A Kingdom Lost

The time Lydia took to pack and leave her family home was surprisingly short. The moon hung heavy in the sky, bright, too full, too watchful. Lidia Valeris stood at the edge of the northern cliffs. Below, the forest stretched endlessly, silvered by moonlight, whispering secrets she had once known how to hear. Tonight, it felt like a warning. “Daughter of the Alpha bloodline does not hesitate.” Her father’s voice echoed in her mind, sharp as steel, heavy with expectation. Lidia clenched her jaw. “I’m not hesitating,” she muttered under her breath. “I’m choosing.” But even as she said it, her heart betrayed her. It pounded too fast, too loud, as if her wolf knew something she refused to accept. Behind her, the pack lands slept uneasily. Torches still burned along the perimeter walls of Valeris territory. Guards patrolled with heightened vigilance—not because of rogues, not tonight. Because of her. She was the one who ran away . She was the one who overheard her family plotting... By dawn, she was meant to stand before the royal council. By dawn, she was meant to accept the decree. A mating. Not just any mating. A binding sanctioned by the Crown—ancient, unbreakable, political. Her future sealed and signed by her own family to a man she had never chosen. “They don’t get to decide who I belong to.” The words came out stronger this time, steadier. But the ache in her chest deepened. She crushed the thought instantly. She would not become a pawn dressed as a queen. A howl split the night. Low. Distant. Rogue. That was now her new destiny if she could just make it to the perimeter of the next clearing. Lidia’s head snapped up. Her pulse shifted—not fear, not entirely. Recognition. Rogues lived beyond the borders, beyond law, beyond control. They answered to no Alpha, no king, no decree. Freedom , the kind of life she craved. Exactly what she needed. Her decision settled like iron in her bones. Without another glance back, Lidia stepped over the boundary line. The moment her boot crossed onto rogue territory, something shifted. It was subtle at first—a flicker beneath her skin. Her wolf stirred uneasily, pacing, restless. “You wanted this,” Lidia whispered. “No cages. No chains.” Still, the forest ahead felt… wrong. She moved forward anyway. The deeper she went, the more oppressive the silence grew. No rustling prey. No distant howls. Only the sound of her own breathing—and the steady, unnatural hum building in her ears. But pride shoved her forward. “I didn’t come this far to crawl home,” she snapped, though no one was there to hear it. The trees thinned suddenly. This wasn’t rogue land. The ground beneath her feet felt… wrong. Harder. Colder. As though the earth itself had changed. The scent hit her next. It burned her lungs. Her wolf recoiled violently. “What—?” Lidia stumbled back as a deafening roar tore through the silence. A massive object hurtled past her, faster than anything she had ever seen. Wind whipped her hair wildly as it vanished down a smooth black path that cut through the land like a scar. Her heart slammed against her ribs. “What is this place?” More lights followed—more roaring beasts of metal. Lidia spun in place, disoriented. The sky—something was wrong with the sky. The moon was still there. A sharp, searing pain tore through her chest. Lidia gasped, dropping to her knees. “No, no, no—this isn’t right!” She forced herself to breathe, to focus, to shift— —but it didn’t come. Her wolf didn’t rise. Only silence. Cold, terrifying silence. “I can’t…” she whispered, panic flooding her veins. “I can’t shift.” That had never happened to her before. Footsteps. Human. Lidia’s head snapped up. A figure approached from the shadows near one of the strange structures—tall, solid, moving cautiously. “Hey!” a male voice called. “Are you okay?” Lidia froze. Human. Everything in her screamed danger. She scrambled to her feet, backing away. “Stay back!” she warned, her voice raw, her body tense despite its weakness. The man stopped immediately, hands raised. “Easy—easy. I’m not going to hurt you.” He stepped slightly into the light. Dark hair. Strong features. Eyes sharp with concern—and something else. Curiosity. Not entirely human. “What are you?” she demanded. His brows furrowed. “I think the better question is—what are you doing out here like that?” She glanced down at herself—mud-streaked, cloak torn, barefoot. Vulnerable. Her heart She refused to be weak. “I asked you a question,” she snapped, forcing steel into her voice. He studied her for a long moment. Then, quietly: “Someone who knows you don’t belong here.” The words hit harder than any blow. Lidia’s breath caught. She didn’t belong here. Not in this world of metal and noise. Not without her wolf. For the first time since she ran… Fear truly settled in her bones. Deep. Cold. Unrelenting. She had escaped a fate she didn’t want. But now? She was lost.