the mysterious visitor

Chapter 22 – The Mysterious Visitor.

The celebration ended in silence.

Only moments earlier, Mooncrest had been alive with music and laughter.

Now every lantern remained dark.

No one spoke.

Every eye was fixed on Elena.

She lay unconscious in Lia's arms, her face unusually pale, as though the strange voice had drained every ounce of strength from her.

"Liam..."

Lia's voice trembled.

"She won't wake up."

Liam gently brushed a strand of hair away from Elena's face before placing two fingers against her wrist.

Her heartbeat was steady.

Her breathing was calm.

Yet she remained trapped in an unnatural sleep.

Victor stepped closer.

"This isn't an ordinary fainting spell."

"What is it?" Ethan asked anxiously.

Before Victor could answer, Luna Seraphina knelt beside Elena and closed her eyes.

She whispered an ancient prayer in the old werewolf tongue Silver light briefly glowed beneath her fingertips.

When she opened her eyes again, her expression had changed.

"What did you see?" Liam asked.

Seraphina hesitated.

Then quietly said,

"Someone reached into her mind."

A chill swept through the gathering.

Lia instinctively held Elena closer.

"Who?"

"I don't know."

Seraphina slowly stood.

"But whoever it was..."

Her voice lowered.

"...is older than any Alpha alive today."

The crowd exchanged uneasy glances.

Even the oldest wolves present looked frightened.

Later that night...

Rain began to fall.

The once joyful festival grounds now stood empty beneath dark clouds.

Inside the Alpha Manor, Elena finally opened her eyes.

"Elena!" Lia exclaimed, rushing to her bedside for a brief moment, Elena looked confused.

Then she whispered,

"I saw him."

The room became silent.

Liam stepped forward.

"Who did you see?"

Elena swallowed.

"A man..."

"What did he look like?"

"He was standing inside a cave."

She closed her eyes, trying to remember.

"He wore black armor."

"He had silver eyes."

"And..."

Her breathing became uneven.

"He knew my name."

No one spoke.

"How?" Ethan asked softly. "I don't know Tears filled Elena's eyes.

"But he looked at me like he'd been waiting for me."

Before anyone could respond..

A loud knock echoed through the manor.

Three heavy knocks.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Every warrior in the room reached for a weapon.

Ryan hurried to the entrance with several guards.

"Who goes there?" he called.

No answer.

Ryan slowly pulled the door open.

Standing outside, soaked by the rain, was an old traveler wrapped in a long grey cloak.

His beard was streaked with silver, and his walking staff was carved with strange moon symbols.

I seek Alpha Liam."Ryan studied him carefully.

"State your name."

The old man smiled faintly.

"My name no longer matters."

Ryan frowned.

"Then why are you here?"

The stranger's eyes drifted toward the upper floor of the manor.

"I'm here because the Heirs have awakened."

Ryan's expression hardened.

"How do you know about them?"

The old man's answer sent a shiver down his spine.

"Because I have been searching for them..."

He looked up at the sky.

"...for eighteen years."

Minutes later, the mysterious traveler sat before the family in the council chamber.

No one trusted him.

Not Ryan.

Not Victor.

Not even Liam.

The old man accepted a cup of tea but never touched it.

Instead, his gaze remained fixed on Ethan and Elena.

"You've grown exactly as the prophecy foretold."

Liam leaned forward.

"You know about the prophecy?"

The old man nodded.

"I know the part no one else remembers."

Victor's face changed instantly.

"There is no forgotten part."

"There is."

The old man met Victor's eyes without fear.

"Because your ancestors erased it."

Silence filled the chamber.

Victor slowly rose to his feet.

"Impossible."

The traveler reached into his cloak and carefully placed an ancient scroll upon the table. Its edges were blackened with age.

The parchment bore the same moon crest carved into the oldest ruins beneath Mooncrest.

"I stole this from the Hall of Elders fifty years ago," the stranger admitted.

"I have spent my life protecting it."

Lia looked at the fragile scroll.

"What is it?"

The old man's voice became barely a whisper.

"The true beginning of your family's story."

He looked directly at Liam.

"And the reason your children are being hunted."

Outside...

Far beyond Mooncrest...

Hidden beneath towering mountains...

The stone coffin shattered completely.

A tall figure stepped into the moonlight.

His long black cloak flowed behind him.

His silver eyes glowed with ancient power.

He lifted his face toward the full moon.

"The Moon Heirs..."

A slow smile spread across his face.

"At last."

The ground trembled beneath his feet as he began walking toward Mooncrest.

The oldest enemy in werewolf history had awakened.

And he was coming, coming for all not one..