The candle flames flickered wildly in the war chamber as Selene and Darius held each other, silver light from their bond shimmering around them like a protective barrier. The weight of prophecy pressed on Selene's chest, but for the first time in centuries—no, lifetimes—she felt something stronger than fate itself. She felt him.
When Darius finally loosened his hold, his forehead rested against hers. Their breaths mingled, uneven, as though the world outside no longer existed.
"I don't know how to fight what's coming," Selene whispered, her voice trembling. "But if it means losing you again, I'd rather burn it all."
Darius's grip tightened on her waist. "Then we burn it together." His tone was lethal, full of unwavering determination.
Selene's heart thudded painfully. She wanted to stay in this moment forever, but destiny rarely allowed them peace. A soft knock broke the silence.
Magnus, Darius's Beta, entered reluctantly, bowing low. "Alpha, My Lady… the Council's messengers haven't left the territory. They're gathering forces on the eastern ridge. It's an intimidation tactic—but it feels like they're preparing for more than talk."
Darius's eyes darkened, silver flashing like lightning. "They think they can cage us again." He turned to Selene, his thumb brushing her jaw. "I need you to trust me. There's something I haven't told you."
Selene stiffened, fear trickling through her veins. "What secret could you possibly be keeping now?"
Darius glanced at Magnus, who bowed and exited, leaving them alone again.
Darius ran a hand through his dark hair, his muscles tense. "In my first life… the night you died in my arms… it wasn't the Council who ended you. It was me."
Selene's breath caught. "What?"
"I tried to sever our bond to save you," he confessed, voice breaking. "The beast beneath the Forgotten Vale had risen. The only way to reseal it was with the blood of the Moon's Flame—your blood. I chose to do it myself rather than let them torture you. I thought it would stop the cycle."
Selene's hands trembled as tears welled in her eyes. The memories weren't clear, but shadows of pain and betrayal clawed at her soul.
"You killed me," she whispered, stepping back.
"I tried to save you," he countered, stepping forward, desperate. "And I've been paying for it every lifetime since—living with the knowledge that my hands ended you, watching fate drag us back together only to tear us apart again."
The room spun around her. Everything she thought she knew fractured in an instant. But even as rage and grief warred within her, her bond with him pulsed… not in rejection, but in agony and longing.
"You could have told me," she said, voice barely audible.
"I thought I'd lost the right," he said, dropping to his knees before her. "But now… now we've been given another chance. And this time, Selene, I won't kill you—I'll kill fate itself before it touches you again."
Selene stared at him, heart breaking, but before she could speak, a scream echoed through the fortress halls. The heavy scent of blood hit her senses like a tidal wave.
Darius snapped his head toward the door, his wolf snarling within. "Stay here," he ordered, his Alpha voice resonating with command.
Selene shook her head fiercely. "I'm not helpless. Not anymore."
Without waiting for his response, she grabbed the ceremonial blade from the table. Its hilt burned in her hand, reacting to the ancient magic in her veins.
They stormed through the corridors together, following the stench of blood and the clatter of steel. At the entrance to the eastern tower, they found Magnus struggling against shadowed figures cloaked in black—the Nightborn assassins of the Council.
Darius shifted mid-stride, his massive wolf form bursting forth in a fury of dark fur and glowing silver eyes. He ripped through the first assassin with lethal precision.
Selene moved like fire and moonlight, the blade in her hand slicing through darkness as power she'd long suppressed erupted within her. Violet flames danced along her skin, her movements swift, instinctual—as if she had fought these battles in lifetimes past.
When the last Nightborn fell, Selene stood panting, violet flames still licking at her fingertips. Darius shifted back into human form, blood streaking his chest but eyes blazing with awe.
"You…" he breathed, stepping closer, "…you are more powerful than even the Goddess foretold."
Selene's heart pounded wildly. She had felt it too—that untapped strength, the ancient fury in her bloodline.
Magnus wiped his blade clean, glancing at them. "The Council knows they can't summon her peacefully. They're trying to take her by force."
Darius cupped Selene's face, his touch gentle despite the battle raging around them. "No more running," he said, voice rough. "It's time they learn that fate bows to us—not the other way around."
Selene's lips parted in a shaky breath. "Then we fight?"
He leaned in, his forehead pressing to hers, their bond blazing like wildfire. "We fight. Together."
---
That night, the fortress prepared for war. Soldiers fortified the gates, wolves patrolled the ridges, and word spread quickly that the Alpha's mate was not just a Luna—she was something far greater.
In the quiet of the war chamber, away from prying eyes, Selene and Darius stood by the ancient map table, candles casting golden halos around them.
Darius placed a dagger on the table, his voice solemn. "If we're to face the Council, you need to know everything. The prophecy speaks of a bond that will either save or destroy the realm. The Nightborn believe destroying our bond will unleash enough chaos to reshape the world. That's why they want you dead—or chained."
Selene swallowed hard. "And you think we can fight them? Just us?"
He shook his head. "Not just us. The Moon Goddess marked you with fire and time for a reason. The ancient packs will rally to that mark if they see it. You could command armies older than kingdoms."
Selene felt the weight of destiny pressing heavier than ever. "And if I fail?"
Darius took her hands, placing them over his heart. "Then I fail with you. I'd rather face the end of the world at your side than live another lifetime without you."
Her chest ached with a cocktail of fear and love so intense it felt like drowning. Slowly, she reached up and kissed him—not softly, not hesitantly, but with centuries of suppressed longing crashing between them.
Darius growled low in his throat, his arms wrapping around her, lifting her effortlessly. Their lips moved with desperate hunger, a promise and a plea all at once. The bond flared, silver and violet light enveloping them in a cocoon of heat and magic that made the stone walls tremble.
When they finally broke apart, gasping for breath, Darius's eyes burned with raw desire. "You are mine," he said, voice thick with emotion. "In this life, the last life, and every life to come."
Selene's fingers traced the runes on his chest, glowing faintly beneath her touch. "And you are mine. Bound before time. Bound before fate."
The words sealed something ancient between them, an unspoken oath that hummed with power.
Outside, the moon rose blood-red over the fortress. The Forgotten Vale stirred violently, shadows twisting in the distance. Far away, the Council gathered armies under banners of silver and black, preparing to march.
But inside Stormbane Fortress, destiny shifted. For the first time in lifetimes, the Moon's Flame and the Alpha's Shield stood united—not as pawns of prophecy, but as defiant lovers ready to shatter the chains of fate.
And somewhere deep beneath the earth, the slumbering beast opened its eyes… sensing the power of a bond strong enough to break time itself.