로그인They left the house before dawn. Garran stayed behind. He refused to come with them. "My promise was to protect the house," he told them. "Not the Crown." Kael didn't like leaving him alone, but Garran had survived twenty years in those woods. He could handle himself. The journey toward the marked location took less than half a day. The forest gradually changed. The trees became thinner. The ground rose toward a rocky ridge. There were no guards. No traps. No enemy soldiers. That worried Kael more than anything. He stopped at the top of the ridge. "Someone is here." Lyra closed her eyes. She could smell another wolf. One. Not several. Aria pointed toward a narrow path. "There." A man stepped from between the trees. He was old. Not weak. His back was straight, his gray hair tied behind his neck, and his eyes were sharp. A long scar crossed his jaw. He looked at the sisters. Then at Kael. "You brought an Alpha." Kael stepped forward. "They're my people."
The words on the door were impossible to misunderstand. ONLY THE SISTERS MAY ENTER. Kael stared at them. "No." Lyra looked at him. "No?" "I'm not letting you walk into a room none of us knows anything about." Aria folded her arms. "She didn't say only Lyra may enter." Kael looked at her. Aria pointed toward the inscription. "Both of us." Finn stepped forward. "Then we'll wait here." Kael clearly hated the idea. Lyra reached for his hand. "Trust me." His jaw tightened. "I do." "Then let me do this." He looked into her silver eyes for several seconds before finally nodding. "Ten minutes." Lyra smiled faintly. "You've become very generous." "I'm trying." She squeezed his hand. Then she and Aria pushed open the door. --- The room beyond wasn't a treasure chamber. It was a study. A desk. Two bookshelves. A narrow bed. And dozens of papers pinned across the walls. Lyra's first thought was that their mother had lived here. Not hidden here. Worked here. A
Kael raised one hand. Everyone stopped. The house stood exactly where the trail had led them. A crooked wooden porch. A stone chimney. Smoke drifting lazily into the evening sky. There was nothing threatening about it. That was what made Kael suspicious. He lowered his voice. "Stay behind me." Lyra immediately frowned. "No." Kael looked at her. "I'm not asking you to—" "And I'm not staying behind you." Aria stepped beside her. "She's right." Finn glanced between them. "Should we let them argue or—" Rovan quietly interrupted. "Let them." Kael sighed. Lyra almost smiled. Then he shifted his attention to the house. His wolf caught several scents. Wood smoke. Old herbs. Dried meat. And one unfamiliar wolf. Alive. Inside. Kael approached the door. He didn't knock. Instead, he sniffed the air once more. The scent was familiar. Not from the settlement. Not from the Shadow King's forces. From years ago. He couldn't place it. Kael's claws slid out. He pu
They left before sunrise. The settlement was still quiet when Kael led the group through the eastern gate. The air carried the sharp scent of pine and damp earth, and a thin layer of mist clung to the ground. Kael walked at the front. Lyra stayed beside him. Behind them came Aria, Finn, Eren, and Rovan. No one spoke for the first hour. There was no need. The forest was dense enough that conversation would only make them careless. Kael's wolf kept pace beneath his skin, alert to every unfamiliar scent. He stopped suddenly. Everyone froze. "What?" Finn whispered. Kael lifted his head. "Deer." Finn frowned. "I don't smell anything." "That's because it's already gone." Rovan gave a quiet laugh. "Still relying on that nose of yours, Alpha?" Kael glanced back. "Still testing it?" "Always." The tension between them had changed since Ash Ridge. It wasn't hostility anymore. It was respect disguised as challenge. They continued walking. By mid
The room remained silent. Kael still held his father's final note. Take them to the Moon Crown before he does. Lyra read it again. "Your father knew the Crown was important." Kael nodded. "Apparently." Aria folded her arms. "Then why didn't he tell Aurelia where it was?" Kael looked at the document. "Maybe he didn't know." Eren shook his head. "He did." Everyone turned toward him. Eren pointed to the bottom of the page. "Look at the mark." Kael examined it. A small symbol had been drawn beneath the sentence. Aria stepped closer. "I've seen that." "Where?" Lyra asked. "On Mother's old belongings." Eren's expression changed. "It's a location marker." Kael looked at him. "Where?" Eren hesitated. "An old sanctuary." Rovan, who had entered quietly, frowned. "Another temple?" "No." Eren shook his head. "Something older than that." Kael immediately looked irritated. "We are not chasing another ancient ruin." Eren almost smiled. "It's not a ruin." "Then w
The Shadow King was gone. But his words remained. The Master knows you're here. Kael stood at the mouth of the cavern, watching the darkness where the enemy had disappeared. Rovan approached him. "Should we pursue him?" "No." Rovan frowned. "Why?" "Because that's what he wants." Kael glanced back at Lyra. "He's given us information. That doesn't make him our ally." Rovan nodded. Behind them, Aria was helping several wolves who had weakened after the network was disrupted. Finn stood beside Eren. Neither brother spoke. The silence between them was different now. Less hostile. Still painful. Lyra noticed. "So," she said quietly, "that's the Shadow King." Kael turned toward her. "Yes." "He wasn't what I expected." "Neither was the truth." Lyra looked down. "About my mother." Kael stepped closer. "You don't have to figure everything out tonight." She looked at him. "I know." Then she smiled faintly. "But I want to." --- They returned to the settlement tw







