Night fell too quickly.
The moon hung low and silver over Bloodmoon Estate, casting long shadows across the courtyard as warriors shifted anxiously in their patrol routes. Every wolf in the pack felt the wrongness in the air—the pressure, the tremor of dark magic, the echo of something calling.
But inside Lucien's chamber, the tension was suffocating.
Sera paced, her fingers glowing faintly with the power she couldn't fully control. Every few minutes, she felt the shard tug. A sharp pull. A breathless whisper. A cold pulse that did not belong to her.
Lucien watched her from across the room, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles went white.
"You're in pain again," he said quietly.
"No," she lied, even as a wave of cold swept down her spine. "I'm fine."
Lucien rose slowly, walking toward her with measured steps, like approaching something fragile and furious all at once.
"Sera," his voice lowered, "we go to the meeting only if you're stable—"
Her pace stopped abruptly.
"No. We're going."
Lucien stared at her. "There's no 'we.' He asked for you alone."
A bitter laugh left her lips. "There is no version of tonight where I walk into that forest without you."
Lucien's jaw tightened. He reached her, cupping her face in both hands.
"You're not going alone," he whispered. "Not ever."
The bond pulsed—warm, rhythmic, like two hearts trying to beat as one.
But then Sera felt it.
A cold, sharp yank inside her chest.
Her breath hitched, knees almost buckling.
"Sera!" Lucien caught her instantly.
She clutched his shirt, trembling. "It's him. He's calling harder. Lucien, I think… if I don't go… he might pull me to him anyway."
Lucien's eyes darkened with a fear so raw it hurt to see.
"I won't let him take you," he said fiercely.
Her lips parted. "Then we have to go now."
---
Entering the Forest
The forest was silent.
Too silent.
As if every tree, every creature, every breath of wind was holding itself still for what was coming.
Sera walked beside Lucien, her fingers intertwined with his. Warriors trailed behind them, tense and alert, but stopped when Lucien raised a hand.
"This is far enough," he ordered softly.
Rowan stepped forward. "Alpha—"
"Stay here," Lucien said, unwavering. "If something goes wrong, you'll know."
Sera met Rowan's eyes, offering a thin, brave smile. He bowed his head in return, though worry tightened his face.
Then Lucien led Sera deeper into the trees.
The darkness thickened, curling around them like cold mist. Sera's lungs tightened. The shard pulsed faster, stronger, like a heartbeat that wasn't hers.
Lucien squeezed her hand. "Tell me what you feel."
"Like… someone pulling a thread that's tied to my soul."
A growl rumbled in his chest. "He's going to pay for this."
They walked until the clearing opened before them, bathed in pale-blue moonlight.
And there he stood.
Kieran.
Tall, composed, with silver eyes glowing faintly in the dark. Shadows whispered around him like loyal pets.
Sera's breath caught.
Lucien stepped in front of her instantly, teeth bared.
"You come near her," Lucien warned, voice low and lethal, "and I end you tonight."
Kieran's lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile.
"Relax, brother."
The word hit the air like a thrown dagger.
Lucien stiffened. "Don't call me that."
Sera's eyes widened. "Brother?"
Lucien's jaw flexed. "Half-brother."
Kieran chuckled softly. "Ah. You didn't tell her? Didn't explain how you were born with light—and I with shadow?"
Sera stared between them.
Lucien growled. "You don't get to use our bloodline to manipulate her."
Kieran ignored him.
Instead, he turned his gaze on Sera, and the shard inside her twisted sharply.
She gasped, stumbling. Lucien caught her arm.
"Stop it!" he snarled.
Kieran raised a brow. "She's reacting to me naturally, Lucien. The shard wants to return to its owner."
Her pulse quickened.
Return?
No. No, that wasn't right.
Sera gritted her teeth. "It's not yours. You stole it."
Kieran stepped forward slowly, and pain shot through her chest. Her fingers dug into Lucien's arm.
"Easy," Lucien whispered, pulling her behind him.
Kieran's voice dropped lower. "I didn't steal anything, Seraphina. You were born with power meant for the shadows. Our ancestor's gift. My gift. You're tethered to me because you were meant to be."
Lucien released a furious growl. "She is not meant for you!"
Kieran tilted his head. "Really? Look at her."
Lucien did.
Her breathing was shallow. Her eyes wide. Her skin glowing faintly beneath the moonlight. The shard's influence had her trembling in his arms.
And Lucien looked—terrified.
Kieran's smile spread.
"She belongs with the darkness. With me."
Sera straightened suddenly, voice firm despite the tremor in her bones.
"No. I belong with myself."
Kieran blinked.
Lucien froze.
Sera stepped forward, hand pressed to her chest.
"And right now? My power chooses him." She looked at Lucien. "Not you."
The bond between them pulsed warm and bright.
Kieran's expression flickered—annoyance, disbelief, something darker.
"You shouldn't fight what you are, Seraphina."
Sera glared at him. "You're right. And what I am—is not yours."
The shadows behind Kieran churned.
His eyes flashed silver.
"You're stronger than you know," he murmured. "But with that shard in you, your power will keep answering me. You cannot escape that."
Lucien stepped forward. "Then we'll remove it."
Both Sera and Kieran stilled.
The forest air tightened.
Kieran's voice dropped dangerously soft. "Remove it, and you risk tearing her power apart. The shard has fused with her essence. Her magic will die with it."
Sera's heart stopped.
Lucien's breath caught. "You're lying."
"Am I?" Kieran smiled coldly. "Ask her."
Another pulse.
Pain shot through Sera's chest—but this time, she noticed something new.
The shard didn't feel foreign.
It felt like part of her.
Her power hummed around it like threads woven through a single knot.
Lucien watched her face pale.
"No…" he whispered. "No, Sera… tell me that's not true."
Tears burned her eyes.
"I don't know."
Lucien turned on Kieran with a roar. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"
Kieran spread his arms calmly. "Gave her what she was born for."
Lucien lunged.
Sera shouted, "Lucien, wait—!"
But shadows erupted around Kieran instantly, forming a wall that threw Lucien back.
He hit the ground hard.
"Lucien!" Sera ran to him.
He coughed, pain twisting across his face—but he sat up immediately, grabbing her hand.
"I'm fine," he grit out. "Just don't—don't go near him."
But Kieran's voice filled the clearing.
"Seraphina. Come to me."
The shard tore through her like lightning.
Her body jerked violently.
Lucien's grip tightened, desperation in every line of his face.
"Sera, stay with me—look at me!"
She tried.
She fought.
But her feet slid one step forward.
Then another.
The shadows curled toward her like fingers.
Lucien's voice cracked. "NO!"
He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back with everything he had.
But the shard dragged her forward.
Lucien strained, growling, fighting, shaking with effort.
"Sera—please—don't leave me—"
Her eyes met his.
Her vision blurred with tears.
"I'm trying…" she gasped. "I'm trying…"
Kieran smiled faintly.
"This is only the beginning."
The shadows surged.
The shard flared.
Lucien's hold slipped—
And Sera was torn from his arms.