A Year Ago

The room was heavy with smoke…incense and sage smoldering in tiny clay dishes, the atmosphere throbbing with a tempo that was not of the living. Fires flickered in sconces upon the old stone walls, creating shadows that contorted like phantoms.

Alpha Kael positioned himself in the middle of the chamber, youthful but already carrying the heavy responsibility of a crown he had not yet donned. His black hair was pulled back, exposing a jaw tight with annoyance. His eyes…stormy gray and intense…slimmed as the ancient witch walked around him deliberately, her bare feet gliding on the chilly earth.

"You called me to discuss the coronation ceremonies," Kael snarled. “Talk, Myra. "I can’t afford the indulgence of puzzles this evening."

The elderly woman took her time before responding. Her visage, marked by age and enigma, appeared dusted in moonlit gray, her eyes glowing with sorcery as if she glimpsed a reality beyond his. Her fingertips glided gently in circles above a bowl filled with blood and herbs, murmuring softly.

Kael stiffened.

"That's enough!" he shouted. “What is this thing?”

Myra ceased her chanting. She raised her eyes to meet his stare, sadness beginning to coat her voice like frost. “The reality, Alpha Kael." The reality your father concealed from you until his last moment.

Kael's nostrils expanded.

"What reality?"

She inhaled deeply, then uttered the words that would leave an enduring mark on his spirit.

“You have been cursed.”

The words resonated in the room like a storm. Kael remained composed, yet the twitch of his jaw revealed his tension.

“Choose your words wisely, witch,” he remarked.

Myra moved nearer, her tone serious and timeless.

"Not condemned by nature, but by lineage." Your father—Alpha Ruvan…performed a serious transgression against the goddess of destiny and fire. He dishonored a she-wolf, a maiden selected by the moon herself. She carried his symbol against her will, and when she ended her life, the goddess damned your lineage.

Kael’s hands tightened into fists. "That's untrue," he exclaimed.

“No,” Myra replied gently. “It is fair.” The curse was transferred to his successor…you.

Your destined mate will not be easy to find. "You will seek, and endure pain, and when you eventually find her…”

She hesitated, causing Kael to squint.

“What?”

“She will deliver conflict to your territories.” Blood will trace her path. "Flame will accompany her name."

Kael chuckled with bitterness. “Then, I will reject her when she comes.”

“You would not be able to,” Myra stated, her voice sharp as ice. “She is tied to you by the old moon.” “You might attempt to resist her, but destiny cannot be changed.”

Kael’s heart raced in his chest…not out of fear, but anger.

“I’ve battled in wars,” he spat. “Slain monarchs.” "I will not yield to a woman or a prediction."

"This isn't a battle you can win with a sword," Myra murmured.

“…your companion…once you find her…will be an exceptional wolf.” “She will be strong, unique… and a threat.”

Kael shifted away from her, panting heavily, fixating on the flames.

“Why are you telling me this now?” he inquired. Myra's fingertips plunged into the bowl of blood, leaving a mark on his left wrist.

“Due to the impending celestial convergence.” "The act of coronation demands not only power…but lineage."

Kael spun around abruptly. “What are you trying to say?”

“You have to bear an heir prior to the upcoming blood moon,” she instructed.

“Otherwise, the crown will go to the council.” Your foes surround you, Kael. "You possess strength, indeed... but without an heir, without a legacy, you are expendable."

Kael’s whole body stiffened. The coronation he'd prepared for…the conflict, the surrender, the display of strength…it fell short?

“I require a child,” he reiterated slowly. "To take my father's throne."

Myra agreed.

“A descendant to solidify your lineage.” A kid resilient enough to manage the turmoil that your partner will eventually cause.

His gaze pierced through hers.

“And what if I can’t locate her quickly enough?”

"You might never come across her." “Or … she might find you before you find her.”

Kael’s breath stopped in his throat. “You're saying she’s already living?”

"She treads upon the ground, Alpha."

“As you proceed. The strands of destiny are intertwining at this moment. Her existence will intertwine with yours, whether you want it or not”.

Kael pulled away, running a hand through his hair. The curse felt like heavy chains binding his chest. His father, damn him, had been aware and said nothing. He had equipped him for a crown, but not the tempest that followed.

He glanced at Myra.

“Then, I will select a she-wolf deserving of bearing my successor.” "Not from affection...but obligation."

Myra’s lips twisted slightly. "Exercise caution, Kael." "The heart cannot submit to obligation indefinitely."

He dismissed the warning, proceeding towards the exit of the chamber.

Yet her voice halted him once more. "Just one more thing," she shouted.

Kael became unmoving.

"When she comes...your destined mate...you will recognize her not through her appearance or fragrance...but by the way your energy quakes in her vicinity."

"You, who have never yielded, will witness your wolf kneel."

Kael remained silent. There was no requirement for him to do so. His stillness was deafening.

He exited the chamber, the flickering torchlight following him like apparitions.

Outside, the wind screamed as if the earth had already received the prophecy. As though destiny had started to shift.