The night reeked of iron and moonlight.
Selene's body convulsed as the black mark crept across her collarbone like liquid shadow, burning with ancient fire. Her screams faded into ragged gasps before she slumped back into Kael's arms.
"Selene !" Kael's voice cracked with a rawness that echoed across the council hall.
Darius stood frozen a few feet away, his eyes wide with disbelief. The bond between them was pulsing wildly , their veins shimmering faintly, the air thick with chaotic power.
"She's changing," Lyra said quietly, her tone unreadable. Her eyes flicked from the black veins spreading under Selene's skin to Kael's trembling hand. "The mark has chosen. The balance is broken."
The words rippled through the room like a curse. The Luna Queen pressed her hand to her mouth, her calm facade fracturing for the first time.
"What have you done?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "The bond was never meant to…"
"Enough," the Alpha King growled, his voice reverberating like thunder. "No prophecy can defy my sons' blood. If the gods made a mistake, then the gods will answer for it."
But even he, towering and ruthless, looked unsettled by the darkness veining across Selene's skin.
Kael lifted her from the floor, holding her close, his jaw set with a grief that twisted into anger.
Darius stepped forward, his voice low. "She needs rest."
Kael shot him a glare sharp enough to cut. "Don't tell me what she needs."
The tension between them crackled ,brothers bound by blood, tearing apart by desire. Lyra watched in silence, her fingers clasped around the ancient pendant that hung from her neck, her mind already racing ahead.
When Selene awoke, dawn's light crept through the tall windows of the healing chamber. Her head throbbed, but the fire in her veins had subsided. She touched the mark , now dark and cool against her skin … and shivered.
A soft rustle drew her attention. Kael sat by her bed, his head bowed, exhaustion etched across his face.
"You stayed," she whispered.
He looked up, his eyes wild , surprisingly kind and. beautiful , the kind that burned and broke her at once. "How could I not?"
She tried to smile, but her lips trembled. "The mark… it hurts."
Kael's hand brushed against her cheek, gentle, trembling. "It's not done hurting."
Their eyes locked. For a moment, the world fell away , no council, no prophecy, just the unbearable gravity between them.
Then the door creaked open.
Darius stood there, his gaze unreadable, though the bond thrummed faintly with something sharp and painful.
"Mother wants us," he said, his voice clipped. "Council's reconvening."
The grand chamber was colder this time, as though the moonlight itself had turned wary. The former Alphas stood at the head of the table, regal and furious. The Luna Queen's golden eyes softened briefly when Selene entered, but her voice carried the weight of command.
"The prophecy is clear," she said. "The Triple Bond will devour itself unless severed or resolved. If left unchecked, all three souls will perish, and with them, the Alpha line."
Silence followed.
Kael's fists clenched. "Then we break it."
Lyra's lips curved faintly. "It's not that simple. The bond is ancient, older than your bloodline. To undo it, you must walk where no living soul returns…the Vale of Shadows."
Murmurs erupted.
Even the Alpha King's composure faltered. "You expect my sons to walk into death?"
Lyra's eyes gleamed. "It's not death they'll face. It's truth. The Vale reveals what the gods feared to tell."
Selene felt a chill crawl down her spine. Her instincts screamed that this was no rescue , it was a test.
"Why me?" she asked. "Why is my life tied to theirs?"
Lyra's expression softened, almost pitying. "Because you're not what they think you are."
The room fell silent.
But before Selene could demand more, Lyra bowed slightly to the council and whispered, "They must leave by dawn. Or the bond will consume them all."
The palace erupted into quiet chaos. Warriors gathered supplies, whispers spread through corridors, and every torch burned lower as night drew near.
Selene stood before her chamber mirror, watching her reflection blur in the flickering light. The maids dressed her in traveling leathers, binding her dark hair back with silver cords. Her once-golden mark pulsed black beneath her skin, faintly glowing like an ember waiting to ignite.
Kael appeared at the doorway, his presence filling the room like a storm. "They're ready," he said.
She turned to face him. "Do you believe we'll survive this?"
He hesitated. "I have to."
The unspoken words hung between them , not for her sake, but because he couldn't lose her.
As she stepped closer, the tension thickened. Their breath mingled, hearts racing. His fingers brushed the edge of her jaw, lingering.
"Kael…" she whispered.
"Don't," he said softly. "If I touch you again, I won't stop."
The air sizzled between them. Her pulse stuttered, and for a heartbeat, she almost let him close the distance , almost — until the door opened again.
Darius stood there, expression shadowed, jealousy and guilt warring in his eyes.
"Father's waiting," he said quietly.
Selene turned away first.
The council gathered once more at the gates. The Alpha King handed each son a silver blade, forged from lunar steel. "No matter what happens in the Vale," he said, "return as my sons — not as monsters."
The Luna Queen stepped forward, brushing a strand of Selene's hair from her face. "Don't let the shadows decide who you are," she murmured. Her tone was kind, but her eyes held something colder — an unspoken hope that Selene wouldn't return at all.
Lyra waited at the edge of the forest, the mist curling around her like a living thing. "Beyond this point," she said, "the bond will turn against you. The Vale feeds on emotion — anger, desire, love. Control it, or it will consume you."
Kael glanced at her sharply. "And if we fail?"
Lyra smiled, that enigmatic, dangerous smile. "Then the prophecy fulfills itself."
As they stepped past the final archway, the forest changed. The air grew heavy, the moon bled red across the sky, and the ground pulsed faintly with dark veins.
Selene stumbled as the mark on her chest seared anew. Kael caught her just as the trees began to whisper in voices older than time.
"Do you feel that?" Darius muttered. "It's like it's… alive."
Lyra's voice echoed from behind them, faint and haunting.
"Welcome to the Vale of Shadows."
Then — a rumble, low and guttural.
The trees twisted. The sky split open with black light.
And before any of them could move, a wave of darkness erupted from the forest floor — swallowing them whole.