Surrounded
979 Words
The howls echoed through the forest.
One after another.
Closer.
Louder.
My heart pounded.
There were too many.
Far too many.
Kael stood at the cave entrance, completely still.
Listening.
Calculating.
The golden glow in his eyes intensified.
For the first time since meeting him, I saw the King disappear.
What remained was the predator.
The warrior.
The Lycan feared across the continent.
"How many?" I whispered.
Kael didn't look away from the darkness.
"At least thirty."
My stomach dropped.
Thirty?
Even Damon would have struggled against numbers like that.
Yet Kael showed no sign of fear.
Only irritation.
As if thirty enemies were an inconvenience.
Another howl split the night.
This one was different.
Deeper.
More powerful.
A leader.
Kael's expression hardened.
"I know that one."
That wasn't reassuring.
The sound of movement echoed outside.
Branches snapped.
Leaves rustled.
The enemy was surrounding the cave.
My wolf paced anxiously inside my head.
Danger.
Danger.
Danger.
I didn't need her help to figure that out.
The scent hit me next.
Wolves.
Blood.
Death.
And something darker.
Something wrong.
Kael's nostrils flared.
Then he swore quietly.
A very bad sign.
"What is it?"
His jaw tightened.
"Shadow Fang."
The name meant nothing to me.
But judging by his reaction, it should have.
"Who's that?"
For a moment, Kael remained silent.
Then he answered.
"The most dangerous rogue leader alive."
Wonderful.
Because my life clearly wasn't complicated enough already.
A low laugh suddenly echoed from outside.
The sound sent chills down my spine.
It wasn't human.
Not entirely.
"Kael Nightshade."
The voice boomed through the forest.
Every hair on my body stood up.
"Still hiding in caves like a common wolf?"
Kael rolled his eyes.
Actually rolled his eyes.
"He's annoying."
I stared.
"That's your concern?"
"At the moment."
Before I could respond, the voice spoke again.
"Come out, King."
Silence.
Then—
"Or perhaps you'd rather we collect the girl ourselves."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The temperature seemed to drop.
Kael's eyes turned deadly.
For the first time, I felt genuine fear from him.
Not for himself.
For me.
The realization shocked me.
Why would the Lycan King care what happened to me?
I was nobody.
Just an exiled omega.
Right?
Kael slowly stepped forward.
"No."
The single word carried enough authority to make my chest vibrate.
The forest became silent.
Then the mysterious leader laughed.
"Interesting."
A shadow detached itself from the darkness.
Then another.
And another.
Dozens of wolves emerged from the trees.
My breath caught.
They surrounded the cave completely.
At their center stood a massive man.
Nearly as tall as Kael.
His dark gray eyes gleamed with amusement.
Several scars crossed his face.
One ran directly through his left eye.
Shadow Fang.
The rogue leader.
His gaze shifted.
Landing on me.
A cold feeling settled in my stomach.
The way he looked at me wasn't normal.
It wasn't curiosity.
It wasn't attraction.
It was recognition.
As if he knew something I didn't.
"There she is."
His smile widened.
"Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you?"
I froze.
"What?"
The rogue leader chuckled.
"You don't know."
Kael stepped slightly in front of me.
Blocking Shadow Fang's view.
A protective gesture.
Shadow Fang noticed.
His grin grew larger.
"Oh, this is getting interesting."
Kael's voice became ice.
"Leave."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
The rogue leader crossed his arms.
"We've spent eighteen years looking for her."
My blood turned to ice.
Eighteen years?
Looking for me?
That was impossible.
I had never even heard of this man.
"What are you talking about?" I demanded.
Shadow Fang's gaze returned to mine.
For a brief moment, the amusement vanished.
Something darker appeared.
Respect.
Fear.
Maybe both.
"You really don't know."
Kael growled.
The sound was terrifying.
A warning.
Shadow Fang ignored it.
"The girl deserves answers."
"Not from you."
The two men stared at each other.
Power radiated from both of them.
The tension became unbearable.
Then Shadow Fang sighed dramatically.
"Fine."
His gaze locked onto mine one final time.
"But you should know this, little omega."
My wolf snarled.
For some reason, she hated him.
Deeply.
Shadow Fang pointed directly at the silver pendant around my neck.
"People have killed kingdoms searching for that symbol."
My fingers instinctively closed around the pendant.
"What does it mean?"
A strange smile crossed his face.
"The end of an ancient war."
Before I could ask another question, Kael moved.
One second he stood beside me.
The next he was outside the cave.
His speed was unbelievable.
Shadow Fang jumped backward.
The ground exploded where Kael's claws struck.
The battle had begun.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Dozens of rogues charged.
Kael shifted mid-air.
Bones cracked.
Muscles expanded.
The massive black wolf returned.
And then—
The slaughter started.
I had never seen anything like it.
Kael tore through enemy lines effortlessly.
Wolves flew through the air.
Trees shattered.
The ground trembled beneath every movement.
This wasn't a fight.
It was a hurricane wearing fur.
Yet despite his power, the rogues kept coming.
More and more.
Too many.
A terrible realization hit me.
They weren't trying to kill Kael.
They were distracting him.
A twig snapped behind me.
I spun around.
Too late.
A rogue emerged from the shadows.
Then another.
Then a third.
They had entered through a hidden tunnel behind the cave.
Panic surged.
The first rogue lunged.
I dodged.
Barely.
The second grabbed my arm.
I screamed.
Silver light exploded from my body.
The cave shook violently.
The rogues stumbled backward.
Their eyes widened in horror.
The pendant blazed like a miniature moon.
Outside, every wolf froze.
Including Kael.
Including Shadow Fang.
The entire forest became silent.
A pillar of silver light burst into the sky.
Visible for miles.
Visible for everyone.
And somewhere far away...
An ancient figure opened his eyes.
Smiling.
"The heir has awakened."
- Writer
