Chapter 2: The Six Kings
1172 Words
"Princess!"
The word echoed through the hall.
I stared at the hundreds of glowing red eyes outside the shattered doors.
Princess?
Me?
It had to be a mistake.
I looked at the six men standing in front of me.
None of them looked surprised anymore.
They looked worried.
"What does that mean?" I demanded.
No one answered.
The blue-eyed Alpha still held my hand. His grip was firm, but strangely gentle.
"Stay behind us."
"I don't even know who you are."
His eyes met mine.
"Alpha Kael."
He was the eldest of the six.
The man beside him stepped forward.
"Alpha Rowan."
He had silver-gray eyes and a scar running across his jaw.
The blond one gave me a crooked smile.
"Zayne."
His expression was almost playful, but his eyes were watching everything around us.
The fourth Alpha was quiet and composed.
"Lucian."
The fifth had dark hair and a cold expression.
"Darius."
Finally, the youngest-looking one crossed his arms.
"Cassian."
Six names.
Six powerful Alphas.
Six strangers who had just claimed that I belonged to them.
I pulled my hand away from Kael.
"I don't belong to anyone."
Zayne's smile disappeared.
"We know."
"Then why did you buy me?"
Kael's expression hardened.
"Because the people who bought you were not the only ones searching for you."
Before I could ask what he meant, a violent roar shook the building.
The creatures outside charged.
"Get her out!" Kael ordered.
The six Alphas shifted.
Bones cracked.
Six enormous wolves appeared.
I'd seen wolves before, but never like these.
Kael's wolf was black with golden eyes.
Rowan's was silver.
Zayne's was dark brown.
Lucian's was almost white.
Darius's was enormous and black.
Cassian's fur was midnight blue.
They attacked together.
The hall erupted into chaos.
Wolves collided.
Claws tore through clothing.
Roars shook the walls.
I backed away, terrified.
One of the attackers broke through the fighting and rushed toward me.
I froze.
A huge black wolf suddenly appeared between us.
Kael.
He knocked the attacker into the wall.
The creature got up again.
Its eyes locked on me.
"Princess..."
It smiled.
"You cannot hide forever."
Then it disappeared through the broken doorway.
I couldn't move.
What had it called me?
Kael shifted back and walked toward me.
"Are you hurt?"
I shook my head.
"What are those things?"
"Rogues."
"Why are they after me?"
His silence frightened me more than an answer would have.
"Kael."
He looked away.
"We need to leave."
"No."
My voice shook, but I stood my ground.
"I've spent my entire life being told what to do. My family sold me without telling me why. Then six strangers bought me and started calling me a princess."
I pointed toward the broken doors.
"Now monsters are trying to kill me."
My eyes burned with tears.
"I deserve answers."
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Then Rowan stepped forward.
"You do."
Kael gave him a warning look.
Rowan ignored it.
"Your adoption was arranged."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
"Your adoptive family was paid to keep you hidden."
I stared at him.
"By whom?"
"We don't know."
"You're lying."
"We aren't."
"Then tell me who my parents are."
Rowan hesitated.
Kael finally spoke.
"Your mother was the Moon Queen."
The room seemed to disappear around me.
I laughed.
It sounded broken.
"A queen?"
"You were believed to have died eighteen years ago."
I shook my head.
"No."
"You were a baby when your kingdom was attacked."
My fingers tightened around my necklace.
"What kingdom?"
Kael's eyes moved to the crescent pendant around my neck.
"That."
I looked down.
"The necklace?"
He nodded.
"Your mother wore the same symbol."
My breath caught.
I had always thought it was simply an old necklace.
I pulled it from my neck.
"How do you know this?"
Kael reached toward it.
The moment his fingers touched the pendant, the silver metal began to glow.
A strange pulse traveled through the room.
All six Alphas froze.
My necklace rose from my palm.
A symbol appeared in the air.
A silver crown surrounded by six stars.
Everyone stared.
Cassian whispered:
"The prophecy."
I looked at him.
"What prophecy?"
He didn't answer.
Zayne's eyes narrowed.
"Someone erased her memories."
"What?"
"Your memories," Lucian explained. "The reason you don't remember your childhood."
I stepped backward.
"Who would do that?"
Kael's face darkened.
"The same person who destroyed your kingdom."
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
"You know who?"
"We have a suspicion."
"Who?"
Before Kael could answer, the doors opened again.
This time, there was no attack.
An elderly woman entered.
She wore a long silver dress.
The moment she saw me, tears filled her eyes.
She walked toward me slowly.
Then she fell to her knees.
"My Queen."
I stepped back.
"Don't call me that."
She looked up at me.
"You have her eyes."
"Whose?"
"Your mother's."
My throat tightened.
The woman reached into her dress and pulled out an old photograph.
She held it toward me.
My hands trembled as I took it.
A young woman stood in front of a magnificent palace.
She had long dark hair.
Violet eyes.
A silver crown.
And in her arms...
Was a baby.
Me.
I stared at the photograph.
Tears blurred my vision.
"Who was she?"
The woman smiled through her tears.
"Queen Elara."
My heart ached at the name.
"Why did she leave me?"
The woman's expression changed.
"She didn't."
Silence.
"She died protecting you."
I couldn't breathe.
The woman looked at the six Alpha Kings.
"They know the rest."
I turned toward them.
"Tell me."
Kael's expression was grim.
"Your mother wasn't killed by rogues."
"Then who killed her?"
No one answered.
My voice rose.
"Who?"
Kael looked toward the broken windows.
"Your uncle."
I froze.
"My... uncle?"
"The man who now rules your mother's kingdom."
My blood turned cold.
"But if he knows I'm alive..."
Kael nodded.
"Then he'll come for you."
A loud horn sounded in the distance.
Every Alpha in the room immediately became alert.
Cassian ran toward the window.
His expression changed.
"They're here."
"Who?" I asked.
He turned around.
"The royal army."
My heart pounded.
"Your uncle's army," Kael said.
I stared at the darkness beyond the gates.
Hundreds of soldiers surrounded the estate.
At their center stood a man wearing a black crown.
Even from a distance, I could feel his hatred.
Then he raised his hand.
His voice echoed through the night.
"Hand over the lost princess..."
He paused.
"...or I will burn this entire territory to the ground."
Kael stepped in front of me.
The other five Alphas joined him.
I looked at the six men.
For the first time, I realized something terrifying.
They weren't just protecting me.
They were preparing to fight an entire kingdom for me.
And I didn't understand why.
Then Kael turned toward me.
His eyes darkened.
"Lyra, there's something else you need to know."
"What?"
He looked at my glowing wrist.
"Your six mate marks aren't a blessing."
My heart stopped.
"They're a warning."
- Writer
