The air felt wrong. Heavy. Like wet blankets pressing down on Elaine's chest.
Each breath was harder than the last.
The sky should have been bright. The sun had just come up, but everything looked dark. Long shadows stretched across the ground like reaching fingers. It felt like the land itself was watching them.
They had crossed the line.
They were now in Vharokh. King Kael's kingdom.
No birds made a sound. No wind blew.
Even the horses stopped making noise, like they were too scared to break the silence.
Elaine tried to sit up straight in the carriage, but her whole body wanted to curl up and hide from the awful quiet.
This place did not want hope here. It ate hope alive.
The carriage wheels rolled over black stone. Above them, the sky looked sick. A strange gray-purple color, like a giant bruise.
Elaine had never been to this part of the wolf lands before. Nobody from her pack had.
King Kael had fought war after war, taking land after land, pulling them all under his control like a hand closing into a fist.
People said Vharokh's capital used to be beautiful once. Green and full of life. Now it was dead quiet. Dried-up trees stood everywhere across the hills, like they had given up fighting long ago.
Elaine held tight to the edge of her seat to stop her hands from shaking.
Across from her, King Kael sat without moving. He had been staring at her the entire journey.
His eyes never blinked. Never looked away. She could feel his stare on her skin like a touch. She didn't look back at him, but she knew he was watching every single breath she took.
He cannot know who I am. He cannot know what I am.
She remembered the stories people whispered between the packs. Myths told over and over again.
Kael used to be a prince from the northern wolf clans. A true wolf born under the moon.
But he wanted more power. So much power that he went down into the underworld. He made a deal with the Dark Lord who ruled the deepest hells in eternal fire.
In return for power and immortality, Kael was to bear a curse, he made a sacrifice…
His true mate, the one the moon chose for him, died in his arms the same night in the citadel.
After that, a mage of the moon goddess told him: "Your curse will end one day, when the golden wolf is born. Its light will be your death."
Kael killed the mage before he could say another word.
That child, the golden wolf, was her.
Elaine squeezed her fingers together in her lap, hiding the way they trembled. The necklace around her neck felt warm, like it knew they were close to danger now.
She prayed it was still hiding what she truly was.
The silence went on and on until finally, the carriage slowed down.
A horn blew somewhere far away. Then another one answered.
The carriage stopped completely.
The door opened fast. A guard in a gray uniform bowed low.
"Welcome home, Your Majesty."
Kael stepped out. His boots hit the ground hard, like he owned every piece of dirt beneath them.
He turned to Elaine and held out his hand.
She stopped. His hand was open. Waiting. He wasn't forcing her. Not yet.
But it wasn't really a choice either.
She put her hand in his.
Warmth. Even through her fear, something strange moved through her arm. Like a heartbeat that wasn't her own.
He helped her down to the ground.
She lifted her head up high, hiding every bit of fear behind a calm face. Her heart was beating like crazy inside her chest, but nobody here would see her fall apart.
In front of them stood the Citadel of Shadows.
Black stone towers rose up into the sky. Blue fire burned in torches along the walls, giving off cold light instead of warmth.
Five servants stood in a straight line with their heads down. They wore dark gray clothes. Their hands were folded in front of them. They didn't move. They didn't speak. They barely even breathed.
Elaine walked slower.
Back in her father's kingdom, servants were treated like people. Respected. Spoken to.
But these ones acted like shadows. Quiet, controlled, almost... scared.
The ground under her feet shook a little. She turned and saw a big man walking toward them. Wide shoulders. Heavy steps. Someone used to giving orders.
"Your Majesty," he bowed to Kael. His voice was deep and rough. "Welcome back."
"Rantan," Kael said.
Something passed between them. Like they knew each other well, though Rantan's eyes looked careful when they flicked toward Elaine.
Kael's hand tightened on her arm. Not enough to hurt. But firm. Like he was marking her as his.
"I have something urgent," Kael said. "Call a council meeting right now."
Rantan's eyebrows went up a little, but he nodded. "Right away."
Kael's voice dropped lower, quiet enough that only Rantan and Elaine could hear.
"We have a new situation."
Rantan looked at Elaine fully now. His eyes went sharp.
His nose moved slightly, like he was trying to smell what she was. What she might be.
A young boy stood behind Rantan. With one wave of his hand, the boy ran across the courtyard and disappeared through an archway.
Kael turned away, already done with the conversation.
"Rantan," Kael added without looking back, "prepare the guest room in the Left Wing for my companion."
Rantan went completely still.
"Your... companion?" He sounded careful, but shocked.
"Yes," Kael said simply.
"But sir... isn't she a prisoner?"
Everything in the courtyard stopped.
Kael turned slowly. His eyes flashed with a silent warning. "Do what I said."
Rantan bowed immediately, putting his fist over his heart.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He stepped back and went through the castle doors, shouting orders at the servants.
Kael let go of Elaine's arm but told her to walk next to him, not behind him.
They walked through the archway into the citadel.
The hallways were long and narrow, made of dark stone. Blue torches burned along the walls, their flames making soft hissing sounds. Their footsteps echoed.
Elaine's heart beat faster the deeper they went.
Up ahead, two heavy iron doors stood closed.
Voices whispered behind them.
Kael stopped.
"Stay quiet until I speak," he told Elaine. His voice was calm.
She nodded once.
The doors swung open.
Inside, ten people stood up from a long stone table. All of them were tall. Strong. Power rolled off each one of them so thick she could almost feel it crackling in the air.
Their eyes glowed faintly. The sign of powerful wolves.
The Council of Ten.
Kael's chosen leaders.
They all bowed at the same time.
"Welcome, King Kael." one of them said as if speaking for the full group.
Kael stepped inside, pulling Elaine forward with him.
"We have something important to discuss," he announced as he walked to the head of the table.
Every single eye turned to Elaine.
Her heart pounded like a drum inside her chest.
Kael's voice was steady when he spoke, but she could hear something strained underneath.
"This is Elaine Glasgow," he said.
He paused.
And then:
"My fated mate."
The room exploded with gasps.
Elaine's breath stopped in her throat.