Chapter 97 THE KEEPERS OF THE FIRST BLOOD
Chapter 97 THE KEEPERS OF THE FIRST BLOOD
Dawn broke over Blue Moon, but Ciara had not slept again.
She remained seated outside her cabin, watching the first light spill across the clearing.
Levion stepped out moments later, carrying two steaming cups of herbal tea.
He handed one to her.
"You've been awake all night."
Ciara accepted it with a grateful nod.
"I couldn't shake the feeling."
Levion sat beside her.
"Tell me exactly what you felt."
She stared into the rising mist.
"It wasn't like sensing the forest."
She paused.
"It felt... like someone called my name."
Before Levion could reply, the sharp cry of a border hawk echoed across the valley.
Three short calls.
One long.
Zayn emerged from the barracks instantly.
"Visitors."
The guards did not draw their weapons.
The wolves approaching the gates carried no signs of war.
There were six of them.
Five wore long gray cloaks embroidered with silver threads that shimmered in the sunlight.
The sixth walked ahead of them.
He leaned on a carved wooden staff, his long white hair flowing over his shoulders.
Though age had bent his back slightly, his silver eyes were clear and alert.
Every wolf in the clearing instinctively stepped aside as he passed.
Not out of fear.
Out of respect they did not understand.
Jacob frowned.
"I've never seen their crest before."
Neither had Levion.
The old man stopped several paces from Ciara.
For a long moment, he simply looked at her.
Then, with surprising effort, he bowed deeply.
Not the shallow bow offered to royalty.
The full bow reserved for someone held in the highest reverence.
Every wolf watching froze.
The old man spoke without lifting his head.
"We greet the First Blood."
A stunned silence spread across the clearing.
Ciara blinked.
"I think you've mistaken me for someone else."
The old man slowly straightened.
"No."
His eyes glistened with emotion.
"We have searched for you for generations."
Levion stepped forward, positioning himself subtly between Ciara and the strangers.
"Who are you?"
The old man inclined his head respectfully.
"My name is Theron."
"I am the First Keeper."
He rested both hands on the top of his staff.
"We are the Keepers of the First Blood."
Zayn exchanged a wary glance with Jacob.
Neither had ever heard the title.
Ciara looked at Theron carefully.
"What is the First Blood?"
The old man smiled.
"It is not a title."
"It is a lineage."
The clearing remained silent as every wolf listened.
Theron continued.
"Long before there were packs..."
"Long before Alphas ruled..."
"There existed a family chosen to protect the balance between wolves, the land, and the ancient spirits."
"They were not rulers."
"They were guides."
"When the world divided into rival packs, the First Blood disappeared."
He looked directly at Ciara.
"Or so we believed."
Levion folded his arms.
"If they disappeared centuries ago..."
Theron nodded.
"They hid."
"To protect the last child."
Ciara's breath caught.
"The last child?"
Theron's gaze softened.
"Your ancestor."
A murmur spread through the gathered wolves.
Ciara felt the ground shift beneath everything she thought she knew.
"My parents never told me any of this."
"They couldn't."
Theron's expression grew heavy.
"They never knew."
He slowly removed a leather pouch from beneath his cloak.
From it, he drew a small silver pendant.
Its design matched the glowing symbols Ciara had seen inside the ancient cave months before.
As soon as the pendant caught the sunlight—
It glowed.
Softly.
Silvery-white.
Without anyone touching it.
A collective gasp swept through the crowd.
The pendant floated gently from Theron's hands.
It drifted through the air.
And stopped in front of Ciara.
Waiting.
She hesitated.
Levion looked at her.
"I think it's yours."
Slowly, Ciara reached out.
The instant her fingers touched the pendant—
A pulse of white light spread across the clearing.
Not blinding.
Warm.
Every wolf felt it.
The trees swayed though there was no wind.
The birds took flight together.
And somewhere deep beneath the earth...
Something ancient awakened once more.
Theron smiled through tears.
"The First Blood has accepted its heir."
But as the light faded, his smile disappeared.
He looked toward the northern mountains, his face suddenly grave.
"We found you."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"So will those who have hunted your bloodline."
The warmth in the clearing vanished.
For the first time in many months, fear returned—not the fear of one another, but the fear of an enemy older than any Alpha.
And far beyond the mountains, hidden beneath black stone cliffs, a pair of crimson eyes slowly opened.