The Warning

Kael couldn't move.

His mother's voice still echoed through the chamber.

Don't trust the crown.

Then nothing.

No whisper.

No silver light.

No answer.

Only darkness.

“Kael.”

Lucien's voice brought him back.

Kael looked at him.

The king stood several steps away, staring at the silver symbol glowing on his wrist.

The key.

The Moon Gate's key.

Kael's eyes moved from the mark to Lucien's face.

“You said you've never seen it before.”

“I haven't.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

Lucien's jaw tightened.

“I don't expect you to believe anything I say.”

That answer caught Kael off guard.

Lucien continued quietly.

“But I won't lie to you.”

Kael looked away.

Behind them, Theron was staring at the collapsed guardian.

His face was pale.

“We need to leave.”

Darius turned toward him.

“Why?”

Theron looked at the walls.

“Because the chamber has awakened.”

A deep rumble answered him.

The floor shook.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

Rowan immediately grabbed Kael's arm.

“Move.”

They hurried back toward the passage.

Kael glanced over his shoulder.

The ancient throne remained in the center of the chamber.

But something had changed.

The silver crown was gone.

Kael stopped.

“Wait.”

Rowan pulled him forward.

“Kael!”

“The crown.”

Everyone turned.

The skeleton was still sitting on the throne.

But the silver crown had disappeared.

Lucien's eyes narrowed.

“Keep moving.”

They ran.

The passage behind them began collapsing.

Stone crashed onto the floor.

Darius shouted at the guards.

“Faster!”

They reached the staircase just as the chamber entrance disappeared beneath a wave of falling stone.

Silence followed.

Kael bent over, trying to catch his breath.

Lucien stood beside him.

Neither spoke.

Then Kael noticed something.

A faint silver glow beneath Lucien's sleeve.

“The mark.”

Lucien looked down.

The key-shaped symbol was still there.

“It hasn't disappeared.”

Kael touched his own chest.

His Moon Seal answered with a pulse.

The two marks seemed to recognize each other.

Kael immediately stepped back.

“I don't like this.”

Lucien nodded.

“Neither do I.”

“Then why do I feel like we're supposed to follow it?”

Lucien looked at him.

“Because some things are difficult to ignore.”

Kael studied him.

“You're not afraid.”

“I am.”

Kael blinked.

Lucien looked toward the sealed passage.

“I've spent years fighting things I couldn't understand. Fear doesn't disappear because you're a king.”

For the first time, Kael saw something beneath the crown.

Not an Alpha King.

Not the strongest Alpha on the continent.

Just a man carrying responsibilities too large for one person.

Kael's expression softened.

“You don't have to carry everything alone.”

Lucien looked at him.

The words seemed to affect him.

Then footsteps interrupted them.

Seraphine approached.

“We have another problem.”

Darius frowned.

“What now?”

She held out a folded piece of parchment.

“This was found in the king's private chamber.”

Lucien took it.

He opened the parchment.

His expression immediately changed.

Kael noticed.

“What is it?”

Lucien didn't answer.

“Lucien.”

The king handed him the parchment.

Kael read the words.

His blood ran cold.

THE MOON-CHOSEN WILL NEVER REACH THE MOON GATE.

Below the warning was another sentence.

BECAUSE THE KING WILL BETRAY HIM FIRST.

Kael slowly looked up.

Everyone was watching him.

The accusation hung between him and Lucien.

Lucien's face remained calm.

But his eyes had darkened.

Darius immediately stepped forward.

“This could be a trap.”

Kael folded the parchment.

“Maybe.”

Rowan looked at him.

“You don't believe it?”

“I don't know.”

Lucien's eyes met his.

Kael held the gaze.

“I don't know whether I trust him yet.”

Lucien nodded.

“That is fair.”

Kael frowned.

“You're not going to defend yourself?”

“I could.”

“Then why don't you?”

“Because you're allowed to question me.”

Kael looked away.

That answer was becoming dangerous.

Every time Lucien respected his freedom, Kael found himself wanting to trust him a little more.

And trust was exactly what frightened him.

Because his mother had warned him.

Don't trust the crown.

Not don't trust Lucien.

The crown.

There was a difference.

Kael looked at the parchment again.

“Who has access to your private chamber?”

Lucien's expression hardened.

“Only a handful of people.”

“Name them.”

Darius raised an eyebrow.

Kael expected Lucien to object.

Instead, the king began listing them.

“Darius. Theron. Seraphine. My royal physician. Two guards assigned to the inner palace.”

“And you?”

Lucien looked at him.

“What about me?”

“You said only a handful of people.”

“I can access my own chamber.”

Kael almost smiled.

“You're annoying.”

“So I've been told.”

Darius coughed.

“Your Majesty?”

Lucien looked at him.

“Yes?”

“You've been told that frequently.”

Kael laughed.

It slipped out before he could stop it.

Everyone looked at him.

Kael immediately became serious.

“I didn't laugh.”

Darius smiled.

“You definitely did.”

“I didn't.”

Lucien's lips curved.

“You did.”

Kael glared at him.

“Don't make me regret it.”

The moment passed.

But the tension remained.

Later that evening, Kael stood alone on a balcony overlooking Blackfang.

The city stretched beneath him.

Thousands of lights.

Thousands of lives.

He had never seen so many people before.

Behind him, the balcony door opened.

Kael didn't turn.

“I know it's you.”

Lucien stepped outside.

“How?”

“Your scent.”

Lucien stopped.

“Do you always notice it?”

Kael's heart beat faster.

“I notice everyone's scent.”

“Of course.”

Kael turned.

Lucien was no longer wearing his crown.

His black hair was slightly disordered, and the usual royal uniform had been replaced with a simple dark shirt.

Without the crown, he looked younger.

More human.

Kael looked at him for several seconds.

“You're different without it.”

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

“Different how?”

“I don't know.”

“Better?”

Kael rolled his eyes.

“Don't flatter yourself.”

Lucien laughed quietly.

Then his expression became serious.

“Your mother.”

Kael's smile disappeared.

“What about her?”

“If what we heard was real, she may still be alive.”

Kael looked toward the city.

“I spent eighteen years believing she was dead.”

“I know.”

“How?”

“Rowan told me.”

Kael turned sharply.

“Rowan told you?”

“Only what was necessary.”

Kael's expression tightened.

“So everyone knows things except me.”

Lucien stepped closer.

“No.”

Kael looked at him.

“I don't know everything either.”

The silence between them felt different now.

Less guarded.

More intimate.

Kael looked at Lucien's wrist.

The silver key was faintly glowing again.

“Do you think the Moon Gate is real?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because the Moon Bond reacted to it.”

Kael frowned.

“That's not enough.”

Lucien nodded.

“No.”

He looked at Kael.

“But I believe your mother is alive.”

Kael swallowed.

“Why?”

“Because the Moon Guardian had no reason to lie.”

Kael stared at him.

Then something strange happened.

His wolf stepped forward inside his mind.

Trust.

Kael immediately pushed it down.

“No.”

Lucien tilted his head.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

A sudden gust swept across the balcony.

Kael shivered.

Lucien noticed.

“You're cold.”

“I'm fine.”

Lucien removed his cloak.

Kael immediately shook his head.

“I don't need”

Lucien placed it over the balcony railing instead of touching him.

“You can take it if you want.”

Kael stared at the cloak.

Then at Lucien.

He slowly picked it up.

It smelled like cedar, smoke, and winter rain.

The same scent he'd noticed in Moonwood.

The scent that had awakened his wolf.

Mate.

Kael closed his eyes.

“Stop.”

Lucien frowned.

“I didn't say anything.”

“I wasn't talking to you.”

Understanding crossed Lucien's face.

His wolf was probably saying the same thing.

For a moment, they simply stood there.

Then Kael whispered,

“What happens if the Moon Bond becomes stronger?”

Lucien answered honestly.

“I don't know.”

“Could it control us?”

“I don't know.”

“Could it make me love you?”

Lucien went still.

Kael's own question surprised him.

He looked down.

Lucien's voice was quiet.

“No.”

Kael looked up.

“I don't believe a bond can create something that isn't there.”

Kael's heart skipped.

Lucien continued.

“It may pull us together. It may make us aware of each other. It may make separation difficult.”

He stepped back.

“But love is different.”

Kael's eyes remained on him.

“Love has to be chosen.”

The words settled between them.

Then

A wolf howled from the city below.

Another answered.

Then another.

Within seconds, the entire kingdom seemed to erupt in howls.

Kael rushed to the balcony edge.

Every wolf in Blackfang was looking toward the moon.

The Moon Seal on his chest began to glow.

Lucien's key shaped mark answered.

Kael stared at the sky.

The moon had turned silver.

Then a dark shadow slowly began moving across its surface.

An eclipse.

Lucien's face hardened.

“But the Eclipse isn't supposed to happen for another year.”

Kael's blood ran cold.

His wolf whispered one word.

Run.

Then every bell in Blackfang began ringing.

And somewhere beyond the city walls, an army began marching toward the kingdom.