The Shadow King's Alpha : The Cursed Bond

[The Great Temple of the Lunar Spirits — The Night]

The Great Temple stood high above the Empire of Qashmar, an ancient sanctuary carved directly into the sacred mountain. Massive white pillars stretched toward the heavens, and silver flames burned endlessly within enormous braziers.

At the very center of the temple...stood a colossal circular platform engraved with countless ancient runes. It was here...that every emperor since the founding of the empire had received the blessing of the First Lunar Spirits.

Tonight it awaited another ruler; one by one, the seven great houses arrived. House Fenrith. House Voss. House Asterion. House Eryndor. House Caldris. House Vaelric and the remaining noble bloodlines that had served the empire for centuries.

Thousands of wolves filled the sacred grounds. Yet no one spoke loudly; even the proudest Alphas lowered their voices because beneath the lunar moon, every wolf was equal before the spirits.

Kael slowly dismounted his horse; the moment his boots touched the sacred stone, "Hng..."

Pain tore through his chest once again; his fingers instinctively pressed against the hidden mark beneath his robes. It burned, far worse than before, as though someone had driven a blade directly through his heart.

"Young Master." Captain Riven immediately stepped beside him. "Are you injured?"

Kael lowered his hand before anyone could notice. "No. It is nothing."

Riven frowned. "Your face has turned pale."

"I’m merely tired."

The lie came effortlessly. Riven clearly did not believe him, but before he could ask another question, "Grand Duke Lior Vaelric has arrived!"

The announcement echoed throughout the temple, and every noble turned as Grand Duke Lior walked calmly through the entrance, dressed in ceremonial robes bearing the crest of House Vaelric.

His expression remained composed; only Kael noticed the exhaustion hidden within his father’s eyes, and their gazes met. For a brief moment Lior’s eyes drifted toward Kael’s chest, and he understood immediately that the pain had already begun.

Grand Duke Lior slowly approached; his voice remained calm. "How bad?"

Kael attempted a smile. "Manageable."

Lior’s jaw tightened. "You don’t need to lie to me."

Silence.

Kael finally answered honestly. "It feels as though my heart is searching for something it cannot reach."

Those words struck Lior harder than any blade as he remembered every word Lytharion had spoken.

"Prepare for your son’s funeral."

His hands clenched beneath his sleeves since he refused to accept that future, not while he still breathed. Lior gently rested a hand upon Kael’s shoulder.

"Stay close to me tonight."

Kael nodded. "Yes, Father."

At the highest point of the temple...High Priest Azrakan stepped onto the sacred platform, and his ancient staff struck the stone once.

BOOM.

The sound echoed across the mountain, and every conversation ceased. The old priest slowly raised both hands toward the silver moon.

"Wolves of Qashmar..." His aged voice carried effortlessly across the enormous temple. "Tonight the First Lunar Spirits bear witness. Tonight the heavens shall remember every oath, every lie, every sin, and every sacrifice."

No one dared interrupt.

Azrakan slowly raised his ancient staff; the silver flames surrounding the temple suddenly blazed higher as his aged voice echoed throughout the sacred mountain.

"The Empire stands without an Emperor; the throne remains empty. Therefore, tonight...the heirs of the Seven Great Houses shall stand before the First Lunar Spirits. They shall be judged, and only one...shall be deemed worthy to carry the Empire."

Silence descended.

Across the temple the heirs of the Great Houses stood proudly.

Cassian Voss. Aeron Fenrith. The heirs of the remaining noble clans, one after another...they straightened their backs. Some smiled, others smirked, as every one of them believed that destiny had chosen them long before tonight.

Azrakan continued, "The throne of Qashmar belongs only to one acknowledged by the Lunar Spirits. One who possesses a destined mate or one whose destined mate has yet to be revealed."

His expression hardened.

"But one abandoned by their destined mate cannot ascend the Imperial Throne."

The words echoed across the temple, then almost instinctively every gaze turned toward Kael Vaelric, standing quietly among House Vaelric, his head lowered and one trembling hand pressed tightly against his chest.

His breathing had become uneven; the burning mark beneath his robes felt as though molten iron had been carved into his flesh. Azrakan slowly looked toward him.

"By the ancient laws acknowledged beneath the First Lunar Moon, Lord Kael Vaelric is not eligible to inherit the Imperial Throne."

Silence.

Everyone who had always envied House Vaelric remained quiet because everyone knew those words were more brutal than any execution.

But Kael barely heard them; the voices around him became distant and muffled as his vision blurred.

"...Hng..."

A painful groan escaped his lips because the mark wasn’t merely burning anymore; it felt as though his very heart was being torn apart.

His knees weakened and his breathing slowed; everything around him began spinning.

"Kael?" Grand Duke Lior immediately noticed."

No response.

Grand Duke Lior’s voice grew louder. "Kael!"

Kael’s amber eyes had lost focus on the temple, the nobles, and the moon; everything dissolved into indistinct shadows as his body slowly swayed.

"...Kael!" Grand Duke Lior reached toward him.

Captain Riven rushed forward from the opposite side. "My Lord!"

Kael could no longer hear them; the unbearable pain finally overwhelmed him, and his body gave way.

And—

GRABBBB—!

Before he could hit the marble floor, a large hand caught him firmly around the waist, and everything stopped.

The wind ceased, the silver flames froze, and even the air itself seemed to hold its breath. Kael’s unconscious body hung limply in the stranger’s grasp. Everyone looked toward the one who had caught him.

A tall man stood beneath the silver moon. Long black robes flowed like living darkness. Raven-black hair danced in the wind; ancient golden eyes, colder than death itself, quietly swept across the temple.

Black mist rolled endlessly around his feet; where it touched the sacred marble, the silver light itself retreated.

The pressure pouring from him was unlike that of an Alpha and unlike that of an Emperor. It was...divine, ancient, and absolute.

High Priest Azrakan’s eyes widened for only a heartbeat. Then he immediately lowered himself onto both knees, his forehead touched the sacred stone, and his voice echoed throughout the temple.

"Greetings to the Lord of Darkness, his Divine Majesty...Lytharion."

The entire temple erupted; every priest immediately knelt, every knight lowered their weapon, and every noble, every Alpha, every servant...fell to their knees.

No one dared remain standing before a deity, not even the heads of the Seven Great Houses.

Silence.

Lytharion did not acknowledge them; his ancient golden eyes remained fixed upon only Kael. He looked over the pale face resting against his arm.

The beads of cold sweat, the trembling lips, and the unnaturally weakened breathing. His gaze slowly shifted to the hand clutching Kael’s chest.

The mark beneath those robes pulsed violently; for the briefest moment, his expression darkened.

"Such a fool."

The word was spoken so quietly that only Kael could have heard it. Lytharion effortlessly lifted Kael into both arms; the unconscious Alpha rested securely against the deity’s chest. Only then did Lytharion finally raise his eyes, and they settled upon Grand Duke Lior.

The Grand Duke immediately stepped forward. "Shadow King—"

Before he could say another word, the pressure exploded and an overwhelming wave of divine aura crashed across the temple.

The sacred pillars trembled; countless nobles collapsed flat against the ground; even veteran Alphas struggled to breathe. Lytharion’s golden eyes glowed like twin suns beneath the lunar moon.

His voice was calm, cold, and absolute; he looked down briefly at the unconscious Kael in his arms. "I am taking my mate."

Grand Duke Lior instinctively stepped forward again.

"No—! Wait—"

Lytharion turned his gaze toward him, and Lior’s body froze where he stood; his instincts screamed to kneel and submit.

The Lord of Darkness spoke only once more as his voice carried the weight of divine law. "If you wish to keep him alive, do not follow me."

Silence.

Beneath the First Lunar Moon...the Lord of Darkness had come personally to claim...what had always belonged to him.

***

[Beneath the Lunar Moon—Later—The Ashkarath Forest—Near the Sacred Pond]

The forest remained silent as the silver moon hung high above, its reflection shimmering across the surface of a crystal-clear pond hidden deep within the Ashkarath Forest.

This was the place where no mortal had permission to enter, the sanctuary of the Lord of Darkness; a swirl of black mist appeared beside the pond.

FOOOOSSHH...

Lytharion emerged from the shadows as Kael remained unconscious in his arms, his breathing shallow, his face frighteningly pale beneath the moonlight; the mark upon his chest still glowed faintly through his robes.

Lytharion looked down at him as his voice remained cold as ever. "How troublesome."

Yet he did not throw him aside. Instead, he walked toward the edge of the pond and sat beneath an ancient willow whose silver branches brushed the water’s surface.

With unexpected care he adjusted Kael’s position, resting the young Alpha against his chest. Then gently he laid Kael across his lap; one arm remained behind Kael’s back, supporting him, and the other rested lightly over the mark hidden beneath his robes.

For several moments nothing happened; the moon reflected perfectly upon the pond. Lytharion lifted his gaze toward the enormous silver moon hanging above as his golden eyes narrowed.

There was no arrogance in them now.

"You’ve punished him long enough."

Silence.

The pond remained perfectly still. Lytharion continued as his fingers unconsciously tightened around Kael’s shoulder. "You wished to remind me...of the vow I abandoned. You have made your point."

The silver moon continued watching, and the breeze gently stirred the willow branches, and then, "...I accept him."

The words echoed softly across the pond as if they were spoken to something far older, to the ancient laws that governed even the gods.

His gaze never left the moon.

"So stop punishing him for my sin."

The moment those words left his lips, the pond rippled, silver light spread gently across the water, the ancient willow rustled despite the absence of wind, and the oppressive aura surrounding Kael slowly weakened.

The black mark upon his chest ceased burning; its crimson glow faded into a calm silver shimmer. Kael’s breathing steadied; the painful frown that had remained on his face for an entire year slowly disappeared.

Lytharion quietly watched him; he made no effort to move Kael away. Instead, his fingers brushed a strand of hair away from Kael’s forehead, his hand paused there, and for just a heartbeat he muttered quietly.

"You are far more fragile than I remembered."

Kael unconsciously shifted in his sleep; his head rested more comfortably against Lytharion’s chest, and his fingers instinctively caught the edge of his robe as though seeking warmth.

Lytharion looked down, and he never removed Kael’s hand. The silence stretched once more, and then a soft black mist curled around them, wrapping them like a cocoon, and Kael’s mark, which looked like a curse, has been softened.

Lytharion glanced down, and the warmth within Kael’s body gradually returned; the violent trembling stopped, and the crushing pain that had tormented him beneath the Lunar Moon...vanished as though it had never existed.

For the first time since the Lunar Covenant, the abandoned mate finally slept peacefully, and beneath the endless silver moon, the Lord of Darkness remained seated beside the sacred pond...holding his mate in absolute silence.

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