Chapter Five

Chapter 5: Beneath the Palace

The first roar came from beneath the earth.

It wasn’t the howl of a wolf.

It wasn’t the cry of any creature I had ever heard.

It was older.

Deeper.

The sound rolled through the palace like thunder trapped beneath stone, shaking the marble beneath our feet. Cracks raced across the throne hall floor as dust rained from the towering ceiling.

Panic erupted.

“The palace is collapsing!”

“Get everyone outside!”

Nobles rushed toward the exits, their elegant masks of composure shattered by fear. Guards struggled to keep order as servants cried and clung to one another.

Only the Moon Hunters remained unmoved.

Their leader slowly lowered himself onto one knee.

“So…”

His voice was almost reverent.

“The prison has finally awakened.”

Kael helped me to my feet but never released my hand.

The warmth of his touch steadied my racing heart.

“Can you stand?” he asked quietly.

I nodded, though my legs still trembled.

“I think so.”

His eyes searched mine, as if making sure I was truly unharmed.

“You’ll stay beside me.”

It wasn’t a command.

It sounded like a promise.

For a heartbeat, I forgot about the chaos surrounding us.

Forgot about the hunters.

Forgot about the blood-red moon hanging over the kingdom.

Then Prince Rowan stepped between us.

His jaw tightened as he glanced at our joined hands.

“Father.”

Kael met his gaze without letting go of me.

“Move.”

“No.”

The word surprised everyone.

Rowan had never openly defied the Alpha King before.

“If she’s the reason this prison is opening,” Rowan said, “she should be taken somewhere safe.”

Kael’s voice remained calm.

“There is nowhere safe tonight.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I know more than you realize.”

The tension between them crackled like lightning.

I gently pulled my hand free.

Both men looked at me.

“I don’t understand any of this,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “Five minutes ago, I thought I was just delivering medicine. Now everyone keeps talking about prophecies, prisons, and a past I can’t remember.”

I swallowed hard.

“I deserve the truth.”

Kael closed his eyes briefly.

When he opened them again, they held a sadness so profound it stole my breath.

“You do.”

“Then tell me.”

Before he could answer, the High Elder struck his silver staff against the floor.

“There isn’t time.”

He pointed toward the widening crack that stretched across the throne hall.

A pale silver light seeped through the opening.

Not moonlight.

Something far stranger.

Something alive.

The air filled with a haunting melody.

It sounded almost like… singing.

Every wolf in the room froze.

Commander Darius frowned.

“Do you hear that?”

The High Elder’s face turned deathly pale.

“The Moon Choir.”

Several elders gasped.

“No…”

“It cannot be.”

I looked from one frightened face to another.

“What is the Moon Choir?”

No one answered.

Instead, the silver light intensified until it illuminated the entire hall.

The crack in the marble widened with a deafening snap.

A massive circular staircase appeared beneath the throne itself, descending into darkness.

None of it had been there moments ago.

The stairs looked ancient—far older than the palace itself.

Symbols identical to the mark on my shoulder glowed along each step.

“It’s impossible,” one elder whispered.

“The hidden sanctuary…”

“It was only a legend.”

The Moon Hunter leader smiled.

“It has waited twenty-one years.”

Kael slowly stepped in front of me again.

“No one goes down there.”

The hunter laughed.

“You still think you have a choice?”

Suddenly, the singing stopped.

Silence swallowed the hall.

Then…

A child’s laughter echoed from deep within the hidden staircase.

Soft.

Sweet.

Impossible.

Every hair on my arms stood upright.

There shouldn’t have been anyone beneath the palace.

Yet I heard tiny footsteps climbing the stone stairs.

One…

Two…

Three…

A little girl appeared from the darkness.

She couldn’t have been older than six.

She wore a simple white dress that glowed beneath the silver light.

Her long black hair flowed around her like ink, and her bare feet never seemed to touch the steps.

She looked directly at me.

Not at Kael.

Not at Rowan.

Me.

Her silver eyes filled with tears.

“You came back,” she whispered.

I had never seen her before.

Yet something inside me broke at the sound of her voice.

Without thinking, I took a step toward her.

“Who are you?”

She smiled.

“I’m your sister.”

The throne hall fell into stunned silence.

Before I could speak, before anyone could move, the little girl’s smile faded.

She looked past me…

…straight at Alpha King Kael.

Then she screamed.

“GET AWAY FROM HER!”

A shadow the size of the palace exploded out of the darkness behind her.

Its crimson eyes locked onto me.

And the creature lunged.