Chapter 5 After the Storm

The smell of smoke clung to the wind like an omen.

Eva stood at the highest watchtower, her hands clenched around the cold railing, eyes fixed on the distant forest where flames had licked the sky only hours before. The battle had come like thunder-fast, ruthless, and devastating. And now, all that remained was the silence afterward, thick with questions, with regrets.

Bodies had been carried in through the gates since dawn. Soldiers-Kael's soldiers. Men who had sworn loyalty to the Phoenix Crest. Some of them barely older than boys.

She had seen them-torn, burned, lifeless.

And she had wanted to scream.

Behind her, the heavy door creaked open.

Kael.

His silhouette was worn. Blood stained the edges of his tunic, his jaw taut with exhaustion. Yet he stood tall. Unbroken. A king forged in fire.

"Eva."

She turned slowly, meeting his gaze. His eyes softened at the sight of her. She was covered in soot, her cloak torn, a cut lining her cheek. But she was alive.

They both were.

"Any word from the eastern ridge?" she asked.

Kael stepped closer. "We held them off. For now. Roen underestimated us."

"And the cost?"

His silence was answer enough.

Eva looked away. "There will be more."

"Yes."

"You can't stop him alone."

Kael came to stand beside her, the valley stretching below them, scarred and still.

"You're right," he said finally. "But I'm not alone, am I?"

It wasn't a question. It was a vow.

Eva breathed in. "I told you-I won't be caged again."

"And I told you-I won't let you be."

For a moment, nothing passed between them but the wind, carrying with it the scent of ash and pine. Then Kael touched her hand. Gently. Grounding.

"I need to show you something."

---

He led her through the lower tunnels of the castle-a part she'd never seen before. The air was colder here, denser. The walls were carved with ancient symbols, glowing faintly with forgotten magic.

Eva paused at a heavy iron door. "What is this?"

Kael's expression turned grave. "My father's vault. Before he died, he warned me never to open it unless the kingdom was on the brink."

"And it is now?"

Kael nodded. "Roen's war is only the beginning. There's something darker moving. I've seen it in the way the wolves howl. In the dreams."

Eva's heart quickened. "Dreams?"

Kael hesitated. Then he pushed open the door.

Inside, the room was lined with relics, scrolls, and blades. But at its center stood a pedestal. Upon it lay a dagger-its hilt carved with runes that pulsed softly, as though alive.

Kael approached it. "This belonged to the first Alpha of our bloodline. It's said to carry not just power-but a curse."

Eva stepped forward. "What kind of curse?"

Kael's jaw tightened. "The kind that demands sacrifice for protection."

Her throat dried. "Sacrifice?"

Before Kael could answer, a sudden crash echoed from above.

The ground trembled.

They were under attack.

Again.

---

Chaos reigned as the castle erupted into alarms. Roen's second wave had come-hidden in the shadows of night. Saboteurs, cloaked and silent, had breached the outer walls.

Eva fought beside Kael now, a blade in her hand and fury in her heart. Every clash of steel was a scream against the past, every parried blow a denial of fate.

She wasn't the helpless girl from before. Not anymore.

She drove her dagger into a soldier's side, spun, and took down another. Around her, Kael moved like a storm, brutal and precise. They fought back to back, rhythm in their rage.

But it wasn't enough.

The enemy was pouring in.

And then-

A howl tore through the night.

Low. Primal. Familiar.

Eva froze.

That howl-

She turned just as a figure leapt from the rooftop, landing before her in a crouch. The moonlight caught the face.

"Luca?"

Her brother.

Alive.

But his eyes were wrong-wild, glowing with an unnatural light.

"Eva," he rasped. "Run."

Then he turned-and attacked Kael.

---