The Alpha They Feared
976 Words
The battlefield stood frozen.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
The voice still echoed through the night.
"Now I'm coming for my daughter."
Evelyn's heart pounded so hard it hurt.
Her father.
He was alive.
Not just alive.
Free.
The distant mountains continued shaking violently as ancient magic rolled across the horizon like a storm.
The High Elder's face had gone completely pale.
For the first time since Evelyn met him, his confidence was gone.
Fear had replaced it.
And that terrified everyone.
Because if the High Elder was afraid...
Then whatever was coming must be far worse.
Another explosion shook the earth.
BOOOOM!
A massive pillar of silver light erupted from the direction of the Moon Prison.
The clouds above split apart.
Lightning danced across the sky.
Even the First Wolf lifted its enormous head toward the distant mountains.
As if acknowledging an equal.
Beside Evelyn, Lucien's expression hardened.
"He's stronger than before."
Cassian nodded grimly.
"Twenty-one years trapped in Moonstone chains."
His crimson eyes narrowed.
"Most would have gone insane."
Kael crossed his arms.
"Apparently not him."
Damon stared toward the horizon.
"Who exactly was her father?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Selene finally spoke.
"He wasn't just a warrior."
Her silver eyes filled with old memories.
"He was a legend."
The battlefield fell silent again.
The surviving Council warriors exchanged nervous glances.
Even they seemed frightened.
Evelyn turned toward her aunt.
"What was his name?"
A small smile appeared on Selene's face.
"Aiden Nightbane."
The name rippled through the battlefield.
Council warriors visibly flinched.
Several Elders lowered their heads.
Like they remembered.
Like they feared it.
Evelyn noticed immediately.
Who was this man?
The High Elder suddenly roared.
"Enough!"
Dark energy exploded from his body.
The ground cracked beneath him.
His black eyes burned with hatred.
"We kill the girl now!"
The Council army hesitated.
Nobody moved.
Not one warrior stepped forward.
The High Elder's expression twisted with fury.
"I gave you an order!"
Still nobody moved.
Because they all felt it.
The approaching power.
The approaching storm.
Then a Council captain stepped forward.
"Elder..."
His voice trembled.
The High Elder rounded on him.
"What?"
The captain swallowed hard.
"If Aiden Nightbane has escaped..."
He couldn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
Everyone understood.
The High Elder screamed in rage and thrust his hand forward.
Dark energy pierced the captain's chest.
The man collapsed instantly.
Dead.
Gasps erupted across the battlefield.
The remaining Council warriors stepped backward.
Fear flashed in their eyes.
Not of Evelyn.
Not of the Alphas.
Of their own leader.
The High Elder laughed.
A twisted, unnatural laugh.
"You fools."
Black smoke poured from his body.
"You still don't understand."
The darkness spread across the battlefield.
Corrupting everything it touched.
Grass withered.
Trees died.
The air itself seemed poisoned.
Lucien's expression darkened.
"He's losing control."
Cassian cursed.
"He's becoming one with the Void."
Evelyn frowned.
"The Void?"
Before anyone could answer—
A shockwave exploded across the valley.
BOOOOOOM!
Everyone turned.
A lone figure stood at the far edge of the battlefield.
Hundreds of yards away.
Yet somehow...
Everyone could see him clearly.
A tall man dressed in torn black clothing.
Silver chains still hung from his wrists.
His long dark hair moved in the wind.
And his silver eyes—
Were identical to Evelyn's.
Time seemed to stop.
The figure took one step forward.
The battlefield trembled.
Another step.
Council warriors began retreating.
Another step.
Several Elders dropped to their knees.
Evelyn couldn't breathe.
Her eyes filled with tears.
Because somehow she knew.
Without anyone telling her.
Without needing proof.
She knew.
"Dad..."
The word escaped her lips like a prayer.
The man stopped walking.
Across the battlefield, his eyes found hers instantly.
For a moment, the war disappeared.
The armies vanished.
The chaos faded.
There was only a father and daughter.
Meeting for the first time in twenty-one years.
Aiden smiled.
A small smile.
A proud smile.
A heartbreaking smile.
"You survived."
Evelyn burst into tears.
All her life she had believed she was alone.
Abandoned.
Forgotten.
But he had survived.
And he had come for her.
The High Elder suddenly screamed.
"KILL HIM!"
Dark energy erupted from his body.
Hundreds of corrupted warriors charged.
Aiden sighed.
Almost disappointed.
Then he raised one hand.
The battlefield exploded.
BOOOOOOM!
A wave of silver power swept across the valley.
The corrupted warriors froze instantly.
Every single one.
Then—
CRACK.
Their dark armor shattered.
CRACK.
The corruption vanished.
CRACK.
The High Elder's magic broke apart.
Thousands of warriors collapsed unconscious.
Silence consumed the battlefield.
Aiden lowered his hand.
One attack.
That was all it took.
The High Elder staggered backward.
"No..."
For the first time, genuine terror filled his voice.
"No, no, no..."
Aiden continued walking forward.
Calm.
Unhurried.
Like death itself.
The High Elder stumbled backward.
"You should be weak!"
Aiden smiled.
"You should have checked on your prisoner."
The remaining Council Elders looked horrified.
One of them whispered,
"Twenty-one years..."
Another finished the thought.
"He trained."
The realization struck everyone.
While imprisoned...
Aiden hadn't been broken.
He had become stronger.
Much stronger.
Then Aiden finally reached Evelyn.
Neither spoke.
For several seconds, they simply stared at one another.
Twenty-one years of separation.
Twenty-one years of pain.
Twenty-one years stolen from them.
Then Aiden gently touched her cheek.
His hand trembled.
"Evelyn."
Tears rolled down her face.
"Dad."
Aiden closed his eyes.
For a brief moment, the legendary warrior disappeared.
Leaving only a father.
When he opened them again, his gaze shifted toward the High Elder.
And every trace of warmth vanished.
The temperature dropped instantly.
The moon darkened.
Even the First Wolf became silent.
Because everyone felt it.
Aiden Nightbane was done running.
Done hiding.
Done waiting.
The High Elder took another step backward.
And for the first time in decades...
The hunter had become the hunted.
- Writer
