The wind carried the scent of rain, heavy and metallic, as though the sky itself had caught the taste of blood. Selene stood by the balcony, the stone railing cool beneath her palms, her eyes scanning the horizon where dark clouds brewed like a gathering army. The castle's torches flickered behind her, their glow casting long shadows that seemed to whisper of war.
It had been days since Kael's declaration, his words echoing still in her chest like a curse. Prepare for war. She couldn't forget the sharpness in his tone, the venom in his gaze, nor the way her heart had twisted — not just in fear of what he promised, but in mourning what he once was to her.
Now she stood at the precipice of something far greater than her own pain. Kael's rage was no longer just hers to endure — it threatened to consume everyone.
"Selene."
The voice was quiet, steady, a lifeline in the chaos of her thoughts. She turned and found Darius leaning against the doorway, shadows curling at the edges of his tall frame. His presence was magnetic — not because of brute force, but because he carried himself like someone who had weathered storms and stood unbroken.
She swallowed, looking away. "The clouds move like soldiers. It feels like the world knows what's coming."
Darius stepped closer, the leather of his boots whispering against stone. He joined her at the railing, standing just close enough that their shoulders brushed. His warmth radiated through her thin gown, steadying her shiver.
"The world always knows," he murmured. "It warns us, if we choose to listen."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "I hear warnings everywhere now. In the rustle of leaves. In the silence before dawn. Even in my dreams."
He glanced at her, his sharp profile cut by torchlight. "Dreams again?"
She hesitated. Her dreams had become more violent, more vivid — Kael's voice calling to her in the dark, shadows pulling her down, blood marking her hands no matter how she tried to wash it away. And sometimes… sometimes she dreamed of Darius, his hands reaching for her, pulling her back into light.
"They're nothing," she lied softly.
Darius studied her, the kind of gaze that stripped away defenses, but he didn't push. Instead, his fingers brushed hers on the railing, an almost accidental touch — except it lingered.
The contact was small, yet it unraveled something inside her. She exhaled sharply, her breath catching.
"I don't know how much longer I can stand this," she whispered, surprising herself with her honesty.
His jaw flexed, but his voice remained gentle. "Stand what?"
"The waiting. The fear. Him." Her throat tightened. "Every time I think I'm free of Kael's shadow, it stretches longer. He's everywhere, Darius. And now… now I'm putting everyone at risk."
His hand closed fully around hers, warm and firm. "You are not a risk. You are the reason we're still standing."
Her gaze snapped to him, anger and disbelief flashing in equal measure. "How can you say that? If Kael comes, he won't stop until he burns your lands, your people — everything. He'll do it just to prove he can. Because of me."
"Because of him," Darius corrected, voice sharp. Then, softer, "Do not carry the weight of his sins. You are not his shadow, Selene. You are light."
The words lodged in her chest, painful in their tenderness. Light. How long had it been since anyone saw her that way? Kael had once called her his moon, his balance — but those words had soured into chains. Coming from Darius, they felt like truth, not prison.
Her eyes burned. She turned away, but Darius's hand rose, fingers brushing her cheek. The touch was hesitant, reverent, as though he feared she might shatter.
"Don't," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"Don't what?"
"Don't look at me like that. Like I'm…" Her throat closed around the word. Worth saving.
His thumb brushed away a tear she hadn't realized had fallen. "Selene. You don't see yourself the way I do. But one day, you will."
She wanted to argue, to push him away before the fragile thread between them grew too strong to sever. But then the wind shifted, carrying the faintest scent — foreign, sharp, wrong. Selene froze.
Darius's eyes narrowed instantly. He smelled it too.
Without a word, he pulled her behind him, his body tense, every sense alert. The torches flickered violently, and somewhere below, a howl pierced the night — low, guttural, not of their pack.
Selene's heart slammed against her ribs. "Spies."
Darius's voice was iron. "He's already testing our walls."
Another howl answered the first, closer this time. Shadows moved at the edge of the forest beyond the walls — too quick, too deliberate to be anything but Kael's scouts.
Selene's pulse quickened, her instincts flaring. Power stirred under her skin, restless, dangerous. The storm inside her answered the storm above, lightning flickering faintly in her veins.
Darius saw it, his eyes darkening. "Selene — control it."
"I can't," she whispered, clutching her hands. Energy crackled between her fingers, wild and unyielding.
He stepped closer, gripping her shoulders firmly. "Look at me."
Her panicked gaze met his.
"Breathe," he ordered. His voice cut through the chaos, grounding her. "Not with fear. With me."
She inhaled shakily, his presence steadying her fraying edges. His scent — cedar, smoke, and something untamed — filled her lungs, pushing back the storm.
"Good," he murmured, softer now. His forehead touched hers. "Stay with me. Always with me."
Her trembling slowed, the wild energy dimming though not vanishing. For the first time, she realized she could tether it — not by force, but by connection. And that connection was Darius.
A horn blared from below — the alarm. Wolves rushed to the walls, shouting, preparing. Selene tore her gaze from him, fear rushing back.
"They're here."
Darius released her reluctantly, his expression hardening. "Stay close to me."
"I can fight—"
"You will," he cut in. "But not alone. Never alone."
And then the enemy struck.
Figures burst from the shadows, swift and merciless, Kael's wolves slipping through the night like blades. Claws raked stone, teeth flashed in torchlight. The clash of steel and flesh rang through the castle grounds.
Selene's blood surged. Instinct roared louder than fear. She lifted her hand, and light erupted — a searing arc that split the night and sent enemy wolves sprawling.
Gasps echoed, both from ally and foe, as her power blazed uncontrolled. She staggered, almost overwhelmed by its force — but Darius's hand caught her wrist, anchoring her again.
"Together," he said, his voice rough but steady.
She nodded, breathless, and they moved as one. He struck with precision, blades flashing, while she unleashed her light in bursts that blinded and burned. Enemy after enemy fell, but still they came, endless, unyielding.
Through it all, Selene felt Darius — his presence beside her, his strength woven into hers. And beneath the chaos, something deeper pulsed between them. Not just survival. Not just necessity. Something that made every touch, every shared breath, feel like a promise.
At last, the horn sounded again — retreat. Kael's wolves melted back into the night, their howls fading into the storm.
Selene collapsed to her knees, shaking, her light dimming to embers. Darius was beside her instantly, pulling her against his chest.
"You did it," he murmured, his voice hoarse. "You held it."
Tears stung her eyes. "What if next time I can't?"
He tilted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Then I'll hold it with you. Every time."
Something inside her broke — not in despair, but in surrender. To him. To the bond neither of them could deny anymore.
The storm above cracked with thunder, but in his arms, she found stillness.
And yet, as her eyes fluttered shut, she couldn't shake the final image: a pair of golden eyes watching from the darkness beyond the walls.
Kael.
He had seen everything.
And war was only just beginning