Pain lingered, low and sharp, like a warning. Selene blinked slowly, her vision adjusting to the dim light. The forest was gone replaced by shadows and soft, glowing light.
She was lying on cold stone, a strange warmth radiating through her body. Her jacket was gone. Her shirt felt torn at the shoulder. Her chest burned, but the pain wasn't unbearable it was a call, pulling her toward something deeper.
The air smelled of earth and musk, and somewhere above her, the moon glowed crimson again.
"You're awake."
The voice was closer now. Selene turned her head slowly.
He was there. The man from the forest. Standing over her, tall, impossibly strong. His black hair caught the moonlight, and his golden eyes were fixed on her like a predator watching its prey.
"Who are you?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
"I'm Elias," he said simply, but there was a weight to his words, as though they carried centuries of meaning.
"You attacked me," she said, sitting up abruptly. Pain shot through her side, and she gasped. "Why?"
He stepped closer, and for the first time, Selene noticed the air around him alive. Every breath he took seemed to echo. "I didn't attack you. Something else did. I saved you."
"Saved me?" Her voice cracked. "From what?"
From the corner of his mouth, Elias gave a small, dangerous smile. "From your destiny."
Selene stared at him, confusion and fear twisting inside her. "My destiny? I don't even know who you are. What is this?"
"This," he said, glancing up at the blood moon, "is the moment your life changed forever. You are not who you think you are, Selene Ward. You carry the blood of the Moonborn and there are those who will kill you for it."
Her heart stuttered. "Moonborn?"
He nodded gravely. "It's time you learn the truth. But first…" His voice dropped lower, filled with an intensity she couldn't ignore. "You belong to me."
Selene's breath hitched. His words weren't a question. They were a claim.
"No," she whispered. But her voice lacked conviction. Something inside her deep, primal stirred at his tone. Something that answered him without permission.
Elias studied her, his expression unreadable. Then he stepped back, eyes never leaving hers. "We don't have much time. Others are coming."
Before she could speak, he turned and vanished into the shadows, leaving her alone with a pounding heart and the whisper of her name carried on the wind.
Selene didn't know it yet… but nothing in her life would ever be the same.