Chapter Two: A Wolf at the Door
The creature stepped through the shattered doorway like it belonged there.
Massive. Muscular. Its dark fur rippled with every movement. Its snout dripped with blood, lips peeled back into a snarl. Glowing red eyes locked onto Aria like a predator savoring the moment before the kill.
Aria froze.
Her breath caught in her throat. Every instinct screamed run, but her legs wouldn't move. The creature was too fast. Too close.
Kael shoved her behind him.
"Stay down," he growled.
"You're bleeding—" she choked out.
"Doesn't matter." His voice dropped to something inhuman. "That's not just a wolf. That's a Shadowfang."
The beast growled low, pacing across the threshold, sniffing the air like it recognized him.
Or her.
"Why is it here?" Aria whispered.
"Because you woke up," Kael said, teeth clenched. "And now it wants your blood."
The Shadowfang lunged.
Kael moved like a blur.
Aria screamed as they crashed into each other — claws ripping, fists flying, teeth snapping. The cabin shook with the force of it. Furniture splintered. Kael slammed the creature into the wall, but it twisted free, slashing across his chest.
Blood sprayed the floor.
"Run, Aria!" he shouted.
She didn't move.
Couldn't.
Her mark was burning — searing, like someone was branding her from the inside.
The Shadowfang twisted toward her, snarling. Kael grabbed it again, locking its jaws with both arms.
"GO!"
Aria ran.
Through the hallway. Past the kitchen. Her bare feet slapped against the wood. She flung open the back door, but froze on the threshold.
Another pair of red eyes glowed in the woods.
And another.
Dozens.
"They're everywhere," she whispered.
Suddenly, a hand yanked her back. Kael, bloodied, panting, pushed her into the pantry and slammed the door shut behind them.
"Quiet," he breathed.
The creatures prowled outside the thin wall, their claws scraping against the wood. Aria's heart pounded like a drum, loud enough she thought it might give them away.
Then… silence.
The growls faded.
But Kael didn't relax.
"They're not gone," he said. "They're waiting."
"For what?"
"For you to pass out from fear. Or doubt. Or exhaustion. They feed on that."
Aria looked at him — at his bloodstained shirt, at the silver glow behind his pain-glazed eyes.
"You said you knew me. That you… killed me?"
Kael's jaw clenched. "I did. I had no choice."
"Start talking," she said, stepping back, voice trembling. "Now."
He sighed and sat on the floor, resting his head against the pantry wall.
"There are things you need to understand, Aria. The world you live in — this world — isn't what it seems. There are two realms. Yours — the human world. And ours — the Moon Realm."
"Werewolves?" she asked bitterly.
"Lycans. Alphas. Bloodlines. But it's more than that," he said. "You were our queen. The Crescent Queen. Ruler of the Moon Realm. But you were betrayed… by one of your own."
Aria stared.
"You died," he whispered. "To save us. But before you did, you cast the Moon Rebirth — a forbidden spell to bring your soul back in a new body, hidden from the world until the mark awakened you."
"My birthmark?" she asked, her voice shaking.
He nodded. "It's not a birthmark. It's a seal."
Her mind spun.
"You're insane."
"No. I'm desperate." His gaze locked with hers. "Because they're going to kill you again, Aria. Unless you remember who you are — and reclaim your powers."
"How do I even know you're not lying?" she snapped. "How do I know you didn't send those things here just to scare me into trusting you?"
He smiled — but it was a bitter, broken thing.
"I wish I was that clever."
---
Hours passed.
The sun never rose.
The blood moon still hung outside the window like an omen that refused to fade.
Kael had drifted into a fevered sleep, his wounds deep and unnatural — refusing to close.
Aria stood by the door, heart pounding. Her phone had no service. Her aunt wasn't home. And the woods were still alive with things she didn't understand.
And the voice in her head — the one that had always whispered in her dreams — was louder now.
Clearer.
"He's not lying."
She shook the thought away. She didn't believe in fate. Or werewolves. Or reincarnated queens with magical birthmarks. She believed in logic. In science. In things that made sense.
But tonight, none of that applied.
She walked back to Kael, crouching beside him.
"You said you were my protector."
His eyes flickered open. "Yes."
"But you also said you… killed me."
He looked at her. Really looked at her. And for a moment, the air between them stilled.
"You begged me to," he said quietly.
Aria swallowed hard. "Why?"
"Because the one who betrayed you… was the one you loved. And if he had taken your powers, he would've destroyed both realms."
Her mouth parted. "Who was it?"
Kael's eyes darkened.
"Riven."
---
The name meant nothing to her.
But her soul recoiled like it recognized it. Like it remembered pain.
Kael touched her wrist, fingers trembling. "There's a part of you locked away. Buried by magic and time. When it breaks… you'll remember everything."
"What happens then?" she whispered.
Kael's jaw tightened.
"You'll hate me."
She looked into his eyes, silver and stormy, full of regret and something deeper. Something she didn't dare name.
The lights flickered.
Outside, the growls returned.
Kael's head snapped toward the door. "They're getting closer."
"They were waiting for something," Aria whispered. "You said that."
He nodded. "They were waiting for her."
Aria froze. "Who?"
The front door creaked.
And then — a slow, deliberate knock.
Three times.
Kael stood slowly. "Stay behind me."
The knock came again.
Then a voice — soft, lilting, and terrifying in its calmness.
"Aria Blake. Open the door. Or we'll burn the house down with you inside."
Kael grabbed her hand. "Do not move."
The door burst open.
A woman stepped inside.
Dressed in black. Pale as ash. Her eyes glowed not red, but silver — like Kael's, but colder.
Aria gasped.
She looked… familiar.
Too familiar.
Kael stepped forward. "Elana."
Aria blinked. "You know her?"
He didn't answer.
The woman smiled.
"Hello, daughter."