The morning came reluctantly, as if the sun itself feared to rise over Blackthorne Mansion. Pale light filtered through the velvet curtains, casting long shadows across the room. Selene stirred, her body heavy with exhaustion, though her mind had barely rested. Every dream had been filled with wolves' glowing eyes, snapping jaws, and a voice that whispered her name in the dark.
She sat up slowly, clutching the pendant still resting against her chest. It was warm, as though it had never cooled through the night. The memory of Damien's words returned with a sharp ache: You are mine.
Selene pushed herself from the bed and crossed to the balcony. The forest stretched endlessly, mist curling along the ground like smoke. It was beautiful, but it felt alive watching, waiting. She shivered.
A knock at the door broke her thoughts.
"Enter," she said, her voice hoarse.
Isolde stepped inside, carrying a tray of breakfast. Her silver hair gleamed in the morning light, her pale eyes unreadable. "The master requests your presence in the dining hall," she said softly, setting the tray down.
Selene frowned. "The master?"
"Damien," Isolde clarified, her tone reverent.
Selene's stomach twisted. She wasn't ready to face him again. Not after last night. Not after the way his eyes had burned into her, the way his voice had wrapped around her like chains. But refusing him felt dangerous.
She dressed quickly, choosing a simple gown from the wardrobe provided. It fit her perfectly, as though tailored for her. Another unsettling detail.
The dining hall was vast, lined with tall windows that let in the reluctant morning light. A long table stretched across the room, set with silverware and crystal. Damien sat at the far end, dressed in a dark suit, his golden eyes fixed on her the moment she entered.
"Selene," he said, rising to his feet. "You look radiant."
She stiffened. "You summoned me."
He smiled faintly. "I invited you. There's a difference."
She crossed the room, her steps echoing against the marble floor. "Why am I here, Damien? Why me?"
He gestured for her to sit. "Because you are not ordinary. You are Moonborn. And because fate has bound us together."
She sat reluctantly, her hands clenched in her lap. "You keep saying that. But I don't believe in fate."
Damien leaned forward, his gaze piercing. "Then believe in the bond. You feel it, don't you? The way your blood quickens when I'm near. The way your body betrays you."
Her cheeks flushed, anger rising. "That's manipulation."
"It's true," he said simply.
The silence stretched between them, heavy and charged. Selene wanted to deny it, but her body betrayed her. Every time he spoke, her pulse raced. Every time his eyes met hers, she felt something stir inside her, something primal, and something she couldn't control.
Damien broke the silence. "Tonight, I'll show you. The moon will rise, and you'll see what you are. What we are."
Selene's breath caught. "And if I refuse?"
His smile was cold, dangerous. "You won't."
The words hung in the air, a promise and a threat all at once.
Selene rose abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor. "I don't belong here."
Damien stood too, his presence overwhelming. "You belong more than you know. And soon, you'll understand."
She turned and fled the hall, her heart pounding. But even as she ran, she felt the bond, the pull, the invisible thread tying her to him.
And deep down, she feared he was right.
Selene fled the dining hall, her footsteps echoing against the marble floors. Every corridor of Blackthorne Manor seemed endless, lined with portraits whose painted eyes followed her with unnerving intensity. She wanted to escape, to run back to the city, to the life she understood, but the manor felt alive, its walls closing in, whispering that there was no way out.
She turned a corner and nearly collided with Isolde. The housekeeper's pale eyes regarded her calmly, as if she had been expecting Selene's panic.
"You're trembling," Isolde said softly. "The bond unsettles you."
Selene's breath caught. "Bond? You mean Damien's madness?"
Isolde tilted her head. "Madness? No. It is the truth of our kind. You feel it, don't you? The way your blood stirs when he is near. The way the moon calls to you."
Selene shook her head violently. "I don't want it. I don't want him."
Isolde's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. "Want has little to do with destiny."
Selene pushed past her, desperate to escape the suffocating conversation. She found herself in the library, with vast, towering shelves filled with leather-bound tomes. Dust motes danced in the shafts of light spilling through tall windows. She ran her fingers along the spines, searching for distraction, but instead she found a book that seemed to hum beneath her touch.
She pulled it free. The cover was etched with the same crest as the letter, the wolf's head surrounded by thorns. Opening it, she found pages filled with strange symbols, runes that seemed to shimmer faintly. And then, a name written in elegant script: Selene Hart.
Her stomach dropped.
The book wasn't just a record. It was a prophecy.
She flipped through the pages, her hands trembling. Each entry spoke of bloodlines, curses, and the Moonborn. Her mother's name appeared, followed by a passage that chilled her: The daughter shall awaken under the Alpha's gaze, bound by fate, forbidden yet inevitable.
Selene slammed the book shut, her pulse racing.
"You found it."
Damien's voice filled the room. She spun, clutching the book to her chest. He stood in the doorway, his presence filling the library like a storm. His golden eyes glowed faintly, and the air seemed to thrum with his power.
"You knew," she whispered. "You knew I was in this book."
"I've always known," he said, stepping closer. "From the moment I first scented you, I knew you were mine."
Selene backed away, her spine pressing against the shelves. "This is wrong. Forbidden. My family would never allow it."
Damien's jaw tightened. "Your family bound you to Hale. A hollow arrangement meant to preserve power. But you are not meant for him. You are meant for me."
Her breath came fast, her chest rising and falling. "You speak as if I have no choice."
Damien's gaze softened, though his voice remained firm. "Choice is an illusion when fate has already written the ending."
The silence between them was heavy, charged with something she couldn't name. Selene wanted to scream, to deny him, but her body betrayed her. Her pulse quickened, her skin tingled, and the pendant on her chest burned with heat.
Damien reached out, his hand hovering near her cheek. "You feel it, Selene. The bond. The hunger. You can deny me with words, but your soul knows the truth."
She closed her eyes, torn between fear and desire. The library seemed to fade, the world narrowing to the space between them.
And then, a sound shattered the moment, the sharp crack of footsteps, deliberate and heavy.
Victor Hale.
He stepped into the library, his dark eyes narrowing at the sight of them. "So it's true," he said coldly. "You've let him sink his claws into you."
Selene's heart lurched.
Damien's expression hardened, his golden eyes blazing. "You shouldn't be here, Hale."
Victor sneered. "She's mine. Promised to me. And I'll see her claimed before I let you corrupt her."
Selene's breath caught, trapped between two forces, one forbidden, one unwanted. The air thickened, the tension sharp enough to cut.
And for the first time, she realized that her choice would ignite a war.
Victor's presence filled the library like a blade drawn in silence. His dark eyes burned with fury, his jaw tight as he stepped closer, the polished heels of his boots striking the marble with deliberate menace.
Selene's breath caught. She had known Victor all her life, the fiancé chosen for her by family duty, the man she was meant to marry to preserve alliances. But standing here, in Damien's mansion, Victor looked less like a suitor and more like an executioner.
Damien moved instinctively, placing himself between Selene and Victor. His golden eyes glowed faintly, his posture radiating dominance. The air thickened, charged with primal energy.
"You shouldn't be here," Damien said, his voice low, dangerous.
Victor sneered. "And leave her to you? To your corruption? She's mine, Blackthorne. Promised to me since birth. You have no right."
Selene's pulse raced. "Victor, stop."
But Victor's gaze snapped to her, sharp and possessive. "You belong to me, Selene. Don't let him poison you with his lies."
Damien's growl rumbled through the room, deep and resonant. "She belongs to no one. Least of all you."
The tension was unbearable, the air vibrating with the threat of violence. Selene felt her body tremble, not just from fear but from something deeper, the bond pulling her toward Damien, even as Victor's claim pressed down like chains.
Victor stepped closer, his voice rising. "You think you can take her? You think your wealth, your cursed blood, makes you worthy? You're nothing but a beast hiding behind silk and stone."
Damien's lips curled into a cold smile. "Better a beast than a coward who hides behind tradition."
Victor's hand shot out, grabbing Selene's wrist. She gasped, struggling against his grip.
In an instant, Damien was there. His hand clamped around Victor's arm, his strength undeniable. The growl that tore from his throat was no longer human; it was the sound of an Alpha, primal and commanding.
"Release her," Damien snarled.
Victor's eyes widened, but he didn't let go. "She's mine."
Selene's heart pounded, her breath shallow. The pendant against her chest burned, pulsing in rhythm with Damien's fury. She felt the bond surge through her veins, a force that screamed for her to choose.
Damien's grip tightened, his golden eyes blazing. "If you don't let her go, Hale, I'll tear you apart."
Victor's sneer faltered, but his pride held. "Then do it. Show her what you really are."
The room seemed to shudder, the fire in the hearth flaring violently. Selene's scream broke the tension. "Stop! Both of you!"
Her voice rang through the library, sharp and desperate. The pendant flared with light, casting silver shadows across the walls. Both men froze, their eyes snapping to her.
Selene's chest heaved, her body trembling. "I am not a prize to be fought over. I am not yours, Victor. And I am not Damien's either. I will decide."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Victor's jaw clenched, his pride wounded. He released her wrist, stepping back with a glare that promised vengeance. "This isn't over," he spat, before storming from the library.
Damien remained, his eyes still glowing, his body taut with restrained fury. Slowly, he turned to Selene, his voice softer now. "You're stronger than you know."
Selene's knees threatened to give way. She clutched the pendant, her heart aching. She didn't know what terrified her more, Victor's claim or Damien's bond.
But one truth was clear: the war had already begun.
The library was silent after Victor's departure, though the echo of his words lingered like poison in the air. Selene's wrist throbbed where he had gripped her, a reminder of the claim he had tried to enforce. She pressed her hand against it, her breath uneven, her heart still racing.
Damien stood a few feet away, his chest rising and falling with restrained fury. The golden glow in his eyes had dimmed, but the beast within him was far from gone. He looked at her, and for a moment, Selene thought she saw something raw, not dominance, not arrogance, but concern.
"Are you hurt?" His voice was low, softer than before.
Selene shook her head quickly, though her body betrayed her trembling. "I'm fine."
Damien stepped closer, his presence filling the space between them. "He should never have touched you."
Selene's throat tightened. "He's my fiancé. My family"
"Your family bound you to him for power," Damien interrupted, his tone sharp. "Not for love. Not for destiny."
She flinched at his words because they were true. Victor had never been gentle, never been kind. He was duty, obligation, and a cage she had been forced into. And yet, Damien's claim felt no less suffocating.
"I don't want to be anyone's possession," she whispered, her voice breaking.
Damien's expression shifted, his jaw tightening. He reached out, but stopped short of touching her. "You are not a possession. You are a force. And you are mine only because fate has bound us, not because I choose to cage you."
Selene's eyes burned with unshed tears. She wanted to scream, to run, and to deny everything. But the pendant against her chest pulsed, hot and insistent, as if reminding her of the truth she couldn't escape.
Damien's voice softened further. "I know you're afraid. I know you don't trust me. But I will protect you, Selene. From Victor. From your family. From anyone who dares to claim you."
Her breath caught. The words should have comforted her, but instead they tangled with the bond, pulling her closer to him. She hated it. She hated how her body leaned toward him, how her pulse quickened when his eyes met hers.
"Why me?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Why not someone else? Why not anyone else?"
Damien's gaze locked onto hers, unyielding. "Because the moon chose you. Because you are the only one who can break my curse. And because when I look at you, Selene, I see the only thing I've ever wanted."
The fire in the hearth flared, casting golden light across his face. Selene's knees weakened, her heart pounding. She turned away, desperate to escape the intensity of his gaze.
"I need air," she whispered, moving toward the balcony.
Damien didn't stop her. He simply watched, his eyes heavy with something she couldn't name.
Selene stepped outside, the cold night air biting her skin. The forest stretched endlessly, the mist curling like fingers. She gripped the railing, her chest heaving.
Behind her, she felt Damien's presence silent, steady, unrelenting. He didn't touch her, didn't speak. He simply stood there, a shadow at her back, as if guarding her from the world.
And for the first time, Selene realized that no matter how much she resisted, no matter how much she denied, she was already entangled.
The Alpha's gaze had claimed her.