The training yard was already alive when Selene stepped into it.
The clang of steel echoed against the fortress walls, warriors shouting as they sparred. Dust rose with every strike of a blade against a shield. The sharp scent of sweat and iron clung to the air.
Selene tightened the leather straps around her wrists. She had barely slept. Kael's messenger still haunted her thoughts, the way he had spoken as if she were nothing more than a possession waiting to be reclaimed. The whispers of Shadowfang didn't help either.
Darius had ordered her to train with the others. If you don't learn to master your strength, it will master you, he'd said.
Now she stood at the edge of the yard, dozens of eyes cutting toward her. Some hard, some wary. Some openly hostile.
"Selene," Darius's voice carried across the space. He stood at the center, already armed. His silver eyes caught the sunlight, sharp as blades. "Step forward."
She obeyed, her heart hammering. Warriors parted as she walked, murmurs trailing in her wake.
Darius tossed her a wooden practice blade. She caught it clumsily, the weight unfamiliar in her hands.
"Again," he said. "Like yesterday."
Yesterday, she had barely lasted three rounds against him before his strikes had her flat on her back. But today his tone was different—harder, expectant.
She squared her stance. Darius didn't wait. His blade swung fast. She blocked, the impact rattling her arms. Another strike followed, then another. He pressed her, each blow heavier, faster. Her breath grew ragged.
"Focus!" His voice cut through her panic. "You'll never survive against Kael if you fight like prey."
"I'm not—" She gritted her teeth, blocking again. The wooden blade splintered slightly under the force.
Darius struck low. She stumbled, falling to one knee. Laughter rippled from the onlookers. Heat rushed to her face.
But before he could press further, she slammed her palm into the ground. Silver light burst outward in a sudden wave.
The earth cracked. Dust exploded. Warriors staggered back, shielding their faces.
When the light faded, silence fell. The ground beneath her palm was scorched, glowing faintly as if the moon itself had kissed it.
Selene froze.
Darius lowered his weapon slowly. His eyes locked on her, unreadable.
Then from the crowd, a sharp voice cut through. "She'll kill us all before she kills a Bloodmoon."
It was Roran. Again. His hand gripped the hilt of his blade, his face twisted with contempt. "Did you see that? She lost control. Next time it won't be dirt that splits—it'll be our skulls."
Murmurs swelled. Doubt spread like fire.
Selene's chest constricted. She backed away, staring at her glowing hands. "I didn't mean—"
"Enough!" Darius's command silenced them instantly. He turned back to her. His tone softened, though his gaze burned. "Again, Selene. Control it."
Her head whipped toward him. "What if I hurt someone?"
"Then you'll learn faster." His voice left no space for refusal.
Her pulse raced. She raised her hands, trying to summon the light. At first nothing came. Then sparks flickered across her skin.
But the harder she pushed, the wilder it grew. Her palms blazed silver. Warriors flinched, stepping back.
"Selene!" Darius barked. "Anchor yourself. Use me."
Her eyes snapped to his. The bond between them throbbed, alive and insistent. She drew in a breath and focused on it—the steady rhythm of him, unshaken even as her power raged.
The light steadied. It dimmed to a glow, circling her hands like liquid moonlight.
Gasps rippled through the warriors.
Selene's chest heaved. She had done it. She had—
But then a shadow moved at the edge of the yard. A figure, darting fast. A glint of steel.
"Behind you!" someone shouted.
Selene spun. A rogue wolf, disguised in Shadowfang garb, lunged toward her with a dagger.
Too close. Too fast.
Her power burst out violently, uncontrolled. Silver fire exploded, throwing the attacker back with bone-crushing force. He hit the wall with a sickening crack.
The yard went silent.
The man didn't move. His chest was still. Blood stained the stone.
Selene staggered, her stomach twisting. Her hands shook. She hadn't meant to—
Warriors muttered, voices rising. "She killed him." "She's a danger—" "Not even Kael does that."
Her throat closed.
Then Darius moved. He crossed the space in seconds, seizing her wrists. "Look at me," he ordered.
Her eyes filled with tears. "I didn't—"
"Look. At. Me." His voice was harsh, but his grip was steady. His silver gaze locked onto hers, forcing her focus. "He would have killed you. Do you hear me? You survived."
Her breathing hitched.
"You are not a monster," he said, low enough for only her to hear. "You are mine. And you will learn to control this."
The words steadied her, though whispers still cut the air like knives.
Darius turned sharply, facing the yard. "That man was no warrior of mine. He was a Bloodmoon rat in stolen colors. Selene ended him before he ended one of us."
He let his words hang, daring anyone to disagree. Silence followed. No one met his eyes.
Finally he released her wrists, but his hand lingered a second longer than necessary, grounding her.
"Training is over," he declared. "Return to your duties."
Warriors dispersed reluctantly, mutters fading as they went. Selene stood frozen, staring at the scorch marks on the ground, at the unmoving body carried away.
Her stomach knotted. "I killed him."
Darius turned back, his expression unreadable. "You defended yourself. That's the only truth."
She shook her head. "I lost control."
"Yes," he said. "And tomorrow, you'll lose it again. And the next day. Until you learn. That's how power works."
Her eyes stung. "What if I never learn?"
His gaze softened, just slightly. "Then I'll be there every time you fall."
The words broke something in her. She looked away quickly, afraid of what he might see on her face.
---
That night, Selene couldn't rest. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the attacker's body hitting the wall, blood spilling across stone.
She slipped from her chamber, seeking air. The moon was high, bathing the courtyard in pale silver. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering.
"You shouldn't be alone."
Her breath caught. Darius leaned against the wall, half in shadow, arms folded.
She frowned. "Do you follow me everywhere?"
"When I need to."
She sighed, turning back to the sky. "I can't control it."
"You will."
"You sound so sure."
"Because I am." He pushed off the wall, stepping closer. "Selene, power isn't tamed in a day. It takes blood, pain, and patience. But it bends. It always bends."
Her throat tightened. "I almost killed one of yours."
"You killed Kael's."
She met his gaze sharply. He was closer now, close enough that his heat brushed against her.
"I don't want to hurt people," she whispered.
"Then don't," he said simply. "Learn to fight with it instead of against it."
"How?"
He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. The touch was brief but grounding. "Through me. Anchor it in me. The bond was made for that."
Her breath hitched. She could feel the truth of it—the way his presence calmed the storm inside her, even now.
"Why do you believe in me?" she asked, her voice unsteady.
"Because I see you," he said. "Not the whispers. Not Kael's claim. Just you."
Her chest ached. She turned quickly, afraid of the heat rising in her cheeks. "You shouldn't say things like that."
"Why?" His voice was low, steady.
"Because it makes it harder."
He studied her for a long moment, then stepped back. "Good. Hard means you're alive."
She almost laughed. Almost.
But instead she whispered, "What if Kael comes for me again?"
Darius's jaw tightened. His silver eyes gleamed. "Then he'll find me waiting."
The certainty in his tone sank deep into her. For the first time since the mark burned on her skin, she felt a flicker of safety.
---
The next morning, the fortress buzzed with news. Another spy had been found—this one in the stables, trying to poison Shadowfang's horses.
Selene's stomach twisted. How many more would come for her? How many more would she have to kill?
But when she entered the hall, Darius was already there, issuing orders, his voice calm and unwavering.
And when his gaze found hers, steady and unshaken, she realized something.
Maybe she wasn't meant to run from her power.
Maybe she was meant to master it.
And with him beside her, maybe she could.