Chapter 9
For a moment, Kael Vaughn could not move.
The clearing was empty.
The golden light had vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving only the wreckage behind.
And Ariana Sinclair was gone.
His wolf erupted inside him instantly.
Find her.
The command tore through every nerve in his body like fire.
Kael turned sharply, scanning the ruined clearing. Broken branches and splintered trees littered the ground. The air still hummed faintly with the remnants of Ariana's power, as if the earth itself had not yet recovered from the explosion.
Hunters were slowly rising to their feet after being thrown by the shockwave. Some looked stunned. Others frightened.
But Ariana was nowhere.
His chest tightened painfully.
"No," he said quietly.
The winged guardian stepped forward, its silver eyes studying the empty space where Ariana had been floating only seconds ago.
"She's not here anymore."
Kael's golden eyes snapped toward it.
"You think I can't see that?"
Cassian brushed dirt from his coat with slow, casual movements, looking completely unfazed by the chaos around them.
"Well," the vampire lord said calmly, glancing at the destruction.
"That was dramatic."
Kael ignored him.
His entire focus was locked on the empty space where Ariana had vanished.
"Where did they take her?"
The guardian's wings shifted uneasily.
"They didn't take her by force."
Kael's patience snapped.
"Then explain it."
The guardian studied him carefully, as if weighing how much truth to reveal.
"She was summoned."
The word echoed across the clearing.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Kael frowned.
"Summoned?"
"Yes."
The guardian gestured toward the cracked earth where Ariana had stood.
"The Fifth Blood responds to ancient calls."
Cassian raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, that old legend."
Kael's gaze hardened.
"Stop speaking in riddles."
The guardian sighed softly.
"The ones who took her are older than the council."
The High Alpha stepped forward then, his icy blue eyes sharp and calculating.
"That bloodline was destroyed centuries ago."
The guardian shook its head slowly.
"No."
"They simply disappeared."
Cassian smirked faintly.
"Hiding for a few hundred years."
"How polite."
Kael stepped closer, his presence radiating quiet danger.
"Who are they?"
The guardian's voice dropped, almost reverent.
"The First Bloodline."
The words hung in the air like distant thunder.
Even the High Alpha stiffened slightly.
"That's impossible," he said flatly.
"They were wiped out."
"They allowed the council to believe that," the guardian replied.
Kael felt his wolf growl deep in his chest.
The First Bloodline.
Older than the council.
Older than wolves.
Older than vampires.
And somehow, they had taken Ariana.
"Why take her?" he demanded.
Cassian answered this time.
"Because she isn't just the Fifth Blood anymore."
He gestured lazily toward the sky where Ariana's golden power had exploded moments earlier.
"She awakened as the Sovereign."
The word echoed through the clearing again.
Kael's jaw tightened.
"I don't care what title she has."
He turned toward the forest without hesitation.
"I'm getting her back."
The High Alpha stepped in front of him instantly.
"You're not going anywhere."
Kael's eyes flashed dangerously.
"Move."
"You're thinking like a mate again."
"And you're thinking like a coward."
A ripple of tension spread across the clearing.
The High Alpha's expression hardened.
"If you go after the First Bloodline, you will start a war."
Kael didn't blink.
"Then it's already started."
Cassian chuckled softly behind them.
"I admire the dedication."
The guardian stepped forward again, its wings shifting uneasily.
"You don't understand what you're facing."
Kael turned toward it slowly.
"Then explain it."
The guardian's silver eyes darkened.
"The First Bloodline were the original rulers of the supernatural world."
"Before wolves."
"Before vampires."
"Before the council."
Kael felt something cold settle in his stomach.
"And they want Ariana to rule?"
"Yes."
The High Alpha shook his head.
"If they crown her, the council will collapse."
Cassian's smile widened slightly.
"Oh, I hope so."
Kael ignored him completely.
"How do I find them?"
The guardian hesitated.
"You don't."
"That's not an answer."
"Their territory is hidden."
Kael's voice turned sharp.
"Everything leaves a trail."
The guardian studied him more closely now.
"You're serious."
"Yes."
"You would challenge them alone?"
Kael's voice turned deadly calm.
"I won't be alone."
The High Alpha frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Kael didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned toward the dark forest surrounding the clearing.
The night air was still vibrating faintly with the power Ariana had unleashed.
And beneath that,
there was something else.
A faint scent lingering in the air.
Gold.
Ancient.
Familiar.
His wolf locked onto it instantly.
Then Kael lifted his head.
And howled.
The sound ripped through the night like thunder.
It echoed across the mountains.
Through the forests.
Across every territory under his rule.
A call.
A command.
Within seconds,
wolves began answering.
One howl.
Then another.
Then another.
Soon the night was alive with them.
The forest erupted with movement as members of Kael's pack emerged from the shadows.
Eyes glowing.
Bodies tense.
Warriors ready.
Dozens of wolves stepped into the clearing, their attention immediately locking onto their Alpha.
Cassian raised an impressed eyebrow.
"Well," he said softly.
"That escalated quickly."
The High Alpha looked furious.
"You're calling your entire pack into this."
Kael's golden eyes burned with quiet fury.
"Yes."
The guardian's wings shifted again.
"You don't know where the First Bloodline is hiding."
Kael stepped forward slowly.
His wolf's instincts had already locked onto the faint golden trace Ariana had left behind.
"Ariana left a trail," he said quietly.
Cassian blinked.
"She did?"
Kael nodded once.
"The bond."
The guardian's eyes widened slightly.
"You can track her."
Kael's voice dropped to a whisper.
"I can feel her."
The High Alpha stared at him.
"You're risking everything for that girl."
Kael didn't hesitate.
"She's not just a girl."
The pack wolves gathered behind him now.
Silent.
Watchful.
Waiting for the command.
Their Alpha stood at the front, his gaze fixed on the distant mountains rising beyond the forest.
Because somewhere out there—
Ariana Sinclair was waiting.
And whoever had taken her had made a terrible mistake.
Kael's wolf growled deep in his chest.
"Because the moment they touched her…"
His golden eyes burned with quiet fury.
"…they declared war on me."