Episode 6: The Lost Princess
655 Words
"We have found you, Princess."
The words echoed through Zara's mind.
Princess.
The giant Blood Wolf had called her Princess.
Fear crawled down her spine.
"I am not a princess," she whispered.
The creature's red eyes glowed brighter.
"Oh, but you are."
The army of Blood Wolves slowly surrounded the clearing.
Hundreds of glowing eyes stared at her from the darkness.
Waiting.
Watching.
Hunting.
Zara's pulse thundered in her ears.
Valeria stepped forward.
"You will not touch her."
The lead wolf laughed.
The sound was horrifying.
Deep.
Ancient.
Almost human.
"We did not cross half the realm to leave empty handed."
Lucian moved beside Valeria.
Power rolled from his body.
For the first time, Zara truly understood why he had once been considered stronger than Alpha Caden.
The air itself seemed to bend around him.
"Then you chose the wrong night," Lucian said coldly.
The wolf's smile disappeared.
The next second, chaos exploded.
The Blood Wolves charged.
Valeria moved first.
A silver blade appeared in her hand.
She spun through the air with impossible speed.
Three wolves fell instantly.
Lucian transformed.
Bones cracked.
Muscles expanded.
Dark fur erupted across his body.
Within seconds, a massive black wolf stood where the man had been.
Twice the size of a normal Alpha.
His roar shook the forest.
The battle began.
Blood.
Claws.
Fangs.
Moonlight.
Everything blurred together.
Zara stumbled backward.
She wanted to help.
But she had no idea how.
A Blood Wolf lunged toward her.
Its jaws opened.
Death flashed before her eyes.
Then something inside her snapped.
Silver light erupted from her body.
The wolf was thrown thirty feet through the air.
It crashed into a tree.
The forest went silent.
Everyone stopped moving.
Even the Blood Wolves froze.
Zara stared at her hands.
Silver energy danced across her skin.
"What..."
The ground beneath her feet cracked.
Power surged through every vein.
The moon above seemed brighter.
Closer.
Alive.
The lead Blood Wolf slowly lowered its head.
Not in attack.
In respect.
"She has awakened."
Murmurs spread through the army.
The wolves looked at Zara differently now.
Not as prey.
Not as a target.
As something else.
Something important.
Something sacred.
Valeria's eyes widened.
"This cannot be happening already."
Lucian shifted back into human form.
Blood covered his face.
But he looked more shocked than injured.
"The Moon Goddess..."
The lead wolf suddenly knelt.
One by one, every Blood Wolf followed.
Hundreds of wolves bowed before Zara.
The sight was unbelievable.
The future Luna who had been rejected.
The girl everyone considered weak.
The forgotten bride.
Now stood before an army that treated her like royalty.
Zara could barely breathe.
"Why are they bowing?"
The leader looked up.
"Because you are the heir."
"Heir to what?"
The wolf hesitated.
Then answered.
"The Moon Throne."
Silence.
Even Valeria looked stunned.
"The Moon Throne was destroyed centuries ago," she said.
The wolf shook his head.
"No."
His glowing eyes fixed on Zara.
"It was hidden."
A cold wind swept through the clearing.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Almost magical.
The wolf continued.
"Your mother was the last Queen of the Nightshade Kingdom."
Zara's legs nearly gave out.
Queen?
Kingdom?
This sounded insane.
Yet every instinct inside her screamed that it was true.
"The royal bloodline survived through you."
The wolf lowered his head again.
"And now the realm faces a choice."
"What choice?"
The wolf's expression darkened.
"To follow their rightful Queen."
A sudden roar echoed across the mountains.
Everyone turned.
Far away, beyond the trees, a column of black smoke rose into the night sky.
Valeria's face lost all color.
"No."
Lucian cursed.
"They found it."
Zara frowned.
"Found what?"
Neither answered immediately.
The fear in their eyes told her everything.
Whatever had been discovered was worse than the Blood Wolves.
Much worse.
Finally Lucian spoke.
"The Shadow King has awakened."
The moon disappeared behind dark clouds.
And somewhere in the distance, a terrifying laugh echoed across the realm.
- Writer
