Chapter 2: The Hybrid’s Claim

I woke to the sound of thunder.

But when I opened my eyes, I realized it wasn’t thunder at all. It was breathing, heavy, rhythmic, surrounding me like the heartbeat of a beast.

The air smelled of smoke and metal. My head throbbed. I blinked, and a ceiling carved with black stone came into focus, lined with silver veins that pulsed faintly like living roots.

I was lying on a bed far too large for one person, covered in dark pelts. Chains shimmered faintly near my wrists, not binding me, but close enough to make a point. My torn dress had been replaced with a thin silk robe, soft but foreign. My heartbeat quickened.

Where… am I?

The last thing I remembered was fire. Wings. Golden eyes that looked like they’d seen centuries.

The Hybrid Alpha.

I sat up too quickly, and pain lanced through my shoulder. The silver blood that had spilled from it earlier was gone, not even a scar remained. My fingers brushed smooth skin. Healed.

The door creaked open.

I froze.

A man stepped in, tall, broad, and radiating authority in a way that made my wolf stir. But he wasn’t Draven. His scent was different, sharp like iron, grounded, human enough to seem less terrifying.

He studied me silently before speaking. “You heal fast.”

“Who are you?” My voice cracked.

He smirked faintly, crossing his arms. “Beta Kael. I serve Alpha Draven.”

Beta.

I tensed automatically. “Where is he?”

His smirk vanished. “You’ll see him when he wishes to be seen.”

I swallowed hard. The way he said it, like Draven was less a man and more a storm, made my chest tighten. Kael’s eyes flicked to the faint shimmer of my blood on the floor beside the bed.

“He said your blood burned through the bindings.”

I frowned. “Bindings?”

Kael nodded toward a pair of broken cuffs lying on the stone floor, melted clean through. “He tried to restrain you when he brought you in. Your blood reacted to the iron. We’ve never seen anything like it.”

I didn’t know what to say. My hands trembled. “I didn’t mean to”

He raised a hand. “Save it. You’re lucky. Anyone else would’ve been executed for running from him.”

I looked away, jaw tight. “Maybe I should’ve been.”

He studied me, a flicker of something, pity? respect? crossing his face. “You’re bold for someone who nearly died.”

“I didn’t ask to be dragged here.”

“And he didn’t ask to find you.”

That shut me up. Kael sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, I don’t know what you are, but the moment your blood touched the ground, the Alpha changed. He’s been pacing the tower since dawn.”

My pulse quickened. “Changed how?”

Kael’s gaze sharpened. “Draven doesn’t hesitate. He burns, kills, destroys. But now he’s… waiting. Watching. For you.”

Before I could respond, a low rumble rolled through the chamber. The walls trembled. Kael’s head jerked toward the door.

“He’s coming.”

The air grew heavy. I could feel it, a magnetic pull that made every nerve in my body tighten. Footsteps echoed, slow, deliberate.

Then the door opened.

Draven Blackflame filled the room like he owned the world.

He was taller than I remembered, his presence bending the air itself. His hair was black with streaks of crimson near the ends, his skin bronzed by firelight. Those eyes, molten gold with dragon-slit pupils, locked on me and didn’t waver.

Kael bowed immediately. “Alpha.”

“Leave us,” Draven said, his voice low and rough, like gravel dragged through honey.

Kael hesitated for a moment, just a heartbeat, then nodded and stepped out. The door closed behind him with a heavy thud.

Now it was just us.

Draven’s gaze traveled from my face to the faint shimmer of silver blood still on the floor. His nostrils flared slightly, and something primal flashed in his eyes.

“You heal differently,” he said finally.

I forced my chin up. “You had no right to bring me here.”

A faint smirk curved his lips. “You ran from my men.”

“Because they were trying to kill me!”

“They were trying to capture you,” he corrected smoothly, taking a slow step forward. “There’s a difference.”

My heart pounded. “Capture. Kill. Same thing in your world.”

He tilted his head, studying me like a puzzle. “In my world, little wolf, there are only two kinds of people, those who obey, and those who burn.”

I took a step back. “Then burn me, because I’ll never bow.”

Something flickered in his eyes, amusement, then something darker. He closed the distance between us in two steps. His hand shot out, gripping my jaw, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make me still.

“You think I want you dead?” he murmured, voice barely above a growl. “You bled silver under the moon. You healed a mortal child with your tears. Do you even understand what that means?”

I tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened slightly. “Let me go.”

He did, instantly. I stumbled back, gasping. His expression didn’t change, but his aura flared, dragon heat and wolf dominance woven together.

“Tell me your name.”

“Vanessa.”

“Vanessa,” he repeated slowly, tasting it like a secret. “You’re not from any of the four kingdoms, are you?”

“Four?”

He gave a slow nod. “The Silverclaw in the East, the Nightbane in the West, the Moonveil in the North… and my kingdom, Blackflame, to the South.”

His tone hardened. “The others will come for you once they learn what you are. The Nightbane Alpha already sent spies to the borders. They want your power.”

I frowned. “Power? I don’t even know what I am.”

Draven’s eyes glowed faintly. “You’re the Healer of the Eclipse. Born once every thousand moons, a wolf touched by both light and death. Your blood heals what it touches, but also destroys what it rejects.”

The words sent chills down my spine. “That’s a myth.”

“Then why are you still alive?”

I had no answer.

He took another step forward, lowering his voice. “You belong here now. My Beta will ensure your safety.”

“Your safety?” I snapped. “You burned my village!”

His jaw tightened. “I didn’t order that.”

“Your soldiers wore your mark.”

He was silent for a long time. Then, quietly, “Not all who bear my mark obey me.”

That single sentence carried so much weight it silenced me. He looked away, jaw flexing, then back to me with something I hadn’t expected, guilt.

I didn’t understand it. Why would a creature like him feel anything?

He turned, walking toward the balcony. The night outside was streaked with firelight from distant forges. Far below, I could see dragons perched on towers, their scales glinting. Wolves moved through the courtyards, armor shining.

The Blackflame Dominion. A fortress of monsters.

“I should kill you,” he said without turning. “You’re a threat to everything I’ve built.”

“Then do it.”

He turned slowly, eyes glowing brighter. “You’re brave. Or foolish.”

“Maybe both.”

For a moment, he just stared at me. Then, to my shock, he smiled, a faint, dangerous curve of lips. “I’ll decide which.”

Silence fell again, thick and electric. The air between us felt charged, every heartbeat echoing too loud.

Finally, he said, “Kael will escort you to the lower halls. You’ll stay there until I decide what to do with you.”

“And if I refuse?”

His smirk deepened. “You can try.”

He left before I could speak again, his wings faintly visible under his cloak, brushing the doorway as he disappeared.

The moment he was gone, my legs gave out. I sank onto the edge of the bed, shaking. Every word, every look, had felt like a test I wasn’t sure I’d passed.

A few minutes later, Kael returned, eyes wary. “You’re still alive. That’s… unexpected.”

I glared at him. “He said you’d escort me.”

He nodded. “To your quarters below the tower. Don’t try to run. The walls shift.”

“The what?”

“You’ll see.”

I followed him down winding stone stairs. The deeper we went, the hotter the air became, the scent of smoke and magic thick. The halls pulsed with faint light as if the fortress itself was alive.

As we passed a chamber, I heard voices, two men arguing in hushed tones.

“…the Silverclaw pack sent an envoy. They claim the healer belongs to them…”

“…if the Alpha finds out, there’ll be war”

Kael glanced at me. “Keep walking.”

But I’d already heard enough.

Four kingdoms. Four Alphas.

And me, the girl who accidentally healed a child, was now their reason to fight.

We reached a massive black door engraved with runes. Kael pressed his palm to it, and it opened with a hiss.

“Your room,” he said.

It was simple, stone walls, a fire pit, and a single narrow window overlooking the glowing forges below.

He paused before leaving. “For what it’s worth,” he said quietly, “he’s not the monster they say he is.”

I looked up sharply. “You believe that?”

Kael hesitated, then nodded. “I’ve seen him spare lives when he shouldn’t have. He protects his pack. Even me.”

“Then why does everyone fear him?”

“Because fear keeps enemies away. And maybe because…” Kael’s lips twitched in something like a smile. “Sometimes the monster is easier to believe than the man.”

He turned to go, then added, “Rest while you can, Vanessa. The other packs will move soon. And when they do, no one in these lands will be safe.”

The door closed behind him, sealing me in.

For a long time, I just stood there, staring at the flickering fire. My reflection in the window looked strange, haunted, glowing faintly silver.

The Healer of the Eclipse.

A myth made flesh.

A prisoner in a dragon’s den.

But one thing burned brighter than fear, a dangerous, unexplainable pull toward the very creature who had taken me.

The Hybrid Alpha.

And deep down, I knew this was only the beginning.