The moon wing

The Council Hall remained silent long after Alpha Kael's words settled over the room.

"My decision is final."

No one dared challenge him.

Not after that.

The declaration echoed against the towering stone pillars before fading into an uneasy silence.

Lyra stood near the entrance, suddenly aware of every pair of eyes fixed on her.

Some were curious.

Some fearful.

Others openly resentful.

She lowered her gaze.

The feeling was painfully familiar.

At Grey Hollow, people whispered because she was without a lone wolf

Here, they whispered because she might not be.

The elderly councilor slowly lowered himself back into his seat, his weathered face unreadable.

"So be it."

His voice carried through the chamber.

"But remember this, Alpha."

His sharp eyes shifted toward Lyra.

"If this girl brings ruin upon Blackthorn... history will remember who welcomed her inside."

The warning lingered in the room.

Kael gave no reply.

Instead, he turned.

"Come."

Lyra hesitated only a moment before following him.

The enormous doors of the Council Hall closed behind them with a deep boom that echoed through the corridor.

Outside, the fortress felt strangely peaceful compared to the storm inside the council chamber.

Long hallways stretched in every direction, illuminated by flickering torches mounted between ancient stone carvings. Wolves, moons, warriors and forgotten kings covered the walls, their stories etched into the black stone centuries ago.

Lyra couldn't stop looking around.

Everything seemed impossibly grand.

The orphanage at Grey Hollow had only three small rooms.

Blackthorn Keep felt like a city hidden inside a mountain.

"You've never been in a castle before."

Kael's voice broke the silence.

She looked up, surprised he had spoken first.

"No."

She smiled awkwardly.

"I didn't think places like this actually existed."

"They do."

He continued walking.

"They're simply far from villages like Grey Hollow."

Several servants hurried around the corner carrying folded blankets.

The moment they saw Kael, they bowed.

"Alpha."

Kael acknowledged them with a slight nod.

As he passed, their eyes drifted toward Lyra.

A young maid stared openly.

Another servant leaned toward her.

"Is that really

"Quiet."

The older woman quickly silenced her.

Lyra pretended not to hear.

She had spent nineteen years pretending whispers didn't hurt.

It never became easier.

They entered a long gallery overlooking the inner courtyard.

Fresh snow drifted lazily through the winter air.

Below, Blackthorn Keep was alive with activity.

Warriors trained with wooden swords.

Archers practiced against wolf-shaped targets.

Blacksmiths hammered glowing steel while stable hands rushed between towering warhorses.

No one stood idle.

Everything moved with purpose.

"So many people," Lyra murmured.

"It takes thousands to protect a Pack," Kael replied.

She watched a group of young warriors laughing after one of them slipped in the snow.

"They all know each other."

"They grew up together."

She looked away.

"I never really belonged anywhere."

The words escaped before she realized she had spoken them aloud.

Kael remained silent for several steps.

Then he said quietly,

"You survived."

She frowned.

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"No."

His answer came without hesitation.

"Many survive."

His golden eyes remained fixed ahead.

"Very few truly belong."

Lyra wasn't sure what he meant.

But somehow...

She understood.

They climbed a broad staircase leading to the upper floors.

The higher they went, the quieter the fortress became.

The sounds of training faded below.

Even the servants became fewer.

At the top of the stairs, two armored guards immediately straightened.

"Alpha."

"I need chambers prepared."

"Yes, Alpha."

Kael's expression remained calm.

"The Moon Wing."

Silence.

Both guards looked at one another.

"The... Moon Wing?"

"Yes."

The older guard hesitated.

"Alpha... it hasn't been opened since..."

"I know."

"No one has stayed there for nineteen years."

"I know."

His voice remained even.

"Prepare it."

Neither guard argued again.

They bowed deeply before hurrying away.

Lyra watched them disappear around the corner.

"They looked frightened."

"They were surprised."

"Why?"

Kael resumed walking.

"The Moon Wing has remained empty for nineteen years."

Again.

Nineteen.

The same number.

The Royal Moon Crest had disappeared nineteen years ago.

Something terrible had happened nineteen years ago.

Now...

An entire section of Blackthorn Keep had remained untouched for exactly the same amount of time.

Coincidence?

She no longer believed in coincidence.

The corridors changed as they entered the eastern side of the fortress.

The walls became lighter.

Silver moonstones replaced burning torches, filling the passage with a soft pale glow.

The air smelled faintly of cedarwood and winter flowers.

Everything felt older.

Quieter.

Almost sacred.

Finally, they stopped before two enormous white doors carved with crescent moons wrapped in flowering vines.

Unlike every other doorway in the Keep, these doors showed almost no signs of age.

Kael rested one hand against the polished wood.

For the briefest moment...

He hesitated.

Lyra noticed.

"Is something wrong?"

His expression remained unreadable.

"No."

Slowly, he pushed the doors open.

Warm air drifted into the hallway.

The room beyond was breathtaking.

Tall windows overlooked endless snow-covered forests.

Silver curtains swayed gently despite every window being closed.

Shelves filled with old books stretched from floor to ceiling.

A large fireplace occupied the far wall, its carved mantel decorated with moons and wolves intertwined.

Everything had been carefully covered to protect it from dust.

Yet somehow...

The room didn't feel abandoned.

It felt...

Remembered.

Lyra stepped inside carefully.

"This is beautiful."

"It will be your room."

She turned sharply.

"My room?"

"For now."

She looked around again.

"I've never even had a room of my own."

Kael said nothing.

Instead, he walked toward the fireplace.

His gaze lifted.

Lyra followed it.

Above the mantel hung a massive portrait enclosed within an elegant silver frame.

Her smile faded.

Someone had destroyed it.

Deep slashes tore across the canvas.

The woman's face had been cut away completely.

So had the little girl's.

Only the rest of the painting remained untouched.

The woman stood beneath a glowing full moon wearing flowing white robes embroidered with silver.

One hand rested gently on the shoulder of the child beside her.

The little girl wore a pale cloak.

Her small hand remained intertwined with the woman's.

Everything else...

Their faces.

Their identities.

Had been erased.

Lyra slowly stepped closer.

She couldn't explain why.

Something about the painting pulled at her heart.

As though she had seen it before.

Which was impossible.

She reached out.

Her fingertips hovered just above the torn canvas.

"Don't."

Kael's voice stopped her.

She looked back.

His expression had changed.

For the first time since meeting him...

She saw something beneath the calm.

Not anger.

Not fear.

Sadness.

"Who were they?" she asked softly.

Kael stared at the ruined portrait for several long seconds.

When he finally answered...

His voice was almost empty.

"It doesn't matter anymore."

He turned toward the door.

"You've had a long day."

"You should rest."

The heavy doors closed behind him.

Silence returned.

Lyra remained standing before the damaged portrait.

She looked at the woman.

Then at the little girl.

She had no idea who they were.

Yet the strange ache in her chest refused to disappear.

It felt...

Like she had lost someone she had never known.

Outside the tall windows, snow continued to fall over Blackthorn Keep.

Inside the Moon Wing...

For the first time in nineteen years...

Its newest resident stood before a mystery someone had tried desperately to erase.