The first hunt

Morning broke over Blackthorn Keep beneath a blanket of silver clouds.

The snow had stopped.

For the first time in days, the fortress wasn't filled with the sound of warning bells.

Instead...

The clash of warriors training echoed across the courtyard.

Steel wasn't the weapon of wolves.

Strength was.

Dozens of Blackthorn warriors sparred in pairs, throwing punches, dodging attacks, and shifting parts of their bodies as they fought. Some revealed sharp claws while remaining in human form. Others let glowing amber eyes emerge before quickly returning to normal.

The training grounds were alive.

Lyra watched from the edge of the courtyard, completely fascinated.

"So..."

Jer folded his arms beside her.

"Nervous?"

She looked at the warriors exchanging powerful blows.

"A little."

Jer laughed.

"A little?"

"I'd be terrified."

"I am terrified."

He grinned.

"Good."

"Fear keeps people alive."

Before Lyra could reply, Rowan approached.

"The Alpha is waiting."

Her stomach tightened.

"For me?"

Rowan nodded.

"You'll begin training today."

Lyra blinked.

"Training?"

"I've never trained before."

"You'll start now."

She glanced toward Jer.

"Can you tell him I'm sick?"

Jer burst into laughter.

"I'd rather wrestle an angry Alpha than deliver that message."

Lyra sighed.

"So... no."

"Definitely no."

Kael stood alone in the center of the training circle.

The moment Lyra stepped onto the packed earth, every nearby warrior looked up.

Conversations stopped.

Several younger wolves whispered among themselves.

"That's her."

"The Moon Temple girl."

"The Alpha's mate."

Lyra wished the ground would swallow her.

Kael ignored everyone else.

His attention remained fixed on her.

"You've recovered from last night?"

"I think so."

"You think?"

She smiled nervously.

"I'm standing."

"That's a start."

Jer quietly leaned toward Rowan.

"I almost feel sorry for her."

Rowan didn't look away from Kael.

"I don't."

"You never feel sorry for anyone."

"I don't."

Jer sighed dramatically.

"One day you'll discover emotions."

Kael motioned for Lyra to step closer.

She obeyed.

"You nearly died yesterday."

She nodded.

"I know."

"If Jer hadn't reached you first..."

He didn't finish the sentence.

He didn't need to.

Lyra lowered her eyes.

"I know."

Kael's voice remained calm.

"I won't allow that to happen again."

She looked up.

"You can't protect me every second."

"No."

"Which is why you'll learn to protect yourself."

Lyra hesitated.

"I've never fought anyone."

"You don't need experience."

"You need discipline."

"I don't even know where to begin."

"You begin today."

The surrounding warriors slowly gathered around the training ring.

Not close enough to interfere.

Close enough to watch.

News spread quickly through Blackthorn.

Everyone wanted to see the mysterious girl chosen by the Moon Goddess.

Jer scratched the back of his neck.

"They're making her nervous."

"They're curious," Rowan replied.

"Same difference."

Kael stepped backward.

"Tell me."

"What do you know about fighting?"

Lyra answered honestly.

"Nothing."

"What do you know about your wolf?"

She frowned.

"My wolf?"

"Yes."

"I..."

She hesitated.

"I've never seen it."

Silence.

Kael stared at her.

Jer stopped smiling.

Even Rowan looked surprised.

"What do you mean?" Kael asked quietly.

Lyra swallowed.

"I've never shifted."

The words hung in the air.

No one moved.

A nearby warrior actually lowered his training gloves in disbelief.

Jer laughed once.

Then realized she wasn't joking.

His smile disappeared.

"Wait..."

"You've never shifted?"

Lyra slowly shook her head.

"I thought maybe..."

She looked around uncertainly.

"...it happened later for some people."

Nobody answered.

Because everyone knew the truth.

Every werewolf experienced their first shift years before adulthood.

Some at thirteen.

Others at fifteen.

Nineteen...

Was unheard of.

Kael studied her face carefully.

"You've never felt your wolf?"

"No."

"No voice?"

"No."

"No instincts?"

Lyra looked embarrassed.

"Nothing."

The silence became almost unbearable.

Whispers spread around the training grounds.

"How is that possible?"

"She's nineteen."

"She should've shifted years ago."

"Is she even..."

The speaker stopped before finishing the sentence.

Kael's sharp gaze swept toward the watching warriors.

Instantly, every whisper died.

He looked back at Lyra.

"You aren't lying."

It wasn't a question.

She shook her head.

"I wish I were."

For the first time since meeting her...

Kael looked genuinely unsettled.

The Moon Goddess had chosen her.

The Royal Moon Crest had awakened.

The mate bond existed.

Yet...

She had no wolf.

None of it made sense.

Rowan stepped closer.

"My Alpha..."

Kael raised one hand.

Not now.

Rowan fell silent.

Kael turned back to Lyra.

"We're changing today's lesson."

She blinked.

"We are?"

"You can't learn to fight as a wolf..."

"...until we understand why your wolf has never answered your call."

Across the courtyard, several elders had quietly arrived without anyone noticing.

They exchanged worried looks.

One whispered,

"This has never happened before."

Another replied,

"Not in recorded history."

None of them noticed the cloaked servant watching from beneath the archway.

The servant lowered his head just enough to hide a faint smile.

Then...

Without making a sound...

He disappeared into the Keep.

The whispers followed Lyra long after the training session ended.

She kept her head lowered as Kael led her away from the crowded training grounds.

She could still hear fragments of the conversations behind them.

"She's never shifted?"

"Impossible..."

"Then how could she carry the Royal Moon Crest?"

"The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes."

Each word felt heavier than the last.

Lyra wrapped her arms around herself.

"I'm sorry."

Kael stopped walking.

He turned to face her.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"For embarrassing you."

A faint crease appeared between his brows.

"You didn't."

"They were all staring."

"They were staring because they were surprised."

"They think something's wrong with me."

Kael was silent for a moment.

Then he said quietly,

"They think something they don't understand has happened."

"There's a difference."

Lyra wasn't convinced.

"There isn't to me."

For the first time, Kael noticed how small she looked standing in the middle of the enormous courtyard.

She had faced assassins.

She had stood before the Council.

Yet the whispers of strangers hurt her more than either of those things.

He spoke more gently than usual.

"We'll find the answer."

She searched his face.

"You really believe that?"

"I don't deal in beliefs."

"I deal in facts."

"And the fact is..."

"No mystery stays buried forever."

His words eased the tightness in her chest, if only a little.

Meanwhile...

High above the training grounds, Rowan stood with Jer on one of the watchtowers.

Jer leaned against the stone wall.

"So..."

"What do you think?"

Rowan kept watching Kael and Lyra crossing the courtyard below.

"I think something was hidden."

"By who?"

"I don't know."

Jer frowned.

"You think someone knew she couldn't shift?"

"I think someone has known far more about that girl than they've admitted."

Jer folded his arms.

"I don't like mysteries."

"You don't like thinking."

"I was trying to sound intelligent."

Rowan almost smiled.

"Keep practicing."

Jer sighed dramatically.

"I miss yesterday."

"Yesterday an assassin nearly killed us."

"I know."

"It was somehow less confusing."

Inside the Council Hall...

Lord Cedric paced slowly before the other elders.

"This changes everything."

One councilor nodded.

"A Royal Heir without a wolf."

"Have any of you heard of such a thing?"

The oldest elder slowly shook his head.

"Never."

Another councilor spoke.

"Perhaps she isn't the Royal Heir after all."

Cedric stopped walking.

"And the Moon Crest?"

"The mate bond?"

"The Moon Temple?"

"No."

He looked around the room.

"She is connected to the prophecy."

"The question is..."

"...why hasn't it awakened?"

Silence answered him.

Elsewhere in the Keep...

Lady Selene stood alone beside her window.

She had watched the entire training session from a distance.

Her hands trembled.

"So..."

"It has finally happened."

A quiet voice answered from behind her.

"You expected this."

Lady Miriam stepped into the room.

Selene nodded slowly.

"I prayed I was wrong."

"But you weren't."

"No."

Tears gathered in Selene's eyes.

"The seal is still holding."

Miriam's expression changed.

"Then there's still time."

Selene looked toward the distant mountains.

"Not much."

Later that evening...

Kael stood alone in his private study.

The room was lit by only a single lantern.

Maps covered one wall.

Reports from the patrols were stacked across his desk.

Yet he wasn't reading them.

His thoughts remained fixed on Lyra.

A knock came.

"Enter."

Rowan stepped inside.

"The guards have finished questioning everyone."

"Anything?"

"Nothing."

"No sign of another assassin."

"No evidence of another traitor."

Kael nodded.

"They're getting better."

Rowan frowned.

"You expected that answer."

"I expected no answers."

He walked toward the window overlooking Blackthorn Keep.

"The Eclipse Pack didn't risk entering these walls simply to kill Lyra."

"They came to learn something."

"What?"

Kael looked out into the falling snow.

"The same thing we're trying to discover."

"Why she hasn't awakened."

Before Rowan could reply...

A loud howl echoed from beyond the fortress walls.

Both men froze.

It wasn't a warning howl.

It wasn't a patrol signal.

It was a lone wolf.

Calling from somewhere deep within the forest.

One howl.

Then another.

Then silence.

Rowan reached for the window.

"Should I send scouts?"

Kael didn't answer immediately.

His eyes remained fixed on the dark tree line.

Finally, he spoke.

"No."

"They're trying to draw us out."

"The question is..."

He narrowed his eyes.

"...who are they calling?"

Far beyond Blackthorn Keep...

Hidden beneath the snow-covered forest...

A hooded figure stood before a circle of black-robed wolves.

The leader knelt beside an ancient stone altar.

Fresh claw marks covered its surface.

"The Royal Heir has not awakened," one of the wolves reported.

The leader nodded.

"As expected."

"And the Alpha?"

"He grows more protective each day."

A slow smile appeared beneath the leader's hood.

"Good."

"Love clouds judgment."

The others lowered their heads.

"The Blood Moon draws closer."

"So does her awakening."

The leader placed one hand on the ancient altar.

"When the seal finally breaks..."

"No Alpha."

"No Pack."

"Not even the Moon Goddess herself..."

"...will stop what has already begun."

A sudden gust of icy wind swept through the forest.

Far away...

Inside Blackthorn Keep...

Lyra awoke with a sharp gasp.

She pressed a hand against the back of her neck.

The Royal Moon Crest burned hotter than ever before.

And for the first time...

She heard it.

A distant wolf's howl.

Not from outside the Keep.

But from somewhere...

Deep inside herself.