I returned five days later.
To a pack that had missed me. To children who'd worried. To a mate who'd waited.
*MAMA.*
Felix saw me first and ran—shifted mid-strand from wolf to human, launched himself into my arms, nearly knocked me over with the force of his hug.
*I'm here.* I held him tight. *I'm here. I'm back.*
*I was scared,* Felix confessed into my shoulder. *You said a few days. You were gone five. I thought—*
*I know.* I kissed his forehead. *I'm sorry. The mission took longer than expected. But I'm back now. And I'm not leaving again anytime soon.*
*Promise?*
*Promise.*
*Promise.*
Darius and Lucian arrived next—walking, not running. More controlled. But no less relieved.
*You were gone,* Darius said, hugging me. *Too long.*
*I know.* I hugged him back. *I missed you too.*
*Did you find what you were looking for?* Lucian asked quietly.
*I did.* I looked at each of them in turn. *And I found out some things. About our history. About our family. About—*
*About us?* Felix guessed.
*About you,* I corrected. *All of you.* I hesitated. *We need to talk. Later. Alone. Just the five of us—me, you three, and Papa.*
*Is it bad?* Darius asked, his eyes narrowing.
*No.* I shook my head. *Not bad. Important. There's a difference. But for now—* I pulled them all into a group hug *—I just want to be with you. To hold you. To—*
*To be home.*
*To be home.*
Kael found us in the training yard—surrounded by our children, wrapped in a hug, just... being.
*You're back,* he said, and I heard the relief in his voice. The tension he'd been carrying since I left. The fear he'd tried to hide from the children.
*I'm back.* I released the children and went to him. *I missed you.*
*I missed you too.* Kael pulled me into a hug—deep and desperate and hungry. *Don't do that again. Don't leave without saying goodbye properly. Don't—*
*I know.* I rested my forehead against his. *I'm sorry. I was in a hurry. I was worried. I was—*
*Scared,* I admitted.
*What did you find?* Kael asked quietly. *Selene sent word that you discovered something important. Something—*
*Something ancient.*
*Can we talk about it later?* I asked. *After the children are asleep? I want to tell you everything. But right now, I just want to be with them. With you. With—*
*With us.*
*Yes,* I said softly.
That evening, after dinner, I took the children to our quarters—just the five of us, as I'd promised. I sat them down, took a deep breath, and—
*Began.*
*I went to an ancient place,* I told them. *A prison. Built thousands of years ago. By the first Lycans.*
*Who were they imprisoning?* Felix asked.
*Lycaon's son,* I said. *The first Lycan king's heir. The one who betrayed his sister. The one who tried to take the throne by force.*
*Why?* Lucian asked. *Why betray his sister?*
*Jealousy,* I said. *He thought he should rule. That he was the rightful heir. That his father chose wrong. So he tried to take what he thought was his.*
*Did he succeed?* Darius asked.
*No.* I shook my head. *His sister defeated him. Imprisoned him. Sealed him away so he could never hurt anyone again.*
*So he's still there?* Felix asked. *Still imprisoned?*
*Yes.* I met their eyes. *But the seals are old. Weakening. They need to be maintained. Renewed. Or—*
*Or he escapes,* Felix finished.
*Yes.*
*Why are you telling us this?* Lucian asked quietly. *What does this have to do with us?*
I took another breath.
*Because there was a prophecy,* I said. *In the prison. Written on the walls. A prophecy about—*
*About us,* Darius realized.
*Yes.* I looked at each of them in turn. *It says three children of the moon will rise. Three heirs of the first. The first will lead. The second will see. The third will remember. And only together—only united—only whole—can they defeat the darkness. Can seal the past. Can—*
*Can save the future.*
Silence.
*The first,* Felix said slowly. *That's me. I'm the firstborn.*
*Yes.*
*The second,* Darius continued. *That's me. The one who sees.*
*Yes.*
*The third,* Lucian finished. *That's me. The one who was forgotten. Like—*
*Like him.*
*Yes.*
*So what does this mean?* Felix asked. *That we have to fight him? The forgotten son? That we're... what? Prophecied to defeat him?*
*I don't know,* I admitted. *Prophecies are tricky. They can mean different things. But I think—I think it means you're special. That you have a role to play. That—*
*That we're important,* Darius finished.
*You're important to me,* I said fiercely. *Whatever the prophecy says. Whatever your role is. Whatever comes next—you're my children first. My babies. My—*
*My everything.*
*But we're also prophecied,* Felix said quietly. *That's... a lot.*
*I know.* I pulled him into a hug. *And you don't have to carry it alone. You have each other. You have Papa. You have me. We'll face whatever comes together. As a family. Always.*
*Together,* all three agreed.
They came to me then—all three of them, wrapping their arms around me, holding on tight. And I held them back. Thinking about the prophecy. About the future. About what lay ahead.
Thinking that they were just children. Just nine and thirteen. Just—*
*Just babies.*
But they wouldn't be babies forever.
They'd grow. They'd train. They'd become—
*Themselves.*
And someday, they'd face the Forgotten One. Or his followers. Or whatever darkness was coming.
*But not today,* I promised them. *Today, you're just children. Just my children. And that's enough.*
*Is it?* Felix asked.
*Yes.* I kissed his forehead. *It's everything.*
*Everything.*
*Everything.*
That night, after the children were asleep, I told Kael everything. About the prison. About the Forgotten One. About the prophecy. About—
*About everything.*
He listened without interrupting. Without judging. Without—*
*Without fear.*
*They're just children,* he said when I finished. *Nine and thirteen. They're babies. How can they—*
*They won't have to,* I said. *Not yet. The prophecy doesn't say when. Just that they'll face it. Together. When they're ready.*
*And when will that be?*
*I don't know.* I leaned against him. *Years, hopefully. Decades, maybe. I have time to train them. To prepare them. To—*
*To make sure they're ready.*
*We'll make sure they're ready,* Kael corrected. *Together. You and me. Selene. The council. We'll teach them everything we know. Everything we are. Everything—*
*Everything they need to survive.*
*Yes.*
*But what if it's not enough?* Kael asked quietly. *What if the prophecy requires more than we can give? What if—*
*Then we'll figure it out,* I said. *We always do. You and me. Together.*
*Together.*
*Together.*
I woke the next morning to a commotion outside.
Voices. Shouting. Running.
I dressed quickly, hurried outside, and—
*Froze.*
Pack members were gathering. Staring. Pointing.
At the stranger.
At the edge of the pack grounds. Standing alone. Waiting.
She was young—maybe twenty. Human. But not human. Something else. Something—
*Different.*
I approached cautiously. Power humming beneath my skin. Ready for anything.
*Can I help you?*
The stranger turned. Looked at me with eyes that—
*That I knew.*
*You're Elena,* she said. *The Lycan Queen.*
*I am.* I didn't relax. *Who are you?*
*My name is Maya,* she said. *And I need your help.*
*With what?*
*With my pack.* Maya's voice shook. *They're gone. Everyone. Dead. I'm the only one left. The only one who—*
*Who escaped.*
*Escaped from what?*
*Attackers.* Maya took a shaky breath. *Cultists. Followers. They came in the night. Killed everyone. Burned everything. They were looking for something. Something—*
*Something in your bloodline.*
Maya's eyes widened.
*How did you know?*
*I've dealt with them before,* I said grimly. *Or people like them. These followers—what did they call themselves?*
*The Forgotten Army,* Maya said. *They serve the Forgotten One. The imprisoned heir. The one who—*
*Who will rise again.*
*Yes.* Maya stepped closer. *Please. I heard about you. About what you did. About the alliance you formed. About—*
*About the Lycan Queen who defeated the Inquisition.*
*That's me.*
*Then help me,* Maya begged. *Help me avenge my pack. Help me stop them. Before they do this to someone else. Before—*
*Before they free their master.*
I looked at Kael, who'd joined me. Looked at the council members who'd gathered—Selene, Rowan, Valerica, all watching.
*She's not lying,* Selene sent. *I can feel her grief. Her loss. Her—*
*Her truth.*
*The Forgotten Army,* I said aloud. *They're already active. Already attacking packs. Already—*
*Already hunting.*
Hunting for something.
For someone.
For—
*Bloodline members.*
*We need to bring her inside,* Kael said. *Hear her story. Understand what she knows. Then—*
*Then we act.*
*Maya,* I said. *You're safe here. I promise. We'll help you. We'll—*
*We'll stop them.*
*Thank you.* Maya collapsed. I caught her before she hit the ground. *Thank you.*
I carried her to the infirmary—Viktor met us at the door, already alerted. As he took Maya from my arms, as he began examining her, as the pack gathered around—
*I felt it.*
The beginning.
Not of the war. The war had started long ago, with the Inquisition, with the triad, with—
*With everything.*
This was different.
This was the beginning of the end.
The final chapter.
The last battle.
The—*
*The climax was coming.*
And my children?
My children were right in the middle of it.