CHAPTER 04 : The Exiled Queen
1099 Words
Nathan, at twenty-five, had become the youngest sheriff Eldermere had ever appointed.
He replaced his father after retirement, and he carried both pride and weight on his shoulders.
The badge on his chest felt heavier than it looked. He took the job seriously, maybe too seriously, because he knew how fragile peace really was in a town that lived so close to forests and secrets.
At the Clifford house, Nathan sat with his father, coffee growing cold in his hands as the television blared.
“The vampire killing criminals is back,” Mr. Clifford muttered.
Nathan’s jaw tightened. “I just hope innocent people won’t be next. If they are active again, we have to secure this town.”
He left immediately, patrolling the streets, announcing a curfew as town officers moved to enforce new safety measures.
In Lunaris Hollow, the wolves gathered.
The air was tense. Old fears stirred. Whispers of prophecy rose again,
carried on the wind like a warning no one wanted to hear.
And within the Obsidian Citadel, another meeting was underway.
Freyr sat upon his throne, his presence commanding silence without a single word.
Gabriel stood at his side, his expression unreadable, his jaw tight. Selene remained close, her gaze sharp and calculating. The courtroom doors opened, and Damien entered without remorse.
Amber stood beside him, her hand wrapped around his arm, while other vampires gathered, drawn by unrest.
“You have caused unnecessary noise,” Freyr said calmly.
Damien smiled. “I merely reminded the world we still exist.”
“This is not your country to corrupt,” Gabriel said, his voice low, restrained, and dangerous.
Damien laughed softly. “Then perhaps you should protect it better.”
The room filled with tension, power clashing silently.
Freyr’s eyes darkened.
“The Obsidian Citadel has decided,” Freyr said. “You will be punished, Damien.”
Selene stepped forward at once.
“Master, please. Let me fix this. Let us find the girl. She will take the punishment instead. Not him.”
Amber nodded quickly. “It was her existence that caused this. Not Damien.”
Gabriel turned sharply. “This is wrong. She was turned without consent.”
Freyr’s gaze hardened. “You forget your place, Gabriel.”
Gabriel clenched his fists, knowing he had no authority to oppose Freyr’s final decision.
Meanwhile...
On the forgotten side of the country, in the Veiled Moors, Lenora awakened.
The eldest sister of Damien and Selene, the first vampire Freyr ever turned, the rebel who had been cast away.
Her servants knelt as she rose from her long sleep. They told her about the commotion in Obsidian Citadel.
Lenora smirked.
“It seems the world is finally ready for me again,” she said.
She left the Veiled Moors and passed through Silverpine Range, Eldermere, and Stonebridge,
attacking every human she came across, leaving terror in her wake.
All blame fell on Gwen.
Damien knew the truth. His power was instinct, vision of the past and present but not knowing the future.
He saw things happening and things that had already happened. He knew Lenora was responsible.
But he stayed silent.
He would rather protect his sister than save Gwen.
Freyr ordered the the other vampires to search for Gwen. Eventually, she was captured, terrified and confused, hiding in a cave between Stonebridge and Eldermere.
Then she was brought to the Obsidian Citadel.
She was tied to a pole beneath an opening in the roof. Vampire royalty surrounded her in cold silence.
Gabriel was there and their eyes met.
“I told you,” his voice echoed in her mind, it was also his ability aside from speed.
“You did not know what you were wishing for. I am sorry. There is nothing I can do to save you now.”
“Don’t feel sad, my master,” Gwen answered softly in his thoughts.
“I am alright. I want to rest now. I am happy to have met you.”
The ceiling opened wider. Sunlight poured in.
Gwen screamed as flames consumed her, her body burning in a light too pure and too cruel.
Gabriel clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as he watched her turn to ash.
He walked out first.
Back in Stonebridge, Sapphira waited after work, her unease growing. Nathan was late.
Her wolf instincts stirred. She sniffed the air.
Danger is approaching Nathan.
She followed Nathan’s scent, running even though it was not a full moon. Her body was weak,
her blood only half-breed wolf, but fear gave her strength.
She stumbled on the road and fell, tears spilling as she clenched her fists against the road.
“What is the use of this blood,” she cried, “if I cannot even protect my family?”
Randall felt her despair. From his prison, he howled.
The moon seemed to listen.
Sapphira’s body trembled. Bones ached. Her breath came in ragged gasps as white fur broke through her skin and her senses sharpened beyond human limits.
Slowly, painfully, she transformed.
Now in her white wolf form, she howled and ran.
By the time she arrived, Lenora was already in front of Nathan, her eyes glowing with cruel delight.
Sapphira attacked without hesitation.
Claws met fangs. Growls met laughter. The fight was brutal, wild, and uneven.
Sapphira fought with desperation and love, while Lenora fought with centuries of experience and cruelty.
Sapphira was thrown aside, her body slamming into the ground.
She shifted back into human form, naked and injured.
Nathan rushed to her, covering her with his jacket, placing himself between her and Lenora.
“Take me instead,” he shouted. “I am the one you want.”
Then another wolf leapt from the woods.
Male one and strong.
Lenora, already heavily injured, stood no chance.
The other wolf pack arrived in their human form.
“No, Whelan… please stop. You must not get involved.”
The elders screamed, but it was too late.
Without mercy, Whelan ripped Lenora’s head from her body.
Back at the Obsidian Citadel, Damien screamed as a vision struck him.
“No!”
Selene grabbed his arm. “What is it, Damien?”
“Lenora,” he stuttered. “She is gone. The werewolves… they killed her.”
His eyes burned with rage as he slammed his fist on the table.
Silence filled the room. Resentment burned in vampire eyes.
And Gabriel knew, war was coming.
Back on the Eldermere–Stonebridge highway, an elder wolf dropped to her knees, trembling.
“What I feared,” she whispered. “It has begun.”
- Writer
