The mountain exploded.
Not the surface.
Not the arena.
The heart of it.
Stone erupted upward as ancient foundations shattered beneath the Council territory. The entire fortress groaned like a dying beast.
Everyone lost their balance.
Everyone except Aether.
The Eternal King stood frozen.
His face had gone completely pale.
"Father"
The word echoed through the ruined arena.
And somehow, it terrified me more than the explosion itself.
Aether was ancient.
Powerful.
A living legend.
If someone could frighten him.
What exactly had awakened?
The First Luna's voice was gone now.
The warmth I had felt vanished completely.
Leaving only dread.
Pure dread.
The ground cracked beneath our feet.
Silver light poured through the widening fissures.
Not soft silver.
Not beautiful.
Violent.
Wild.
Ancient.
The kind of power that existed before laws.
Before kingdoms.
Before packs.
Nyra slowly stood.
All traces of arrogance had disappeared.
"He wasn't supposed to wake up."
Aether's eyes remained fixed on the growing chasm.
"He wasn't supposed to exist anymore."
Magnus frowned.
"Enough riddles."
His voice cut through the panic.
"Who is your father?"
Silence.
Then Aether answered.
"The First Alpha."
Nobody spoke.
Nobody breathed.
The title alone felt wrong.
Too large.
Too old.
One Elder laughed nervously.
"A myth."
Aether looked at him.
The Elder immediately stopped laughing.
"Everything you call myth was simply history you forgot."
The mountain shook again.
This time stronger.
A deep growl echoed from the abyss.
Not a beast.
Not a monster.
A man.
A man whose voice carried enough power to make every wolf in the territory submit instinctively.
Warriors outside dropped to their knees.
Council guards collapsed.
Even several Alphas staggered.
Only the strongest remained standing.
Kaiden grabbed my arm immediately.
His body positioned itself between me and the abyss.
Protective.
Instinctive.
I noticed.
And so did Magnus.
And so did Nyra.
Most importantly.
So did Aether.
But nobody said anything.
Because the growl came again.
Closer.
"Who dares"
The voice shook the mountain. "Disturb my sleep?"
My mark ignited.
Not painfully.
Fearfully.
As if even the power inside me recognised the danger.
Lucien swore quietly.
"I have a very bad feeling about this."
Orion nodded.
"For once, I agree."
The crack widened further.
Then a hand emerged.
Unlike Aether's.
Unlike Nyra's.
This hand looked old.
Scarred.
Weathered by countless battles.
And yet the power radiating from it surpassed everything I had felt tonight.
The hand gripped the edge of the abyss.
And slowly.
A figure pulled itself upward.
The First Alpha.
He looked older than Aether.
Older than Nyra.
Long silver hair fell over broad shoulders covered in ancient battle scars. His golden eyes glowed like burning suns.
Not silver.
Gold.
The original Alpha eyes.
The source.
The beginning.
The moment he stood fully upright, every wolf in the territory felt it.
Dominance.
True dominance.
Not power.
Authority.
The right to command.
The right to rule.
The First Alpha looked around calmly.
At the ruined arena.
At the Alphas.
At the Elders.
At Aether.
At Nyra.
Then his gaze landed on me.
Everything stopped.
The world itself seemed to freeze.
His golden eyes widened slightly.
And for the first time.
The First Alpha looked surprised.
"No."
His voice was barely a whisper.
Yet everyone heard it.
He took one step toward me.
Aether immediately moved.
"Stay away from her."
The First Alpha ignored him completely.
His eyes never left mine.
Impossible emotion filled his face.
Hope.
Raw.
Desperate.
Impossible hope.
Then he whispered the words that shattered the entire arena:
"My daughter."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
My heart stopped.
Kaiden went rigid beside me.
Nyra froze.
Aether looked horrified.
Magnus stared.
Lucien blinked.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because there was only one problem.
The First Luna had been his daughter.
And somehow.
He was looking at me.