The night air was thick, heavy with the scent of distant rain and smoke. Remnants of a war long ended still clung to the land, refusing to be forgotten. Alpha Kaelion stood on the terrace of Silverclaw Fortress, his home. His golden eyes swept across the vast territory, four lands once divided, now ruled as one. Under him.
He clenched his fists as the cold wind howled, carrying whispers of doubt, hints of betrayal... and the voice.
That voice again.
She called to him, soft, broken, haunting. Familiar yet faceless. Every night, her voice dragged him into a dream he couldn't explain, and every morning, he woke with a heaviness he couldn't shake.
Mate... she's close.
The voice inside him growled, deeper, rougher. His wolf, Ravon.
You feel her too? Kaelion asks himself.
She's ours. And she's waiting. You're the one too blind to see.
Alpha Kaelion exhales sharply, forcing control back into his breath. Ravon is becoming more restless by the day. The dreams were stirring something primal and dangerous.
Wrapped in his royal robe, he stepped out of his chamber to clear his thoughts. The stone floor beneath his bare feet felt colder tonight. He took a sip of red wine, its taste doing little to calm the storm inside him.
Footsteps approached behind him, steady and familiar. He didn't turn.
"Alpha," Darian, his Beta, called respectfully, bowing. "Another body was found. Same markings."
Kaelion's jaw tightened. "Where?"
"Southern border," Darian replied grimly.
They're testing us, Ravon growled. Let me out. Let them taste what they've awakened.
Alpha Kaelion pushed the beast's hunger down. "Summon the Council. We meet at midday," he said, draining the rest of his wine in a single gulp.
"Yes, Alpha," Beta Darian responded with a bow before retreating.
Kaelion remained, alone in the wind. Rage and frustration darkened his features. He ruled with strength and justice. But how could he fight a shadow? How could he protect a pack that no longer felt safe?
The voice returned soft, aching, like a distant melody.
She's the key, Ravon whispered again. Find her... or fall.
And still, he didn't know her.
Didn't know her name.
Didn't know his mate.
Not yet.
Alpha Kaelion turned away from the edge of the cliff, his robe billowing as he walked back toward the Alpha's Fortress. The halls were quiet, with a few guards stationed along the corridors, but he could feel the tension pulsing through the walls. His people were unsettled, whispers of the recent killings has begun to spread, and with them, dangerous doubt. Some wondered if their Alpha was losing his grip.
He wasn't.
But something was coming. And whatever it was, he needed to find it, before it tore everything apart.
He paused, one hand resting on the cold, tiled wall of the corridor. The dreams tugged at his mind again, relentless, consuming. His wolf stirred beneath his skin, pacing with unease.
She's out there, Ravon rumbled, his voice like gravel laced with hunger. I can feel her. She's not just a dream. She's real. Ours.
Kaelion shut his eyes for a moment, jaw tightening. Then why won't she come to me?
Because you're chasing shadows, instead of listening to instinct.
The wolf's tone was laced with irritation now. You lead armies, Kaelion, but when it comes to her, you hesitate.
He pushed away from the wall, forcing Ravon's voice to the background, though it never truly faded. The bond between them had always been powerful, but lately, the line between wolf and man had blurred. And now, with the killings and the dreams... that bond was growing wild.
Who are you? Why do you keep appearing?
Could you be my mate? And if so, why won't you show yourself? Why haunt my sleep like a ghost I can't chase?
He never saw her face, only felt her presence. The voice was unfamiliar, yet it lingered like a memory he should know. And now the killings, the strange markings... they were clouding his mind, pulling him into confusion he couldn't afford.
"Alpha."
A soft voice drew him back.
Thalia.
She approached with her usual grace, her long braid swaying behind her. A warrior by nature, yet undeniably feminine in her poise and presence. She had been by his side for years, loyal, sharp, and unshaken. Though their bond was forged in childhood, her affection for him had grown beyond what Kaelion could return.
"Another body," she said gently. "I heard. I came to check on you."
She stepped closer, her hand brushing his shoulder in a gesture meant to soothe.
"I was just informed," Kaelion said, his voice low. He shifted away slightly, letting her hand fall.
"I'll be meeting with the Council soon."
It was a calm dismissal, but she understood it clearly.
"Of course," Thalia replied softly, studying his expression. "I won't keep you."
She turned, but not before placing a light kiss on his lips . "Take care of yourself, Kael."
He nodded once. "I will."
As she walked away, her scent lingered faintly in the corridor. Familiar. Safe.
Yet, not the one.
She wants you, Ravon growled from within. Always has.
I know, Alpha Kaelion replied silently, jaw tightening.
But she is not ours.
Kaelion exhaled slowly and turned toward his chambers. Sleep would not come easily, but he had to try. It was still the early hours of the day.
The Council Chamber stood majestic, vast, ornate, echoing with centuries of power and decision. Velvet banners bearing the insignias of the four united packs adorned the high stone walls. At the front, a massive golden throne sat raised on a platform, carved with ancient runes, a seat fit only for an Alpha . Beside it, on the right, was a slightly smaller but equally grand chair: the Luna's seat, still empty.
Twelve high-backed chairs formed a semi-circle, six on each side, occupied by council members representing the four merged packs that now formed the mighty "Silverclaw Clan".
This was where power spoke, and today, it trembled.
The doors opened.
Alpha Kaelion entered, draped in his black and gold robe, flanked by his Beta, Darian, and two elite guards. His presence was magnetic, commanding respect and silence without a single word. His jaw was tight, expression unreadable, but his golden eyes burned with something deeper, fury barely leashed.
The council rose at once.
"Alpha," they greeted in unison, bowing.
Alpha Kaelion took his throne. And so did the members.
Another body. Alpha Kaelion began. His voice low, sharp but thunderous.
This makes it the fourth in three weeks. Marked, Slaughtered, Drained and Disgraced.
His hands slammed the arm of his throne. The sound cracked through the room like lighting.
Tell me, he growled, "is this what we've become? A Pack of silence while our people bleed in the dark?
Elder Eldric, (Alpha Kaelion's Father's best friend) and the oldest in the council spoke first.
"Alpha, we are all confused and trying to figure it out. This has never happened in our Clan before.
Liora Mooncrest – Envoy of the Outer Lands (Manages relations with other packs and territories) nodded solemnly as she spoke
"Same markings. Same wounds. Which means... the same killer. And still no trace." This same pattern shows something.
A heavy silence settled.
Elder Bako cleared his throat.
"Alpha, with all due respect... the people are whispering. Perhaps it's an outsider.
Alpha Kaelion's eyes snapped to him like a blade unsheathing.
And perhaps it's a snake hiding, he said with snickering eyes.
Silence.
No one moved.
Alpha Kaelion's voice cut through the noise like a blade. Every head snapped to silence.
He rose slowly, his energy pulsing in the room like a storm.
He stood, and the council rose immediately.
"I don't need fears or fables. I need answers."
His golden eyes scanned the room, settling on Jarek, Head of Warriors.
"Jarek."
"Yes, Alpha," Jarek replied, bowing.
"Take twenty of our best trackers. Search the site again. Dig. Tear up the earth if you must. Don't return unless you have something I can use. Leave. Now."
"At once, Alpha," Jarek said, bowed, and left.
Kaelion's gaze swept over the remaining council, as he returned to his seat.
Each member also took their seats.
His power crackled, ancient, Alpha-born, terrifying. It pulsed off him like heat from fire. The wolves in the room felt it, bones tightening, instincts rising.
"I will not watch this Clan fall into chaos. I built it from ashes, four packs united under my blood. And I will burn anyone who threatens it."
He leaned forward, golden eyes narrowing, voice like a distant growl.
"If there's treachery among us, I swear on the blood of my ancestors, I will find it and I will end it."
For a long beat, no one dared speak.
Kaelion straightened.
"The next time we meet, I expect more than empty speculations. You are leaders, not gossipers. If you can't provide solutions, then what's the essence being on this seat."
Tension curled like smoke in the air.
"Is there anything else?" he asked, voice like steel.
One by one, the council members bowed their heads.
"Then we are done here."
He stood, and the council rose immediately.
Without another word, Alpha Kaelion exited the hall with his Beta and guards behind him. The golden doors closed with a resounding thud.
Only then did the whispers begin again.