The fortress of Shadowfang carried the heavy silence of aftermath. Blood had been scrubbed from the stones, but the scent lingered in the cracks, a ghost that no amount of washing could erase. The warriors limped through the halls with fresh bandages, voices low, eyes sharp. The border skirmish had ended in victory, but everyone knew it was only a taste of the war to come.
Selene walked slowly through the courtyard, the weight of eyes pressing down on her. Yet something was different now. Days ago, they had stared with suspicion. Now, their gazes carried something else—recognition, even awe. They had seen her unleash the silver blaze, had watched her stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their Alpha. They had seen her save lives.
And last night, for the first time, they had howled for her.
"Luna," one of the younger warriors whispered as she passed. His cheeks flushed as if he had not meant her to hear, but Selene's heart jolted all the same.
The word clung to her as she entered the healing hall. Dozens of injured wolves lay stretched on cots, the scent of herbs thick in the air. Selene rolled up her sleeves and went to work, carrying bowls of water, changing dressings, pressing herbs into trembling hands. The healers, older and sharp-eyed, accepted her presence without question now.
"You're steadier than some of my apprentices," one of them remarked as Selene pressed a poultice to a wound.
She almost smiled. Almost.
When she had been in Bloodmoon, no one had trusted her to do more than fetch buckets. Here, she was beginning to feel… needed.
"Selene."
She turned at the sound of his voice. Darius stood in the doorway, his presence filling the room. The healers bowed slightly, murmuring "Alpha," but Selene's pulse skipped for an entirely different reason.
He didn't speak again, only motioned for her to follow. Her hands trembled as she set down the herbs and wiped them clean, then slipped after him.
The hallways wound upward, away from the noise of the healers and warriors. Darius led her to the balcony overlooking the valley. The wind was sharp here, carrying the distant howl of wolves patrolling the borders.
"You've been working since dawn," he said, his voice low, unreadable.
"I had to help," she answered, searching his face. "After last night… after what I did… they needed to see I'm not just some weapon."
Darius's gaze pinned her, silver and piercing. "They're beginning to see you as more than that. You know what they called you last night."
Her heart gave a weak flutter. "I heard."
He stepped closer, and the space between them seemed to crackle. "They weren't wrong."
Selene's breath caught. "Darius…"
But before she could find words, a horn blast echoed from the gates below. Sharp. Urgent.
Both of them stiffened. Darius turned, already striding for the stairs, and Selene hurried after him.
At the gates, warriors gathered, weapons ready, their hackles raised. A lone figure stood beyond the threshold, cloaked in black, carrying no visible weapon. His hood shadowed his face, but the scent hit Selene instantly—Bloodmoon.
A messenger.
"Alpha of Shadowfang," the figure called, his voice carrying across the silent courtyard. "I bring a message from Kael."
The crowd snarled at the name, but Darius lifted a hand, silencing them. He stepped forward, towering, calm, dangerous. "Speak."
The messenger pulled back his hood. His face was lean, his eyes hard. "Kael sends this: Return Selene to her rightful Alpha, or the rivers will run red. You have until the next full moon."
Every breath in the courtyard froze. Selene's stomach twisted as dozens of eyes turned on her.
Darius's jaw clenched. His voice, when it came, was low and steady. "Tell your Alpha that Selene is mine. Shadowfang bows to no one."
The messenger's lips curved in a cruel smile. His gaze flicked to Selene, lingering. "Then Shadowfang will burn with her."
Before the warriors could lunge, Darius lifted a hand. "Let him carry his threat back. And let Kael know—we do not fear him."
The gates slammed shut.
The tension snapped, voices rising in growls and curses. Some cursed Kael, others muttered that Selene's presence was a curse itself.
Selene's chest tightened. She could feel the weight of every whisper pressing down again.
That night, she could not sleep. She sat by the fire in her chamber, staring into the flames. Her body ached, her heart heavier still. Kael would never stop. How many wolves would bleed because of her?
The door opened softly. She looked up to find Darius standing there, a shadow carved from steel.
"You should rest," he said quietly.
"I can't." Her voice cracked. "They'll keep dying. Every time Kael sends someone, it's because of me. They're right—I don't belong here. I'm just a danger to them."
Darius crossed the room in two strides. His hand caught her chin, tilting her face up to his. His silver eyes burned. "Listen to me. You are not a danger. You are the reason half of them lived last night. Without you, Shadowfang would already be ash."
Tears stung her eyes. "But Kael—"
"Kael is nothing." His voice was a growl, sharp as blades. "He rejected you. He lost you. You are mine now. And I swear on my life, Selene, no one will touch you while I breathe."
Her breath shuddered. His words sank deep, pulling at the cracks inside her, filling places she hadn't even realized were hollow.
"Darius…" Her voice broke. "What if I lose you?"
For a heartbeat, silence stretched. His hand shifted, cupping her cheek. His thumb brushed away the tear that had escaped.
"Then you fight to keep me," he murmured, his voice rough. "As I will fight to keep you."
Her heart hammered. The firelight danced between them, painting shadows on his jaw, his lips. She felt herself leaning, drawn helplessly, until her forehead rested against his chest. His arms came around her slowly, carefully, like he was afraid of breaking her.
For the first time, she let herself sink into him, breathing in his scent, steady and fierce. His heart beat hard beneath her ear.
"Stay with me," he whispered into her hair. "No matter what comes. Stay."
She nodded, silent tears wetting his shirt.
The moment stretched, fragile, almost too much. And then—
A scream shattered the night.
They broke apart, hearts racing, as another scream rose from the courtyard below. Darius was already moving, dragging her with him.
The fortress erupted into chaos. Warriors raced through the halls, weapons drawn. The stench of blood filled the air again.
"Another attack?" Selene gasped.
Darius shook his head, grim. "No. This is inside the walls."
Her heart plummeted.
They burst into the lower hall, where a crowd had gathered. A body lay sprawled across the stones—one of the healers, throat slit, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
Carved into the wall beside him, in jagged letters drawn in his blood, were the words:
SHE DOES NOT BELONG.
Selene's breath caught. Whispers surged through the crowd like wildfire, eyes flicking to her, sharp with fear and blame.
Darius stepped forward, his voice booming like thunder. "Enough! This is Bloodmoon's doing. A spy walks among us."
But Selene could feel it—the doubt rising again, just when she thought she had won them over. Her heart pounded so hard it hurt.
That night, when the fortress finally calmed, Darius led her back to his chamber instead of hers. He closed the door firmly, locking out the whispers.
"You will not sleep alone tonight," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Selene's heart stuttered. She wanted to protest, to tell him she could manage, but the memory of the blood-stained wall silenced her. She didn't want to be alone. Not tonight.
She sat on the edge of his bed, trembling as the storm outside the window rattled the shutters. Darius removed his armor piece by piece, silent, steady, until he stood in his simple shirt. Then he came to her, kneeling so his eyes were level with hers.
"You're shaking."
"I'm fine," she lied, though her hands betrayed her.
He caught them gently, his large hands closing around hers. "You don't have to be fine. You just have to be here."
Her throat closed. He was too close, too real. She could see the faint scar across his jaw, the shadows beneath his eyes from sleepless nights. And yet he was steady, unbreakable, and she wanted—needed—that steadiness.
When he drew her against him, she didn't resist. His warmth wrapped around her, his heartbeat a solid rhythm anchoring her own. For the first time in years, she let herself believe she was safe.
And yet, deep inside, she knew the truth.
Safety was an illusion.
Kael was coming.
And when he did, not even Darius's promise might be enough.
Still, as her eyes finally drifted shut, wrapped in his arms, Selene clung to the only truth she had left.
She was not the weak girl of Bloodmoon anymore.
She was Shadowfang's Luna.
And she would fight to keep it.