The Wolf Queen's Prophecy

Light of the Goddess

Lyria couldn’t sleep that night. The King slumbered next to her, his broad chest heaving with dream and rest, but she tossed and turned. Late at night, when the moon was full in the sky and hid behind grey clouds, she rose from the bed and paced in the moonlight.

“Goddess,” she muttered aloud, stopping before the window “hear me. I need your guidance. I need your protective light. I don’t know what to do, who to trust. Who would harm me? What did your mystic mean when she said that the danger hasn’t passed? Alpha Windmere and Alpha Redblood were both executed for their crimes, they can scarce hurt me from the grave.” She resumed her pacing.

“If the King and Crown cannot protect me, who can?” She stopped again, staring out at the darkened scene outside.

As if in answer, the sky opened up briefly, the moonlight streaming more brightly at Lyria.

“Funny,” she whispered to the Goddess as the light shimmered in the glass and around her.

“Lyria, love?” Wallace’s voice came from the bed. He sounded disoriented. A second later she heard his feet hit the ground. “What are you doing? Come to bed, my love.” He stood and shuffled toward her, wrapping her in his steady, sturdy arms. She leaned into the warmth.

She stood there in his arms for a moment, then turned to face him. “Have you heard any news of trouble?” she asked, her eyes searching his face intensely.

“I hear of nothing but trouble, darling, but why do you ask?” Wallace whispered to her, returning her gaze.

“I just… worry,” she replied. “About you, and Wyatt. And about…” she started to tell him that she was pregnant, but stopped. She wanted it to be the joyous occasion it was. She didn’t want to tell him in a midnight mood of melancholy. “About everything,” she finished.

He cupped his hands beneath her bottom and lifted her into his arms. Without a word, he carried her to the bed, laying her down gently.

“Are you still worried?” he asked. She nodded. Grinning, Wallace kissed her lips, then trailed kisses down her neck. He let his hands wander her body, gently.

“How about now?” he asked.

“More than ever,” she replied coyly. She smiled at him. “You’ll have to try harder.”

“My pleasure,” he growled gently, nuzzling into her neck. His hands wound into her hair, and his kisses became more passionate. She returned the kiss, letting her own hands move freely across his chest, down to his abs, which she stroked.

His hand cupped her breast and she gave a little sound of pleasure, but just at that moment, when she was truly giving over to the distraction, safety, and comfort of her husband’s tender arms, a sharp, loud sound came at the door. It sounded like someone falling, or something crashing.

Both the King and his Luna Queen sat up straight, Lyria clutching her gown to her body, as it had been pulled down slightly.

“What was that?” she asked. Her nerves returned tenfold. Wallace shook his head, looking confused.

“Wait here,” he commanded as he moved to slip out of bed.

“Wallace,” she called, putting her own feet on the ground as if to stand and follow.

“Lyria, stay here!” he said, sounding more insistent, the whisper coming out a frantic hiss. “Please,” he added, more gently. “I absolutely believe you could defend yourself, and me, and this entire Kingdom, but I want you to stay safe.”

Lyria nodded, drawing her knees up so that her feet were back in the bed. The King crossed the dark, cold stone floor alone. After a moments’ pause, he threw the doors open. Peering over from the bed, Lyria was surprised to see that no one was there. The King disappeared around the door frame, investigating.

“There’s no one here,” he said. “Nothing out of place.”

Lyria stood up then, rushing over to look for herself. Her eyes swept the half darkened antechamber, lit only by one stubby, flickering candle. At first, she saw nothing. But as her eyes adjusted to the low, yellowish candlelight, she saw something glittering out of the corner of her eye.

Underneath a table, next to the door to the bedchamber, was a small bronze disk. It was the size and shape of a coin, made of sparkling, red tinted bronze. It looked out of place, seemingly dropped from an unsuspecting pocket. It certainly didn’t appear to have been placed there on purpose, half buried in shadow under a side table.

Turning it over in her hand, she saw that it had a strange symbol carved deep into the metal. At first, it appeared to be two upside down triangles within an etched circle. But she was sure she had never seen it before.

Wallace was watching her closely, and she turned to hand him the strange little amulet. When he saw it, he made a sound like a low growl.

“I know that symbol,” he said. “It’s the symbol of the Pretender King’s current heir, the man who would displace me from the throne,” Wallace frowned at the coin in his hand. He rotated it so that instead, the two triangles were right side up.

“Look here,” the King said. “This is his symbol. Held this way, the symbol depicts two mountains, in between them, a vale. Held this way–” he rotated it once more, “it is a W.” He looked up at her. “Do you know the name of the Pretender King’s heir?”

Lyria shook her head. “The knowledge of his lineage is forbidden,” she pointed out.

“Not to you as Luna Queen,” he replied. “The Pretender King’s last name was Orveil. This heir’s name is Winstian.”

Lyria stared down at the amulet held by the King, watching as he rotated it between the two meanings. She nodded. In her stomach, she felt a strange pit– some growing dread she couldn’t quite understand. But she knew that if any wolf had made it inside the King’s chambers, it meant that they were known. Friendly to the King. An enemy in plain sight. And if any friend could be an enemy, she knew, none could truly be a friend.

“I’ll report this to the guard,” the King said, leaning down to kiss the worry lines off Lyria’s forehead. “You should go back to bed. Tomorrow is a big day for you, after all. Your first Gathering Dark!”

Lyria smiled grimly, a gesture meant to be genuine but instead coming out like it was painful.

“Don’t worry, my love,” Wallace whispered in a soothing tone. “I’ve seen dozens of these types of security breaches, and I am still here. You will be too. We will be just fine.” He swept a strand of hair off her face and smiled tenderly at her.

“Of course,” she said. “But when you come back to bed, I do have something to tell you.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I am able,” the King said. He kissed her again, once more, on the lips. Then he turned and left the antechamber.

Lyria returned to the bed, moments ago so warm and filled with passion and joy. Now it was cold, and felt endlessly empty as she lay in it alone, staring out the window at the bright moonlight.

“Protect me,” she whispered to the Goddess. The moon hung in the sky just the same as before she had spoken, and no answer seemed to come.

For the first time in a very long time, Lyria felt alone.