The Vanishing
1137 Words
Alara Pov
“If I die out here… tell the moon I didn’t go quietly.”
The wind hit my face like a slap as I rode through the forest, my wolf clawing at the inside of me, begging to be released. But I couldn’t shift. Not anymore.
The poison had taken too much.
My bones ached. My vision blurred. My heartbeat sounded strange, like a broken drum.
But I had to make it through this patrol. One last act. One last show of strength. Because if I turned back now, they’d know I had discovered their secret. The scroll was still hidden in my boot, wrapped in cloth. I needed to get it to Kara or someone I trusted before Caelum caught me again.
I gritted my teeth as we approached the thick part of the woods. Trees rose like giants. Shadows stretched long. My head swam.
Kara rode a few steps behind me, eyes alert. She didn’t speak much, but I felt her loyalty like a shield.
“You alright, Queen?” she asked quietly.
I forced a nod. “Yes.”
Lie.
**********
The forest grew darker as we moved deeper. A howl echoed far away. Normal patrol noise. Nothing to fear.
But my wolf stirred.
Not out of instinct—out of panic.
“Shift. Shift now. Something’s wrong.”
I tried. Goddess knows I tried. But my limbs wouldn’t obey.
I blinked hard. My vision doubled.
The trees spun. My hands slipped off the reins.
“No… not here. Not yet”
And then everything vanished.
*********
The world returned in pieces.
My back pressed against something cold and wet. Leaves. Dirt. Blood?
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak.
But I could hear.
Footsteps. Voices.
“She fell,” someone whispered.
Another voice: Caelum.
“Then it’s done.”
“No one saw her collapse except the patrol team. Should we report the truth?”
“No. Say it was rogue. Say she was ambushed and dragged into the shadows. We’ll hold a memorial at sunset.”
“But there’s nobody.”
“She was torn apart,” Caelum replied coolly. “No need to search. Burn the area. Leave no trace.”
Tears welled in my eyes, but I couldn’t move.
My body was frozen, caught between life and death.
They were burying me with lies.
And I couldn’t stop them.
*********
Back at Silvermoon, the sun set behind thick clouds, painting the sky in grief.
The courtyard was full. Warriors, elders, pack members. All dressed in mourning.
I wasn’t there.
But they all believed I was dead.
Caelum stood in front of them, dressed in dark robes with a silver crest pinned to his chest.
He held a cold expression, eyes dry.
“She gave her life protecting this pack,” he said. “She died with honor. A true Alpha Queen.”
Liar.
Kara stood near the back, fists clenched. I knew she didn’t believe it. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for signs, for truth. But there was nothing left of me. Caelum made sure of that.
He lit a fire in the center of the courtyard, symbolic of my cremation.
A small, white cloth bundle was thrown into the flames.
A fake body. A lie wrapped in tradition.
Some wolves cried. Others looked relieved.
And then
Isla stepped forward.
Dressed in white. Veil flowing behind her like a bride.
Caelum turned to her and took her hand in front of everyone.
“My people,” he said, “Alara wished for the future of Silvermoon to be strong. Before her death, she gave her blessing to my new union… with Isla Blake.”
Gasps. Whispers. A few growls.
But no one spoke up.
They were afraid.
Afraid of the truth. Afraid of the crown.
Isla smiled sweetly, standing beside Caelum like she hadn’t helped poison me.
The throne was theirs now.
*******
Somewhere far from them, my body lay still.
But inside, my soul burned.
The spell my mother left buried in my blood was working slowly.
I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move. But I could feel it.
Something was dragging me from the edge of death. Pulling me into a deeper realm where time didn’t exist.
I saw flashes of her, my mother Lysandra. Her golden hair, her glowing eyes.
“Not yet,” she said in a voice like wind. “Your story isn’t over.”
I wanted to answer. But the darkness swallowed me again.
********
Kara stormed into her quarters that night, rage in her bones.
She slammed the door and threw her sword across the room. “She’s not dead. I know it.”
No one else believed her. They called her obsessed. Said she needed to accept it.
But her gut told her differently.
“Where’s the body?” she demanded during the memorial.
Caelum had smiled coldly. “There was nothing left to recover.”
Lies.
She walked to the forest site alone that night. Scanned the ground. Found nothing.
But something whispered through the trees. A faint energy. A pull.
“She’s alive,” Kara muttered. “And I’m going to find her.”
*******
Far away, a man stood on a cliff watching the stars.
His eyes were dark gold, his clothes royal and heavy.
King Darius.
He felt something strange in the wind magic calling his name.
He turned slowly, eyes narrowing.
“She’s near.”
His Beta looked at him. “Who?”
“My mate,” Darius whispered. “She’s waking up.”
********
Back in Silvermoon, Isla smiled to herself as she watched Caelum fall deeper into his role as Alpha King. Her hand was already wearing the Queen’s ring. The wedding would be announced soon.
“I told you she’d crumble,” she said to Caelum, resting her head on his shoulder.
He didn’t smile.
“She was stronger than I expected,” he muttered. “If she ever rises again”
“She won’t,” Isla cut in. “She’s gone. You burned her.”
He said nothing.
But deep in his gut… something itched. A fear he couldn’t shake.
******
I woke up again.
This time, the world was unfamiliar.
Not Silvermoon. Not the forest.
A stone ceiling above me. Candles glowing.
Warm hands touched my forehead.
“She’s breathing,” a man said. “Finally.”
I blinked slowly. My limbs were heavy. My magic… stirring.
“Who… are you?” I whispered.
The man smiled.
“Lucian. I’m the reason you’re not dead.”
Then he leaned closer.
“And you, Alara Blake, are about to rise from the ashes.”
“But before you rise, you must remember every name of the people who tried to bury you… because you’re going back to burn their world to the ground.”
- Writer
