Chapter 21: The Sword of the First Dawn

The Silver Creek warriors didn't move.

The silver-haired woman—who I vaguely remembered as a distant cousin of Jason’s—sneered at me. "You think your parlor tricks scare us? You're still the same weak omega who ran away with her tail between her legs."

Kael growled, stepping forward, but I placed a hand on his chest.

"Let me," I said softly.

I looked at the warriors. I didn't feel anger. I felt pity. They were clinging to a past that had already crumbled to dust.

I reached into the golden well of my power, not to attack, but to command. I let a fraction of the Moon Goddess's authority bleed into the room. The temperature dropped. The air grew heavy.

The silver-haired woman gasped, her knees buckling. She hit the stone floor, her eyes wide with terror. Behind her, the other warriors collapsed, their weapons clattering to the ground.

"I am not the weak omega you remember," I said, my voice echoing with divine resonance. "I am the High Priestess. And I am your only chance at survival."

I turned my back on them, dismissing them entirely, and looked back at the grimoire. My fingers traced the glowing runes.

"The First Alpha was once a king named Alaric," I read aloud. "He was the first to receive the gift of the wolf from the Moon Goddess. But he grew greedy. He sought to steal her power and rule as a god. She defeated him, but she could not destroy him completely. She bound him to the shadows, sealing him in the tomb."

"How do we kill him?" Kael asked, his voice tight.

"The Sword of the First Dawn," I said, reading further. "It is the only weapon forged from the pure light of the Goddess. It is hidden in the Temple of Eternity, in the Realm of the Gods."

Kael cursed under his breath. "The Realm of the Gods is a myth. A fairy tale told to pups."

"It's real," I said, pointing to the runes. "My mother found the entrance. It's at the peak of the Frozen Peak, the highest mountain in the territory. But there's a catch. The temple can only be entered by a True Heir and her fated mate."

Kael stepped closer, his hand resting on the small of my back. "Then we go together."

I nodded. I closed the grimoire and tucked it under my arm. I looked at the Silver Creek warriors still kneeling on the floor.

"Silver Creek has no Alpha," I declared. "Until a worthy leader rises, this pack is under the protection of the High Council. If anyone harms these people while I am gone, they will answer to me."

I walked past them, Kael at my side. As I stepped out of the packhouse, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. I had returned to my past, and I had conquered it.

We rode hard back to Blackwood, arriving just as the sun began to set. But as we approached the fortress gates, the sky darkened.

It wasn't nightfall. It was something else.

A massive, suffocating shadow was spreading across the sky, swallowing the light of the setting sun. Within moments, the entire territory was plunged into an unnatural, freezing darkness.

Kael grabbed my hand. "Alaric."

The darkness was absolute. The wolves in the fortress started to howl in panic. I pushed my golden light outward, illuminating the courtyard, but the shadows pushed back, heavy and oppressive.

A voice echoed through the air, ancient and mocking.

"You think you can find the Sword, little heir? I have sent my shadows to block your path. The Frozen Peak is surrounded. You will never reach the temple. Surrender the child, and I will spare your pack."

I gripped Kael's hand, the blood oath humming with a fierce, defiant energy.

"Never," I snarled.

I looked at Kael, my eyes blazing with golden fire.

"We leave now," I said. "We don't wait for dawn. We need to reach the Frozen Peak before he can stop us."

Kael nodded, his jaw set. "Vera, prepare the horses. We ride into the dark."