chapter 4

The Truth Beneath the Flame

Kael carried her through the underground passage beneath the Ironwood Keep, silent and unyielding. His arms didn’t tremble. His eyes didn’t blink. But his heart—Elira could feel it, pounding hard against his chest.

She should’ve fought him.

Should’ve screamed after what happened in that cursed court.

But all she could do was lean her head against his shoulder and try to understand what the hell she had just done.

She’d burned a man alive. With her bare hands.

What am I?

They reached a heavy iron door. Kael kicked it open.

Inside was a chamber lit by glowing stones—simple but warm. A fire roared in the hearth, and thick furs lined the bed in the corner. It looked nothing like a prison.

But she wasn’t stupid. It was a cage all the same.

Kael set her down gently. Then backed away.

“You didn’t have to throw me,” she muttered.

“I did.”

“You didn’t.”

“If I hadn’t, they would’ve killed you.”

Elira met his gaze. “Then maybe you should’ve let them.”

Kael didn’t blink. “Don’t say that.”

“Why not?” she snapped. “You just dragged me into a war I don’t understand, bonded me against my will, and now crowned me queen in front of a pack of monsters—”

“They’re not monsters.”

She stood up, shaking. “They wanted me to burn a child.”

“They’ve lost too much to trust easily,” Kael said, voice low. “Our people were hunted to the edge of extinction. Torn apart by humans. Betrayed by our own. That girl was a spy, Elira. She had a poison blade strapped to her thigh.”

Elira stilled.

He stepped closer. “She wasn’t innocent.”

“And the man I burned?”

Kael hesitated. “They were assassins from the Shadow Court. Traitors who believe the Lycan bloodline must end.”

She flinched. “You sound just like them. Everyone has an excuse to kill. What makes you any different?”

His eyes darkened. “I don’t kill unless I have to.”

“And me?” she whispered. “Did I have to?”

Silence.

Kael moved to the window, bracing his hands on the frame. The veins in his arms stood taut beneath his skin.

“I didn’t know it would happen like that,” he said quietly. “But I needed them to see.”

“See what?”

“That you’re not weak. That you are what the prophecy spoke of.”

Elira’s head throbbed. “Prophecy?”

Kael turned. “A girl born under a blood eclipse, carrying the flame of the forgotten gods. A girl who would rise as queen beside the last true Alpha.”

“That sounds like a myth.”

He stepped closer. “It’s your truth.”

“No,” she said. “My truth is that I lived in a cell for five years. My truth is that no one ever came for me until you did, and you didn’t even want me. You wanted my power.”

Kael’s jaw clenched. “That’s not why I came.”

“Then why?”

His voice dropped. “Because the moment I saw you, I felt you.”

Something cracked between them then. Raw. Fragile.

And terrifying.

Elira looked away. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“I know.”

Kael stepped back again. “Rest. You’ll need your strength.”

She didn’t answer.

He left her alone in the chamber, and when the door shut, she collapsed onto the bed, her hands still shaking with the memory of fire.

Later that night, she awoke to a presence in the room.

She sat up fast—senses screaming.

A woman stood at the end of the bed. Pale hair, soft eyes. Familiar in a way Elira couldn’t place.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” the woman said.

“Then what are you doing in here?”

“I’m here to help you understand what you are.”

The woman stepped into the firelight.

And Elira froze.

Because she recognized her.

She was the same woman who appeared in her dreams—wrapped in flames, whispering things Elira could never remember.

“You’re not real,” Elira whispered.

“I’m as real as the blood running through your veins.”

Elira stood slowly. “Who are you?”

“I’m the echo of the goddess who made you. I’m what’s left of the Order.”

“The Order?”

“Before the Lycans, before the Courts, there were women born of fire. Queens of the old blood. You are the last.”

Elira shook her head. “No. I’m not—”

“You think your power came from Kael’s bond?” the woman asked. “You were burning long before he touched you.”

Elira’s heart stopped.

“I don’t understand.”

“You were taken as a child. Hidden in a prison meant to suppress your flame. They failed.”

“Who took me?”

The woman’s eyes darkened. “The one who wears a mask of loyalty. The one closest to Kael.”

Elira staggered back. “Aldric.”

The woman nodded. “He betrayed the court. He feared the prophecy. Feared what you’d become.”

A loud knock shattered the moment.

Kael’s voice came from behind the door. “Elira? We have to leave. Now.”

The vision vanished.

Elira rushed to the door. “What’s going on?”

Kael opened it. His face was pale, blood on his tunic. “The Shadow Court breached the border. They’re coming for you.”

Elira didn’t hesitate. “Then let’s go.”

He grabbed her hand—and this time, she didn’t resist.

They raced through the hall, Kael shouting orders to soldiers as flames rose in the distance. The fortress was under siege.

“Where are we going?” she shouted.

“To the forest temple. It’s protected by the old runes.”

“But why there?”

“Because that’s where the truth is buried.”

They burst through the outer gates just as a blast rocked the hill behind them.

But before they reached the horses, a figure stepped from the smoke.

Aldric.

His blade was dripping with blood.

Kael cursed. “You.”

Aldric smiled, slow and venomous. “I told you she’d be your ruin.”

He lunged.

Kael pushed Elira back and met his brother in a clash of steel.

The fight was savage, brutal. Two alphas, two brothers. One wild with rage, the other cold with betrayal.

Elira backed away—then stopped.

A figure was behind her.

Another assassin.

He raised his blade—

And this time, she didn’t hesitate.

She opened her palm—

And fire exploded.

The assassin screamed as he burned.

But the distraction cost her. Aldric slammed a dagger into Kael’s side.

“No!” Elira screamed.

Kael staggered.

Aldric grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground.

“You were never meant to survive,” he snarled.

Elira couldn’t breathe. Her vision blurred.

But then—

Kael roared.

Shifted.

And tore Aldric off her, slamming him into the ground with claws bared.

Blood sprayed.

Elira fell to her knees, gasping.

Kael collapsed beside her, blood pouring from his side.

She crawled to him.

“Don’t you dare,” she said, voice breaking. “Don’t you dare leave me now.”

Kael smiled faintly, eyes dimming. “Told you… you weren’t just a girl.”

And then his head fell forward.

Unmoving.

Elira screamed his name.

And from the shadows—another figure appeared.

The woman from her visions.

But this time, she wasn't alone.

She was holding a crown.

A crown of flame.

“Elira,” she said softly. “It’s time.”