CHAPTER SIX

The moon hung low and heavy outside the Council hall, casting pale silver light that barely reached the shadows inside. Somehow, the room felt darker, as if the night had decided to swallow everything whole.

Kael’s presence beside me was a steady, solid weight against the chaos swirling in my mind. His dark eyes, sharp as knives, flicked over every council member with suspicion and barely restrained fury.

“You’re lucky they let you walk out of there,” Kael muttered, voice low enough only for me to hear.

“Lucky? I’d say they’re lucky I didn’t tear them all apart on the spot,” I replied, the edge of sarcasm trying to cut through the tension.

He chuckled, a brief, rough sound that made my chest ache. “That’s why I’m here. To make sure you don’t become a one-wolf wrecking crew.”

Before I could respond, the grand doors slammed open.

Two guards burst in, faces pale and urgent.

“Alpha Kael! The Council is under attack!” one gasped. “We’ve spotted a rogue faction. They’re

....”

A piercing scream cut through the room, the unmistakable sound of a blade slicing through air and flesh.

Chaos exploded.

I ducked instinctively, heart pounding as shouts and growls erupted. Kael grabbed my arm, pulling me toward cover behind a marble pillar.

“Rogue faction?” I hissed, eyes scanning for the source.

Kael’s jaw tightened. “More than that. They’re the ones who want to keep the Thornbane bloodline buried. Dead. And apparently, they don’t care who gets hurt.”

A shadow moved at the edge of the chamber swift, silent, deadly.

I caught a glimpse of a figure cloaked in black, eyes glowing faintly red, blade gleaming with some unnatural sheen.

And then everything went wrong.

The figure lunged straight for me.

Time slowed.

Kael threw himself between us, claws ripping through the attacker’s cloak with a sound like tearing silk.

The blade slashed toward my throat, but Kael’s massive hand caught the wrist in a grip like iron.

“Get away from her!” he snarled.

The attacker hissed, eyes burning with hatred. “The Thornbane line ends tonight.”

Kael’s muscles tensed. “Not on my watch.”

He twisted, flinging the attacker against the wall with a bone cracking thud.

But before I could breathe, another blade sliced the air toward Kael’s back.

I dove forward, grabbing the assailant’s arm, wrenching it away just in time.

“Two on one?” I muttered, smirking despite the danger.

The attacker snarled, backing away into the shadows.

Kael growled low, “They won’t stop until you’re dead or broken.”

I swallowed hard. “Then let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.”

After the immediate threat was subdued, the Council chamber was left reeling.

Whispers flew faster than wildfire.

“Who sent them?”

“How did they get past our wards?”

“Are there more?”

Kael’s gaze locked on me, fierce and unblinking.

“Lyra, this is bigger than politics. It’s war.”

I nodded, adrenaline still crackling through my veins.

“And we just became the target.”

Later, in the quiet safety of Kael’s private chambers, the weight of everything crashed down on me.

Kael closed the door behind us, locking it with a soft click.

I leaned against the door, eyes closed.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” I confessed.

He stepped closer, heat radiating from him like a protective shield.

“You don’t have to be ready,” he said softly. “You just have to be willing.”

His fingers brushed a stray lock of hair from my face.

My breath hitched.

His voice dropped to a low murmur, “I’ve been fighting shadows my whole life. But with you… everything feels different.”

I opened my eyes, meeting his gaze dark, intense, and surprisingly vulnerable.

“Different good or different ‘we’re gonna die trying’?”

He smiled, a slow, crooked grin that made my knees weak.

“Definitely the latter.”

The room seemed to shrink as he closed the distance between us.

His hands cradled my face, thumbs brushing my cheekbones.

“Lyra,” he whispered, “there’s something I need to tell you. Something about your bloodline.”

My heart stuttered.

“Go on.”

He hesitated, then spoke with a weight I hadn’t expected.

“Your mother… she was more than just a Thornbane. She was a key player in an ancient war, one that involved not just werewolves but a secret faction that bent shadows and fear into weapons.”

I blinked. “You mean… the rogues?”

Kael nodded. “Exactly. Your family’s enemies. But also protectors of secrets. And they fear what you might become.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“So, this attack… it wasn’t random.”

“No. It was a message.”

“And a warning.”

Kael’s lips brushed mine, a promise and a threat all at once.

“We’ll face it together.”

The night stretched on with whispered plans, stolen kisses, and a fierce determination burning between us.

Whatever war was coming, I was ready to fight.

Because for the first time in my life, I wasn’t alone.