The castle halls were still heavy with smoke and blood, the aftermath of her transformation clinging to every stone. Selene barely felt her legs as the handmaidens guided her down a torchlit passage, their whispers a low hiss against the silence.
They bathed her in a steaming pool scented with lavender and crushed roses. Lyra, her handmaiden, worked carefully, her eyes darting as though the shadows were listening.
"She'll need to look like a Luna," one of the maids muttered.
"Or like a sacrifice," the other whispered back.
Selene's stomach twisted. She wanted to demand what they meant, but she stayed still, letting them scrub away. The water turned pink, swirling with the remnants of battle.
Lyra leaned close, voice trembling. "There are stories, my lady. Old ones. They say no wolf should be tied to more than one Alpha. It breaks the Goddess's law."
Selene shivered though the water was warm. "Then why me?"
Lyra's hand stilled for a moment, her eyes darkening. "Because of the prophecy."
Before Selene could ask, the door opened with a heavy groan. Darius stood there, shadows cloaking his tall frame, eyes sharp and unreadable. He didn't step in, but his presence filled the room, dangerous and magnetic.
"She'll be ready," Lyra stammered.
Selene's pulse raced as Darius's gaze lingered a heartbeat longer before he turned away.
The council chamber was crowded, every elder, beta, and soldier pressed into the high-ceilinged hall. Torches blazed against stone walls, smoke curling upward like fingers of warning.
Selene stood in the center, dressed in a silver gown that shimmered under the firelight. The silk clung to her, her freshly washed hair braided with tiny strands of moon-thread, the image of a Luna, though her heart thundered like prey.
Elder Varyn stepped forward, robes sweeping the floor, his voice carrying like a curse.
"The Moonfire Wolf has awakened."
A wave of murmurs swept the hall.
"She is bound not to one Alpha," Varyn continued, his bony finger stabbing the air toward her, "but two. The Goddess warned of this. The prophecy is clear: When the Moonfire rises beneath twin bloodlines, one love shall save the pack, and the other shall end it."
Gasps. Growls. Whispers of curse, abomination, doom.
Varyn's lip curled. "This bond is sacrilege. One brother must renounce her, or she must die."
Kael's snarl ripped through the air. "No one touches her. She is mine." His voice shook the chamber, feral and absolute.
Darius stepped forward, jaw tight. "Yours? Or ours? Don't mistake violence for destiny, brother. You can't command the bond."
The chamber erupted, voices clashing. Some elders muttered prayers. Soldiers shouted that she was blessed. Others spat that she was cursed.
Jarek, Kael's Beta, stepped forward with a sneer. "She's corruption made flesh. A whore who tempts both Alphas. End it now, before she damns us all."
The insult cut through Selene like a blade.
In a flash, Darius was on him. His hand clamped Jarek's throat, slamming him into the wall. The crack of stone rang out as Jarek choked, claws scraping helplessly at Darius's grip.
"You will never speak her name that way again," Darius growled, voice low and deadly. His claws drew blood, crimson dripping down Jarek's neck.
Kael didn't move. His eyes gleamed, torn between pride and fury.
"Enough!" Elder Varyn thundered. Guards rushed to separate them. Darius released Jarek only when Selene's wide eyes found his, silently begging him to stop.
The council dissolved into chaos. Half the hall condemned her, the other half defended her. And through it all, Selene stood trembling, tnot from fear of death, but from the storm of possession burning in both brothers' eyes.
The castle fell silent as the night deepened. Selene couldn't sleep. She stood by the window of her chamber, the silver moonlight spilling across her skin. The words of the prophecy echoed like a curse in her head.
The door opened. Darius stepped in, his presence filling the room like a storm.
"You shouldn't be here," she whispered, though her pulse betrayed her.
He crossed the room in three strides, stopping just close enough that their breaths mingled. "After what they said tonight, you think I could leave you alone with that poison in your head?"
Selene's throat tightened. "They said one of you has to renounce me… or I…"
"Die," he finished, his voice a low snarl. "I'll kill them all before I let that happen."
Her heart lurched. "Darius…"
His hand lifted, tracing her jaw, thumb brushing her lips. "Do you feel it?" His voice roughened, edged with need. "The way the bond burns when I'm close to you?"
The air thickened. Her body leaned into his touch before her mind could protest.
"Tell me to leave," he said, eyes locked on hers. "And I'll go."
But she couldn't. The words caught in her throat, drowned by the fire coursing through her veins.
He kissed her, fierce and hungry. The world narrowed to heat, the press of his lips, the rough drag of his hands down her waist. She clung to him, gasping into his mouth as his tongue slid against hers, devouring every ounce of restraint.
Her gown slipped from her shoulder. His lips followed, tracing fire down her throat, over her collarbone, all the way to her already hard nipples. She arched into him, a desperate sound escaping her as his hand slid higher along her thigh, pulling her core against the hard length of him.
Her fingers tangled in his hair, dragging him closer. "Darius…"
He groaned, deep and primal, as though her name was a prayer he'd been starving to speak. His mouth claimed hers again, deeper, wetter, his hand splaying against her bare skin.
"Tell me to stop," he rasped against her lips, though his hips pressed into hers with aching need.
Selene shook her head, breathless. "Don't you dare."
He growled and kissed her harder, one hand gripping her thigh, hitching it around his waist, locking it in place. Their bodies collided with the wall, heat and hunger spilling unchecked. His teeth grazed her neck, just enough to make her gasp, just enough to make her ache for more.
And then…
Lightning seared through her veins. The bond.
Her moan caught as another presence surged inside her mind. Kael.
He felt it all. Every kiss. Every touch. Every shiver of forbidden pleasure.
The chamber door slammed open with a violent crack.
Kael stood there, chest heaving, eyes glowing molten silver, fangs bared in fury.
"Mine," he growled, his voice trembling with rage and primal claim.
Darius spun, still holding Selene against him, his lips wet from hers.
Selene stood pinned between them, gown falling loose, breathless and burning, knowing there was no turning back.
This was only the beginning.