The courtyard fell into stunned silence.
No one moved.
No one even breathed.
The man in black armor stood amid the broken castle gates, crimson eyes fixed on Aria.
“…Princess.” The single word echoed through her mind.
Aria shook her head.
“You have the wrong person.” The stranger smiled.
“Do I?” Kael stepped forward, placing himself between them.
“You will not speak another word to her.” The man’s laughter rang across the courtyard.
“The mighty Lycan King.” “I wondered how long it would take before you stood in my way.” Kael’s golden eyes blazed.
“You know who I am.” “Oh, I know much more than your name.” The stranger slowly drew his sword.
“I know every battle you’ve fought.” “Every kingdom you’ve conquered.” “And every promise you’ve broken.” The courtyard grew colder.
Kael’s expression darkened.
“We’ve met before.” “We have.” “But you don’t remember.” Aria looked from one man to the other.
“What is happening?” No one answered.
The High Priestess slowly approached, trembling.
“My King…” Kael never took his eyes off the stranger.
“Take Aria inside.” “No!” Aria protested.
“I’m tired of people deciding things for me.” She stepped around Kael until she stood beside him.
“If this man knows who I am…” “I deserve to hear it.” The stranger’s smile widened.
“There she is.” “The daughter of a queen.” “The courage was always in your blood.” Aria’s heart pounded.
“My mother…” “What about her?” The stranger tilted his head.
“She cried your name every day.” Kael’s voice thundered through the courtyard.
“Enough!” A wave of golden power exploded from his body.
The force cracked the marble beneath his feet.
Every warrior staggered backward.
Every banner whipped wildly in the wind.
Only the stranger remained standing.
He looked almost amused.
“So…” “Your strength has grown.” Kael narrowed his eyes.
“So has yours.” Hidden among the crowd, Rowan quietly signaled the royal archers.
Without a sound, fifty bows were raised.
The stranger noticed.
“You really think arrows can stop me?” He snapped his fingers.
Black mist erupted around him.
The archers fired.
Hundreds of arrows sliced through the air.
The mist swallowed every one of them.
When it faded…
The stranger hadn’t moved.
Not a single arrow had touched him.
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
“Impossible…” Aria felt her pendant grow warm.
Again.
The silver wolf pendant pulsed against her chest.
The stranger noticed immediately.
“There it is.” “The Queen’s Heart.” Before Aria could react, he lunged toward her.
Kael moved faster.
Steel clashed against steel.
The sound rang through the kingdom.
Golden eyes met crimson.
Power shook the earth beneath them.
The first strike alone shattered nearby statues.
The second split the marble courtyard.
By the third…
The castle windows exploded.
Kael pushed the stranger back several steps.
Neither man looked injured.
Neither looked tired.
They stared at each other like warriors who had been waiting centuries for this moment.
“You’ve become stronger,” the stranger admitted.
Kael lifted his sword.
“I had to.” “Because I knew one day…” “You would return.” The stranger laughed.
“And yet…” “You still failed to protect her.” His crimson gaze shifted to Aria.
“You’ve spent your whole life searching for your future.” “But the truth…” He pointed toward the silver pendant around her neck.
“…has been hanging around your neck since the day you were born.” Before anyone could stop him, he slammed one hand against the ground.
A circle of black flames erupted between him and the royal guards.
Smoke swallowed the courtyard.
By the time the flames disappeared…
He was gone.
Only one thing remained.
A single black rose.
Pinned to its stem was a folded piece of parchment.
Kael picked it up.
His expression changed the moment he read the message.
Rowan frowned.
“My King?” Kael slowly closed his hand around the parchment.
His voice was barely a whisper.
“He knows.” “He knows where her parents are.”