The Shadow Alpha
1043 Words
The palace alarms rang through the night.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Every wolf in the kingdom knew what that sound meant.
A Level One Threat.
The kind of danger that could wipe out an entire pack.
Kael was already striding toward the palace gates, his expression carved from stone.
“Seal every entrance,” he commanded.
“No one leaves.”
“No one enters.”
The royal guards bowed.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Selene hurried after him.
“What happened?”
Kael didn’t slow down.
“The Shadow Alpha escaped.”
“I don’t know who that is.”
“You don’t need to.”
“But I do.”
He stopped walking.
For a long moment, he stared at her as if debating whether she deserved the truth.
Finally, he sighed.
“Three hundred years ago, there was a wolf stronger than every Alpha alive.”
“He wanted to unite the werewolf kingdoms.”
“Not through peace…”
“…through blood.”
Selene swallowed nervously.
“What happened to him?”
“It took seven kingdoms, the Moon Priestesses, and the first Lycan King to imprison him.”
Her eyes widened.
“He has been alive for three hundred years?”
Kael nodded grimly.
“He isn’t truly alive.”
“He isn’t truly dead either.”
Before Selene could ask another question, a terrified guard sprinted toward them.
“My King!”
“We found the prison!”
Kael immediately rushed underground.
The royal dungeon was in ruins.
Massive iron doors had been ripped from their hinges.
Ancient chains lay broken across the stone floor.
Black smoke filled the air.
Royal mages stood frozen.
One of them whispered,
“The seal… is gone.”
Kael knelt beside the shattered prison.
Something had been carved into the stone wall.
Three claw marks.
Below them were six words written in blood.
“Bring me my Moon Queen.”
Selene felt a cold shiver race down her spine.
She didn’t know why…
…but those words felt as though they were meant for her.
Miles away…
A lone figure walked through the dark forest.
He wore a long black cloak that concealed his face.
The moonlight revealed only his crimson eyes.
He inhaled deeply.
A smile curved across his lips.
“I found you…”
“My Queen.”
The trees bent as he passed.
Even the wild beasts fled.
The Shadow Alpha was free.
The next morning, the palace buzzed with panic.
Nobles packed their belongings.
Servants whispered fearfully in every hallway.
“He’s back.”
“No one can stop him.”
“I heard entire armies couldn’t kill him.”
Selene listened quietly as she walked toward the palace library.
Books had always been her refuge.
If answers existed anywhere…
They would be here.
She climbed a ladder and searched through dusty shelves.
Ancient History…
Royal Bloodlines…
Moon Goddess Prophecies…
Nothing.
Just as she was about to give up, one worn leather book slipped from the shelf by itself.
It landed at her feet with a heavy thud.
Selene frowned.
“I didn’t touch that.”
She picked it up.
The title had faded with age.
The Lost Bloodline.
When she opened the first page, the words were invisible.
Blank.
“That’s strange…”
The moment a drop of blood from a tiny paper cut landed on the page…
Silver letters appeared.
Selene gasped.
The book was reacting to her.
She read the first sentence aloud.
“Only the daughter of the Blood Moon can awaken this book.”
Her breathing stopped.
“No…”
“This can’t be real.”
She quickly turned another page.
The illustrations showed a silver-haired queen wearing a crown shaped like a crescent moon.
Beneath the portrait were chilling words.
Her descendants shall hide among servants until the final moon rises.
Selene’s hands trembled violently.
Servants…
That was her.
Before she could continue
“Interesting.”
She spun around.
Vivienne stood in the doorway.
Smiling.
But there was nothing kind about it.
“What are you reading?” Vivienne asked sweetly.
“N-Nothing.”
Vivienne stepped closer.
“You’ve always been a terrible liar.”
She snatched the book from Selene’s hands.
The moment she opened it…
Every page became blank.
Her smile faded.
“What trick is this?”
“It was full just now,” Selene whispered.
Vivienne narrowed her eyes.
“So it really chose you.”
Selene froze.
“What do you mean?”
Vivienne laughed softly.
“Oh, poor little servant.”
“You still don’t know who you are.”
She leaned close enough for Selene to feel her breath.
“But don’t worry.”
“You’ll never live long enough to find out.”
Suddenly
The library windows exploded inward.
Glass shattered across the floor.
A powerful gust of wind swept through the room.
A deep, familiar voice echoed from the darkness.
“Touch my queen again…”
“…and I’ll burn this kingdom to ashes.”
Both women turned toward the broken window.
A tall man stood there.
His black cloak fluttered in the wind.
Silver-black hair framed a dangerously handsome face.
His crimson eyes glowed like fire.
The Shadow Alpha.
Every instinct screamed that he was dangerous.
Yet when he looked at Selene…
His expression softened.
He slowly lowered to one knee.
“My Queen.”
“I finally found you.”
Selene stared at him in complete shock.
“I… I don’t know you.”
His lips curved into a sad smile.
“You don’t remember.”
“But I promised your mother…”
“…that I would protect you.”
At that exact moment, Kael burst into the library with dozens of royal guards.
The room crackled with power as the two strongest men in the werewolf world locked eyes.
Kael stepped in front of Selene protectively.
His silver eyes burned with warning.
“You will not touch my wife.”
The Shadow Alpha chuckled.
“Your wife?”
He looked at Selene with quiet affection.
“She belonged to fate long before she belonged to you.”
A terrifying pressure filled the library.
The walls began to crack.
The chandeliers shook.
Neither man had moved…
Yet the battle had already begun.
- Writer
