The Alpha’s Lost Heir

Rain had followed Elena Rivers for nearly six hours.

By the time the forest road came into view, the hem of her coat was soaked with mud, her shoes were heavy with water, and every step seemed to remind her that turning back would be easier than continuing.

But she kept walking.

Three days earlier, she had still believed her life was ordinary.

She had lived with Selene for as long as she could remember in a quiet town far from the territories controlled by the werewolf packs. Their house had never been luxurious, but it had always felt safe. Selene had raised her, taught her how to defend herself, and answered almost every question Elena had ever asked.

Almost.

Whenever Elena asked about her parents, Selene became unusually quiet. If Elena pressed too hard, she would change the subject or tell her that some parts of the past were better left alone.

Elena had never understood why.

Now she was beginning to realize that Selene had not been protecting the past.

She had been protecting Elena from it.

Three days ago, Elena had returned home from the market and immediately noticed that something was wrong. Selene's favorite cup was still beside the kitchen sink. Her gardening gloves were lying on the back porch, exactly where she had left them. Even the old blue shawl Selene wore every evening was hanging over the back of her chair.

Everything looked normal.

Except Selene was gone.

At first, Elena had convinced herself that Selene had simply gone somewhere without telling her. She waited through the afternoon, then the evening. When night came, worry replaced patience.

By morning, Elena was searching everywhere.

No one had seen Selene.

There had been no phone call.

No explanation.

Only a letter.

Elena had found it on the kitchen table beneath a small silver pendant that Selene had given her when she was a child.

The letter contained only three instructions.

If you want to know who you really are, go to Black Moon.

Ask about the child who disappeared eighteen years ago.

And whatever happens, do not trust the Alpha.

Elena had read those words so many times that they had become impossible to forget.

She had spent the last three days wondering what they meant.

Now, standing in the middle of a dark forest with rain running down her face, she finally understood that she had run out of questions she could answer alone.

She reached beneath her coat and touched the silver pendant.

"Why did you send me here, Selene?"

The forest gave her no answer.

A howl sounded somewhere in the distance.

Elena stopped walking.

Another howl followed, closer this time.

She slowly looked around.

The forest suddenly felt different. The trees seemed taller. The darkness between them seemed deeper.

Then she saw the sign.

BLACK MOON PACK — AUTHORIZED ENTRY ONLY.

Elena stared at it.

For years, she had heard stories about Black Moon. It was one of the oldest and most powerful werewolf packs in the region, ruled by a family whose name carried enough influence to make other Alphas cautious.

And now she was standing at its border.

She took a breath and stepped forward.

"Elena Rivers."

A voice came from behind her.

She turned.

Two men had stepped out from between the trees. Both wore dark uniforms bearing the Black Moon emblem, and both watched her carefully.

"Stop there."

Elena raised her hands slightly.

"I mean no trouble."

"Name?"

"Elena Rivers."

The older guard's expression changed.

"Rivers?"

"Yes."

He looked at his companion.

It was only a brief glance, but Elena noticed it.

"Why are you here?"

"I need to speak with the Alpha."

The younger guard frowned. "The Alpha?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Elena hesitated.

She had repeated the answer to herself during the entire journey, yet saying it aloud suddenly made everything feel more dangerous.

"Selene Rivers sent me."

The two guards went completely silent.

The older man's hand moved toward the communication device attached to his belt.

"When did you last see Selene?"

"Three days ago."

"Where is she now?"

"I don't know."

His eyes narrowed.

"What did she tell you?"

Elena pulled the folded letter from her coat.

"She told me to come to Black Moon."

The guard read the letter without touching it.

Then he looked at her again.

"You're coming with us."

"Am I under arrest?"

"No."

His expression remained serious.

"But the Alpha needs to see you."

The walk through Black Moon territory was strangely quiet.

Elena expected to see more people, but most of the settlement appeared asleep. A few warriors stood near the paths, watching the forest instead of speaking to one another.

Beyond the trees stood a large stone residence with tall windows glowing warmly against the darkness.

The Alpha's residence.

Elena's hand tightened around the pendant beneath her coat.

Do not trust the Alpha.

Selene's warning returned to her mind.

For the first time since leaving home, Elena wondered whether coming here had been a mistake.

Then she remembered the empty house.

She remembered the letter.

Most of all, she remembered the years she had spent wondering who she really was.

She continued forward.

Inside the residence, the guards led her into a wide entrance hall. Several people were gathered there, but conversations slowly died when they noticed her.

Elena felt their eyes following her.

Then the doors at the far end opened.

A man walked into the hall.

He was tall, athletic, and dressed in dark clothing. His dark hair was slightly damp, and his gray eyes moved across the room with the calm authority of someone who did not need to raise his voice to command attention.

Elena knew immediately who he was.

Adrian Vale.

Alpha of Black Moon.

His eyes stopped on her.

"Everyone out."

The room emptied almost immediately.

One man remained.

He was slightly older than Adrian, with brown hair and a calm expression.

"Marcus," Adrian said.

The man nodded.

"I'm staying."

Adrian looked back at Elena.

"You wanted to speak with me."

"Yes."

"Why?"

Elena removed the letter from her coat and held it out.

"Selene sent me."

Adrian took the paper.

His eyes moved slowly across the words.

When he reached the final sentence, something changed in his expression.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"When did you last see her?"

"Three days ago."

"What happened?"

"She disappeared."

Marcus exchanged a glance with Adrian.

Elena noticed.

"I searched for her," she continued. "There was no sign of where she went. Then I found that letter."

Adrian folded it carefully.

"What did Selene tell you about Black Moon?"

"Almost nothing."

"Nothing?"

"She never talked about this place."

Adrian studied her face.

"Then why would she send you here?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Adrian's eyes dropped toward Elena's chest.

"That pendant."

Elena instinctively covered it.

"What about it?"

"Where did you get it?"

"Selene gave it to me."

"How long have you had it?"

"Since I was a child."

Adrian's expression hardened.

"Let me see it."

Elena hesitated.

Selene had given her one warning.

Don't trust the Alpha.

But Elena had not traveled all this way to turn away from answers.

She removed the pendant and placed it in his hand.

The moment Adrian touched the silver, Elena felt a strange warmth spread through her chest.

Her breath caught.

For a fraction of a second, the room disappeared.

She saw rain.

A woman running through a forest.

A baby crying.

Then a frightened voice whispered through the darkness.

"Keep her safe."

Elena pulled back suddenly.

The vision vanished.

Adrian was staring at the pendant.

Marcus stepped closer.

"What is it?"

Adrian turned the pendant over.

A small crescent moon had been engraved into the back.

"Where did Selene get this?" he asked.

"I don't know."

Adrian looked at Elena again.

Before he could say anything else, hurried footsteps sounded from the corridor.

A warrior entered carrying an old wooden box.

"Alpha."

Adrian turned.

"What happened?"

"We found this in the eastern archives. It was hidden behind some old records."

The warrior placed the box on the table.

Elena felt an unexpected chill.

Something about the box seemed familiar.

She stepped closer.

Dust covered the wooden surface, but there was writing on the lid.

Elena's heart stopped.

She stared at the faded letters.

ELENA RIVERS.

"My name," she whispered.

Marcus moved beside her.

Adrian said nothing.

Elena slowly reached toward the box.

Before her fingers could touch it, the pendant around her neck grew warm again.

Another memory flashed through her mind.

A woman holding a baby.

Rain beating against a window.

A man's voice filled with fear.

"The child cannot stay here."

Then the woman's voice answered.

"Then I'll take her somewhere they will never find her."

Elena's hand froze above the box.

She looked at Adrian.

"What is happening to me?"

Adrian's expression had become unreadable.

"I don't know."

It was the first answer he had given her that sounded completely honest.

Elena looked back at the box.

Her name had been written on it eighteen years ago.

Eighteen years.

The same number written in Selene's letter.

A terrible thought slowly formed in her mind.

The child who disappeared eighteen years ago.

The pendant.

Selene.

The box.

And her own name.

They could not all be coincidences.

Elena swallowed.

"Adrian..."

He looked at her.

"Who was the child that disappeared?"

For the first time since she had entered Black Moon, the Alpha looked genuinely unsettled.

Before he could answer, the lights in the hall flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then went out.

In the darkness, something moved near the window.

And a voice whispered from somewhere beyond the glass.

"She was never supposed to come back."

For several seconds, nobody moved.

The hall remained dark, with only the faint light of the storm outside filtering through the tall windows. Elena could hear the rain striking the glass, but beneath that sound was something else.

A quiet movement.

Someone was still in the room.

Adrian reacted first.

"Stay behind me."

His voice was calm, but Elena could hear the warning beneath it.

She stepped back as Adrian moved toward the window. Marcus immediately followed, scanning the room.

"Did you see anyone?" Marcus asked.

"No," Elena replied.

Adrian reached the window and pulled the curtain aside.

Nothing.

Only the dark forest beyond the residence and rain running down the glass.

Then the lights suddenly returned.

Elena looked toward the table.

The wooden box was still there.

So was her name.

She walked closer, unable to stop herself.

ELENA RIVERS.

The f