The moon bathed the entire forest in a silver haze as Seraphina trailed behind Fenris in silence. Each step she took echoed with the weight of the unspoken. Her skin still tingled from where his fingers had brushed her wrist, and her thoughts twisted in knots — this was her enemy, the cursed Alpha Prince of the Shadowfangs… and yet, her blood responded to him like an echo from her soul.
He led her through an overgrown path behind the northern barracks of the ruined stronghold, a place thick with ivy and thorns — much like the man himself.
"You've been too quiet," he said without turning around, his voice gruff but softer than before. "Did I break your spirit already, Princess?"
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself, beast. I was simply enjoying the peace before your voice ruined it."
A grunt of amusement escaped his lips. "There's the fire I remember."
Finally, they stopped before what looked like a crumbling chapel half-swallowed by the forest. Fenris pushed the creaking door open and gestured for her to step inside.
It was dim, the only light trickling in through stained glass windows fractured by time. Dust floated through the air like silent memories. A stone altar sat at the far end, its surface etched with unfamiliar glyphs.
"What is this place?" Seraphina whispered.
"The old ones called it the Hall of Oaths," Fenris replied, stepping into the flickering light. "Long ago, every royal heir of the Shadowfangs was bound here — by blood, by vow, and by fate."
Her breath hitched. "And you brought me here… why?"
He turned to face her, his eyes glowing faintly in the gloom. "Because if you truly want answers, Princess, then we'll need to make a bargain. One sealed by the old magic."
Seraphina narrowed her eyes. "You want to make an oath with me? After threatening to keep me prisoner?"
"I never said it would be a gentle agreement," he murmured, stepping closer. "But it will protect you — and me."
"I don't need protection."
"Yes, you do," he said, more gently now. "There are forces hunting you that have nothing to do with me. Your presence here is more dangerous than you realize, Seraphina. And if I'm to keep this kingdom from descending into chaos, I need to know where you stand."
Seraphina clenched her jaw. "Then tell me what you're hiding. Who are you really?"
His gaze darkened. "Not yet."
A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "Of course. Still hiding behind your shadows, your secrets…"
"Would you believe me," he asked, stepping even closer, "if I told you I never meant for you to be dragged into this war?"
Their eyes met — hers full of rage and defiance, his heavy with something far more complex. Regret? Pain? Or something deeper?
"I don't care what you meant, Fenris. What I want is the truth. About you. About this so-called curse. About why my blood reacted to you that night at the border."
He studied her for a long moment, the silence between them crackling.
Then he slowly drew a small dagger from beneath his cloak — obsidian and ancient-looking.
"You want truth? Fine. But once this blood pact is sealed, there's no going back. If you lie to me, it'll burn you from the inside out. If I lie to you, same fate."
Her pulse quickened. "And what do we swear?"
He stepped beside her, pricking his thumb with the dagger and letting a drop of dark crimson fall onto the altar. "I swear to tell you everything. No more riddles. No more half-truths. In return… you must swear to listen. To keep my secrets until I deem them ready to be revealed to others. Even your council."
Seraphina stared at him, her chest rising and falling as the weight of the decision hung between them. Her instincts screamed not to trust him — but her heart… her heart thudded a different rhythm. One that made no sense.
Finally, she reached for the dagger, her fingers brushing his. "You better not be lying to me, Fenris."
"I can't," he murmured, eyes locked on hers. "Not anymore."
She sliced her palm gently and let her blood fall beside his. The altar glowed faintly — a soft silver light, ancient magic weaving between their shared offering.
A faint hum rose in the air, then silence.
The bond was made.
And immediately, Seraphina felt it — a strange tug in her chest, a thread of awareness that connected her to him, like an invisible tether made of energy and emotion.
"What… is this feeling?" she asked, heart racing.
"The pact," he said, voice low. "We're connected now, through truth and blood."
She stepped back from him, trying to still the storm inside her. "Then start talking."
Fenris hesitated, the weight of the truth threatening to crush him. But a vow was a vow. He sighed and leaned against the altar.
"I was never supposed to be Alpha," he began. "I was born a second son — cursed from birth, the way they whispered it. The royal seers said I would bring ruin to the kingdom, so my parents… they tried to erase me. Hide me. I grew up in the shadows of this very castle."
Seraphina's lips parted in surprise.
"But then my brother died," he continued. "In battle. And the curse... it awakened in me. Not just the wolf. Something else. Something older. Darker."
"What kind of curse?" she asked, stepping closer.
"My bloodline is tainted — not just by wolves, but by something far older. Fae blood, Seraphina. The kind that was forbidden generations ago. My mother made a pact to save the kingdom — a pact with the Fae Queen. And I was the price."
Seraphina's heart pounded. "So… you're not just a wolf. You're part Fae?"
He nodded once. "And that's why my people fear me. That's why I stay hidden. If they knew… if your people knew… they'd call for war."
She looked at him, truly looked — and suddenly, it made sense. The way his aura shimmered, how his eyes held that unnatural glow in the moonlight.
"You should've told me," she whispered. "Before dragging me into this."
"I was trying to protect you," he said. "Because if you're really who I think you are, Seraphina… you're the other half of the prophecy."
Her blood went cold. "What prophecy?"
"The one that speaks of two heirs — born of rival bloodlines — who must unite or destroy the kingdoms. Bound by blood. Fated by stars. It was never just about me."
Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Seraphina felt as if the world beneath her feet had shifted.
She was part of a prophecy?
She was bound to this wolf?
"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "This can't be real."
But deep inside, she already knew it was.
Because her blood burned every time he was near.
Because when she looked at him, she didn't just see the enemy.
She saw fate.