The night fell heavy over Blackthorne Manor, the kind of night that seemed to swallow sound and light alike. Selene stood on her balcony, the pendant pressed against her chest, her thoughts a storm. Victor's intrusion still lingered in her mind, his possessive grip, and his venomous words. But it was Damien's gaze, golden, unyielding, that haunted her most.
The moon was rising again, fuller, brighter, its silver glow spilling across the forest. Selene's skin prickled, her blood humming in rhythm with its ascent. She gripped the railing, her breath uneven. Something inside her stirred a shadow, a beast clawing at the edges of her humanity.
Behind her, the door opened. She didn't need to turn to know it was Damien. His presence filled the room like fire, steady and consuming.
"You feel it," he said softly, stepping closer. "The moon calls to you."
Selene shook her head, though her body betrayed her. "I don't want this."
Damien's voice was low, almost tender. "It isn't about want. It's about blood. About destiny. You are Moonborn, Selene. And tonight, the bond will begin to awaken."
She turned sharply, her eyes flashing. "And what if I refuse? What if I walk away?"
Damien's jaw tightened, his golden eyes glowing faintly. "Then the curse consumes me. And the packs will burn in war. Victor will claim you by force, and you will lose yourself. Is that what you want?"
Her chest heaved, torn between fear and defiance. "I don't want to be anyone's salvation. I just want to be free."
Damien stepped closer, his hand hovering near her cheek but not touching. "Freedom is an illusion, Selene. You were born into this. You can deny it, but the moon will not."
The pendant pulsed, hot against her skin. Selene gasped, clutching it. Her vision blurred, the room spinning. She saw flashes of wolves running through the forest, blood on the snow, a woman with her mother's eyes whispering her name.
She staggered, and Damien caught her, his arms strong around her trembling body. "Breathe," he commanded. "Let it in. Don't fight it."
Selene's body burned, her senses sharpening. She could hear the distant rustle of leaves, the heartbeat of the wolf in the forest, even the crackle of the fire downstairs. Her nails dug into Damien's suit, her breath ragged.
"What's happening to me?" she whispered.
Damien's lips brushed her ear, his voice a growl. "You're awakening."
The howl of a wolf split the night, echoing through the forest. Selene's body shuddered, her blood singing in answer. She clung to Damien, terrified yet exhilarated, knowing that nothing would ever be the same.
And as the moon rose higher, Damien's curse pressed closer, the bond between them tightening like chains forged in fire.
The night pressed heavily against the manor, the moon climbing higher, its silver light spilling across the forest like a blade. Selene sat in the library, the prophecy book open before her, the words burning into her mind. The daughter shall awaken under the Alpha's gaze, bound by fate, forbidden yet inevitable.
Her hands trembled as she traced the letters. She wanted to deny them, to tear the page apart, but the pendant at her chest pulsed in agreement. Every beat of her heart seemed to echo the prophecy's truth.
Damien stood near the window, his silhouette framed by the moonlight. His golden eyes glowed faintly, his jaw tight, his body tense as though fighting something unseen.
"You feel it," he said, his voice low. "The bond. The awakening. It's already begun."
Selene's throat tightened. "I don't want this. I don't want to be part of your curse."
Damien turned, his gaze piercing. "You think I chose this? You think I wanted centuries of loneliness, of blood and shadows? No, Selene. I didn't choose it. But fate chose you. And now, you must decide whether to embrace it or let the world burn."
She rose abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor. "You speak of fate as if it's a chain. But I won't be chained. Not by you. Not by Victor. Not by anyone."
Damien's lips curved into a faint, bitter smile. "You can fight destiny, Selene. But destiny always wins."
The silence between them was sharp, heavy with unspoken truths. Selene's body trembled, her senses sharpening. She could hear the heartbeat of the wolf outside, the rustle of leaves, even the faint crackle of the fire in the hall. Her nails dug into her palms, her breath ragged.
"What's happening to me?" she whispered.
Damien stepped closer, his voice a growl. "Your wolf is waking. The blood moon stirs it. You can't fight it. You can only surrender."
Selene staggered, clutching the pendant. Her vision blurred, flashes of wolves and fire filling her mind. She saw her mother, her eyes gentle yet fierce, whispering her name. She saw Damien, his golden gaze burning into her. She saw herself not as a woman, but as a wolf, fierce and untamed.
She gasped, collapsing to her knees. Damien was there instantly, his arms strong around her trembling body. "Breathe," he commanded. "Let it in. Don't resist."
Her body burned, her blood singing in rhythm with the moon. She felt her nails lengthen, her senses sharpen, her heartbeat thunder in her ears. She was changing, not fully, not yet, but enough to know the truth.
She was Moonborn.
And Damien was her Alpha.
The fire in the library burned low, casting long shadows across the shelves. Selene sat rigid in the chair, her fingers clutching the pendant as if it were the only anchor keeping her from drowning. Her body still trembled from the visions, but Damien's steady presence kept her from collapsing entirely.
He stood by the window, the moonlight painting his silhouette in silver. His golden eyes glowed faintly, but there was something else in them now: weariness, pain, a heaviness that seemed centuries old.
"You asked why me," he said at last, his voice low, almost reverent. "Why did fate choose you. To answer that, you must understand the curse."
Selene's throat tightened. "Curse?"
Damien turned, his gaze locking onto hers. "I was born into the Blackthorne line, a bloodline blessed and damned by the moon goddess herself. We were given power beyond measure, the strength of Alphas that could rule not just packs, but empires. But power always demands a price."
He stepped closer, his voice deepening. "The goddess decreed that every Alpha of my line would be bound to a single mate, a Moonborn. Without her, the Alpha's wolf would consume him. Rage. Hunger. Madness. I have carried that curse for centuries, waiting for the one who could break it."
Selene's breath caught. "Centuries?"
Damien's jaw tightened. "I am not like others. My bloodline is ancient. I have lived lifetimes, watched empires rise and fall, all while the curse gnawed at me. Each blood moon, the beast inside me grows stronger, harder to control. Without my mate, I will lose myself entirely."
Selene's chest heaved. "And you think I'm that mate."
Damien's eyes softened, though his voice remained firm. "I don't think. I know. The prophecy speaks of you. The daughter of the Moonborn, hidden among mortals, awakened under the Alpha's gaze. You are the key, Selene. The only one who can save me."
She shook her head violently, tears burning her eyes. "I don't want to save you. I don't want to be part of this."
Damien crouched before her, his presence overwhelming yet strangely tender. "I know you're afraid. I know you never asked for this. But fate doesn't ask. It demands. And if you walk away, the curse will consume me, and Victor will claim you by force. The packs will fall into war. Blood will drown the forest."
Selene's hands trembled, clutching the pendant. "Why should I care about your curse? About your war?"
Damien's gaze pierced her, his voice breaking with raw honesty. "Because it isn't just my curse. It's yours too. You are Moonborn. The wolf inside you is waking. If you deny it, it will tear you apart. If you embrace it, you will become more than you ever imagined."
The silence that followed was heavy, filled with the weight of destiny. Selene's heart pounded, her body trembling. She wanted to run, to escape, to pretend none of this was real. But the pendant pulsed against her chest, the moonlight burned her skin, and deep inside, the wolf stirred.
Damien's hand hovered near hers, not touching, but close enough that she felt his warmth. "You don't have to decide tonight. But the blood moon rises soon. And when it does, you will see the truth. You will see us."
Selene closed her eyes, her tears spilling silently. She didn't want to believe him. But she already did.
The library was hushed, the fire burning low, its glow flickering across the prophecy book spread open before Selene. Her fingers trembled as she traced the inked letters of her mother's name. Elara Hart.
She had seen that name before, in faded documents and photographs tucked away in her father's study. But here, in Damien's ancient tome, it was written with reverence, surrounded by runes that shimmered faintly in the candlelight.
Selene's throat tightened. "My mother… she was part of this?"
Damien's gaze softened, though his voice carried the weight of centuries. "Elara was Moonborn. She carried the blood of the goddess. She was meant to be claimed by an Alpha, but she chose differently. She chose to hide you among mortals, to protect you from the curse that stalked my line."
Selene's chest ached. "She died when I was a baby. My father never spoke of her. He said she was… fragile."
Damien shook his head slowly. "She was anything but fragile. She was fierce. She defied tradition, defied prophecy, and paid the price. The packs hunted her for breaking the bond. She gave her life to shield you from them."
Selene's vision blurred with tears. She had always felt the absence of her mother like a hollow wound, but now that wound throbbed with new meaning. Her mother hadn't been fragile. She had been strong enough to defy fate.
She turned the page, her eyes catching on a passage written in flowing script: The daughter shall awaken under the Alpha's gaze. She will carry her mother's fire, her defiance, and her destiny. She will be the forbidden bride, the one who breaks the chains of blood.
Selene's breath caught. "Forbidden bride…"
Damien's eyes locked onto hers, golden and unyielding. "You see now. The prophecy doesn't just speak of me. It speaks of you. You are not a pawn, Selene. You are the one who will decide whether the curse ends or consumes us all."
Her hands shook as she closed the book. The pendant at her chest pulsed, hot and insistent, as though her mother's spirit lived within it. She felt her blood stir, her senses sharpen, and her body tremble with something she couldn't control.
But before the transformation could take her, she whispered, broken and raw: "If my mother defied prophecy… why can't I?"
Damien's jaw tightened, his voice a low growl. "Because fate always collects its debt. Elara delayed it. But you, Selene… you are the debt's payment."
The words struck her like a blade. She staggered back, clutching the pendant, her tears spilling freely. Her mother's defiance had bought her time, but now that time was ending.
And as the moon climbed higher, Selene realized she stood at the edge of the same choice her mother had faced: surrender to destiny, or defy it and risk everything.
The library seemed to breathe with her, each flicker of candlelight casting shadows that danced across the prophecy book. Selene's fingers lingered on her mother's name, Elara Hart, written in ink that shimmered faintly as though alive.
Her chest tightened. She had grown up with fragments of a photograph tucked in a drawer, a locket hidden in her father's desk, whispers of a woman who had died too young. But here, in Damien's ancient tome, her mother was not fragile. She was fire. She was defiant. She was prophecy.
Selene turned another page, her breath catching as she found a passage written in a different hand, softer, more personal. It was not prophecy, but a letter.
To my daughter, it began. If you are reading this, then fate has found you. I tried to shield you from it, to give you a life free of chains. But the moon cannot be denied. You carry my blood, my fire. You will be tested. And you must choose not as they command, but as your heart demands.
Selene's vision blurred with tears. Her mother's words felt like a hand reaching across time, steadying her trembling soul.
Damien stepped closer, his voice low. "She left those words for you. She knew the prophecy would find you, even if she tried to hide you from it."
Selene's throat tightened. "She defied it. She chose love. She chose freedom. Why can't I?"
Damien's jaw clenched, his golden eyes burning. "Because fate always collects its debt. Elara delayed it, but she could not erase it. You are the debt's heir, Selene. You are the forbidden bride."
Her tears spilled freely now, her hands shaking as she clutched the pendant. It pulsed with heat, as though her mother's spirit lived within it, urging her to listen, to feel, to awaken.
Selene whispered, broken: "She wanted me to choose. Not to be forced. Not to be claimed."
Damien's voice softened, though it carried the weight of inevitability. "And you will choose. But know this, the blood moon rises soon. And when it does, your wolf will answer. Whether you want it or not."
The silence that followed was heavy, filled with the echo of her mother's words. Selene felt torn between defiance and surrender, between the fire of Elara's rebellion and the pull of Damien's bond.
And as the moon climbed higher, she realized her mother's choice had bought her time but not freedom. That freedom would have to be fought for, claimed, or surrendered.
The moon had climbed higher, its silver light spilling through the tall windows of the library. Selene clutched the pendant, her mother's words echoing in her mind: You must choose not as they command, but as your heart demands.
Her body trembled, heat surging through her veins. The air felt thick, heavy, and alive. Every sound sharpened the crackle of the fire, the rustle of leaves outside, the steady rhythm of Damien's heartbeat. She gasped, her nails digging into her palms, her breath ragged.
Damien stepped closer, his golden eyes glowing. "It's starting," he said, his voice low, steady. "Don't fight it. Fighting will only tear you apart."
Selene staggered, clutching the edge of the table. Her vision blurred, flashes of wolves and moonlight filling her mind. She saw her mother's face, fierce and defiant, whispering her name. She saw Damien, his eyes burning into hers. She saw herself not as a woman, but as a wolf, wild and untamed.
Her nails lengthened, sharp and curved. Her senses exploded. She could smell the smoke of the fire, the pine of the forest, and the faint musk of Damien's wolf. Her ears rang with sounds she had never noticed before: the flutter of wings outside, the distant howl of a pack.
She cried out, collapsing to her knees. The pendant flared with light, silver and blinding, casting shadows across the room.
Damien was there instantly, his arms strong around her trembling body. "Breathe," he commanded, his voice a growl. "Let it in. Don't resist."
Selene's body burned, her skin prickling as if something beneath it clawed to be free. Her eyes flashed, the irises shifting, glowing faintly with silver light. Her teeth ached, lengthening into sharp points. Her breath came in ragged gasps, half‑human, and half‑beast.
"I can't," she whispered, her voice breaking.
"You can," Damien said firmly, his hand steady against her back. "You are Moonborn. This is your birthright. Embrace it."
The howl of a wolf split the night, echoing through the forest. Selene's body shuddered, her blood singing in answer. She felt the wolf inside her surge, clawing and demanding release.
Her scream tore through the library, but it was not entirely human. It was deeper, rawer, edged with the sound of a howl.
Her transformation halted halfway, her eyes glowing silver, her nails sharp, her breath animalistic. She was caught between worlds, neither fully woman nor wolf.
Damien held her, his voice a steady anchor. "That's it. You're awakening. You're stronger than you know."
Selene's chest heaved, her body trembling, her soul torn between fear and exhilaration. She felt alive in a way she never had before, powerful, primal, and dangerous.
And as the moonlight bathed her, she realized the truth: she was no longer just Selene Hart. She was Moonborn.
The forbidden bride.