A Kingdom Of Shadows

Chapter  7

Lyra stood frozen at the edge of the cliff overlooking Shadow Hollow.

The silver pendant felt unusually heavy in her palm.

A hired killer.

A conspiracy.

Someone had wanted her dead long before Kael's rejection.

The revelation refused to leave her mind.

"What aren't you telling me?" she asked.

Ronan's gaze remained fixed on the city below.

"More than I'd like."

Lyra folded her arms.

"I'm tired of half-truths."

For a moment, silence stretched between them.

Then Ronan sighed.

"Fair enough."

He turned toward her.

"The assassin wasn't the only one."

A chill raced through her body.

"What?"

"We found three others over the years."

Lyra's heartbeat quickened.

Three?

Three assassins?

For her?

"Who sent them?"

"If I knew that, this would already be over."

Frustration flashed through her.

Ronan continued.

"What matters is this: every trail eventually leads back to Stormfang territory."

The words landed heavily.

Stormfang.

Her former home.

Someone inside her own pack had been hunting her.

The thought made her stomach twist.

"Why me?"

For the first time, uncertainty crossed Ronan's face.

"That's what we need to find out."

---

The following morning, Lyra awoke to the sound of clashing swords.

Sunlight streamed through the window of her room.

For a brief moment, she forgot where she was.

Then the events of the previous days came rushing back.

The rejection.

The banishment.

Shadow Hollow.

The conspiracy.

A knock sounded at her door.

"Enter."

A young woman stepped inside.

She had copper-colored hair and sharp green eyes.

"Ronan sent me."

Lyra sat up.

"For what?"

The woman grinned.

"Training."

Lyra immediately regretted getting out of bed.

---

Three hours later, she was lying flat on her back in the dirt.

Again.

The copper-haired woman—whose name was Mara—offered her a hand.

Lyra ignored it.

"I'm starting to think you enjoy this."

Mara laughed.

"You should see Ronan's training methods."

That wasn't comforting.

At all.

Lyra slowly climbed to her feet.

Every muscle in her body ached.

Mara circled her.

"You're strong."

"Then why do I keep ending up on the ground?"

"Because strength isn't enough."

Mara suddenly lunged.

Instinctively, Lyra stepped aside.

For the first time all morning, she avoided the attack.

Mara smiled.

"There."

Lyra blinked.

"There what?"

"Your instincts."

Something about the way Mara said it made Lyra pause.

"Most wolves think before they move."

Mara folded her arms.

"You don't."

Lyra frowned.

"Isn't that a bad thing?"

"No."

The older woman studied her carefully.

"It's unusual."

Before Lyra could ask more questions, a deep voice interrupted.

"She's right."

Ronan approached from the training grounds.

Several warriors immediately stepped aside.

The respect they showed him was impossible to miss.

Ronan's eyes settled on Lyra.

"Your instincts are developing faster than they should."

A strange feeling settled in her chest.

"Because of my bloodline?"

The Rogue King's expression darkened.

Interesting.

Not surprising.

Interesting.

Lyra noticed the look immediately.

"You know something."

Ronan exchanged a glance with Mara.

The two seemed to communicate without words.

That alone was enough to make her suspicious.

Finally, Ronan nodded.

"Come with me."

---

An hour later, they stood before a massive stone door carved into the mountainside.

Ancient symbols covered its surface.

Symbols Lyra had never seen before.

Yet somehow...

They felt familiar.

The sensation made her uneasy.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"Shadow Hollow's archive."

Ronan pushed the doors open.

Dust filled the air.

Rows upon rows of ancient scrolls stretched into darkness.

Lyra stared in amazement.

"This is incredible."

"Most packs destroy history they don't like."

Ronan walked deeper inside.

"We preserve it."

Something in his tone suggested the statement carried more meaning than she understood.

Eventually, he stopped before a faded tapestry hanging on the wall.

The image depicted a woman standing beneath a silver moon.

At her feet knelt dozens of wolves.

Pack wolves.

Rogues.

Alphas.

All united.

Lyra's breath caught.

The woman looked familiar.

Too familiar.

She stepped closer.

The same silver-gray eyes.

The same dark hair.

The same facial features.

Her stomach dropped.

"Who is she?"

Ronan's expression became solemn.

"The first Moon Queen."

The room suddenly felt smaller.

Lyra stared at the tapestry.

Then back at Ronan.

Then back at the woman.

"No."

His silence was answer enough.

"No," she repeated.

"That's impossible."

Ronan's silver eyes locked onto hers.

"Is it?"

The resemblance was undeniable.

Terrifyingly undeniable.

A thousand thoughts collided inside her mind.

Her bloodline.

The assassins.

The rejection.

The conspiracy.

What if none of it was random?

What if someone wasn't trying to kill an ordinary wolf?

What if they were trying to erase an entire bloodline?

The possibility stole her breath.

And somewhere far away, beyond the mountains, a man sat inside Stormfang territory reading a report.

A report containing one sentence.

Lyra Blackwood is alive.

The man slowly smiled.

Then he tossed the report into the fire.

"Find her."

His cold voice echoed through the room.

"This time, don't fail.

A mysterious enemy has learned that Lyra is alive and has resumed the hunt. Will they succeed ?