Runaway Wolf Queen

The Order

A sharp gasp escaped me. For standing in the corridor before me was someone whose presence alone makes my blood run cold.

A dark crimson portal swirled in the space behind him. And standing before it was a man.

He stood in a dark cloak, the hood pulled low over his head, his face swallowed by shadow. No matter how I strained to see beneath it, the darkness beneath the fabric felt impenetrable, unnaturally so.

Everything about him felt wrong. The air had grown colder, heavier somehow, pressing against my chest.

Slowly, he lifted his head. Though I could not see his eyes, I felt his gaze settle on me.

“Queen Kristina of Elderwood.”

My name echoed down the corridor. His voice was low, rough, and utterly devoid of warmth.

Every instinct inside me screamed danger. Yet I forced myself to stand still, refusing to show the fear surging throughout my chest.

“What do you want?” I asked.

For a moment, he said nothing. Then his head tilted slightly, as if studying me.

“I have come for you and your daughters.”

The words cut through me like ice.

My mind raced instantly to Katya and Aurora sleeping peacefully in their chambers down the hall, completely unaware of the darkness standing only a few steps away.

I lifted my chin, forcing my voice to remain steady.

“You should leave now, before the palace guardians arrive.”

Silence fell between us. Then he took a single step forward, a smirk evident on his face.

The torches along the corridor flickered violently, and a ripple of cold spread through the air. Behind him, the crimson portal pulsed and swirled, darkness spilling from its depths.

“I am leaving with all three of you. I suggest you comply, for your daughter's sake.”

His gaze shifted past me, toward the upper halls of the palace. Toward the royal nursery wing.

Cold dread flooded my veins.

Somewhere deeper within the palace, something stirs, and I feel it. Ancient magic woven into the walls of Elderwood shudders faintly, as though something long buried is waking.

The man standing before me seemed to notice. He let out a quiet breath, as if almost amused.

“It seems the palace has begun to wake.”

Slowly, he steps backward toward the swirling red portal. Before disappearing into the darkness, he speaks once more.

“The children are not yours to keep. I will return for all three of you. Fate does not yield, Queen of Elderwood.”

He steps back again. “Tell your elders, the Order has returned.”

For a moment, neither of us moved. Then there were footsteps, fast approaching from the far end of the hall. I was relieved to see it was the palace guardians.

"Your end was written long before you were born," he said, as he stepped back into the portal.

“Stop!” one of the guardians shouted.

Steel flashed as they rushed forward, weapons drawn. Two arrows flew past me, cutting through the air toward the robed figure. But they never reached him.

The darkness around his form twisted suddenly, swallowing the arrows whole. The portal collapsed in on itself with a flash of red light. Then it was gone. The corridor fell silent. Heavy boots halted to a stop around me.

“Your Grace!” one of the guards said urgently, lowering his weapon. “Are you hurt?”

Another moved to stand between me and the place where the portal had been only moments before. But I barely heard them. My heart was still racing. And the words echoed through my mind like a curse.

We’re coming for you and your daughters. You cannot fight your fate... Your end was written long before you were born...

And I knew, with a sickening certainty, that this was only the beginning.

The guard’s voice pulled me back to the present.

“Your Grace… are you hurt?”

My hands were trembling, though I quickly clasped them together to hide it. “I’m fine.”

Another guard stepped forward, his gaze sweeping the corridor cautiously.

“What was that?” he asked.

I hesitated.

How could I even begin to explain what had just happened? A portal opening up inside the palace walls, a man in a dark cloak demanding my daughters. Even saying the words aloud felt unreal.

“He said he was from… the Order,” I replied.

The guards exchanged uneasy glances. One of them cursed under his breath.

“The Order?” one repeated quietly.

Before anyone could say more, a sudden flare of silver light rippled along the sigils embedded in the palace walls. The ancient wards shimmered, reacting to the dark magic that had just breached them.

One of the guards looked up sharply. “The wards are responding.”

Another turned back to me. “We should escort you to the council chamber, Your Grace. The elders will want to know about this.”

My stomach tightened.

My daughters.

“Katya and Aurora,” I snapped. “They’re in the nursery wing.”

The guards straightened immediately. “We’ll secure the area, Your Grace.”

But I was already moving. My heels pounded against the floor as I hurried down the corridor, the guards keeping pace beside me.

Every step felt heavier than the last, a feeling of dread heavy in my chest.

What if he hadn’t really left? What if he had simply moved somewhere else inside the palace?

The thought sent a chill racing down my spine.

We rounded the corner toward the nursery wing. Two of the palace guardians were already standing outside the chamber doors, their spears crossed firmly before them. They straightened the moment they saw me. “Your Grace.”

“Are the princesses safe?” I asked.

The older guardian nodded. “They’re asleep, Your Grace.”

Relief rushed through me so suddenly that my knees nearly gave way. I stepped inside the chamber, the lanterns gave off a soft glow, the curtains had been drawn, and the faint scent of lavender drifted through the air. Katya and Aurora lay tangled in their blankets, safe and sound. Completely untouched by the darkness that had stood only a few corridors away.

I moved to their bedside, brushing a gentle hand over them both, repositioning their blankets. They stirred slightly but didn’t wake. Behind me, I could feel the guards waiting silently near the door.

For a moment, I simply stood there watching them breathe.

But the man’s voice echoed again in my mind.

We’re coming for you… and your daughters.

Whatever the Order was, whatever they wanted, they would not take my children. Not while I still drew breath. Even if fate had already decided how and when mine would end.