The March Of War
996 Words
"Fifty thousand?"
The words escaped my lips before I could stop them.
The scout nodded grimly.
"No exaggeration, Your Majesty."
The forest fell silent.
Even I knew what that number meant.
War.
Not a border dispute.
Not a raid.
A war.
Kael's expression became unreadable.
Dangerously unreadable.
"The Northern Fortress doesn't fall easily," he said.
"It doesn't," the scout agreed.
"Yet it fell in less than a day."
A chill ran through me.
Less than a day?
A fortress capable of defending an entire border?
What kind of army could do that?
The old man looked troubled.
"They're moving faster than expected."
Shadow Fang crossed his arms.
"I warned everyone this would happen."
No one replied.
Apparently, this wasn't the time for old arguments.
Kael turned to the scout.
"Casualties?"
The scout lowered his gaze.
"Heavy."
For the first time, genuine anger flashed across Kael's face.
The air around him seemed to vibrate.
His wolf was close to the surface.
I could feel it.
The scout wisely remained silent.
After several tense moments, Kael regained control.
"Return to the capital."
The warrior nodded immediately.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Tell the Council to prepare the defenses."
"At once."
With that, the scout shifted into wolf form and disappeared into the forest.
The moment he left, Kael looked at me.
"The Silver Temple."
The name felt oddly familiar.
As though I'd heard it somewhere before.
Maybe in a dream.
Maybe in one of the visions.
I couldn't tell.
"What is it?"
The old man answered.
"The last sanctuary of the Moonborn."
My pulse quickened.
Of course it was.
Everything seemed connected to the Moonborn lately.
"My ancestors built it?"
"Yes."
The old man nodded.
"And no one has entered it for centuries."
"Why?"
This time, Shadow Fang answered.
"Because no one could."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
The rogue leader smirked.
"The temple only opens for its rightful heir."
My stomach dropped.
Meaning me.
Of course.
Everything somehow came back to me.
The forgotten omega.
The rejected mate.
The heir of a legendary bloodline.
If someone had told me this a week ago, I would've laughed.
Now?
Not so much.
Kael stepped forward.
"We leave immediately."
I blinked.
"Immediately?"
"The enemy is moving."
His tone left no room for argument.
"The temple may contain answers."
He glanced toward the northern horizon.
"Answers we desperately need."
The seriousness in his voice worried me.
If Kael was concerned, things were bad.
Very bad.
The old man nodded.
"I'll travel separately."
That surprised me.
"You're not coming with us?"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I have other preparations to make."
Which sounded suspiciously vague.
Before I could ask for clarification, he added:
"We'll meet again soon, Aria."
Something about his words felt final.
As though he knew more than he was saying.
Then again, everyone seemed to know more than they were saying.
The old man raised a hand.
Silver light surrounded him.
A second later, he vanished.
Just vanished.
I stared at the empty space.
"What..."
Kael looked completely unsurprised.
Naturally.
Meanwhile, I was having trouble keeping up with all the impossible things happening around me.
Shadow Fang laughed.
"Gets stranger every time."
Before anyone could respond, he turned toward his rogues.
"We're leaving."
One of the rogues blinked.
"Leaving?"
"Did I stutter?"
The rogue immediately shook his head.
Smart choice.
Within minutes, the entire rogue pack disappeared into the forest.
Leaving only Kael and me.
Alone.
Again.
The realization felt strangely less awkward than it should have.
Which was concerning.
Because I barely knew him.
Yet somehow, his presence felt... safe.
I quickly pushed that thought away.
Dangerous territory.
Very dangerous territory.
Kael glanced at me.
"You ready?"
"No."
His eyebrow lifted.
I sighed.
"But I don't think I have much choice."
A hint of amusement flashed across his face.
Then he offered me his hand.
I stared at it.
Then at him.
"Why?"
"The temple is several days away."
That wasn't an answer.
Kael's lips twitched slightly.
"The faster route requires shifting."
My eyes widened.
"I can't shift yet."
Most wolves required training after awakening.
I certainly wasn't ready.
Kael nodded.
"I know."
Then he pointed at himself.
And finally, I understood.
Absolutely not.
"No."
"Aria."
"No."
"Aria."
"I am not riding on your back."
The Lycan King looked entirely too entertained.
Which should have been illegal.
"It's the fastest way."
"I'll walk."
"You'll collapse."
"I'll survive."
"You nearly collapsed yesterday."
Traitorous memories betrayed me.
Unfortunately, he wasn't wrong.
I hated when he wasn't wrong.
Kael folded his arms.
Waiting.
Patiently.
Confidently.
As if he already knew how this conversation would end.
Which only irritated me more.
Five minutes later...
I was sitting on the back of a massive black Lycan.
I hated everything.
Kael's wolf seemed to disagree.
The beast appeared extremely pleased.
The traitor.
"Don't get comfortable," I muttered.
The giant wolf huffed.
Which somehow felt suspiciously like laughter.
Then he took off.
The world blurred.
Wind rushed through my hair.
Trees flew past.
The speed was unbelievable.
Within moments, the forest became a green streak around us.
My eyes widened.
Okay.
This was amazing.
I would never admit that aloud.
But it was.
For the first time in days, I found myself smiling.
A real smile.
Not forced.
Not fake.
The realization startled me.
I hadn't smiled since before the rejection ceremony.
Before Damon.
The thought brought a brief ache.
But only a brief one.
Something was changing.
I could feel it.
My old life was fading behind me.
And a new one was beginning.
What I didn't know—
Was that far away in Moonfall territory, Damon Blackwood had finally found my trail.
And he wasn't the only one.
Because hidden among his scouts was a spy.
One serving the ancient enemy marching toward Lycan territory.
And the moment that spy learned who I really was—
A message was sent.
A message that contained only four words:
The heir is alive.
- Writer
