A POWER NO ONE EXPECTED
The forest had fallen completely silent.
Even the rogues that had been attacking moments ago stopped moving.
Every pair of eyes was now fixed on Aria.
She stood frozen, staring at her hands as if they belonged to someone else.
“I… I didn’t mean to do that,” she whispered.
The rogue wolf she had thrown across the clearing lay crumpled against a tree, unmoving.
Aria’s heart pounded wildly.
What just happened?
Inside her mind, her wolf sounded impressed.
That was you.
Aria shook her head slightly.
“No, that wasn’t me.”
But deep down, she knew the truth.
She had felt it.
The power rising from somewhere deep inside her chest.
The Alpha King slowly shifted back into his human form.
Dark fur disappeared as his body returned to normal, though his golden eyes still glowed faintly with lingering power.
He stared at Aria carefully.
Not with fear.
With fascination.
“You pushed him away without touching him,” he said quietly.
Aria looked at him helplessly.
“I didn’t know I could do that.”
The rogue leader suddenly laughed.
A long, delighted laugh.
“Of course you didn’t,” he said.
“That’s the beauty of it.”
The Alpha King’s gaze turned cold again.
“Explain.”
The rogue wiped a bit of blood from his lip, still smiling.
“The Shadow Bloodline isn’t just stronger than normal wolves,” he said.
“They’re different.”
Aria’s stomach twisted.
“How?”
The rogue gestured lazily toward her.
“You’ve already shown the first sign.”
The Alpha King’s eyes narrowed.
“Energy manipulation.”
The rogue nodded.
“Exactly.”
Aria blinked.
“What does that mean?”
The rogue shrugged.
“It means your power doesn’t just come from your wolf.”
His glowing red eyes gleamed.
“It comes from something deeper.”
Aria felt uneasy.
“That doesn’t sound normal.”
“It isn’t,” the rogue replied cheerfully.
“The Shadow Bloodline once ruled the entire werewolf world because of abilities like that.”
He nodded toward the unconscious wolf Aria had thrown.
“Strength without contact.”
His smile widened.
“And that’s only the beginning.”
Aria felt the heat inside her chest stir again.
Her wolf spoke quietly.
He’s right.
Aria swallowed.
“Only the beginning?”
But before the rogue could answer—
The Alpha King stepped forward.
His presence immediately filled the clearing again.
“Enough talking.”
His voice carried quiet authority.
The rogue sighed.
“You’re no fun.”
Then suddenly—
He whistled sharply.
The remaining rogues instantly began retreating into the forest.
Within seconds, several wolves vanished into the shadows.
Aria blinked in surprise.
“They’re leaving?”
The rogue leader stepped backward slowly.
“Oh, we got what we wanted.”
The Alpha King’s eyes hardened.
“And what exactly was that?”
The rogue smiled.
“Confirmation.”
Aria felt a chill crawl up her spine.
“Confirmation of what?”
The rogue’s glowing red eyes locked onto hers.
“That the rumors were true.”
He turned slightly, preparing to disappear into the forest.
But before leaving, he added one final sentence.
“And now…”
His smile turned dark.
“…the real hunters will start coming.”
The Alpha King’s expression grew dangerously cold.
“You won’t get far.”
The rogue only laughed again.
“We don’t need to.”
Then he stepped backward into the shadows.
And vanished.
The forest became quiet again.
Too quiet.
Aria exhaled slowly.
“That was terrifying.”
The Alpha King looked at her seriously now.
“Yes.”
She blinked.
“That’s not very reassuring.”
But his expression didn’t soften.
Because something had clearly changed.
“You revealed your power tonight,” he said.
Aria’s stomach tightened.
“I didn’t mean to.”
“I know.”
He paused briefly.
“But now the entire werewolf world will hear about it.”
Aria stared at him.
“You mean… more people will come after me?”
The Alpha King nodded.
“Yes.”
Her heart sank.
“How many?”
His golden eyes scanned the dark forest around them.
Then he answered quietly.
“Too many.”
Aria felt panic rising again.
“What do we do?”
For a moment, the Alpha King didn’t answer.
Then his expression hardened with decision.
“We leave immediately.”
“Where?”
“My kingdom.”
Aria blinked.
“The royal territory?”
“Yes.”
She hesitated slightly.
“Is it safe there?”
The Alpha King met her gaze.
“It’s the safest place in the world.”
But inside her mind, her wolf suddenly spoke again.
Low.
Uneasy.
Not anymore.
Aria stiffened.
“What do you mean?”
But her wolf didn’t answer.
Instead, Aria felt another strange sensation.
Like someone far away had just noticed her.
Watching.
Searching.
The Alpha King suddenly looked toward the distant mountains.
His expression darkened.
“They felt it,” he murmured.
Aria’s voice trembled.
“Who?”
The Alpha King’s golden eyes gleamed under the moonlight.
“The Alphas.” ????