Chapter 19: The Heir and the King

Silence fell between them like a blade.

Kael’s eyes hadn’t left the scroll in Aria’s trembling hands. She clutched it like it might vanish if she blinked.

“I was right to come here,” she whispered. “Everything I’ve ever questioned, everything they hid from me... it’s all here.”

Kael took a slow step forward. “You could’ve died. You ran into unknown territory, alone. Without a word to me, to the guards—”

“You would’ve stopped me,” she shot back.

His jaw tightened.

“Of course I would’ve,” he growled. “Because I care if you live, Aria. I care if the mate the moon gave me dies chasing shadows!”

Her heart stumbled at his words.

But she couldn’t let herself soften. Not now.

“This isn’t just about us anymore,” she said. “It’s about the truth. I’m the Moonblood heir. The last living bloodline of Queen Elira. That means something, Kael.”

“It means you’ve just painted a target on your back the size of this kingdom,” he snapped. “Do you know what the council will do if they find out?”

“I don’t care what the council does.”

“You should,” he bit out. “They’ve killed for less. They’ve started wars for less. They won’t let you live if you become a threat to the throne.”

“And you?” Her voice cracked. “What will you do, Kael?”

The question landed heavy.

His breath hitched. “I don’t know.”

Honesty. Brutal, raw.

It broke something in her.

“Then maybe I was wrong to trust you,” she whispered.

Kael flinched like she’d slapped him. “Don’t do that.”

“I have to go back to the temple,” she said, tucking the scroll away. “There’s more hidden there. I saw a second chamber.”

“Aria—”

“I have to know who I am,” she cut in. “I can’t belong to you, or your kingdom, or anyone else until I understand why my mother died and why my blood is tied to something everyone wants to erase.”

Kael stepped forward, voice low. “Then I’m coming with you.”

She blinked. “What?”

“I swore I’d protect you,” he said, steel in his tone. “Even from yourself. If you walk into danger, I walk with you. That’s what it means to be your mate—even if you hate me for it.”

Aria stared at him, heart aching.

Everything inside her wanted to scream, to run, to collapse into his arms and let him bear the weight of it all.

But she couldn’t.

Not yet.

“Fine,” she said. “But don’t think this means I trust you.”

“I’ll earn it,” he said simply. “One way or another.”

The journey back to the temple was colder, quieter.

Kael rode beside her, his presence both a comfort and a reminder of everything between them. Every unspoken truth. Every betrayal.

They dismounted near the outer wall, torchlight flickering from the watchpoint Kael had silently lit.

Inside, the temple hummed with ancient energy.

Aria followed the markings to the second chamber. The stone door at the end of the corridor glowed faintly as she approached.

She placed her hand against it.

The pendant on her chest warmed.

With a deep rumble, the door opened.

Kael drew his sword instinctively.

Beyond the threshold lay a room made entirely of moonstone. A pool sat in the center, its waters shimmering like liquid stars.

Aria stepped forward, drawn to the glow.

“What is this?” Kael whispered.

“A memory pool,” she said slowly. “They used to record visions... and prophecies.”

She knelt beside it, dipping her fingers into the water.

A pulse shot through the chamber—and then a vision bloomed.

A woman with Aria’s eyes. Her mother.

Standing beside a man with silver hair. Holding a newborn wrapped in moon silk.

“She was supposed to unite the kingdoms,” the man said. “But they’ll never let her live.”

“We’ll protect her,” Elira whispered. “Even if it means hiding her forever.”

Kael gripped the edge of the pool, jaw clenched.

The vision shifted—to a castle engulfed in flames. Screams. Silver wolves. And a shadowed figure stealing into the woods with a child.

The last words echoed:

“The Alpha King will search for her. And when he finds her, he must choose—his crown, or her life.”

The vision shattered.

Silence followed.

Aria rose slowly, chest heaving.

Kael didn’t move.

The prophecy wasn’t just about her.

It was about him too.

“I’m the child,” she breathed. “And you… You’re the Alpha King.”

Kael looked at her then, and his expression held no denial.

Only dread.

“I know,” he said.

Aria stared at him. “You knew?”

“I didn’t know it was you, not until tonight. But the prophecy… I’ve heard it all my life. Every ruler has.”

She backed away, chest aching. “Then why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I didn’t want it to be true,” he said quietly. “Because if it is... then I was never meant to be king.”

The words hung between them.

Aria turned away, tears blurring her vision.

Everything was changing.

She wasn’t just a forgotten heir.

She was the reason kingdoms would fall—or rise.

And Kael, the man who claimed her heart, might be forced to choose between the world and her.

She didn’t know which terrified her more.