Selenes pov.
The mark burned.
I stared at my chest in the dim light of my chamber, my fingers trembling as they traced the silver outline of the wolf crest. It was beautiful and terrible—an intricate pattern of swirling lines that seemed to pulse with its own heartbeat.
I had never seen anything like it.
I had never felt anything like it.
The mark wasn't just on my skin. It was in me. I could feel it in my bones, in my blood, in the deepest part of my soul. It hummed with ancient power, a power that I didn't understand and couldn't control.
I pressed my palm against it, trying to will it away. For a moment, the silver light dimmed. I thought it was fading.
Then it flared brighter than before.
I gasped and pulled my hand back. The mark settled, its glow softening to a gentle pulse. It wasn't going anywhere.
I climbed out of bed and walked to the window. The Doom Moon hung low in the sky, its red light spilling across the city like blood. I could feel it calling to me—a pull in my chest that I couldn't explain.
Rise, daughter.
The voice from my dream echoed in my mind. It had been soft and ancient, full of sorrow and hope. I didn't know who it belonged to. I didn't know what it meant.
But I knew one thing for certain: I was not the same person who had walked into this palace last night.
---
A knock at the door made me jump.
I grabbed a silk robe and wrapped it around myself, covering the mark on my chest. "Come in."
A servant entered, her head bowed. She was young, maybe sixteen, with dull brown hair and tired eyes. An Omega.
"Your Highness," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The Queen Mother requests your presence. She wishes to speak with you privately."
I stiffened. Queen Mother Isolde. The woman who had looked at me like I was an insect beneath her shoe. The woman whose smile had never reached her eyes.
"Now?" I asked.
"Yes, Your Highness. She is waiting in the eastern wing."
I swallowed my fear and nodded. "I'll be there shortly."
The servant bowed and retreated. I watched her go, my heart pounding.
I didn't trust Isolde. I didn't trust any of them.
But I had no choice. I was in her palace, surrounded by her guards, her servants, her power. If I wanted to survive, I had to play her game.
I dressed quickly in the silk gown the servants had left for me. It was beautiful—pale blue with silver embroidery—but it felt wrong against my skin. I was used to rough cloth and patched rags. This was armor of a different kind.
I looked at myself in the mirror. The woman staring back at me was a stranger. Her red hair was clean and brushed, falling in waves around her shoulders. Her face was free of dirt and grime. Her eyes—emerald green—held a spark of something I hadn't seen in years.
Hope.
I hated it.
Hope was dangerous. Hope was what got people killed. Hope was what made you trust the wrong people and end up broken and bleeding in the gutter.
I crushed it down and left the room.
---
The eastern wing of the palace was different from the rest. It was older, darker, filled with shadows that seemed to move on their own. The tapestries on the walls showed scenes of ancient battles—wolves fighting wolves, blood staining the snow.
I walked through the corridors, my footsteps echoing in the silence. I passed guards who bowed but didn't meet my eyes. I passed servants who whispered behind their hands.
And then I reached the Queen Mother's chamber.
The doors were carved from dark wood, depicting the moon in all its phases. I raised my hand to knock.
"Enter."
I pushed the doors open and stepped inside.
Isolde was sitting in a high-backed chair near the window, her hands folded in her lap. She looked younger than she had last night—her face smooth, her eyes sharp. She was dressed in black silk, her silver hair coiled in an elaborate braid.
She smiled at me. It was the same smile from last night. The one that didn't reach her eyes.
"Selene," she said, gesturing to the chair across from her. "Please. Sit."
I sat. I didn't have a choice.
Isolde studied me for a long moment. Her gaze was cold and calculating, like a merchant weighing the value of a prize horse.
"You have questions," she said. "I can see them in your eyes."
I nodded. "Why am I here? Really here? You didn't bring me to this palace because you wanted to welcome me home."
Isolde laughed—a soft, musical sound that sent chills down my spine. "Perceptive. I like that." She leaned forward. "You're right, Selene. I didn't bring you here because I wanted to welcome you home. I brought you here because you carry something ancient in your blood. Something that has been sleeping for a very long time."
"Something ancient?" I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The Doom Moon has recognized you," Isolde said, her eyes glittering. "And when the moon recognizes someone, it's never a coincidence. The mark on your chest is proof of that."
I touched my chest instinctively. The mark pulsed beneath my fingers.
"I don't understand," I said. "What does it mean? What am I?"
Isolde smiled. "That, my dear, is a question you will have to answer for yourself. But I can tell you this much: you are not the nobody you believe yourself to be. You have a destiny. Whether you choose to embrace it or run from it is entirely up to you."
I stared at her, my mind spinning. A destiny? What kind of destiny? And why did it feel like a trap?
"What do you want from me?" I asked.
"I want to help you," Isolde said. "I want to teach you how to control what stirs inside you. I want to prepare you for what is coming."
"What's coming?"
Isolde's smile widened. "The Doom Moon is rising. And with it, something ancient is awakening. Something that has been sleeping for a thousand years." She reached out and touched my cheek. "You are not safe, Selene. You have never been safe. And you will not be safe until you learn to protect yourself."
I pulled away from her touch. "Why should I trust you?"
"You shouldn't," Isolde said simply. "But you don't have a choice. You are in my palace, surrounded by my guards, my servants, my power. If I wanted you dead, you would already be dead. But I don't want you dead. I want you strong. I want you ready."
"Ready for what?"
Isolde leaned back in her chair. "For the war that is coming. For the battle that will decide the fate of Lunaria. For the moment when you will have to choose between who you are and who you were meant to be."
I shook my head. "I don't understand any of this."
"You will," Isolde said. "In time. But for now, you need to rest. You have a long journey ahead of you."
I stood, my legs trembling. I had so many questions. But I knew she wouldn't answer them. Not yet. Not until I was ready.
"One more thing," Isolde said as I reached the door. "Be careful who you trust, Selene. Not everyone in this palace is what they appear to be."
I looked back at her. "Including you?"
Isolde laughed. "Especially me," she said with a smile that never reached her eyes. "Never mistake honesty for kindness."
---
I left the Queen Mother's chamber in a daze.
My mind was spinning with everything she had said. Ancient blood. The Doom Moon. A destiny I didn't understand.
I didn't know what to believe. I didn't know who to trust.
I made my way back to my chambers, my feet moving on autopilot. I passed through the grand hall, past the guards and servants, past the glittering chandeliers and the marble walls.
And then I saw her.
The girl from the alley. The one with the silver eyes.
She was standing at the end of the corridor, her small frame barely visible in the shadows. She was wearing clean clothes now, her hair brushed and braided. But her eyes were the same—ancient and glowing, filled with a wisdom that didn't belong in a child's face.
I stopped. "What are you—"
She turned the corner before I could finish.
I ran after her.
The corridor was empty.
She had vanished.
I spun around, my heart pounding. Where had she gone? How had she disappeared so quickly?
Then a whisper brushed against my ear.
"Run while you still can, Moon Queen."
I spun around.
No one was there.
I was alone in the corridor, surrounded by shadows and silence.
Beyond the palace walls, wolves howled beneath the Doom Moon.
I had no idea what was happening to me. I had no idea who I could trust. But I knew one thing for certain.
I was not safe.
And I would never be safe again.
---
END OF CHAPTER 2