Unwanted Fate

The silver wolf vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

The clearing fell silent once more, save for the rustling of leaves swaying in the evening breeze.

No one spoke.

No one dared move.

Kael stared at the spot where the beast had stood only seconds before, his heart pounding against his ribs.

"What... was that?"

Rowan slowly lowered his sword, though his grip remained tight.

"The Guardian."

Kael frowned.

"The guardian of what?"

Rowan didn't answer.

Instead, he looked toward the old king.

Lucien's crimson eyes never left Kael.

The wolf hadn't bowed to him.

It had bowed to Kael.

There was no denying it now.

The ancient stories were true.

The Moon-Chosen had returned.

General Darius stepped closer to Lucien and lowered his voice.

"Your Majesty... we should return to the capital."

Lucien remained silent.

"The Council will already know you've interfered."

"They'll demand an explanation."

"I'll give them one."

Darius sighed.

"They'll want the Omega."

"They won't have him."

The firmness in Lucien's voice ended the discussion.

Kael finally broke the silence.

"I don't understand any of this."

He looked from Rowan to Lucien.

"One day I'm gathering herbs..."

"The next I'm apparently the center of some prophecy."

His voice hardened.

"And everyone suddenly thinks they own me."

Lucien answered immediately.

"No one owns you."

Kael looked at him sharply.

"Easy for a king to say."

"You've probably never had anyone trying to decide your future."

Lucien's expression darkened.

"You'd be surprised."

For a brief moment, something unreadable crossed the Alpha King's face.

Loneliness.

Regret.

It disappeared as quickly as it came.

Kael noticed anyway.

The forest grew darker.

Night settled over Moonwood.

Rowan sheathed his sword.

"We can't stay here."

"The Shadow Hunters will return with reinforcements."

Darius nodded reluctantly.

"He's right."

Lucien looked at Kael.

"There is a safe place a day's ride from here."

Kael crossed his arms.

"Your palace?"

"No."

"I wouldn't take you there."

Kael blinked.

"You wouldn't?"

"The palace is full of spies."

"If someone wants to use you..."

"That would be the first place they'd look."

Rowan studied Lucien carefully.

Every decision the King had made tonight contradicted everything he'd expected.

He wasn't acting like a ruler hunting the Moon-Chosen.

He was acting like someone trying to protect him.

An owl hooted somewhere in the distance.

Then another.

Rowan's face changed instantly.

His hand moved back to his sword.

"Those aren't owls."

Darius frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"They're signals."

Lucien immediately understood.

"Scouts."

Rowan nodded.

"They're surrounding us."

Kael looked into the darkness.

At first...

He saw nothing.

Then shadows began moving between the trees.

Not one.

Not ten.

Dozens.

Figures cloaked in black emerged silently from every direction.

Unlike the Shadow Hunters, these warriors wore silver masks shaped like wolves.

Each carried twin curved blades.

Darius drew his weapon.

"I've never seen those uniforms before."

Rowan whispered one name.

"Silver Fang."

Lucien's eyes narrowed.

"I thought they were extinct."

"So did everyone."

One of the masked warriors stepped forward.

His voice echoed from behind the silver mask.

"King Lucien."

"You've become... troublesome."

Lucien remained calm.

"And you are?"

"The man who has spent eighteen years looking for the Moon-Chosen."

Kael's stomach tightened.

"Eighteen years?"

The masked man laughed softly.

"We searched every kingdom."

"Every village."

"Every orphanage."

"We almost believed you'd died."

His gaze settled on Kael.

"But here you are."

Lucien stepped in front of Kael without thinking.

"You'll go no farther."

The masked warrior tilted his head.

"You intend to protect him?"

"I do."

"Even knowing what he is?"

Lucien's answer came without hesitation.

"I know exactly what he is."

"He is a man."

"Not a prize."

For the first time, the masked warrior seemed genuinely surprised.

Then he laughed.

"A king who refuses power."

"How disappointing."

He raised one hand.

Every masked warrior drew their blades at once.

Steel flashed beneath the moonlight.

"You can keep the boy."

His voice turned cold.

"If you survive."

Without warning—

The assassins charged.

The forest erupted into chaos.

Lucien met the first attacker head-on, his sword ringing as it clashed against twin blades.

Darius fought beside him, cutting down another enemy.

Rowan grabbed Kael's arm.

"We're leaving!"

Kael pulled free.

"No."

"They're here because of me."

"I'm not running while they're risking their lives."

Before Rowan could argue, an assassin lunged toward Lucien from behind.

"Your Majesty!"

Kael reacted on instinct.

He snatched up a fallen spear and hurled it with all his strength.

The weapon flew through the air.

It struck the assassin squarely in the shoulder, throwing him off balance.

Lucien spun instantly.

His sword flashed once.

The assassin collapsed.

For a heartbeat, Lucien simply stared at Kael.

"You saved me."

Kael looked away awkwardly.

"You were distracted."

"I couldn't just watch."

A small smile tugged at Lucien's lips despite the battle raging around them.

Then another assassin attacked.

The fighting continued beneath the moonlit sky.

Hidden among the trees, however, another figure watched the battle unfold.

Unlike the others, he wore a crown of black iron beneath his hood.

His golden Alpha eyes gleamed with interest as they settled on Kael.

"So..."

"The prophecy has awakened."

He smiled.

"And the Alpha King has already fallen under the Moon Bond."

Turning away, he disappeared into the darkness.

He had no intention of fighting tonight.

He had seen everything he needed.

The game for the Moon-Chosen Omega had finally begun.