The Message From The Walls

Shallow gasps hitched in Sheera's throat as her terrified eyes locked on the Alpha. Just that morning, she had admired him when she saw him from afar. She had no idea it'd be so fearful getting to see him from close proximity.

The glint of the sword in his hand, still wet with the man's blood, churned her stomach. Revulsion threatened to overwhelm her, but fear held it in check. 

She stumbled back a trembling step, punctuated by the erratic tremor of her lips.

"Kalaril, who is she?" Keegan asked, his impassive gaze on her.

"I have no idea, Alpha. I found her spying through the window." Kalaril answered.

Dread coiled in Sheera's gut as Keegan drew closer until he was only three inches away from her. 

She began to wonder how she had admired him earlier on. The man before her had the looks of a god - literally. He was handsome, yet had an aura of danger that clung to him like a shadow. Instead of wanting to kiss his feet like she had desired that morning, she wanted to go far from him.

"Who are you?" His voice scraped against her ears, a rusty blade sending shivers down her spine.

Sheera opened her mouth to speak, but her throat had slammed shut.

"I asked a question," he repeated.

Sheera had to clear the lump in her throat. She could see his patience wearing thin.

"I...I...I am...My...My name is Sheera, Alpha. I...I was brought here on the or... orders of the Grand Luna t...to be a...at your service." She stumbled over words.

Keegan's gaze snagged on the dried tear track on her cheek. 

He turned to Kalaril. "Do you confirm this?"

"I do not know for sure, Alpha. But I heard the name of the lady your mother brought in is Sheera." Kalaril replied, his gaze equally on Sheera.

Keegan turned back to her, his gaze piercing through her facade. He saw the raw terror in her eyes, the trembling of her body like she was about to be slaughtered.

"Why are you here?" His question cut through the tense silence. 

Sheera swallowed convulsively, the knot in her throat threatening to choke her. "I... I was just looking around, Alpha. I didn't mean to intrude. Please, forgive me!" She dipped into a clumsy curtsy, the movement inadvertently making her cleavages more pronounced. 

Keegan's gaze lingered on her for a little while. With how scared she was, he could tell she was new in the Fortress.

Stepping away from her, he went off with his Beta and Keepers.

****†

Retiring to his chambers, Keegan freshened up and decided to go through some reports.

He was on it when his Beta announced his presence at the door. Keegan sighed.

"You may enter," he answered in his typical aloof manner.

Beta Kalaril walked in and lowered his head in front of the Alpha. He had the body and poise of a man who was fit to assist the ruling Alpha.

Kalaril was usually someone who had heads turning each time he walked. He was tall, muscular and had a very charming face. But just like the Alpha, he was mostly a man of few words. The Alpha had initially chosen Kalaril for his Beta because they shared a lot of similarities, aside them being closest of friends. 

"Greetings, Alpha," He paid reverence.

Alpha Keegan didn't take his eyes off the scroll in his hand. He just waited for Kalaril to speak on.

"Lady Mortha is here to see you." Kalaril announced.

Keegan's brows furrowed immediately as he lowered the scroll from his face. He was puzzled.

Lady Mortha wasn't just one that paid random visits. And for the last two years, he hadn't set his eyes on her. She only visited when she had a message. She was one of the most powerful seers he'd ever known.

"Let her in," Keegan nodded.

Curiosity was almost having the best of him.

He didn't always like her visits. Because each time, there seemed to be nothing but news that'd get him worried.

Kalaril bobbed and exited the room, returning shortly with the old lady.

She was a woman in her early fifties but seemed like one who was aging youthfully. Dark in complexion, her skin had a different kind of glow. You could easily tell Mortha had been someone that must have won the hearts of many men when she was in her prime. But funny enough, she never got mated.

She often appeared in a long black dress with horn-looking objects on the sides of it.

Standing before the Alpha, she dipped her head.

"What brings you here, Lady Mortha?" Alpha Keegan asked.

The woman exuded elegance as she stood with graceful poise, her fingers delicately entwined before her. But her face had so much displeasure. Fear.

"I keep having these dreams about the prophecy, Alpha. I cannot explain it, but I fear it is closer than we think." Her voice was tinged with unease.

"The prophecy?" Keegan repeated. "What prophecy?"

"The very one the walls of prophecy had revealed to us sixty years ago."

Keegan frowned. He hadn't even been born then. But he had gotten to learn of the prophecy later on, because it was the wolves' greatest fear.

"Hark, there shall be someone created by the Spirits, born into the flesh, and exist amongst you. 

"Beneath her mask of innocence lurks a serpent's heart, a vessel of malice crafted solely for vengeance. The wolves shall be marked as her sworn enemy, and she, their bane. 

"For within her shall dwell a darkness, a curse woven into the very threads of her being. She shall be powerless against its dominion, no matter how fierce she fights it.

"And when the hour strikes, she shall bring an end to the race of the wolves." Lady Mortha repeated the prophecy like she was reading it off the walls itself which had burnt down years ago.