the ground, their eyes wide with confusion and fear.
Every gaze was fixed on the balcony.
On Aria.
Kael stood in the center of the courtyard, his chest rising and falling as he stared upward. The moment he saw Aria collapse to her knees, his heart clenched.
Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the palace.
“Protect the gates!” he ordered his warriors. “No one enters the palace.”
The Lycan soldiers quickly obeyed, forming a defensive line as the rebel wolves hesitated after witnessing the strange power that had swept through the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Kael rushed through the palace corridors with supernatural speed.
Within seconds, he reached the balcony.
Aria was still kneeling on the floor, breathing heavily. Her hands trembled as if the energy had drained every ounce of strength from her body.
Kael slowly approached her.
“Aria.”
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion.
“I didn’t mean to do that,” she said weakly. “I don’t even know what happened.”
Kael crouched in front of her, his expression darker than she had ever seen before.
“You activated the Lunar Mark.”
Aria frowned.
“The what?”
Before Kael could answer, a calm but ancient voice spoke from the doorway.
“It means the prophecy has awakened.”
Both of them turned.
An elderly Lycan stepped into the room, leaning on a carved wooden staff. His silver hair fell over his shoulders, and his wise eyes studied Aria carefully.
It was Elder Varis, the oldest advisor in the kingdom.
Aria felt uneasy under his gaze.
“What prophecy?” she asked.
Varis stepped closer and pointed his staff toward her.
“For centuries, our people have feared the return of the Moon-Bound Queen.”
Aria blinked.
“Queen?”
Kael’s jaw tightened.
Varis continued.
“The prophecy never said the human would destroy the Lycan throne.” He paused. “It said she would change it forever.”
A heavy silence filled the room.
Aria shook her head slowly.
“That doesn’t make sense. I’m just a normal human.”
Varis gave a small, knowing smile.
“You were never human, child.”
Aria’s heart skipped a beat.
“What do you mean?”
The elder’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“Your blood carries the power of the ancient moon line. A forgotten race that once ruled beside the Lycans.”
Kael stared at Aria in disbelief.
“Those bloodlines were wiped out centuries ago,” he said.
Varis nodded slowly.
“That is what we believed.”
Aria felt as if the ground beneath her had disappeared.
“So you’re saying… I’m not human?”
Before anyone could answer—
A loud explosion shook the palace walls.
The windows shattered as flames erupted outside.
Kael immediately turned toward the courtyard.
“The rebels!”
A guard burst into the room.
“My King! Magnus has regrouped his warriors!”
Kael’s eyes burned with fury.
“What is he doing?”
The guard swallowed nervously.
“He’s not attacking the palace anymore…”
“Then what?”
The guard hesitated before speaking.
“He says he’s waiting for the Moon-Bound Queen to come down and face him.”
Aria felt a chill run through her body.
Magnus’ voice suddenly echoed across the courtyard below.
“ARIA!” he shouted.
The rebel Alpha laughed loudly.
“Come out and show your new power to the entire kingdom!”
Kael’s expression turned deadly.
“He’s trying to provoke you.”
Aria slowly stood, her legs still shaking.
“But if I don’t go…” she whispered.
“He’ll keep attacking.”
Kael grabbed her wrist before she could move toward the balcony.
“You are not stepping outside.”
Aria looked into his intense golden eyes.
“And what if the prophecy says I must?”
For the first time since he became king…
Kael had no answer.
And outside the palace walls, Magnus smiled as his trap slowly unfolded.
- Writer
