Chapter One
Ethan's POV
The road into Blackville was narrow and winding, flanked by tall pine trees that leaned in as if whispering secrets. Fog clung low to the ground, thickening the deeper we drove. I pressed my forehead against the passenger window, watching the mist curl like fingers around the car's tires.
Shadow sat behind the wheel, unusually quiet. Normally, he'd fill the silence with music or idle chatter. Today, nothing. His eyes stayed fixed ahead, sharp, like something invisible was pulling him toward the town.
"You good?" I asked.
He nodded without looking at me. "Yeah. Just… feels strange being back."
The last time we were here, we were kids visiting our grandmother. I barely remembered the place. But Shadow had always loved the woods, the strange silence, the way nights here seemed to stretch forever.
We passed the faded "Welcome to Blackville" sign. Half the paint had peeled off. The streetlamps flickered weakly, barely cutting through the fog. Something in the air felt heavier here—older.
We parked outside the house Grandma left us. It looked smaller than I remembered, its dark wood panels soaked with years of rain. The porch creaked when we stepped onto it.
Shadow paused at the door. His hand hovered over the doorknob for a second too long.
"What?" I asked.
He shook his head slowly. "Nothing. Just… it feels like something's been waiting."
I laughed it off, but his voice made the back of my neck prickle. Inside, the air was stale but familiar. Dust covered the furniture, and faint claw marks ran across the hallway wall—probably just old wood damage, I told myself.
As we settled in, I caught Shadow staring out the window toward the woods. His expression was unreadable, but his body leaned slightly, like the forest was calling to him.
"You're acting weird," I said.
He finally turned to me, half-smiling. "Maybe the town missed me."
I tried to smile back, but unease lingered.
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Selene's POV
From the edge of the woods, hidden beneath the cloak of night, I watched their car pull in. The fog wrapped around me like silk, but my focus was sharp. The moment the door opened, **I smelled it**—a pulse in the air, warm and familiar.
His blood.
Even after all these years, I could never forget that scent. It carried the same rhythm as it did when we were children, racing barefoot through moonlit fields before fate tore us apart. My heart didn't quicken, but something deep inside stirred—an old memory resurfacing.
I stepped closer, my boots silent on the damp earth. The twins moved toward the house. Ethan looked the same—careful, grounded. But Shadow… his presence struck like a spark in dry grass.
He didn't recognize me. Of course he wouldn't. Humans forget easily, especially when the world they left behind was soaked in secrets they were never meant to keep.
I tilted my head, studying him through the mist. His shoulders had broadened, but the way he hesitated at the door told me the same cautious boy lived beneath that exterior.
"Adrian," I whispered, it's been years, I don't think he still remembers me
My name is selene, I was born into the
Royal House of Noctara —a lineage older than the town itself. Power wasn't something I sought; it was woven into my blood. Every step I took carried the weight of ancient laws and the scrutiny of the council. I'd spent my life behind velvet walls and stone corridors, learning diplomacy, dominance, and how to control the fire that burned in royal veins.
But none of that mattered when I caught his scent.
The council would not understand why I was here. They'd call it reckless. A royal shouldn't watch from shadows; she should command from thrones. But I couldn't ignore the pull. His return was no coincidence. The bloodlines always circle back.
I closed my eyes briefly and focused. A ripple of power spread through me—my gift, I have the ability to bind minds and bend wills if I desired. I'd inherited it from my mother, Queen of our kind. But tonight, I didn't use it. I simply observed.
Ethan moved with caution. Shadow moved like he was remembering a song he'd forgotten the words to.
I felt a smile tug at my lips.
He was back.
And though he didn't know it yet, the path that bound us as children had begun to weave itself again. Not in romance, but in friendship. I would watch. I would wait. And when the time comes, I would step out o
f the shadows—not as a stranger, but as the girl he once knew.