Selene couldn't sleep. Lysander's words echoed in her head like a broken song.
"Your mother isn't dead. She leads the Syndicate now." Could it be true? Was Ravena Arden living all these years? The thought made Selene's stomach twist. She paced her room as the moon cast silver light through the windows. Two days until the full moon practice.
Two days to decide if she was saving Kael or dooming them both. A sharp knock interrupted her thinking. "Enter," she called, expecting Cian's serious face. Instead, Elara slipped in, holding a small bundle.
"I brought you something," the young witch whispered, looking nervously behind her. "What is it?" Elara opened a small leather pouch. Inside lay a crystal pendant that glowed slightly purple. "Protection," she explained. "If the ritual goes wrong." "You think it will?" Elara bit her lip. "I don't know. But the way Cian watches you..."
She pressed the pendant into Selene's hand. "Hide this. Use it if you must." "Why are you helping me?" Something flashed in Elara's green eyessomething familiar that Selene couldn't quite place.
"Just a feeling," the witch said before slipping back out the door. Selene tucked the charm under her tunic. Sleep wouldn't come tonight.
She needed air. The halls were quiet as she made her way toward the fortress battlements. Guards nodded stiffly as she passed, clearly ordered to let her move freelybut their eyes followed her every step.
The night air was crisp on the high stone walls. Stars covered the sky, and the waxing moon hung fat and bright. Selene leaned against the cool stone, letting the wind wash over her face.
"Couldn't sleep either?" She whirled around. Kael stood a few paces away, his tall body silhouetted against the night sky. "No," she admitted. He moved beside her, keeping a careful distance. "The prisoner's words bothered you." It wasn't a question.
"Wouldn't they bother you?" Selene asked. "If someone told you your mother was alive and leading the people who want you dead?" Kael's jaw clenched. "The Syndicate lies. It's what they do."
"And you don't?" His storm-gray eyes caught the moonlight. "I've been many things, Selene. Cruel. Hard. Ruthless when needed. But I've never lied to you." Something in his voice made her believe him, despite everything. "The curse," she said, changing the subject.
"How did it start?" Kael's hand moved subconsciously to his neck where the red lines pulsed beneath his skin. "The night your family was killed. My father led the attack, but he had no idea what waited for them." "What happened?" "Magic," Kael said simply.
"Your mother released something ancient and terrible. It killed most of the invaders instantly. My father lived only to die slowly over years as the curse ate him from inside." "And now it's killing you." Kael nodded. "It goes to the next in the bloodline. When I die, it will spread faster through my pack." "That's why they tolerate me," Selene realized.
"They're afraid." "They're survivors," Kael amended. "Just like you." A shooting star blazed across the sky. They both watched its burning path in silence. "What happens during the blood ritual?" Selene asked finally.
"Our blood mixes under the full moon's light. If compatible, your Ruby Wolf power will recognize the curse as an enemy and fight it."
"And if our blood isn't compatible?" Kael's face darkened. "Then the curse accelerates. I'll have days instead of weeks."
"That's quite a gamble." "I'm out of options," he said simply. A gust of wind swept across the battlements, colder than before. Selene shivered. Without thinking, Kael moved to block the wind.
Selene gasped as warmth shot up her arm. Her vision blurred, then sharpened impossibly. Every star in the sky suddenly seemed brighter, closer. Kael froze, his eyes widening. The curse mark on his neck glowed bright red, then faded to a dull pinkjust for a heartbeat.
"What was that?" Selene whispered, stepping back. Kael stared at his hand, then at her. "I don't know." The curse mark darkened again, returning to its angry red. But something had changed.
The air between them felt charged, alive. "That shouldn't have happened," Kael said, his voice rough.
"Not without the ritual." Selene felt something rising inside hera power she'd never accessed before. It flickered like a candle flame, delicate but getting stronger. "Try again," she said suddenly.
"What?" "Touch me again. On plan this time." Kael paused, then slowly extended his hand. Selene reached out, their fingers almost touching. A shadow moved at the edge of the battlement. Cian stepped into view, hand on his blade. "Alpha," he said, eyes moving between them. "Is everything alright?" The moment broke. Kael dropped his hand, stepping away from Selene.
"Fine, Cian. Just getting some air." Cian's gaze stayed suspicious.
"The council is asking for updates on the ritual preparations." "Tell them it's handled," Kael ordered. "And the prisoner?"
"What about him?" Cian's mouth curled into a cold smile. "He's asking to speak to you alone. Says he has information about the threat that only the Alpha should hear." Selene saw calculation flash across Kael's face. "Take me to him."
"What about her?" Cian nodded toward Selene. "I'll escort her back to her chambers first." Cian bowed stiffly. "As you wish, Alpha." He retreated, but Selene felt his watchful presence hovering. "Don't trust him," she whispered once Cian was out of hearing.
"I don't," Kael answered. "But I need to know what the assassin knows." They walked in silence through the cold stone halls.
The brief connection they'd shared on the battlements lingered between them like an unfinished discussion. At her door, Kael paused. "What happened out there" "Was magic," Selene finished.
"Ruby Wolf magic responding to your curse." "It felt like more than that." His voice was low, private. Selene looked up at him. In the low light of the hallway torches, she could almost forget he was her captor, the son of the man who'd destroyed her family. Almost. "Will you tell me what Lysander says?" she asked. Kael nodded.
"If it concerns you." "It all concerns me." She reached for the door handle, her sleeve riding up to show her wrist. Kael caught sight of something and grabbed her arm gently.
"What's this?" A small birthmark, shaped like a half moon, sat on her inner wrist. Selene had always had it, never thought much about it. But Kael stared at it like he'd seen a ghost.
"What's wrong?" she asked. His fingers floated over the mark, not quite touching her skin. "My father had a journal. It explained the Ruby Wolf he killedyour mother. She had this exact mark."
"So? Many people have birthmarks." "Not like this." Kael's eyes met hers. "In the old language, this sign means 'second chance.' It appears on those meant to change the course of fate." "You're saying I'm special because of a birthmark?"
"I'm saying there's more to this connection than either of us understands." His fingers shook, nearly touching her wrist.
The air between them crackled again with unspoken potential.
Then Kael pulled back sharply, his curse mark flaring. He grimaced in pain. "Rest," he ordered, his voice suddenly serious again.
"Tomorrow we begin preparations for the ritual." As he walked away, Selene pressed her hand to her wrist where his fingers had almost touched. The skin tingled, warm and alive.
She slipped into her room and pulled out Elara's crystal pendant.
It glowed brighter now, pulsing in time with her heartbeat. Something had awakened inside her. Something strong and ancient that recognized Kael's curseand wanted to fight it.
But was it trying to break the curse, as Kael believed? Or finish it, as Lysander warned?
As the moon continued its path toward fullness, Selene wondered if the first touch between her and Kael had set in motion events that neither of them could stopa magic older than packs, older than curses, older than the hate between their bloodlines.
A magic that might save them. Or destroy them all.