The Fortress of Wolves

The journey to Kael's fortress began before dawn. No one spoke much, the battle had ended but the unease remained, and it followed us through the forest like a shadow. I rode beside a group of warriors while Kael led from the front. The crescent mark on my wrist remained hidden beneath my glove, yet I could still feel it, pulsing, alive, as though it possessed its own heartbeat. My wolf had been unusually quiet since it appeared, too quiet, and that worried me more than if she had been talking.

The forest stretched endlessly around us, snow covered pines towering overhead while mist drifted between the trunks. Every now and then I caught wolves staring at me, not ordinary curiosity but fear, suspicion, some even looking angry. Wonderful. Apparently becoming a prophesied queen wasn't winning me any popularity contests. Hours later the trees began to thin, and the fortress appeared suddenly, massive stone walls rising from the mountainside, ancient towers piercing the sky, silver banners bearing a wolf crest snapping in the wind. The structure looked less like a home and more like a kingdom prepared for war, and my breath caught because even I had to admit it was impressive.

"The Moonhold," one warrior said quietly. "The oldest wolf fortress in the North." The gates slowly opened, and the moment we entered every conversation stopped. Hundreds of eyes turned toward us, toward me. The courtyard overflowed with activity, warriors, healers, children, pack members carrying supplies, yet the instant they noticed the stranger beside their Alpha silence spread. Whispers quickly followed. "That's her." "The Moon's Daughter." "She awakened." "Look at her." "She doesn't seem dangerous." My wolf snorted, Give me time, and I nearly smiled. Nearly.

Kael dismounted first, and immediately several wolves approached. An older woman stepped forward from the crowd, her silver hair hanging in a thick braid down her back, sharp gray eyes studying me carefully. Unlike everyone else she didn't seem afraid. She seemed interested. "Diana." Kael inclined his head respectfully, and I filed that away because apparently someone existed who could make an Alpha show manners. The woman ignored him entirely and walked directly toward me, her gaze dropping to my covered wrist before rising again, her expression changing from nothing to recognition. "You carry the mark." I stiffened, and the crowd immediately became silent.

Nobody had shown her the symbol, yet somehow she knew. The woman's eyes softened. "The prophecy has finally awakened." I swallowed. "You know about it?" A faint smile touched her lips. "I know more than I would like." That wasn't comforting, not even a little. Kael stepped forward, "Diana," a warning in his voice, but the woman ignored him again and I was beginning to like her. "The girl deserves answers." "Not here." Diana looked around, and for the first time I noticed the crowd pressing closer, listening, watching, waiting. She sighed. "Fine." Then her gaze returned to me. "But the truth cannot wait forever." A chill ran through me because somehow I knew she wasn't talking only to Kael. She was talking to fate itself.

An hour later I found myself sitting beside a massive fireplace inside the fortress. The room resembled a war chamber, maps covering the walls, weapons resting on racks, ancient banners hanging from stone pillars. Outside a blizzard had begun, snow battering the windows, while inside tension filled the air. Kael stood near the fire, Diana sat across from him, and several trusted warriors occupied the remaining chairs. Apparently I was important enough for a council meeting. Lucky me.

Diana broke the silence first. "The Queen's Mark changes everything." Nobody argued. Kael crossed his arms. "We already know that." "No," Diana's voice sharpened. "You know it attracts enemies." Her gaze settled on me. "You don't understand what it means." I leaned forward. "Then explain." The older woman hesitated, and for the first time uncertainty appeared in her eyes. "The Moon's Daughter has appeared before." The room went still and my heart skipped. "What?" Diana nodded slowly. "Not once." Silence. "Twice."

Even Kael looked surprised. The woman stared into the flames. "The first united the wolf kingdoms," and her voice grew quieter. "The second nearly destroyed them." A knot formed in my stomach. "And me?" Diana's gaze met mine. "That remains to be seen." Not helpful, at all. A knock interrupted us, and one of Kael's warriors entered, his face pale and worried. Something was wrong. "Alpha." Kael straightened immediately. "What happened?" The warrior swallowed. "The scouts returned."

A bad feeling settled over the room. "The mountain pass is gone." Silence. "What do you mean gone?" The warrior looked shaken. "As in... gone." Nobody spoke. The warrior continued. "The entire mountain collapsed." Several people exchanged uneasy glances and Diana's face darkened. "Impossible." The warrior shook his head. "It gets worse." Of course it did. "The scouts found something beneath the ruins." A long pause followed, then, "An ancient doorway." The room froze and every person present looked alarmed, except me, because I had absolutely no idea what that meant.

Diana closed her eyes. "No." Kael's jaw tightened. "What doorway?" The older woman opened her eyes slowly, fear lingering there, real fear. "The prison." Cold spread through the room and nobody moved, nobody breathed. I looked between them. "What prison?" No one answered immediately. Finally Kael spoke, his voice grim. "According to legend, the Hollow Kings were sealed beneath the northern mountains thousands of years ago." I stared, the name again, the same name Darius had feared, the same name my wolf hated.

Understanding dawned. The mountain hadn't collapsed by accident. Something ancient, something dangerous. The warrior swallowed. "The seal is broken." The fire crackled and outside thunder rolled across the mountains. And deep inside my mind my wolf growled, not in warning, not in fear, but recognition. The sound sent chills through my entire body because for the first time since she awakened I understood exactly what she was trying to tell me.

Whatever slept beneath those mountains, it knew I existed. And now it was awake too. The thought settled like ice in my chest, heavier than the snow outside, heavier than the weight of every eye in that war chamber. I pressed my gloved hand against the mark on my wrist and felt it pulse in answer, steady, deliberate, awake. Fate had called me queen. The prison had answered. And somewhere in the dark, something old was listening.