CHAPTER 13:The Forgotten Kingdom
1589 Words
(Part 1)
The roar of the collapsing fortress echoed across the Dead Mountains.
Dust and shattered stone filled the air as Kael, Aria, Rowan, and the surviving Blackthorn warriors retreated to a rocky cliff overlooking the ruins.
For several minutes, no one spoke.
Everyone stared at what remained of the Fortress of Shadows.
It was gone.
Buried beneath thousands of tons of rock.
Aria's chest tightened.
"My mother..."
Queen Lyra was still inside.
She took a step toward the ruins.
"I have to go back."
Kael caught her wrist before she could move.
"No."
She pulled against his grip.
"She's still in there!"
"And if you go back, you'll die too."
Tears filled Aria's eyes.
"I just found her..."
"I can't lose her again."
Kael looked at the ruins.
His expression softened.
"We'll find another way."
"You have my word."
Aria searched his face.
For some reason...
She believed him.
The journey back to Blackthorn was painfully quiet.
The warriors carried their wounded while Rowan rode at the front, constantly scanning the forest for enemies.
Kael remained beside Aria the entire time.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable.
It was filled with unspoken questions.
As the sun began to rise, they reached the edge of Blackthorn territory.
The massive gates opened.
The people cheered at the sight of their Alpha returning alive.
But the celebration quickly faded when they noticed the exhausted warriors and the empty spaces where others should have been.
Many had not returned.
Inside the castle, the healer rushed to treat the injured.
Kael dismissed everyone except Rowan and Aria.
"We have four nights before the Blood Moon," Kael said.
"We need answers."
Rowan nodded.
"Our scouts found something while searching the Dead Mountains."
He placed an old leather map on the table.
It was faded with age, but one location had been circled in silver ink.
Above it were three words.
The Forgotten Kingdom.
Aria frowned.
"I've never heard of it."
"Most people haven't," Rowan replied.
"It disappeared hundreds of years ago."
Kael studied the map.
"The Moon Shrine wasn't the beginning."
"It was only one piece."
He looked at Aria.
"If we're going to stop Malachar..."
"We have to discover how the curse started."
That evening...
Aria wandered into the castle library once more.
She couldn't stop thinking about Queen Lyra.
Or the mysterious shadow standing behind Malachar.
As she searched through the ancient shelves, a small leather journal slipped onto the floor.
Unlike the other books, it wasn't covered in dust.
Someone had been reading it recently.
She picked it up.
Written across the first page was a familiar name.
King Alaric Blackthorn.
Kael's father.
Aria hesitated before opening it.
The first few pages described life inside Blackthorn Castle years ago.
Then one sentence caught her attention.
"If Kael ever finds the Moon Heir, he must never learn the final truth until the Blood Moon."
Aria's heart skipped.
"The final truth?"
She turned another page.
Several lines had been torn out.
Someone had deliberately removed them.
The remaining sentence chilled her to the bone.
"The prophecy has been misunderstood for centuries."
Suddenly...
The library door creaked open.
Aria quickly closed the journal.
She expected to see Kael.
Instead...
An unfamiliar young woman stepped inside.
She had long silver hair tied into a braid and striking green eyes.
She wore Blackthorn armor.
The woman smiled politely.
"You must be Aria."
Aria nodded cautiously.
"And you are?"
"My name is Elara."
"I've just returned from the southern border."
She glanced at the journal in Aria's hands.
"I see you've found the late King's diary."
"You've read it?"
Elara hesitated.
"Only once."
"My father served King Alaric."
"He always said the King died protecting a terrible secret."
Before Aria could ask another question, a castle guard burst into the library.
"My Lady!"
"My Alpha requests everyone in the council hall immediately."
Minutes later...
The council chamber buzzed with tension.
Kael stood before a large map while Rowan addressed the room.
"Our scouts have confirmed Malachar survived."
Murmurs spread among the elders.
Rowan continued.
"He has begun gathering rogue packs."
"By the time the Blood Moon rises..."
"He'll command the largest army the werewolf world has ever seen."
Kael pointed toward the circled location on the map.
"The Forgotten Kingdom."
"That's where we're going."
An elder immediately stood.
"Impossible!"
"No one who enters those ruins ever returns."
Kael met his gaze.
"Then we'll change history."
Just as he finished speaking...
The castle doors burst open.
A bloodied scout staggered inside before collapsing onto the floor.
"My Alpha..."
He coughed violently.
"We found..."
"The entrance..."
Everyone leaned forward.
"To the Forgotten Kingdom?"
The scout slowly nodded.
Then his face turned pale.
"But..."
"It's already been opened."
The room fell silent.
Kael's expression hardened.
"Opened by who?"
The scout whispered two words before losing consciousness.
"Moon Wolves..."
(Part 2)
The council chamber fell into complete silence.
"Moon Wolves..."
The scout's final words echoed through the room before he lost consciousness.
Rowan immediately knelt beside him.
"He's alive."
"But barely."
The healer hurried forward and ordered the guards to carry the injured scout away.
Kael remained standing before the map, his expression unreadable.
One of the elders slowly rose to his feet.
"Moon Wolves disappeared over three hundred years ago."
"They're only legends."
Rowan looked toward the Alpha.
"My scouts don't mistake legends for living wolves."
"They found enormous paw prints surrounding the entrance."
"They weren't ordinary wolves."
Kael folded the map.
"Then we're leaving at sunrise."
That night...
Sleep refused to come.
Aria stood alone on the highest balcony of Blackthorn Castle, staring at the silver moon hanging above the mountains.
The cold wind played with her hair.
"So this is where you hide."
She turned.
Kael stood in the doorway.
"I wasn't hiding."
"No?"
"You've barely spoken since we left the fortress."
Aria lowered her eyes.
"I keep thinking about my mother."
"I finally found her..."
"And I had to leave her behind."
Kael walked beside her.
"You didn't leave her."
"You survived."
"So you could come back for her."
Aria sighed.
"What if we're too late?"
Kael looked at the moon.
"We won't be."
She studied his face.
"You sound certain."
"I'm choosing to be."
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Aria quietly asked,
"Do you ever get tired?"
"Tired of carrying everyone else's burdens?"
Kael gave a faint smile.
"Every day."
"Then why keep doing it?"
"Because if I stop..."
"Who protects them?"
Aria's heart softened.
She finally understood why everyone followed him.
Not because they feared him.
Because he never stopped fighting for them.
Suddenly, Kael winced.
A sharp pain shot through his chest.
He grabbed the balcony railing to steady himself.
"Kael?"
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not."
She noticed the black veins had returned, creeping slowly up his neck.
"The curse..."
Kael closed his eyes.
"It's getting stronger."
Aria instinctively reached for his hand.
The moment their fingers touched...
A soft silver glow surrounded them.
The black veins immediately began to fade.
Kael opened his eyes in surprise.
"It worked again."
Aria smiled.
"Maybe the curse isn't stronger than we thought."
"Maybe..."
She looked into his eyes.
"...it's afraid."
Before Kael could answer, an awkward cough interrupted them.
Rowan stood several steps away, trying very hard not to smile.
"My Alpha..."
"I hate to interrupt..."
"...whatever this is."
Aria quickly pulled her hand away, her cheeks turning red.
Rowan pretended not to notice.
"We've received another report."
Kael's expression became serious.
"What happened?"
"Our scouts never returned."
"Only one horse came back."
"And it wasn't alone."
Moments later...
The entire pack gathered in the courtyard.
A black stallion slowly walked through the castle gates.
There was no rider.
Only a wooden box tied securely to its saddle.
Everyone exchanged nervous glances.
Kael untied the box himself.
Inside lay a silver pendant shaped like a crescent moon.
Beneath it was a folded letter.
Kael unfolded it.
His jaw tightened as he read the message.
Aria stepped closer.
"What does it say?"
Kael slowly read the words aloud.
"The Forgotten Kingdom has awakened."
"Come alone, Cursed Alpha."
"If anyone else follows..."
"...the Moon Queen dies before sunrise."
Silence settled over the courtyard.
Aria felt her stomach twist.
"They're using my mother."
Kael crushed the letter in his hand.
"They want to separate us."
Rowan immediately stepped forward.
"You can't go alone."
Kael nodded.
"I know."
"But they expect me to refuse."
He looked toward Aria.
"They think they've already won."
Aria met his gaze.
"So what do we do?"
A determined smile appeared on Kael's face.
"We give them exactly what they want..."
"...to make them believe they're in control."
Then his smile disappeared.
"Because while they're watching me..."
"They won't notice who is really entering the Forgotten Kingdom."
Before anyone could ask what he meant, a deafening wolf howl echoed from the forest beyond the castle walls.
One howl...
Then ten...
Then hundreds.
The guards rushed to the battlements.
"My Alpha!"
Kael climbed the tower and looked into the darkness.
His expression froze.
The forest below was filled with glowing silver eyes.
An entire army of enormous white wolves stood silently among the trees.
They weren't attacking.
They were waiting.
At the front of the pack stood a gigantic wolf with snow-white fur and glowing golden eyes.
It stepped forward and bowed its head toward Aria.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, it spoke in a deep, ancient voice.
"Moon Heir..."
"The King of the Moon Wolves requests your presence."
- Writer
