I Will Burn the World Before I Lose You
1181 Words
The moment the stranger called me the daughter of the First Alpha, the entire world went silent.
Not a single wolf breathed.
Not even Riven, the warrior who had known my secret since the night I was born.
Everyone looked at me as if they were seeing me for the first time.
And the worst part?
I felt like a stranger to myself.
“Say it again.”
My voice barely sounded like mine.
The red-eyed stranger smiled.
Slow.
Cruel.
“As you wish, little heir.”
The words sent a shiver down my spine.
“You are not merely a Moonborn princess. You are the final vessel of the First Alpha’s blood.”
“No,” Riven whispered.
The man ignored him.
“The first wolf created by the Moon Goddess. The one who commanded every pack. The one whose power was so great that even death could not erase his legacy.”
My chest tightened.
Every story I had heard as a child came rushing back.
The First Alpha was a legend.
A god among wolves.
A myth used to teach pups about strength and loyalty.
This had to be a lie.
It had to be.
“You're lying.”
The stranger tilted his head.
“Then ask yourself one question.”
His eyes moved to my wrist.
“Why did your mark awaken after meeting the Beast of Shadow Moon?”
My heart stopped.
Kael.
The mate bond.
The moment he said my name as if he had been waiting his entire life to say it.
The pain in his eyes when he whispered:
They said you died.
“Enough.”
The tent shook with Kael’s growl.
Every warrior in the room lowered their heads.
Every warrior except the stranger.
Interesting.
He was not afraid.
Not even of Kael.
That was terrifying.
“You speak too much,” Kael said.
The stranger laughed.
“And you love too quickly.”
The room froze.
Kael’s eyes turned lethal.
The stranger took another step.
“Tell me, Alpha. How does it feel to find your mate after mourning her for twenty years?”
My breath caught.
Twenty years.
He had truly searched for me.
He had truly grieved me.
“Kael…”
The word escaped before I could stop it.
His expression changed immediately.
The monster vanished.
Only the male remained.
The one who stood alone against an army for me, who crossed enemy borders for me, who looked at me like I was something precious.
“Yes, little moon?”
The nickname did something dangerous to my heart.
I hated it.
I loved it.
And that scared me.
“Did you really look for me?”
A dangerous question and vulnerable questionat that.
For the first time, the feared Beast of Shadow Moon looked broken.
“Every day.”
Silence.
“I searched every village. Every abandoned pack. Every battlefield.”
His voice became rough.
“When I found the blanket you were wrapped in as a baby, covered in blood, I buried it.”
My breath hitched.
“I held a funeral for a child I never met.”
The entire room became still.
Because no one had ever heard Alpha Kael Draven speak with such pain.
“They told me my mate was dead before she took her first breath.”
His golden eyes met mine.
“I promised the Moon Goddess I would kill every creature responsible.”
The temperature in the room dropped.
“And I have spent twenty years keeping that promise.”
The red-eyed stranger clapped.
A slow, mocking sound.
“How touching.”
Kael’s gaze snapped toward him.
“Careful.”
The stranger smiled.
“You threaten me while standing beside the weapon that can destroy your entire kingdom.”
The words sliced through me.
Weapon.
Not woman.
Not Aria.
A weapon.
My entire life, people had decided what I was.
A cursed child.
A secret.
A princess.
A monster.
A weapon.
No one had asked what I wanted.
“I am standing right here.”
Everyone looked at me.
Good.
Let them.
My hands shook.
Not with fear.
With anger and rage.
“I am done being spoken about as if I do not exist.”
The mark on my wrist glowed.
Silver power filled the tent.
The ground cracked beneath my feet.
The stranger’s smile faded.
For the first time—
he looked afraid.
“There she is,” he whispered.
“The true heir.”
I took a step forward.
“Who are you?”
His expression darkened.
“My name has been erased from your history.”
The shadows around him moved.
Alive.
Hungry.
“But once, I was the First Alpha’s most trusted general.”
The room grew cold.
Riven's face lost all color.
“No.”
The stranger smiled.
“Yes.”
He looked at me.
“My name is Malach.”
The name hit the room like a curse.
Every wolf reacted.
Even Kael stiffened.
And that was all I needed to know.
This was not an enemy.
This was a nightmare.
“Centuries ago, your ancestor betrayed me,” Malach said.
“He took my immortality. My throne. My future.”
His red eyes burned.
“But now you have awakened.”
His smile returned.
“And you will return everything that was stolen.”
“I would rather die.”
The words left my mouth without hesitation.
A dangerous silence followed.
Then Malach laughed.
A dark, terrifying laugh.
“You sound exactly like your mother.”
My heart stopped.
“My mother?”
The smile disappeared.
“Yes.”
The woman who chose your death over giving me your power.”
“Enough!”
A roar exploded from Kael.
The tent shattered.
Wood flew through the air.
The Beast of Shadow Moon had finally lost control.
His claws extended.
His eyes became pure gold.
He stepped in front of me.
A wall.
A protector.
A monster guarding his treasure.
“Speak of her family again,” Kael growled.
“And I will tear your soul apart.”
Malach smiled.
“Still the same.”
The words made everyone freeze.
Kael went still.
Too still.
Like a predator that had heard something impossible.
“What did you say?”
Malach looked amused.
“Oh?”
His eyes flickered with recognition.
“You don’t remember, do you?”
A terrible feeling crawled through me.
“Remember what?”
Malach looked between us.
Between me.
And Kael.
Then he said the words that destroyed everything I thought I knew.
“You think the Moon Goddess chose you two as mates.”
A cruel smile spread across his face.
“But your bond was never created by the Goddess.”
The entire world stopped.
No.
No.
That couldn’t be true.
The mate bond was sacred.
Unbreakable.
Eternal.
“Then who created it?”
My voice trembled.
Malach’s smile widened.
“Me.”
The sky split apart with thunder.
Kael’s eyes widened.
For the first time since I met him—
the Beast of Shadow Moon looked afraid.
- Writer
