The Enemy Within

Chapter 10

The strategy hall went silent.

No one moved. 

No one spoke.

The old woman's words lingered like a storm cloud over the room.

"The man hunting her has already entered Shadow Hollow."

Lyra felt her pulse quicken.

"Who is he?"

The elderly woman slowly shook her head.

"I don't know."

Ronan frowned.

"Then how can you be certain?"

The woman turned her sharp gaze toward him.

"Because I saw blood."

A chill swept through the room.

Nobody questioned her.

That alone told Lyra something important.

This woman wasn't ordinary.

"Who are you?" Lyra asked.

The old woman smiled faintly.

"Some call me Seer Elara."

The name seemed to carry weight.

Even Mara lowered her eyes respectfully.

Elara walked toward the large map on the table.

Her wrinkled fingers hovered over Shadow Hollow.

"The enemy arrived three days ago."

Ronan's expression hardened.

"Three days?"

Elara nodded.

"Long before the hunt order spread."

Lyra exchanged a glance with Mara.

That meant the assassin wasn't reacting to events.

He had planned this.

Carefully.

Patiently.

Like a hunter stalking prey.

"Can you identify him?" Ronan asked.

The Seer's eyes closed briefly.

When she opened them again, they seemed distant.

Almost haunted.

"I saw a wolf."

Everyone waited.

"A black wolf."

Ronan stiffened.

Mara's face drained of color.

Lyra noticed immediately.

"What does that mean?"

Neither answered.

Finally, Ronan spoke.

"There is only one assassin known for shifting into a black wolf."

The room suddenly felt colder.

"The Shadow Fang."

The name meant nothing to Lyra.

But judging by everyone's reaction, it should have.

"He never fails," Mara whispered.

"He killed three Alphas."

"And two Kings."

Lyra swallowed.

"Wonderful."

Ronan didn't smile.

For the first time since meeting him, she saw genuine concern in his eyes.

That frightened her more than any story.

That night, sleep refused to come.

Lyra stood on her balcony overlooking Shadow Hollow.

The city sparkled beneath the moonlight.

Yet something felt different.

Wrong.

As though invisible eyes were watching.

Her instincts wouldn't settle.

Mara's words echoed in her mind.

Your instincts are developing faster than they should.

A sudden movement caught her attention.

Far below.

Near the marketplace.

Someone stood alone.

Watching.

The figure was wrapped in a dark cloak.

Face hidden.

Motionless.

A strange unease twisted inside her.

Then the figure looked up.

Directly at her.

Despite the distance, Lyra felt it.

The certainty.

The awareness.

He knew she was there.

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

The figure slowly raised a hand.

Not a wave.

Not a greeting.

A warning.

Then he disappeared into the crowd.

Gone.

As if he had never existed.

Lyra immediately turned toward the door.

Something wasn't right.

She needed to tell Ronan.

Now.

The moment she stepped into the hallway, a scream shattered the night.

One scream.

Then another.

Chaos erupted below.

Alarms rang throughout Shadow Hollow.

Warriors rushed into the streets.

"What happened?" Lyra shouted.

A guard sprinted past her.

His face pale.

"Someone attacked the archives!"

Her blood ran cold.

The archives.

The place containing records of the Moonborn bloodline.

The place holding answers.

Lyra ran.

By the time she reached the mountain archive, flames were already spreading through the entrance.

Warriors battled the fire.

Others searched the surrounding area.

Ronan stood at the center of the chaos.

His expression was murderous.

"What happened?" Lyra demanded.

Ronan pointed toward the burning building.

"Someone broke in."

Her stomach dropped.

"The records?"

"Gone."

The words hit like a punch.

All of them.

Destroyed.

Or stolen.

Years of history vanished in a single night.

Then Lyra noticed something.

A small object lying near the doorway.

Half-hidden beneath the rubble.

Ignoring Ronan's warning, she rushed forward and picked it up.

A silver ring.

Ancient.

Heavy.

Marked with the image of a crescent moon.

The moment her fingers touched it—

A vision exploded inside her mind.

Blood.

Fire.

Screams.

A woman wearing a silver crown.

Falling.

A dagger piercing her chest.

And a voice whispering:

"Protect the heir."

Lyra gasped.

The ring slipped from her hand.

The vision vanished.

Leaving only terror behind.

Ronan caught her before she fell.

"Lyra!"

She stared at the ring.

Shaking.

Unable to speak.

Because she knew one thing with absolute certainty.

The woman in the vision wasn't a stranger.

She was Queen Selene.

And someone had murdered her.

If Queen Selene was murdered rather than lost to history like they thought, who killed her and why does the assassin hunting Lyra want the truth buried?