The pain in my head didn't fade immediately.
It lingered—like something was forcing its way through a locked door inside my mind.
Fragments.
Voices.
Fear.
I held onto the Alpha King as my breathing slowly steadied, but my heart refused to calm down.
"I saw them," I whispered.
His grip on my shoulders tightened slightly.
"Who?"
I swallowed hard.
"A woman… she was holding me. Crying. She told someone to run… to protect me."
My voice trembled as I tried to piece it together.
"And then… there was a man."
The moment I said that, something dark flickered in the Alpha King's eyes.
"What kind of man?" he asked.
I hesitated.
Because even remembering him made my chest feel tight.
"His voice…" I said slowly, "it didn't sound normal. It was like—like it carried power."
A pause.
"Authority."
Silence fell between us.
Heavy.
Tense.
The Alpha King looked away briefly, his jaw clenched.
Like he already knew.
Or at least… suspected.
"Say it," I pressed. "You know something."
He exhaled slowly, then met my gaze again.
"There is only one kind of being whose voice alone can carry that level of authority over wolves."
My heartbeat quickened.
"An Alpha?" I guessed.
He shook his head.
"Not just any Alpha."
A pause.
His voice dropped lower.
"An Alpha… who once stood above even Kings."
My stomach dropped.
"…What?"
"There was another title before mine," he continued. "Before the current order of Alphas… before packs were divided and ruled the way they are now."
I felt like the ground beneath me was shifting again.
"What title?"
He held my gaze.
"The Sovereign."
The word echoed strangely in my mind.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Dangerous.
"The Sovereign was the only one capable of rivaling the Royal Bloodline," he said. "Not by birth… but by force."
A chill ran down my spine.
"You think… that's who it was?"
"I don't think," he replied quietly.
"I fear."
My throat went dry.
"But the Sovereign disappeared generations ago," he added. "Some believed he died. Others believed he was sealed away."
A bitter edge slipped into his voice.
"Or… that he was waiting."
Waiting.
For what?
"For me?" I whispered.
His silence answered everything.
I stepped back slightly, shaking my head.
"No… no, that doesn't make sense. Why would someone like that come after a child?"
"Because of what you are," he said firmly.
"Or more importantly… what you could become."
My wolf stirred uneasily inside me.
"He's not the only one," she murmured.
I froze.
"What do you mean?" I asked her silently.
But she didn't respond.
The Alpha King noticed my expression.
"What is it?"
"My wolf…" I said slowly. "She said… he's not the only one."
That got his full attention.
Before he could respond—
Footsteps approached rapidly.
"My King!"
One of the warriors rushed toward us, stopping a few feet away.
"There's something you need to see."
The Alpha King's expression hardened instantly.
"What is it?"
"We found one of the bodies… from the attackers."
"And?"
The warrior hesitated.
Then—
"It didn't disappear."
That alone was enough to shift the air.
"Take us there," the Alpha King ordered.
We moved quickly, tension rising with every step.
When we arrived…
I understood why.
The creature's body lay on the ground, twisted and unnatural.
But this time—it hadn't dissolved into shadows like the others.
It remained.
Solid.
Real.
And something about that made it even more terrifying.
"Stay behind me," the Alpha King said instinctively.
"I'm not fragile," I replied, stepping beside him instead.
His lips twitched slightly—almost like he approved.
But his focus quickly returned to the body.
"Something's different," he muttered.
One of the elders stepped forward cautiously.
"This is not a rogue… and not a wolf."
"Then what is it?" I asked.
The elder knelt beside the body, examining it closely.
Then—
He froze.
"My King…" he said slowly.
"You need to see this."
The Alpha King stepped forward.
I followed anyway.
On the creature's chest…
There was a mark.
Burned into its skin.
The moment I saw it—
My breath caught.
Because somehow…
I recognized it.
A strange symbol.
Ancient.
Dark.
Powerful.
And worst of all…
It felt familiar.
"What is that?" I whispered.
The Alpha King's entire body went still.
"I was right," he said quietly.
My heart pounded.
"Right about what?"
He looked at me.
And for the first time since I met him…
There was something close to anger in his eyes.
"This isn't just an attack," he said.
"It's a message."
My stomach twisted.
"From who?" I asked, even though I already feared the answer.
He didn't look away this time.
"From the one who sealed you."
The world seemed to tilt.
"Why now?" I whispered.
"Because you've awakened," he replied.
That made sense.
Too much sense.
"They felt it," he continued. "The moment your power broke free… it sent a signal."
"So now they're coming for me," I said.
"Yes."
A heavy silence followed.
Then I clenched my fists.
"Good."
The Alpha King blinked slightly.
"If they've been hunting me my whole life…" I continued, my voice gaining strength, "then I'm done running."
My wolf growled in agreement.
"We hunt back."
A slow, dangerous smile formed on the Alpha King's lips.
"That's the spirit of a true ruler," he said.
I met his gaze, unflinching.
"But I need to know everything," I added. "No more secrets."
He nodded once.
"Then be ready," he said.
"Because the truth… will change how you see everyone."
A pause.
His voice dropped lower.
"Even me."
My heart skipped.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
But before he could answer—
A sudden surge of energy pulsed through the air.
Everyone froze.
I felt it instantly.
That same presence from my vision.
Dark.
Overwhelming.
Watching.
And then—
A voice echoed in my mind.
Cold.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
"So… you finally woke up."
My body went rigid.
The Alpha King stepped closer to me.
"What is it?"
I didn't take my eyes off the darkness ahead.
Because I knew.
"He's here," I whispered.
A low chuckle filled my head.
"Not yet…"
The voice lingered.
"But soon."
A pause.
"And when I arrive…"
My heart pounded violently.
"You will remember everything."
The presence vanished.
Just like that.
But the fear it left behind?
That stayed.
I looked at the Alpha King slowly.
"He's coming," I said.
And this time—
There was no doubt.
War wasn't approaching anymore.
It had already begun.