Kael descended the Frostvale Mountains under moonless skies.
He moved like a ghost now—silent, alert, sharpened by purpose. His warform remained hidden beneath his human shape, but the Fang of Varok was strapped across his back, pulsing faintly with ancestral hunger. Each heartbeat echoed with a single vow:
Strike first. Bleed them all.
The Crimson Alphas had torn his life apart.
Now he would return the favor.
---
He traveled west toward the outskirts of Ravenspire, a fortress-town ruled by one of the Crimson bloodline's outer families: the Ironfangs. Cowardly, arrogant, and drunk on the power of their name, they flaunted their loyalty to Alpha Kieran while hiding behind their walls.
According to a whisper Kael had forced from a dying scout, this was where the Crimson Blood Registry was stored—a sacred document listing all remaining Moonborn-bloodline descendants. Anyone with even a drop of Varok's blood.
Including Kael.
If he could get that list… he might find others like him.
Or…
He might find out who betrayed his bloodline to the Crimson Alphas years ago.
---
That Night: Ravenspire, Outer District
Rain lashed the rooftops as Kael stalked through shadowed alleys. Cloaked in furs, hood drawn, he moved past drunk guards and merchants counting coins behind fogged glass. The upper towers of Ravenspire loomed above, shimmering with enchantments, surrounded by beast patrols—armored werewolves trained to sniff out dissenters.
Kael slipped inside the keep's wall using a forgotten sewer gate.
The darkness reeked of rot and magic.
But he wasn't alone.
"Turn back," a voice hissed from the dark.
Kael froze.
From the shadows stepped a girl—young, fast, eyes gleaming gold. She wore no sigil, no pack mark. Just scars and blades.
"You're not Crimson," she said, circling him. "But you're not normal either. What are you?"
Kael didn't answer. Instead, he stepped forward, eyes locking with hers.
"Who are you?" he countered.
She smirked. "Name's Sylah. I hunt Bloodmarked. I smelled your shift residue from a mile away. You're dangerous."
Kael's hand slid toward the hilt of his blade. "Are you going to try to stop me?"
"No," she said, cocking her head. "I want in."
---
They broke into the Crimson Archive together.
The halls were lined with enchanted relics and cursed scrolls. Kael led them to the hidden vault using directions stolen from the dead scout.
Inside, he found the Blood Registry.
A single black tome, sealed by blood magic.
He slit his palm, pressed it to the cover, and whispered, "I am Kael, son of Arion of the Shadowfang. Blood of the Moonborn. I claim my right."
The book burst open.
Names shimmered in ancient runes. Dozens. Maybe hundreds.
But one name glowed brighter than the rest:
> Lina Varos. Moonborn descendant. Status: Captive. Location: Crimson Citadel.
Kael's heart froze.
Lina.
The name from his dreams.
Not a dream.
Not a lie.
A real person—a blood relative.
She was alive.
And the Crimson Alphas were keeping her.
Before he could process it, an alarm exploded above them.
"They've found us," Sylah cursed. "We need to go—now."
But Kael didn't run.
He grabbed the book, tucked it in his satchel, and drew the Fang of Varok.
"I'm done hiding," he said. "Let them come."
---
Minutes Later: Ravenspire Courtyard
The Ironfangs descended in droves—fully shifted warriors armored in enchanted steel. They circled Kael and Sylah like wolves cornering prey.
Kael breathed deep.
Then, he shifted.
Not fully—but enough.
The warform exploded into place—fur like molten silver, claws like blades, eyes like twin moons.
The first wave charged.
Kael met them with fire and fury.
He moved through them like a living storm. His claws tore through flesh and armor, his fangs crushed windpipes, and the Fang of Varok howled as it carved a silver arc through neck after neck.
Sylah fought beside him—fast, deadly, almost feral in her agility. But it was Kael who turned the courtyard into a grave.
By the end of it, thirty wolves lay dead.
Kael stood drenched in blood, chest heaving, moonlight reflecting off the runes on his blade.
The fortress bells were still ringing.
But Kael was already gone.
---
Elsewhere…
In the throne chamber of the Crimson Citadel, Alpha Kieran crushed a goblet in his hand.
"They stole the Blood Registry," one of his commanders reported. "And the boy… he has awakened the warform."
Kieran smiled slowly, darkly.
"Then the prophecy was true. The Moonborn has returned."
He turned to the figure in chains beside him.
A girl.
Young. Pale. Golden-eyed
. Bruised but unbroken.
Lina.
Kieran touched her face gently.
"Your brother is coming for you."
She stared at him without fear.
"Then you should run."