Sera's POV
I jolt awake, gasping for air.
My mother's final words still echo in my mind: One of you has to die.
Careful. Kael's voice cuts through my panic. You've been unconscious for two hours.
I'm not in my chambers. This room is smaller, darker, with weapons mounted on the walls. A warrior's room. Kael's room.
He sits in a chair beside the bed, watching me. He's dressed now, but dried blood still stains his hands and arms. His storm-gray eyes are locked on me with an intensity that makes my skin prickle.
What happened? I ask, even though I remember everything. The attack. The power. The silver light exploding from my hands.
You tell me. Kael leans forward. You destroyed half my garden and killed three trained assassins with magic. So I'll ask again: what are you?
The way he says what instead of who stabs like a knife.
I don't know, I whisper. It's not entirely a lie. I know I'm Moon Blessed now, but I don't know what that really means. And I can't tell him about the curse. Not yet. Not when knowing the truth could kill one of us.
She's lying, a new voice says.
I jump. An elderly man steps out of the shadows Elder Thorne from the library. His kind eyes now look at me with a mixture of wonder and fear.
She knows exactly what she is, Thorne continues. Don't you, child?
My throat tightens. I... the shadow-woman told me. And the book you gave me. Moon Blessed.
Kael goes completely still. Say that again.
I'm Moon Blessed. The words feel strange in my mouth. My grandmother suppressed my power when I was little. To protect me. But tonight, when those men attacked, something broke. The power came out.
Thorne nods slowly. The trauma shattered the suppression spell. Your abilities are awakening, though not completely yet.
How long have you known? Kael asks Thorne, his voice deadly quiet.
I suspected the moment I saw the mark on her forehead, Thorne admits. But I wasn't certain until tonight. The power signature is unmistakable. She's the first Moon Blessed I've seen in thirty years.
And you didn't think to tell me my wife is a walking weapon? Kael's power radiates out, making the air heavy.
Would you have believed me? Thorne challenges. She couldn't even shift. Everyone thought she was broken.
I'm right here, I snap. Stop talking about me like I'm not in the room.
Both men look at me, surprised.
Good, Thorne says, smiling slightly. Your spirit is returning. That's the Moon Blessed fire. Don't let them snuff it out.
Kael stands abruptly, pacing like a caged wolf. Who were the attackers?
Shadow Brotherhood, Thorne says grimly. A cult that's been hunting Moon Blessed for generations. They believe your kind are abominations that threaten the natural order.
Someone in this Keep hired them, Kael says. Someone knew what she was before we did. Before even she knew.
My blood runs cold. The traitor my mother warned me about.
My father, I say quietly. He sold me knowing they'd kill me. That's why he chose you. The most dangerous place in the Seven Kingdoms. He figured either you'd kill me or someone else would.
The silence that follows is suffocating.
Kael stops pacing. His hands clench into fists, and I can see him fighting for control. When he speaks, his voice is ice. Your father just signed his own death warrant.
There's more you need to know, Thorne says carefully. My King, according to ancient law, Lady Sera isn't just your wife. She's your equal. Moon Blessed cannot be commanded or controlled. She must choose to stay with you.
Kael's eyes flash dangerously. She's my wife. She made vows.
She's Moon Blessed, Thorne corrects. The old laws supersede marriage contracts. If she wants to leave, you cannot stop her. Not legally. Not physically. Her power would destroy anyone who tried to cage her.
The words hang in the air like a challenge.
Kael turns to me, and for the first time since I've known him, I see uncertainty in his face. Is that what you want? To leave?
I should say yes. I should run as far from here as possible, away from the curse that says one of us has to die. Away from whatever fate is coming for us.
But when I look at Kaelat the man who caught me when I fell, who killed to protect me, who looks at me like I'm a puzzle he needs to solve I can't make myself want to go.
No, I hear myself say. I want answers. I want to understand what I am. I want to know who tried to kill me.
And then? Kael asks.
I meet his storm-gray eyes. And then I want revenge.
For the first time, Kael smiles. Really smiles. It transforms his face, making him look younger and somehow more dangerous.
I can work with that, he says.
She'll need training, Thorne adds. To control her power. To defend herself. And to understand the ancient laws that govern what she is.
Start tomorrow, Kael orders. I want her able to protect herself within the month.
And you? I ask Kael. What will you do?
His smile turns sharp. I'm going to find out who hired those assassins. And I'm going to make them wish they'd never heard the name Moon Blessed.
He strides toward the door, then pauses. Get some rest. Tomorrow, your real training begins.
The door closes behind him, leaving me alone with Thorne.
You're keeping secrets, the old man says quietly. I can see it in your eyes. What did you see when you were unconscious?
I want to tell him about my mother. About the curse. About the impossible choice between love and death.
But the words stick in my throat.
Nothing, I lie. Just darkness.
Thorne studies me for a long moment. Be careful, child. Secrets in this Keep have a way of getting people killed. Especially secrets about curses that were supposed to stay buried.
My blood turns to ice. What do you know about curses?
More than I should, Thorne says cryptically. He walks to the door, then stops. One more thing. The mate bond between Moon Blessed and Alpha Kings is different from normal wolves. Stronger. More dangerous. When it fully awakens and it will you'll need to make a choice.
What choice? I ask, even though I already know.
Thorne's expression turns grave. The same choice your mother had to make. Let's hope you're smarter than she was.
He leaves, and I'm alone in Kael's room, surrounded by weapons and the lingering scent of pine and winter storms.
My mother's warning echoes again: One of you has to die.
I touch my chest, where I can feel something growing. Something warm and electric and terrifying.
The mate bond is already forming.
And I have no idea how to stop it.