Selene's pov.
I barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the girl's silver eyes glowing in the darkness. Every time I drifted off, I heard her whisper: "Run while you still can, Moon Queen."
Moon Queen.
What did that mean? Why had she called me that?
I lay in the enormous bed, staring at the canopy above me. The silk sheets were soft against my skin, but I couldn't get comfortable. I was too tense. Too afraid.
The mark on my chest pulsed gently, a constant reminder that nothing about this place was normal.
I didn't know who the girl was. I didn't know why she had warned me. But I knew one thing: she was the only one in this palace who had told me the truth.
Run while you still can.
I should have run. I should have climbed out the window and disappeared into the night.
But I didn't.
Because I needed answers. I needed to know why the Doom Moon had recognized me. I needed to know what the mark on my chest meant. I needed to know who I really was.
And I had a feeling that the only way to find out was to stay.
---
The summons came at dawn.
A servant knocked on my door, her face pale and nervous. "Your Highness," she said, her voice trembling. "The Alphas have gathered. They request your presence in the Hall of Alphas."
I sat up, my heart pounding. "The Alphas? All of them?"
"Yes, Your Highness. The seven Great Alphas of Lunaria." She hesitated. "Including Alpha King Silas of the Bloodclaw Pack."
My stomach dropped.
Silas. The Alpha King who had looked at me with ice in his eyes. The Alpha King who had walked away without a word.
I didn't know why, but the thought of seeing him again made my chest ache.
"I'll be there shortly," I said.
The servant bowed and retreated.
I dressed quickly, choosing a simple gown of deep blue. I didn't want to look like I was trying to impress anyone. I didn't want to look like I belonged here.
Because I didn't.
I was a rogue. A thief. A nobody.
And yet, I was about to stand before the seven most powerful wolves in Lunaria.
---
The Hall of Alphas was enormous.
I had never seen anything like it. The ceiling soared high above me, supported by pillars of white marble. The walls were covered in tapestries depicting the history of the seven packs—battles and treaties, births and deaths.
At the far end of the hall, seven thrones sat in a semicircle. Each one was carved from a different material: silver for Mooncrest, ice for White Fang, fire-red stone for Bloodclaw, lightning-etched wood for Stormhowl, shadow-black obsidian for Shadowmoon, granite for Ironfang, and blue crystal for Silverriver.
And on those thrones sat the seven Alphas.
They were terrifying.
Each one radiated power and authority. They were warriors, leaders, wolves who had clawed their way to the top. And they were all staring at me.
I wanted to run. But I forced myself to walk forward, my head held high.
At the center of the semicircle sat a man I didn't recognize. He was old and gaunt, with silver hair and a face lined with age. His eyes were tired, his hands trembling slightly. He looked like a man who had once been powerful—but something had drained him.
King Aldric. Seraphine's father. My father?
I pushed the thought away. I couldn't think about that now.
To his right sat Queen Mother Isolde, her cold smile firmly in place. She was the one who truly ruled. I could see it in the way the guards looked at her, the way the Alphas deferred to her.
To his left sat Seraphine, her expression unreadable.
And on the throne of the Bloodclaw Pack sat Silas.
My heart stopped.
He was even more handsome than I remembered. His jaw was sharp, his cheekbones high, his eyes the color of ice. His dark hair was swept back from his face, and his shoulders were impossibly broad.
Power rolled off him like a winter storm. The hall seemed colder simply because he was there.
He was staring at me with cold, unreadable eyes.
The mate bond screamed inside me.
I felt it like a physical pull, an invisible thread connecting my chest to his. It demanded that I go to him, that I claim him, that I—
I forced myself to look away.
"Selene Wrath," King Aldric said, his voice thin and weak. "Step forward."
I walked toward the thrones, my legs trembling. I stopped in front of the king and curtsied, just as Seraphine had taught me.
"You have been brought here under extraordinary circumstances," Aldric said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You claim to be my daughter. The lost princess of Mooncrest."
"I don't claim anything," I said, my voice steady despite my fear. "I was told that I am your daughter. I have no memory of this place. I have no memory of you."
The Alphas murmured among themselves.
Aldric raised a trembling hand, and they fell silent. "There is a way to prove your identity," he said. "An ancient ritual. If you are truly of my blood, the Moon Goddess will reveal it."
I nodded. "I will do whatever it takes."
"Very well." Aldric gestured to a priestess standing nearby. "Begin the ritual."
---
The priestess stepped forward, carrying a bowl filled with silver water. She was old, her face lined with age, her eyes pale and milky. She moved with the slow, deliberate grace of someone who had performed this ritual many times before.
She circled me three times, sprinkling the silver water on the floor around my feet. The water shimmered as it touched the marble, forming patterns that I couldn't read.
"Moon Goddess," she intoned, her voice echoing through the hall. "We call upon you. We seek the truth. This child claims the blood of the ancient line. Reveal what is hidden. Show us what she truly is."
She stopped in front of me and dipped her fingers into the bowl. She sprinkled the water on my forehead. It was cold and tingling.
"Reveal her heritage," the priestess chanted.
She sprinkled water on my cheeks. The tingling intensified.
"Reveal her destiny."
She sprinkled water on my chest, directly over the mark.
I gasped as the silver light burst from my skin. It was blinding, brighter than anything I had ever seen. The Alphas shielded their eyes. The priestess stumbled backward, dropping the bowl.
I looked down at my chest.
The mark was blazing.
It burned with silver fire, pulsing like a second heartbeat. The wolf crest was clearer now, more detailed. I could see every line, every curve, every intricate swirl. It was beautiful and terrifying.
"By the Moon Goddess," the priestess whispered. "The prophecy is true."
The hall erupted.
"She is the true heir!"
"The lost princess has returned!"
"The mark of the Moon Wolf Queen!"
I looked at Silas.
He was staring at me with something I couldn't read. Anger? Fear? Desire? His jaw was tight, his hands clenched into fists. The cold mask had cracked.
I didn't know what he was feeling. But I knew one thing: he was affected.
Then he stood and walked toward me.
The hall fell silent.
He stopped in front of me, his ice-blue eyes boring into mine. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body. I could smell him—pine and smoke and something wild.
"Selene Wrath," he said, his voice low and cold. "I am Alpha King Silas of the Bloodclaw Pack. And I have a question for you."
I swallowed hard. "What question?"
He leaned in, his lips inches from my ear. "What do you really want? The throne? Revenge? Or something else?"
I opened my mouth to answer—
A voice echoed through the hall.
"She wants what is hers."
Everyone froze.
The voice was soft and ancient, full of power and sorrow. I recognized it instantly.
I spun around.
The silver-eyed girl was standing in the corner of the hall, her small frame barely visible in the shadows. Her ancient eyes were fixed on me, glowing with silver light. She was smiling.
And then she was gone.
The hall erupted in chaos.
---
END OF CHAPTER 3
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