The palace wasn't a home.
It was a cage.
Kael carried me through its endless halls like I weighed nothing, his steps unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world. The runes carved into the walls pulsed faintly as we passed, casting an eerie red glow. They weren't just decorations. They were alive, humming with a magic I couldn't understand.
My body screamed at me to fight, but my mind… my mind knew better. The bond seared every time I tried to resist. It wasn't just a chain. It was a leash.
"Put me down," I demanded, though my voice lacked the strength I wanted it to have.
Kael didn't even glance at me. "No."
I clenched my fists against his chest. "I'm not yours to carry."
"You are exactly mine to carry," he said simply, as if it were an unshakable truth.
The worst part was the heat under my skin at his words. I hated it. I hated how my traitorous body reacted to him — to the bond.
We reached a massive set of double doors, taller than any I'd ever seen, their surface carved with wolves that looked ready to leap out and tear me apart.
Kael pushed them open with one hand.
The grand hall beyond stole my breath.
The ceiling soared above us, supported by black stone pillars. Chandeliers dripped with crystals that refracted the Blood Moon's red glow, casting ghostly light across the polished floor. And lining the sides of the room…
People.
Dozens of them.
Their eyes turned to me as one, glowing faintly in the dim light. Men and women dressed in rich silks and furs, standing unnaturally still, their perfect postures making them seem carved from stone.
The whispers started almost immediately.
"A human?""The Blood Moon chose her?""She won't last a week."
Every word felt like a dagger in my skin.
Kael ignored them. Of course he did. He walked through the center of the hall as if their opinions were nothing.
I kept my eyes fixed on the floor, wishing I could disappear.
But I could feel their stares. Hungry. Curious. Some even hostile.
At the far end of the hall stood two figures.
The first was a woman — tall, elegant, with dark hair braided down her back. Her emerald‑green eyes watched me with the calculating patience of someone who saw the world as pieces on a chessboard.
Beside her stood a man who could only be described as carved from rage itself. Broad‑shouldered, scarred, with eyes the color of molten gold that burned as they met mine.
Kael stopped in front of them.
"Selene. Lucian," he said, his tone giving nothing away.
"Kael." The woman inclined her head. Her voice was smooth, warm even, but there was a sharpness beneath it that made me wary. "You brought her."
"I did."
The scarred man — Lucian — sneered, his gaze raking over me with open contempt. "A human? The Court will not stand for this."
My heart thudded painfully in my chest.
Kael didn't flinch. "They will."
Lucian took a step forward, his presence radiating aggression. "She doesn't belong here."
Kael shifted, subtly placing himself between us.
"She is mine," he said, his voice dropping into a growl that silenced the room.
The words rolled out like a command, leaving no room for argument.
Lucian's lip curled, but he didn't push further.
Selene, however, smiled faintly — the kind of smile that said she knew more than she'd ever admit. "Interesting choice, Prince."
Prince.
The word hit me like a slap.
Kael wasn't just some Alpha. He was a prince.
Of what?
I didn't have the courage to ask.
Kael turned to me, his silver eyes locking with mine. "You'll stay here."
My chest tightened. "No."
"Yes," he said, his tone flat. "You don't leave these halls without me."
"Or what?" The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Lucian's grin was sharp. "Or you won't make it out alive."
A chill ran through me.
Kael's gaze flicked to Lucian, and whatever unspoken message passed between them made the scarred man take a step back.
Selene broke the tension, her voice light. "Come. Let's get the girl settled."
I hated the way she said it. Like I was a child. Like I wasn't real.
Kael didn't look at me as he turned and walked away. "Stay with Selene," he ordered.
And then he was gone.
Just like that.
Leaving me in a room full of wolves who wanted me dead.
Selene's quarters were nothing like Kael's.
Warm, gold‑lit, filled with rich fabrics and the faint scent of jasmine. She gestured for me to sit on a velvet chaise, her every movement graceful, deliberate.
"You must have questions," she said, pouring tea into a delicate cup.
"That's an understatement."
Her smile was knowing. "Then I'll give you answers."
"Who are you?"
"Selene," she said, handing me the tea. "Advisor to the Bloodfang Court. And to Kael."
Bloodfang Court.
The name made my skin crawl.
"And him? He's really…"
"The Alpha Prince," Selene finished for me. "The rightful heir. The Blood Moon's chosen."
My fingers tightened around the cup. "Then what does that make me?"
Her gaze sharpened. "His mate."
I set the tea down with a trembling hand. "I didn't choose this."
Selene's expression softened, but it didn't reach her eyes. "No one ever does."
I stood, pacing the room. "Then I'll leave. I'll find a way out."
She didn't stop me. Didn't even look concerned.
"You can try," she said lightly. "But you won't survive it."
Her calmness made my blood run cold.
"What do you mean?" I demanded.
Selene finally met my gaze, her smile gone. "This Court isn't kind to outsiders. Especially humans. You'll be lucky to survive the week."
My stomach dropped. "Why?"
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Because of the Choosing."
The words meant nothing to me, but the way she said them — like a death sentence — made my skin prickle.
"The Choosing?" I echoed.
"You'll find out soon enough," Selene said, standing and moving toward the door. "Rest. You'll need your strength."
"Wait—"
But she was already gone.
Leaving me with more questions than answers.
And one terrifying certainty:
I wasn't safe here.
Not from the Court.
Not from Kael.
And maybe not even from myself.
Cliffhanger:What is the "Choosing"? And why do they all believe she won't survive it?