Kane strode through the underground hall carved into the stone beneath his estate. The walls were ancient, etched with silver-lined runes that pulsed faintly under torchlight. Few had access to this place—fewer still knew it even existed.
Behind him, Axel followed in silence, carrying a sealed scroll that reeked of age, blood, and magic.
They stopped at a heavy door made of obsidian and wolfbone. Kane pressed his palm against the center, and the runes on the door flared to life.
The door groaned open.
Inside was a circular chamber, its walls covered with symbols long forgotten by the world above. At the center sat a raised stone altar, and above it, suspended in chains of pure moon-forged silver, was an ancient relic.
The Book of Oaths.
"No one has opened it in centuries," Axel warned quietly. "Not without sacrifice."
Kane's eyes were fixed on the book. "I don't care."
He stepped forward. The air in the room changed, heavier, colder—as if time itself had slowed. He drew a dagger from his belt and sliced across his palm. Blood dripped onto the stone.
The book reacted instantly.
Its cover flared, and the chains trembled. The pages flipped open violently as if possessed. The room pulsed with wild, feral energy.
Then it stopped.
One page.
One name.
Nova Elara Lyselle.
Kane's heart slammed against his ribs.
"She's marked," he whispered. "Moonborn… and something else."
Axel leaned over. "Lyselle... That line was thought to have vanished. Wiped out."
Kane traced the name with his bloodied fingers. "She survived. And they've been hiding her. Raising her like some... fragile human girl."
Axel stepped back. "You're not just chasing a mate anymore. You're chasing a prophecy."
Kane closed the book.
"No. I'm claiming what's mine."
He turned to Axel. "Double the guards. No one gets near her again. Not even her brothers."
"And if she still refuses?"
Kane's jaw tightened. "Then we show her what her bloodline truly means. What her power costs. And what happens when she chooses the wrong side."
A wolf's howl echoed through the tunnel behind them.
Kane looked up, eyes golden, burning with obsession—and something darker.
"She belongs to the Moon. And to me."