Chapter 3: The Devil's Castle
1377 Words
Elara had expected a fortress.
She had not expected a city.
Black stone walls rose from the mountainside, their towers disappearing into the mist. Silver banners bearing the symbol of a crescent moon hung from the battlements, while hundreds of lanterns illuminated the winding streets below.
Everything about the kingdom felt different from Silver Fang.
There were no noisy celebrations or crowded village squares. The people moved quietly, and whenever Lucien passed, they lowered their heads respectfully.
Elara watched them from his arms.
"Do they fear you?"
Lucien glanced down at her.
"Some do."
"And the others?"
"They respect me."
"What's the difference?"
"Fear makes people obey you when you're watching."
His gaze moved toward the streets.
"Respect makes them stand beside you when you're not."
Elara considered his answer.
It wasn't what she expected from a man everyone called the Devil Lycan.
They passed through enormous iron gates.
A group of guards immediately approached.
"Welcome home, Your Majesty."
Lucien nodded.
Then one of the guards noticed Elara.
His expression changed.
"Who is she?"
Lucien's voice became firm.
"Someone under my protection."
The guard immediately lowered his head.
"Of course, Your Majesty."
Lucien carried Elara through the castle doors.
Only when they reached a quiet corridor did he finally set her down.
Her injured ankle protested immediately.
Lucien noticed.
"You need to see the healer."
"I'll be fine."
"You said that in the forest."
"And I was wrong."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"At least you're capable of admitting it."
Elara rolled her eyes.
"I don't like you."
"I didn't ask you to."
She almost smiled.
Almost.
Then she remembered everything that had happened.
Her expression fell.
"I need to know why you said I was supposed to be dead."
Lucien's amusement disappeared.
"Not here."
"Why?"
"Because there are too many ears."
He opened a nearby door.
"Rest first."
Elara hesitated.
"I don't trust you."
"You shouldn't."
His answer surprised her.
Lucien looked directly into her eyes.
"Trust is earned, Elara. I don't expect you to give it to me simply because I saved you."
For some reason, that answer made her feel safer.
The royal healer treated Elara's wounds in a quiet chamber overlooking the mountains.
The healer was an elderly woman named Selene, whose knowledge of herbs seemed almost as extensive as her knowledge of medicine.
"Your ankle isn't broken," Selene said while wrapping it.
"Fortunately."
"But you should avoid putting too much weight on it."
Elara nodded.
Selene then examined the wound on her shoulder.
"This was made by a rogue."
"Yes."
"You were lucky."
Elara gave a bitter smile.
"I don't feel lucky."
Selene looked at her for a moment.
"You will."
Before Elara could ask what she meant, Selene noticed the mark on the back of her neck.
The healer froze.
"Where did you get that?"
Elara sighed.
"Everyone keeps asking me that."
Selene's hands trembled slightly.
"Does the King know?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
"He wouldn't explain."
Selene looked toward the door.
"Perhaps that's for the best."
Elara frowned.
"Why?"
But Selene had already returned her attention to the bandage.
"Get some sleep."
Across the castle, Lucien stood inside the ancient library.
Floor-to-ceiling shelves covered every wall.
Some books were so old that their covers had turned almost black.
Lucien walked toward the oldest section and removed a large leather-bound volume.
He opened it carefully.
The first page displayed a faded painting of a woman wearing a silver crown.
Beneath the painting were four words:
The Last Moon Queen.
Lucien's fingers moved over the page.
He remembered his father's voice from many years ago.
If the heir survives, the curse can be broken.
At the time, Lucien had believed it was nothing more than an old legend.
Then the Moon Kingdom had fallen.
The royal family had been slaughtered.
The heir had disappeared.
And his own family had continued suffering beneath the ancient Lycan curse.
For twenty-nine years, Lucien had searched for answers.
Now, a girl had appeared in the Forbidden Forest with the exact mark described in the prophecy.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Enter."
Lady Miriam walked into the library.
She closed the door behind her.
"You found her."
Lucien nodded.
"Yes."
"Is she really the one?"
"I don't know."
Miriam frowned.
"You looked certain when you saw the mark."
"I recognized the symbol."
"That's not the same as knowing her identity."
Lucien closed the book.
"That's why we keep this secret."
Miriam approached him.
"What about the council?"
"They cannot know yet."
"They will eventually."
"I know."
"And the Blood Moon Order?"
Lucien's expression hardened.
"If they discover she's alive, they'll come for her."
Miriam sighed.
"Then you finally found what you've been searching for."
Lucien stared through the window.
"No."
His voice was quiet.
"I found someone who has spent her entire life being hunted without even knowing why."
Elara couldn't sleep.
She sat beside the window in her borrowed room, watching the mountains beneath the moonlight.
Everything had happened too quickly.
That morning she had been Elara Ashwood of Silver Fang.
Now she was sitting inside the castle of the most feared Lycan king in the world.
And apparently, she was supposed to be dead.
A soft knock sounded.
Elara turned.
Lucien stood outside.
"Can I come in?"
She nodded.
He entered but remained near the door.
"I owe you an explanation."
Elara folded her arms.
"Yes, you do."
Lucien glanced at the chair.
"May I?"
She nodded again.
He sat.
"There was once a kingdom called the Moon Kingdom."
"I know the story."
"Most people know the story that survived."
Elara frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"The Moon Kingdom wasn't destroyed because of a war between wolves."
Lucien's voice lowered.
"It was betrayed from within."
Elara listened carefully.
"The royal family was murdered. The kingdom was divided. The survivors scattered into different territories."
"What happened to the princess?"
Lucien looked directly at her.
"She disappeared."
"Did she survive?"
"We don't know."
Elara touched the mark on her neck.
"You think I'm her."
"I think you may be her descendant."
"Why?"
"Because of the mark."
Lucien stood and walked toward the window.
"Only members of the Moon bloodline carried it."
Elara stared at him.
"If that's true, why did nobody in Silver Fang know?"
"Because someone made sure they didn't."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
She stood.
"Then find out."
Lucien turned.
"I'm trying."
Elara studied him.
"You said your family has been searching for the Moon heir."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Lucien was silent.
Then he rolled up his sleeve.
Elara's eyes widened.
The black mark she had noticed in the forest covered part of his forearm.
It wasn't a scar.
It looked like dark veins spreading beneath his skin.
"What is that?"
"The Lycan curse."
Elara moved closer.
"What does it do?"
"It passes through my bloodline."
His voice remained calm.
"But every generation becomes weaker."
"How long have you had it?"
"Since birth."
"Can it be cured?"
Lucien looked away.
"Perhaps."
"How?"
His eyes returned to hers.
"That is what the Moon prophecy promised."
Elara's heart began beating faster.
"You believe I can cure you?"
"I don't know."
He stepped closer.
"And I will never force you to try."
She wasn't sure why those words affected her.
After everything that had happened with Kael, she had expected another powerful man to tell her what she was supposed to do.
Lucien didn't.
He simply gave her a choice.
A loud howl suddenly echoed through the castle.
Elara turned toward the window.
"What was that?"
Lucien's expression changed.
"Nothing good."
Another howl followed.
This one was closer.
Then the castle bells began ringing.
Guards shouted somewhere below.
Lucien moved toward the door.
"What is happening?"
He looked back at her.
"Our northern scouts have spotted strangers near the border."
"Silver Fang?"
"No."
His crimson eyes darkened.
"The Blood Moon Order."
Elara's stomach tightened.
"They know I'm here?"
"Not yet."
Lucien opened the door.
"But if they're already this close..."
He looked at her.
"...we don't have much time."
Elara stared at him.
For the first time since entering the Shadow Kingdom, she realized something terrifying.
Her arrival hadn't simply changed her life.
It had awakened a war that had been waiting for her for twenty-one years.
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