Selene's POV
His hand burned where it touched my arm—not painful, but alive, like grabbing a live wire. Kael Thornridge stared down at me with those impossible silver eyes, and something in my chest recognized him.
Which made no sense. I'd never met him before.
Let go, I gasped, trying to pull away. The heat inside me was getting worse, spreading through my veins like molten metal. Please, I need
You need to shut up and hold still, he growled. His voice was rough, commanding. The kind of voice that made people obey without thinking.
But I wasn't people. I was prey.
Behind him, the ballroom had descended into absolute chaos. Warriors snarled at each other, shoving and clawing to get closer. Two Alphas were actually fighting, their eyes glowing gold with something wild and uncontrolled.
What's happening? My voice cracked. Why are they
Your scent. Kael's jaw clenched so hard I heard his teeth grind. You're broadcasting it everywhere. Driving every unmated Alpha in this room insane.
I don't understand!
You're in heat. He said it like an accusation. Like I'd done it on purpose. First heat. And it's not— He cut himself off, his nostrils flaring. Damn it. This isn't normal.
Nothing about me was normal. I was the wolfless failure, remember? The girl who couldn't shift, who didn't belong, who was supposed to die tonight before causing trouble.
Another wave of fire crashed through me. I cried out, doubling over. My skin felt too tight, like something was trying to claw its way out from the inside.
Kael caught me before I hit the floor. Stay conscious. Don't you dare pass out.
Can't, it hurts
I know. Something shifted in his expression. Not quite sympathy, but close. Your body is trying to shift for the first time. Fighting it makes it worse.
I can't shift! I'm wolfless!
You're not. His hand moved to the back of my neck, and the touch sent shivers racing down my spine. You never were. Your wolf was just sleeping. And now she's awake.
As if his words were a trigger, something inside me moved.
I screamed.
It wasn't pain this time, it was power. Raw and ancient and absolutely terrifying. It exploded out of me in a wave of invisible force that swept across the entire ballroom.
Every conversation stopped mid-word.
Every fight froze mid-punch.
And then, one by one, like dominoes falling, every wolf in the room dropped to their knees.
Even the Alpha Kings.
Even my father.
All of them bowing to me.
Everyone except Kael. He stood over me, shaking with effort, fighting against whatever force was compelling the others to kneel. Veins stood out on his neck. His eyes blazed silver-white.
Impossible, he bit out through clenched teeth. You can't be
My skin started glowing.
I watched in horror as silver and crimson marks erupted across my arms, crawling up toward my shoulders like living tattoos. They burned themselves into my flesh, not painful, but permanent. Ancient symbols I didn't recognize but somehow knew.
The Blood Seal. The mark of queens.
No. My father's voice cut through the shocked silence. He was still on his knees but fighting to rise, his face twisted with fury and terror. No! She's nothing! A worthless human! This is a trick, some kind of magic
It's not a trick. Kael's voice was deadly quiet. He was staring at my marked skin like it was a death sentence. She's the Blood Moon Queen. The real one.
The ballroom erupted.
Shouts of disbelief. Denial. Accusations. Warriors surged forward again, but this time they weren't driven by heat-madness. They wanted to claim me. To control me. To own whatever power I represented.
Alpha King Darius Blackthorn Lyra's fiancé, pushed through the crowd, his handsome face twisted with greed. She belongs to the Eastern Territory! I'll take custody
Touch her and die. Kael's claws extended, five curved blades that looked sharp enough to gut someone. He shifted his stance, putting himself between me and the approaching Alphas. She's under my protection.
You have no claim! another Alpha shouted.
I have every claim. Kael's voice dropped to a lethal purr. She's my mate.
The words hit me like a physical blow.
Mate?
That's a lie! My father finally managed to stand, his face purple with rage. She's my daughter! She belongs to the Ashford pack!
She's nothing to you. Kael's eyes never left the advancing Alphas. You threw her away. Treated her like garbage. You don't get to claim her now that you know what she is.
How did he know that? How did he know any of this?
More wolves pushed forward. The crowd was turning into a mob, everyone wanting a piece of me, wanting to control the power they could smell radiating from my skin.
I tried to stand but my legs wouldn't work. The heat was still burning through me, and now the marks were spreading, down my chest, across my collarbone, wrapping around my throat like a collar made of light.
We need to leave. Kael grabbed my arm again, hauling me up against his chest. Now.
I can't walk
Then I'll carry you.
He swept me up like I weighed nothing. The moment my body pressed against his, the burning eased, just slightly, but enough to breathe.
Why does that help? I gasped.
Mate bond. He started moving, shoving through the crowd with brutal efficiency. Your body recognizes mine. Trusts mine.
I don't even know you!
Your wolf does.
A roar echoed through the ballroom, my father's voice, filled with murderous rage. STOP THEM! Kill him! Bring her back! She cannot leave this palace alive!
Guards poured in from every entrance. Warriors drew weapons. And Kael just kept moving, fast and focused, like he'd planned this all along.
We burst through a side door into a marble corridor. Behind us, the sounds of fighting intensified, wolves tearing into each other in their desperation to chase us.
Your father just ordered your death, Kael said, his tone almost conversational despite our speed. In front of witnesses. In front of the Continental Council. He's terrified enough of you to break every law.
Why? My voice broke. Why does he hate me so much?
Kael's arms tightened around me. When he looked down, his silver eyes held something dark and knowing.
Because you're going to destroy everything he built. Everything he stole. Everything he murdered to keep.
Before I could ask what that meant, the corridor behind us exploded. Literally exploded—stone and wood and fire blasting outward as something massive tore through the wall.
Through the smoke and debris, a figure emerged. Tall, elegant, deadly.
My twin sister Lyra.
But her eyes were glowing red instead of gold. And her smile showed teeth that were too sharp, too many, too wrong.
Hello, sister, she purred, her voice layered with something that wasn't quite human. Did you really think you could just leave?