Whispers in the Shadows
816 Words
Raina sat beneath the moonlight, her knees pulled to her chest as the soft wind brushed against her skin. The courtyard of the royal palace was unusually silent tonight, as if the very air held its breath. She hadn’t seen the King since their argument three days ago — not after she’d dared to challenge his judgment about the prisoner from the Northern Border. She hadn’t meant to disrespect him, but something inside her refused to stay silent anymore. Maybe it was the strength she never knew she had — or maybe, it was the pain she still carried.
She clenched the moonstone pendant around her neck — a gift from the King during her recovery. It pulsed faintly, warm against her chest, almost as if it was alive. He said it was part of her legacy… but he had never explained what he truly meant.
The sound of footsteps pulled her from her thoughts.
She turned, expecting a servant.
But it was him.
The Alpha King.
His dark cloak billowed around him, his gaze unreadable. The familiar ache surged in her chest — the one that longed for him yet feared him.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Raina said quietly.
The King didn’t answer right away. He came to stand beside her, staring up at the moon as if it might answer the turmoil between them.
“I needed time,” he admitted, voice low. “Not from you. From myself.”
Raina tilted her head. “What does that mean?”
He let out a sigh, one so heavy it made her chest tighten.
“I’ve never questioned my decisions before,” he said. “But you… you make me doubt everything. And for a ruler, that’s dangerous.”
She blinked, unsure whether to feel honored or terrified.
“I’m not trying to change you,” she whispered.
“You already have.”
Silence settled between them. Then the King reached out, his fingers brushing her cheek.
“You are not just an omega, Raina,” he said. “There’s something ancient in your blood. Something the Moon Goddess chose to awaken. The more I try to protect you, the more the truth claws its way to the surface.”
She swallowed. “What truth?”
But before he could speak, the air around them shifted.
A cold wind howled through the courtyard — unnatural and biting. The guards near the walls tensed. And then, from the shadow of the trees, a low growl echoed.
Raina’s heart leapt.
She stood, her instincts flaring.
And then she saw him.
Kael.
Her former mate. Her tormentor.
His eyes glowed gold under the moonlight, his body bruised and bloodied, but his presence filled with raw desperation.
“No…” Raina backed away. “You’re supposed to be—”
“In chains?” Kael spat, stepping forward. “They couldn’t hold me. Not after what they did.”
The King moved in front of her, protective and calm. “You’ve trespassed in my territory. That alone is enough to warrant your execution.”
“I didn’t come to fight,” Kael growled. “I came to warn her.”
“Warn her?” Raina’s voice cracked.
Kael’s eyes met hers — and for the first time, there was no cruelty there. Just fear.
“They’re coming for you,” he said. “Not me. Not him. You. Because your blood carries something older than either of us.”
Raina’s knees buckled. The King caught her before she fell.
“What are you talking about?” the King demanded.
Kael’s voice trembled. “The Elders… they’ve uncovered the Prophecy of the Two Moons. The one about the last Alpha-Born Queen. It’s her. She’s the one.”
Raina’s vision blurred.
Everything around her twisted — her past, her rejection, her survival. And now this?
Kael took one last step toward her. “They will burn every pack to the ground to stop you from claiming your throne.”
Then the King raised a hand.
Guards surrounded Kael in an instant.
“Take him,” the King ordered. “But don’t harm him. Not yet.”
Kael’s gaze remained on Raina as he was dragged away.
“I’m not asking for forgiveness,” he murmured. “I just wanted you to know before it’s too late.”
Then he was gone.
The night settled again, eerily quiet.
Raina turned to the King, shaking. “What does it mean?”
The King’s jaw clenched. “It means everything we feared is coming faster than expected.”
She looked down at her hands — hands that once trembled in fear now curled into fists of defiance.
“I won’t run,” she whispered.
The King stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her.
“Good,” he said. “Because I’m done hiding you. From now on, we prepare for war.”
- Writer
