The Alpha's Forgotten Heir

Chapter 15

The western ridge was cloaked in mist, the kind that made the world feel smaller, quieter, more dangerous.

Darius moved ahead, his wolf senses sharp, his posture that of a predator stalking prey. Seraphina followed, Rowan and Nadia at her flanks. Every step crunched softly against damp earth, every breath of wind carried the smell of something unnatural.

“Do you feel that?” Nadia whispered, her bow already half-drawn.

Seraphina nodded, her own power prickling under her skin like static. “Magic.”

“Dark magic,” Darius growled.

They crested the ridge and froze.

At the clearing below, an enormous sigil had been carved into the earth, glowing faintly red in the moonlight. Bones—wolf bones, human bones—lined the outer circle, and black candles burned in each corner despite the wind.

“What the hell is this?” Rowan breathed.

Seraphina’s stomach twisted. She knew what it was.

“A summoning circle,” she said, her voice low. “Or worse—a ward. This isn’t just magic, it’s a message.”

And as if to prove her point, a figure stepped into the center of the circle.

Lucien.

No—just an echo of him, shimmering like smoke, but enough to make Darius’s wolf snarl inside his chest.

“Well, well,” the specter drawled, his lips curling into a cold smile. “The great Alpha Darius. And his little mate.”

Darius stepped forward, every muscle in his body coiled. “Where is my son?”

Lucien chuckled, the sound dry and cruel. “Safe. For now. But the Black Moon draws near, and when it rises, Kaelen will be mine—body and soul.”

“You won’t touch him,” Seraphina said, stepping beside Darius, her voice steady despite the fear twisting inside her.

Lucien’s gaze slid to her, and the smile widened. “Ah, there she is. The girl who should have been mine. You always did have fire in you, little wolf. Such a pity you waste it on him.”

Darius’s wolf roared, barely restrained. “Try me,” he growled, his claws lengthening.

Lucien’s laugh echoed through the clearing like a broken bell. “Oh, I will. But first, a gift.”

The sigil blazed brighter, and the ground began to shake. From the shadows emerged three creatures—wolves, but not. Their eyes glowed crimson, their bodies twisted and wrong.

“Shadow-born,” Eira’s voice said behind them. The seer had appeared silently, as if the mist had carried her. “Be careful. They are born of death magic. Hard to kill.”

“Good,” Darius said, his voice a deadly promise. “I was in the mood for a fight.”

The battle was quick but brutal.

The first shadow-wolf lunged for Nadia, but Rowan intercepted it with a silver-tipped spear, pinning it to the earth as Seraphina’s power surged to life, flaring around her hands in a blinding light.

The second creature charged Darius, but he shifted mid-leap, his massive wolf form colliding with it in a snarl of teeth and fur.

Seraphina faced the third, her magic burning through her veins. She threw her hands forward, and a blast of light erupted, searing the creature where it stood. It shrieked, disintegrating into ash.

When the last creature fell, the circle went dark, and Lucien’s echo faded with a final, mocking whisper.

“Tick-tock, Alpha. Two weeks.”

Breathing hard, Seraphina fell to her knees, her magic spent.

Darius shifted back, blood streaking his skin, his chest heaving. He was at her side in an instant, cupping her face.

“Are you hurt?”

She shook her head. “Just drained. But I can still fight.”

He helped her to her feet, his hands lingering at her waist.

“You don’t have to do this alone,” he said quietly, his eyes searching hers. “Not anymore.”

Her heart squeezed. “I know. It’s just… every time I use this power, I feel like I’m losing a piece of myself. Like I’m becoming something else.”

His thumb brushed over her lower lip, and for a moment, the war faded away. “Then I’ll remind you who you are,” he said softly. “As many times as it takes.”

The words hit her like a blow.

Without thinking, she rose on her toes and kissed him—hard, desperate, a clash of fear and longing. He kissed her back just as fiercely, his hands tangling in her hair, his body pressing her against the nearest tree.

The kiss turned hotter, rougher, until she was panting against his mouth.

“We shouldn’t—” she started, breathless.

“Tell me to stop,” he said, his voice raw. “And I will.”

She didn’t.

Instead, she pulled him closer.

For a moment, there was nothing but them, nothing but the heat and the hunger that had been building between them for weeks.

Then Rowan’s voice shattered the moment.

“Uh, Alpha?”

They broke apart, both breathing hard. Rowan stood a few feet away, awkwardly looking anywhere but at them.

“We should… probably get back to camp,” he said. “Before Lucien sends more of those things.”

Darius swore under his breath but nodded. “Right.”

He glanced at Seraphina, his expression unreadable. “This isn’t over,” he said quietly.

Her heart thudded in her chest. “I know.”

Back at camp, Eira spread a map across the table in the Alpha’s cabin.

“The Shadow Vale lies beyond the western mountains,” she said. “Few who enter return, and those who do are never the same.”

Darius studied the map, his jaw tight. “Then we bring every fighter we have.”

“You’ll need more than fighters,” Eira said. Her gaze landed on Seraphina. “You’ll need her.”

Seraphina swallowed. “Me?”

“You carry light in a place of darkness,” Eira said. “But light must be strong to pierce the Vale. Are you willing to let yours burn?”

Seraphina glanced at Darius. His golden eyes held hers, steady and unflinching.

“Yes,” she said. “Whatever it takes.”

Eira nodded once. “Then we leave at first light.”

That night, as the pack slept, Seraphina sat awake by the fire, staring at the flames.

Darius found her there, silent for a long moment before lowering himself beside her.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” he asked softly.

She shook her head. “Too much in my head.”

He reached over, taking her hand. “Then let me take some of it,” he said.

And for the first time in weeks, she let him.