The wooden box burst into flames in Celeste's hands. She dropped it with a scream, backing away as blue fire consumed what might have been her only link to the truth.
"Control it!" Lucien shouted, grabbing her shoulders. "Focus your energy. The fire comes from you!"
Celeste stared at the fire, heart pounding. Something stirred inside her, like a second heartbeat. She closed her eyes, imagining the fire shrinking, dying. When she opened them again, the flames had vanished. The box lay untouched.
"How did I—" she whispered.
"The fire wasn't real," Lucien explained. "Your power created an illusion. Your emotions are triggering abilities you don't yet understand."
Elena stood in the corner, knife still clutched in her hand. "Don't trust him, Celeste. The Valeharts have hunted Moon Blessed for generations."
"Not hunted. Protected," Lucien corrected. He opened the wooden box, revealing a silver pendant and a folded letter. "Your mother entrusted this to my family before she died."
Celeste's fingers trembled as she unfolded the letter. The handwriting seemed familiar, though she'd never seen it before.
*My dearest daughter,*
*If you're reading this, I am gone, and you have begun to discover what you are. They told me hiding you was the only way to keep you safe. I agreed because I had no choice. The Shadow Council had already taken so much from us.*
*You were born during the Blood Moon. The moment you drew breath, the sky turned crimson. The elders said it was an omen—the first Moon Blessed child in three generations. Your father wanted to take you to the Council, but I knew what they would do. They would use you, control you, or kill you.*
*So we hid your power. A binding spell, renewed each month to suppress your abilities. It was cruel, but necessary. Better a half-life than no life at all.*
*Find the Chamber of Moons. Complete the ritual. Claim what was always yours.*
*I'm sorry for everything you've suffered. I'm sorry I won't be there when you break free.*
*With eternal love,*
*Mother*
Celeste looked up, eyes burning with unshed tears. "A binding spell? They've been suppressing my power all this time?"
A crash from outside cut off Lucien's answer. Elena peered through the window. "Hunters. At least six of them."
"Put this on," Lucien pressed the silver pendant into Celeste's palm. "It belonged to your grandmother. It will help you control your powers."
As her fingers closed around the cool metal, images flashed through Celeste's mind—a woman with her face running through dark corridors, blood on marble floors, a baby crying. The same vision as before, but clearer now.
"We have to move," Elena hissed. "Now!"
---
Orion paced his chambers, mind racing. Seraphina's journal lay open on his desk, its pages filled with secrets.
*"Meeting with M. again tonight. Must convince the Council that C. is not the threat they fear."*
*"The binding spell weakens with each passing moon. Soon, not even Harold's magic will contain her power."*
*"O. must never know the truth. If he discovers what I've done, what I've hidden from him..."*
A knock interrupted his thoughts. Lyra stood in the doorway, her wrists still raw from the shackles.
"You shouldn't be here," Orion growled.
"Yet here I am." She stepped inside. "Did you read it all? Do you finally see the truth?"
Orion slammed his fist against the wall. "Seraphina was working with someone. She knew about Celeste's abilities. But that doesn't mean—"
"Doesn't mean what? That Celeste is innocent? That you tortured an innocent woman?" Lyra's words cut like ice. "Your father knew. Magnus has always known what Celeste is."
"And what exactly is she?" Orion demanded.
Lyra's smile was bitter. "The one thing the Shadow Council fears—someone they cannot control."
---
Celeste ran through the forest, heart thundering in her chest. Behind her, she could hear the hunters crashing through the underbrush. Elena had gone one way, Lucien another, splitting their pursuers.
The pendant bounced against her chest with each step. Somehow, it felt warm against her skin, almost alive.
A root caught her foot. She tumbled down a ravine, landing hard at the bottom. Pain shot through her ankle. Footsteps approached from above.
"I found her!" a voice called out.
Panic rose in Celeste's throat. Without thinking, she grasped the pendant, squeezing it tight. The world around her shifted. The trees seemed to bend, creating a canopy so thick no moonlight penetrated.
The hunter above paused, confused. "Where'd she go?" he shouted. "She was right here!"
Celeste held her breath, realizing her power had somehow made her invisible—or created an illusion to hide her. She remained frozen until the voices faded.
A hand touched her shoulder. She nearly screamed until she saw Lucien's amber eyes.
"You're learning quickly," he whispered. "Can you walk?"
She nodded, rising shakily. "Where's Elena?"
"She'll meet us at the sanctuary." Lucien's expression darkened. "There's a bounty on your head now. Ten thousand gold pieces. Every mercenary and bounty hunter in seven kingdoms will be looking for you."
"Who posted the bounty?"
"The Shadow Council officially. But the order came from Magnus Blackwood."
Pain that had nothing to do with her ankle pierced through Celeste's heart. "Orion's father wants me dead."
"Not dead. Captured. Which might be worse." Lucien helped her up the steep slope. "The Council has questions about Seraphina's murder."
"I didn't kill her!"
"I know." His voice softened. "Seraphina discovered what you are. She was going to expose the binding spell, reveal how your powers had been suppressed all these years."
"Why would she help me?"
"Not help you. Use you." Lucien's amber eyes gleamed in the darkness. "Seraphina wanted to control the Moon Blessed for herself."
Dawn was breaking when they reached a clearing. In the center stood a circle of standing stones, ancient and weathered.
"The sanctuary," Lucien explained. "Sacred ground. No hunter can enter."
Celeste approached the center stone. Carved into its surface was a symbol matching the one on her pendant—a crescent moon wrapped around a star.
"It's time I taught you to use your gifts," Lucien said. "The Moon Blessed can bend reality itself, but without training, your power will consume you."
Celeste touched the stone. It hummed beneath her fingers. "Why are you helping me?"
Lucien's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Let's just say I have my own score to settle with the Shadow Council."
As sunrise painted the sky orange, Celeste pressed her palm flat against the stone. A jolt ran up her arm. The clearing filled with whispers—voices from the past, calling her name. The pendant at her throat began to glow. The ground beneath her feet trembled.
And miles away, Orion Blackwood woke with a gasp, his mate bond flaring to life with sudden, searing intensity.
"Celeste," he whispered.
In his mind, he saw standing stones and felt power rising. "What have you done?"
---