The silver chain arced through the air, its runes flaring like dying stars, aimed straight for Eira's chest. Her body screamed to move, but the pendant at her neck pulsed, rooting her in place as the vision gripped her a moonlit throne, a cloaked figure, and a power that could shatter the world. The Council's chain was inches away when Kael's blade sliced through the air, deflecting it with a metallic screech. The chain hit the ground, its runes hissing against the blood-slick stones of Ironhowl Keep's courtyard.
"Stay behind me!" Kael roared, his amber eyes blazing as he faced the Council riders. His massive frame shielded her, blood dripping from the gash on his arm, but his stance was unyielding, a wall of fury and steel. The violet-eyed wolves circled closer, their forms flickering between shadow and flesh, their growls vibrating through the earth. The chanting beyond the gate swelled, a guttural rhythm that made Eira's skin crawl and her pendant burn hotter.
She shook off the vision, her heart hammering. "I don't need your protection, Alpha," she snapped, gripping her stolen dagger. But her voice wavered, betrayed by the chaos unfolding around them. The Council riders regrouped, their leader a tall, gaunt man with eyes like chipped ice drawing another chain, its runes glowing brighter. The wolves, those unnatural beasts, moved in sync, their violet eyes locked on her, their voices whispering in her mind: Claim it, heir. Claim it now.
"I said move!" Kael growled, shoving her toward the keep's inner wall as a wolf lunged. His blade met its claws, sparks flying, but the beast's strength was unnatural, forcing him back. Eira's pendant flared, and without thinking, she raised her hand, a pulse of silver light bursting from her palm. The wolf yelped, its form dissolving into shadow, but the effort left her gasping, her knees buckling as the power drained her.
Kael caught her before she hit the ground, his grip bruising but steady. "What the hell was that?" His voice was low, urgent, his eyes searching hers for answers she didn't have.
"I don't know," she lied, shoving him away. Her chest ached, the hum of their bond warring with the pendant's pull. She couldn't trust him,not an Alpha, not the man who'd caged her but his touch grounded her, a tether against the storm of her power. She hated it. Hated him. And yet, when he'd deflected that chain, when he'd stood between her and the Council, something in her had shifted.
The Council leader's voice cut through the chaos. "The heir's power is unstable! Bind her before she destroys us all!" His riders surged forward, chains swinging, their runes pulsing with a magic that made Eira's pendant dim. The wolves howled, their forms solidifying, and the chanting grew louder, a crescendo that shook the keep's foundations. The blood moon above burned brighter, its crimson light bathing the courtyard in an eerie glow.
Eira's eyes darted to the side gate, her only escape, but it was blocked by a wall of Frostfang warriors battling rogue invaders. The Shadowclaws,she knew it was them now, led by her cousin, the silver-haired figure who'd vanished into the fray. Her cousin. The word still twisted like a knife. She'd thought her family dead, her bloodline erased by the Council's blades. But he was alive, and he wanted her power not to free her, but to wield it.
"Eira, focus!" Kael's shout snapped her back. He was fighting two wolves now, his blade a blur, blood streaming from a new gash across his chest. His amber eyes flicked to her, wild with something beyond duty—fear, maybe, or something deeper. "We need to get to the keep's inner sanctum. It's warded. You'll be safe."
"Safe?" she spat, dodging a rider's chain. "You think I trust you?" But her options were shrinking. The wolves, the Council, the Shadowclaws every side wanted her, and her power was slipping, a wild thing clawing to break free.
A scream tore through the air—Lyra, Kael's sister, sprinting across the courtyard, her scout gear bloodied, her blade flashing. "Kael! The wards are failing!" she shouted, cutting down a rogue before skidding to a halt beside them. Her amber eyes locked on Eira, sharp with suspicion but laced with urgency. "The Shadowclaws are summoning something,something old. We need to move!"
Eira's pendant burned, and another vision hit: the Moonveil Forest, a grove bathed in silver, her hands glowing as wolves bowed before her. Claim your birthright, the voice whispered, or it claims you. She staggered, clutching her chest, and Kael's arm steadied her again, his touch a spark that made the hum roar louder.
"Move, now!" he barked, pulling her toward the keep's inner gates. Lyra flanked them, her blade slashing at a wolf that got too close. The Council riders pressed forward, their chains snapping like vipers, while the violet-eyed wolves circled, their forms flickering as the chanting reached a fever pitch.
Eira's mind raced. She could run, try for the side gate, lose herself in the Wastes. But the wolves would follow, and the Council would hunt her to the ends of the earth. Or she could stay, fight with Kael, and risk everything,her secrets, her power, her heart. The bond hummed, a thread tying her to him, and she cursed it, cursed him, cursed the blood in her veins that made her a target.
They reached the inner gate, a massive iron door etched with ancient runes, but the wards were dim, flickering like dying embers. Lyra slammed her shoulder against it, cursing as it refused to budge. "The Shadowclaws' magic it's draining the runes!" she shouted, her voice tight with panic.
Kael's blade flashed, cutting down a rogue that lunged from the shadows. "Eira, can you do something?" he demanded, his eyes locked on hers, desperate but steady. "Your power use it!"
"I can't control it!" she snapped, her voice breaking. But the pendant pulsed, and the wolf's voice echoed: Claim it. She clenched her fists, the silver light flaring again, and pressed her hand to the gate. The runes sparked, then blazed, the door groaning open as her power surged, raw and wild. Pain lanced through her, but she held on, the gate swinging wide.
They stumbled through, the door slamming shut behind them, muffling the howls and screams. The inner sanctum was a vast hall, its stone walls carved with moonlit glyphs, a massive altar at its center glowing faintly under the blood moon's light streaming through a skylight. Eira's legs buckled, the power's drain leaving her dizzy, but Kael caught her, his hands gentle despite the blood and chaos.
"You're not dying on me," he growled, his voice low, almost tender. His amber eyes searched hers, and for a moment, the bond flared so brightly it drowned out everything else,the wolves, the Council, the war outside.
Lyra's voice cut through. "Kael, the altar it's tied to the Moon Queen's power. If she's really the heir, it could stabilize her." She hesitated, glancing at Eira. "Or it could kill her."
Eira's heart pounded. The altar loomed, its glyphs pulsing in time with her pendant. She'd spent years running from her blood, her curse, but it was catching up. The Shadowclaws wanted her power. The Council wanted her dead. And Kael damn him wanted her to stay.
Before she could decide, the gate shuddered, a deafening crack splitting the air. The wards flickered, and the chanting surged, louder, closer. The violet-eyed wolves were coming, their shadows creeping under the door, and a new voice,her cousin's slithered through the cracks: "Eira, you can't hide from family."
Kael's grip tightened, his blade raised, but his eyes stayed on her. "Whatever you choose, I'm with you," he said, the words a vow that shook her to her core.
The altar flared, its light blinding, and the pendant burned like a star. The wolves' howls rose, the gate groaned, and Eira's power surged, a tidal wave she couldn't hold back. Claim it, the voice roared, or it claims us all.