Chapter 4: The Wolf at the Gate

Leon

The howl echoed through the night.

Every wolf in the temple felt it.

Not with their ears.

With their instincts.

With their wolves.

Shadow rose inside me immediately.

Alert.

Defensive.

Danger.

The single word reverberated through our bond.

I had heard countless wolves howl throughout my life.

This was different.

There was power in that sound.

Ancient power.

The kind that made seasoned warriors reach for their weapons without realizing it.

The kind that made kings nervous.

I hated that feeling.

The temple doors burst open once more.

This time it wasn't a guard.

It was General Marcus.

My commander.

My most trusted warrior.

And judging by the blood covering his armor, something had gone very wrong.

He dropped to one knee.

"Your Majesty."

I immediately stepped forward.

"Report."

Marcus looked toward Raven.

Then back at me.

His expression darkened.

"He wants the girl."

The temple exploded.

Voices rose from every direction.

"What?"

"Who is he?"

"What does he mean?"

I ignored them all.

My eyes remained fixed on Marcus.

"Explain."

Marcus stood slowly.

"The rogue army is surrounding the capital."

A chill swept through the room.

Thousands.

Maybe tens of thousands.

The capital was strong, but even we couldn't ignore numbers like that.

"They aren't attacking," Marcus continued.

"They're waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

Marcus looked toward Raven again.

Then spoke the words nobody wanted to hear.

"For her surrender."

Every eye in the room shifted toward Raven.

The rogue girl closed her eyes briefly.

As if this was exactly what she expected.

My patience finally snapped.

"Enough."

The room fell silent.

I stepped toward her.

"Who is Asher?"

For several seconds, she said nothing.

Then she laughed.

Not because she found something funny.

Because she sounded exhausted.

The laugh of someone tired of running.

Tired of hiding.

Tired of surviving.

"He's my brother."

The words hit me like a punch.

Brother?

The entire room erupted again.

I barely heard them.

My focus remained entirely on Raven.

Because something wasn't right.

She didn't say his name with affection.

She said it with fear.

Real fear.

The kind that only came from betrayal.

"What kind of brother sends an army after his sister?"

Her eyes met mine.

Cold.

Broken.

Haunted.

"The kind who wants me dead."

Silence.

A heavy, suffocating silence.

Even the council members stopped talking.

Because nobody expected that answer.

Not even me.

Then Elder Orion whispered:

"It's worse than I feared."

I turned toward him.

The old seer's face had gone completely white.

"What are you talking about?"

Orion looked as though he was struggling to decide whether to speak.

Then his gaze landed on Raven.

"Tell them."

"No."

The answer came immediately.

"Raven—"

"No."

Her voice cracked this time.

The first sign that she wasn't as calm as she pretended.

The first sign she might actually be scared.

Something twisted inside my chest.

My wolf hated seeing her like this.

I hated that my wolf cared.

Then the temple shook.

A loud boom echoed outside.

The floor trembled beneath our feet.

Gasps filled the room.

Another impact followed.

Closer.

The stained-glass windows rattled violently.

"They've reached the outer walls," Marcus growled.

Several nobles immediately panicked.

"They're attacking!"

"No."

Marcus shook his head.

"They're sending a message."

The third impact came.

Louder.

Stronger.

Then silence.

An unnatural silence.

Every wolf in the temple held their breath.

Waiting.

Listening.

Suddenly, a voice thundered across the capital.

Deep.

Powerful.

Enhanced by magic.

Every person in the city heard it.

"RAVEN NIGHTSHADE."

The temple froze.

The voice continued.

"COME OUT."

Raven's face lost all color.

My stomach tightened.

The voice wasn't merely strong.

It was Alpha strong.

No.

Stronger.

Much stronger.

Impossible.

Only a handful of wolves in the world possessed power like that.

Including me.

"Asher," Raven whispered.

The voice boomed again.

"I KNOW YOU'RE INSIDE."

The walls trembled.

Moonlight flickered.

Magic crackled through the air.

Even Shadow growled uneasily.

This man was dangerous.

Extremely dangerous.

Then the voice spoke words that changed everything.

"YOUR KING CANNOT PROTECT YOU."

A smile touched Raven's lips.

Not amusement.

Bitterness.

Because she knew something he didn't.

I stepped beside her.

The mate bond instantly reacted.

Heat surged through my veins.

Power answered power.

The entire temple felt it.

An Alpha King standing beside his mate.

Protecting her.

Claiming her.

For the first time, Raven looked surprised.

Her eyes widened slightly.

Then narrowed.

"Don't."

I frowned.

"Don't what?"

She stared directly into my eyes.

"Protect me."

The request shocked me.

"What?"

"If you protect me..." she whispered.

A strange sadness filled her voice.

"...you'll die."

For a second, neither of us moved.

Then I laughed.

Not because it was funny.

Because I was irritated.

For years, enemies had threatened me.

Assassins.

Rogue armies.

Rival Alphas.

Yet somehow this stubborn woman genuinely believed she could scare me.

"I'm not dying tonight."

Something dangerous flashed in Raven's eyes.

"You don't understand."

"Then help me understand."

Silence.

For one brief moment, I thought she might finally tell me the truth.

Instead, she looked away.

And that frightened me more than any answer.

Because people hide dangerous secrets.

But they only hide terrifying secrets when speaking them aloud could destroy everything.

Outside, Asher's voice thundered once more.

This time carrying a promise.

"YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT."

The entire city listened.

Every wolf.

Every noble.

Every guard.

Every child.

"IF RAVEN NIGHTSHADE IS NOT DELIVERED TO ME..."

A terrible pause followed.

Then came the threat.

"I WILL TEAR THIS KINGDOM APART STONE BY STONE."

The magical voice vanished.

Silence returned.

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

The deadline had been set.

Midnight.

Just a few hours away.

A rogue army surrounded my capital.

A mysterious Alpha wanted my mate dead.

An ancient prophecy had awakened.

And somehow I had a feeling that all of it was connected.

Because destiny wasn't merely knocking on my door anymore.

It had arrived.

And it was demanding blood.

To be continued...

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