CHAPTER THREE — The Alpha Who Knows My Name (Part Two)
The words hung in the cave like a spell, burning their meaning into the air before anyone could breathe them away. The Luna's Moonfire. Selena felt the syllables lodge beneath her ribs, too heavy to swallow, too sacred to deny. The warrior's torch crackled in the silence, its golden light trembling as if afraid of what it illuminated. Kade's hand clamped around her wrist with a protective desperation, his pulse thundering against her skin. "She's not carrying anything," he growled, but his voice trembled with something dangerously close to fear. Malek's eyes, dark and cutting, fixed on the warrior. "Explain. Now." The warrior shifted his weight, lowering the torch until its light painted his scarred face in reverent gold. His expression wasn't one of threat—it was something deeper. Grief. Awe. Dread.
"Moonfire," the warrior began softly, the word sounding almost like prayer. "It is the raw essence of the Luna's rebirth. The divine fire that burns within her soul once every age. It awakens when the balance of the wolves is broken—and when the curse is ready to rise again." His voice faltered slightly on the last word, as if the memory of it could still wound. Selena felt her pulse trip. "Curse?" she whispered. Kade swore under his breath, sharp and bitter. "This is why I didn't want her hearing this." Malek's jaw tightened, the shadows around him seeming to darken. "The curse returns with every Luna reborn. It hunts her until she chooses her Heart-Bond."
Selena shook her head, her voice trembling as she took an instinctive step backward. "Heart-Bond? No, I—I'm not choosing anyone!" The warrior's expression turned pained, his eyes softening. "That is why you are in danger," he said gravely. "The Moonfire feeds on conflict—on divided devotion, on love that pulls in two directions." The words struck her like a blow to the chest. Her lips parted, but no sound came. The air itself felt heavier now, laced with the weight of prophecy. Kade stepped forward, his posture protective, his voice a low growl. "She doesn't love anyone," he said, his eyes hard. "She barely knows us." Malek's reply came quieter, colder. "Speak for yourself."
Kade lunged before the words had even finished leaving Malek's mouth. But Selena's hand shot out, catching his arm with surprising strength. "Stop," she pleaded, her voice breaking through the tension like a fragile thread. Kade froze under her touch, his muscles quivering with restrained fury. Malek's gaze flicked toward her, softened for only a heartbeat, then returned to steel. The warrior continued, his voice deep and solemn. "When the Luna holds Moonfire uncontained, she becomes a beacon. Every creature born of shadow will feel her light. They will come for it. For her." The color drained from Kade's face as realization set in. Malek's growl rumbled low in his throat. "The Shadowborn followed her scent."
Selena shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself as a chill rippled through her bones. "So the attack—it was because of me?" she whispered. The warrior shook his head slowly. "Not because of you," he said. "Because of fate." The word echoed like a tolling bell. Selena swallowed hard, her voice breaking. "And if this Moonfire keeps growing—what happens?" The warrior's expression faltered, the flicker of the torchlight catching on the guilt in his eyes. "Then it consumes the Luna from within." Kade moved before she could react, cupping her face in both hands, his touch shaking. "No," he whispered fiercely. "No, Selena, look at me. I won't let that happen."
Malek's tone darkened, quiet but commanding. "Nor will I." His words sent a tremor through the air, as though the very cave bent to his authority. Selena's breath hitched as her eyes darted between them—their gazes like two storms colliding over the same sea. "What do I do?" she asked softly, voice cracking with both fear and hope. "How do I stop it?" The warrior exchanged a heavy glance with his comrades before lowering his head. "There is only one way." His silence afterward was worse than the words themselves. "Tell me," Selena demanded, her heart pounding in her throat. The warrior's eyes lifted, filled with pity. "You must choose an Alpha before sunrise."
The world went still. Even the flames seemed to quiet, holding their breath alongside her. Kade's voice broke the silence, sharp and trembling. "No. She's not doing that." Malek's dark eyes narrowed. "You're afraid she won't choose you." Kade spun toward him, his voice a growl of pain. "I'm afraid this pressure will destroy her!" Selena backed away from them both, shaking her head, tears burning her eyes. "I can't just pick one of you like it's nothing," she said. "I don't even know who I am!" The warrior took a step forward, his tone gentler now. "That is why you must come with us," he said. "The Duskwalker Elders can guide you. Protect you. They will help you understand what you are—and what you must do."
Kade's fury reignited, his voice low and dangerous. "She's not leaving with you." Malek's reply came soft but sharp as a blade. "Even if staying with you kills her?" Kade froze, the truth cutting deep into his silence. Selena swayed where she stood, clutching her chest as a sudden wave of heat tore through her body. Her birthmark flared with light beneath her sleeve, burning brighter than before. Kade was at her side in an instant, catching her before she fell. "Selena!" His voice cracked with fear as he pressed his forehead against hers. Her eyes glowed faintly silver. "It hurts," she gasped, "Kade, it—hurts—" Malek knelt beside them, his voice grave and urgent. "She doesn't have time. If the Moonfire erupts again, it will destroy her from the inside."
Kade looked up, anguish splintering across his features. "What do you expect me to do?" he snarled. "Let her walk into the hands of those who'll claim her fate for themselves?" Malek's eyes flickered with restrained rage. "We don't want to claim her. We want to save her." Selena's entire body trembled as another surge of heat rolled through her veins. She clung to Kade's shirt, burying her face against his chest. He held her as though holding her could keep her heart from breaking apart. "I've got you," he whispered desperately. "Stay with me." Malek moved closer, shadows trailing faintly behind him. "Let me help her," he said quietly. Kade's head snapped up, eyes wild. "Don't touch her."
"Banished Alpha." The warrior's voice cut through their chaos like a cold wind. "If she stays in your arms, the Moonfire will feed on your bond. It will consume her faster." The words hung there, merciless and final. Kade froze. Selena's breath caught. "Let her go," Malek said softly. Kade's throat worked painfully as he looked down at her. "Selena…" he whispered. Her hand fisted tighter in his shirt. "Don't let me go." The sound of those words shattered something inside him. He brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb, his voice breaking. "I can't hold you and watch you die."
Malek extended his hand—not possessively, but gently, reverently, as if offering salvation instead of ownership. "I won't hurt you," he said softly. "You have my word, Luna. Let me ease the fire." Between them, the air trembled with energy—choice, danger, desire, all tangled into one unbearable pull. Kade's voice, hoarse and quiet, broke through it. "Selena, look at me." She did. His storm-gray eyes burned with love and despair. "I don't care what prophecy demands," he said. "I care about you. If going with him means you live—" His voice fractured. "—then I'll let you go."
Her breathing hitched, her tears spilling freely now. Even Malek's gaze flickered, his stoic calm breaking for a second into something like respect. Selena squeezed Kade's hand weakly. "Don't leave me." He smiled through the ache. "Never." But the warrior stepped forward, torchlight flickering against the stone. "The choice must be made now," he said solemnly. Before she could reply, the Moonfire erupted in her chest, a violent, luminous force tearing through her body. Selena screamed, the light bursting through her skin like liquid silver. Kade's cry echoed hers, anguish raw. Malek lunged forward, catching her as the light flared brighter.
"NO!" Kade roared, reaching for her, but the Moonfire's blast threw him backward. Selena's vision filled with blinding light—silver and shadow, heat and agony. Malek's voice broke through the chaos, steady and dark. "I've got you." The world splintered. Stone fractured. Air turned to smoke. And then the cave collapsed into darkness—leaving only the echo of Kade's voice calling her name as Selena vanished from his arms.