THE SHADOW BLOODLINE
The forest had gone completely silent.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
The Alpha King's hand tightened slightly around the rogue's throat as the man's words echoed in the air.
The last heir of the Shadow Bloodline.
For the first time since Aria had met him, the Alpha King's expression changed.
Not fear.
But shock.
His golden eyes flickered toward Aria.
Aria felt her stomach twist.
"I... I don't understand," she whispered.
The rogue laughed weakly, though the Alpha King's grip was still crushing his throat.
"Of course you don't," he rasped.
"You were hidden... protected..."
His red eyes glowed brighter as they fixed on her.
"But blood like yours can never stay hidden forever."
Aria's wolf growled inside her mind.
He's telling the truth.
Aria's heart skipped.
"What is the Shadow Bloodline?" she asked silently.
Her wolf was quiet for a moment.
Then it answered slowly.
Ancient wolves.
The Alpha King spoke at the same time.
"Explain," he ordered coldly.
The rogue coughed slightly.
"You know exactly what it is... Alpha King."
The Alpha King's jaw tightened.
"Yes," he said quietly.
"But she clearly doesn't."
Aria looked between the two men, confusion filling her chest.
"You both know something," she said nervously. "What are you talking about?"
The rogue smiled again despite the blood on his lips.
"Your ancestors," he said.
"They were not ordinary wolves."
Aria shook her head.
"My parents were ordinary pack members."
The rogue laughed.
"That's what you were told."
The Alpha King's grip tightened again.
"Stop playing games."
The rogue winced slightly but continued.
"Thousands of years ago," he rasped, "before the werewolf kingdom was divided into packs... there was one bloodline feared by all others."
Aria felt a strange chill crawl up her spine.
"The Shadow Bloodline."
Her wolf stirred again.
The strongest wolves.
The rogue nodded slowly, as if he could somehow hear the same truth.
"They were born with power that other wolves couldn't understand," he said.
"Strength... speed... instincts..."
His glowing red eyes burned intensely.
"And something even rarer."
Aria swallowed nervously.
"What?"
The rogue's smile widened.
"They could command wolves."
A heavy silence fell over the forest.
Aria blinked.
"That's impossible."
But the Alpha King didn't say a word.
Which made the silence even more terrifying.
Aria looked up at him.
"You don't think that's real, do you?"
His golden eyes slowly met hers.
"It is real."
Her heart dropped.
The rogue chuckled again.
"The Shadow Bloodline once ruled the werewolf world."
"But the other Alphas feared them."
"So they were hunted."
Aria's chest tightened.
"Hunted?"
The rogue nodded.
"Nearly wiped out."
The Alpha King's voice was quiet.
"The last known members disappeared centuries ago."
The rogue's red eyes gleamed.
"Until now."
His gaze slowly moved back to Aria.
"You."
Aria shook her head again.
"No... this can't be right."
But inside her mind, her wolf spoke softly.
It explains everything.
"What do you mean?"
Why we woke up late.
Aria's breath caught.
The rogue suddenly laughed louder.
"You feel it, don't you?"
Aria froze.
"The power waking up inside you."
The Alpha King's expression darkened.
"That's enough."
Without another word, he tightened his grip.
The rogue's body went still instantly.
Unconscious.
Or worse.
The Alpha King dropped the body to the ground without another glance.
Then he turned to Aria.
The forest felt colder now.
More dangerous.
"You should not have learned about this tonight," he said quietly.
Aria's chest tightened again.
"But it's true, isn't it?"
The Alpha King didn't answer immediately.
His golden eyes studied her carefully.
As if seeing her differently now.
Finally, he spoke.
"Yes."
Aria felt the ground shift beneath her feet.
"So... people will come after me?"
The Alpha King's voice was calm.
"They already are."
Before Aria could respond-
Her wolf suddenly growled loudly inside her mind.
More coming.
Aria's head snapped up.
"What?"
The Alpha King sensed it too.
His eyes turned sharply toward the dark forest around them.
The wind carried a new scent now.
Not one.
Not two.
Many.
His expression hardened.
"They found us faster than I expected."
Aria's heart pounded.
"How many?"
The Alpha King's golden eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
Then he said quietly-
"At least twenty." ????