The halls of the royal fortress echoed with the clatter of Seraphina's boots as she stormed down the corridor. The hem of her midnight cloak billowed behind her like smoke, trailing the fury she carried in her chest. The encounter with Fenris haunted her. His words had unsettled her, more than she dared admit, and the way he looked at her—like he already knew her, down to her soul—left her shaken.
"Stay away from me," she muttered under her breath, pushing past startled guards. "I don't care what fate says."
But fate was never so easily ignored.
The night was alive outside. Moonlight bathed the courtyard in a silver sheen, and the air shimmered with the strange energy that always came when the moon reached its highest point. Wolves howled from the distant forest beyond the walls. The sound wasn't alarming anymore—it was a song she'd grown used to. But tonight, it felt different. It felt like a warning.
She reached the sanctuary of the castle gardens and pressed her back to the cold marble of a pillar, breathing heavily. The scent of roses and frost filled her nose. Her thoughts churned.
Fenris.
Why did his presence ignite a fire in her chest and a storm in her blood? Why did his name send a shiver down her spine that wasn't entirely born of fear?
She didn't want to think of him, yet he clung to her thoughts like a curse. That smirk. Those silver eyes. The way he'd looked at her like he could unravel her secrets with a single glance. And worse, the way he'd saved her—twice now. The memory of being wrapped in his arms haunted her, no matter how fiercely she tried to banish it.
"Stop it," she whispered to herself, gripping the edge of the stone ledge. "He's the enemy. A beast. You are a princess, and he's... he's not even human."
"You're talking to yourself again," came a voice from the shadows, smooth and low—dangerously familiar.
Her heart lurched. She whirled around to find him stepping into the garden, the moonlight catching in his silver hair and glinting off his eyes like twin blades.
"Fenris," she hissed, stepping back instinctively. "What are you doing here?"
He took a step closer. "You left in quite a hurry. I thought I owed you a proper goodbye."
"This is the royal palace. You don't belong here."
"Neither do you," he said, his tone gentle but sharp. "You wear a crown that binds you, not one you chose. You hide your fire behind duty."
"You know nothing about me," she snapped, voice rising.
Fenris stopped just a breath away from her. His gaze searched hers, calm and unsettling.
"I know more than you want me to," he murmured. "I can smell your truth, Seraphina. You wear the blood of both worlds. Your soul fights itself. You were meant for more than cold stone walls and arranged alliances."
She hated the way his words made something inside her tremble. How did he know? How did he see what no one else did?
"You're wrong," she whispered.
"Then why are your hands shaking?"
She looked down, realizing they were trembling.
Fenris reached out, slowly, giving her a chance to pull away—but she didn't. His fingers brushed hers, rough and warm, and the touch sent a spark jolting through her. She yanked her hand back, cheeks flushing.
"Don't touch me," she snapped.
His eyes narrowed. "You fear me. But it's not because I'm a wolf."
"I don't fear you," she said, chin lifting.
"Then kiss me," he challenged.
The air snapped like a lightning bolt. Her heart stopped.
"What?" she breathed.
Fenris tilted his head, a slow, predatory smile playing on his lips. "If I'm nothing to you, if you truly feel nothing, prove it. A kiss. That's all. And then you'll never see me again."
"You think I'd fall for a childish trick like that?"
He shrugged, but his eyes darkened. "Then why are you hesitating?"
She hated him. Hated how close he stood. Hated that her body betrayed her. That part of her wanted to lean in, to close the space between them. Because she was drawn to him, like a moth to fire—despite everything.
Enemies. That's what they were.
And yet… her heart thundered in her chest.
Fenris stepped back slowly, like he sensed her hesitation and didn't want to push her further. "You feel it too, don't you? This… pull."
"I feel nothing," she lied.
He nodded. "Then I'll leave you to your silence, princess."
As he turned, something inside her cracked.
"Wait," she said, barely above a whisper.
He paused, not facing her.
"I don't understand it," she said, voice trembling. "I don't want to. You're supposed to be my enemy. You stand for everything I've been taught to destroy."
"But you don't want to destroy me."
She swallowed hard. "What are we?"
Fenris turned slowly to face her again. "Two sides of the same curse. Two fates bound by blood."
She stared at him, her heart in her throat.
The moon hung heavy above them, casting shadows and light across their faces. And in that moment, under the silver sky, something unspoken passed between them. A shift. A crack in the wall they both had spent years building.
"Go," she whispered, stepping back. "Before I make another mistake."
He didn't argue. He turned and vanished into the shadows, silent as smoke.
And Seraphina stood alone in the garden, her heart splintered, her breath stolen, and her fate beginning to unravel beneath the veil of the moon.