CHAPTER THREE — THE NIGHT THE MOON SPOKE (PART TWO)
The world did not return gently. It came back to Selena through pain—slow, pulsing pain that throbbed beneath her ribs like a second heart. Her skin burned as though her veins carried fire instead of blood, and every breath seared her lungs. The crescent on her shoulder pulsed with molten heat, glowing faintly in the dark. The air around her tasted of iron and storm. She gasped, her body jerking upright, the sound tearing from her throat like someone surfacing from deep water. Strong arms caught her before she fell back into the darkness.
"Selena! Look at me. Focus." Kade's voice broke through the haze—low, hoarse, and trembling with fear he could no longer hide. Her vision steadied enough to find his face inches from hers, his silver-gray eyes wide and raw. He was holding her upright, one arm locked around her waist, the other trembling as it cupped the back of her head. His breath came ragged against her cheek, his pulse hammering against her spine. For a fleeting second, the storm outside ceased to matter; his fear became her anchor. "Kade," she whispered, her lips barely forming the word. "I'm—" But before the thought could take shape, another voice broke the silence, dark and silken as smoke.
"She woke sooner than expected," Malek murmured from the broken window. The moonlight curved around him, framing his tall, shadowed figure like it bent to his will. His presence filled the small room without sound or movement, a balance of poise and danger that made the air hum. His eyes, black as obsidian, studied her with reverence tinged by hunger. "What happened to me?" Selena asked, her voice trembling. Kade's hold on her tightened instinctively. "You almost burned out," he said. "Your Luna energy surged faster than your body could handle." Malek's reply was quieter, but sharp enough to pierce the air. "It wasn't just the energy," he said. "It was the bond."
The word sank into her bones, echoing like a bell struck at her core. "Bond?" she repeated, the sound fragile in the heavy silence. Malek took a deliberate step closer, his gaze flicking between her and Kade. The Banished Alpha shifted, his body tensing in warning, a low growl vibrating from deep in his chest. Malek's lips curved faintly. "Relax, Kade," he said. "I'm not taking her. Not tonight." "Not ever," Kade bit out, his voice dropping into a snarl. The tension between them swelled, thick and alive, pressing against her skin until she could hardly breathe. Their power—one shadow, one storm—collided in the small room, and it felt like standing between gods at war.
"Stop," Selena whispered, pressing a trembling hand against Kade's chest. His heart pounded beneath her palm, a wild rhythm of love and fury. The touch didn't calm him—it only rooted him deeper, his body leaning closer as if she were his lifeline. Malek's gaze dropped to her hand, his expression unreadable, eyes dark with memory. "Selena," he said softly, "what happened tonight was no accident. The moon called this hour. You're remembering who you were before." Kade's tone hardened. "She doesn't need to remember anything tonight." But Malek ignored him completely. "Tell me," he urged, his voice quieter now, almost tender. "When your power came—did you see something?"
The question struck something raw inside her. Fragments rose like shards of broken glass—flashes of red moonlight, a temple drowned in fire, a man's hand reaching for hers, and the echo of a voice calling her name like a vow. The images left her breathless. "I think…" she said shakily, "I saw someone." Kade's entire body stilled behind her. Malek's gaze sharpened with quiet triumph. "Who?" he asked. Selena hesitated, closing her eyes. "I don't know. It was blurry." "Did he call you Luna?" Malek pressed. She opened her eyes, tears catching the moonlight. "No," she whispered. "He called me love."
Silence claimed the room. Kade's hand dropped from her waist, the sound of his heartbeat faltering against the fragile quiet. He didn't speak, but his pain said everything—raw, aching, and real. Malek's lips curved into something between a smile and a wound. "Then it's already beginning," he said, almost to himself. Selena forced her trembling legs to hold her weight as she stepped away from them both. "What do you want from me?" she demanded, voice breaking. "To keep you alive," Kade said, his voice shaking with something deeper than duty. "To awaken what you are," Malek murmured, reverent and relentless. The words tangled between them, two truths tearing her in opposite directions.
Selena shook her head, tears threatening to fall. "I don't want to be anyone's prophecy," she whispered. "I just want to be… me." The lantern flame flickered, shadows stretching across the walls as if the cabin itself had drawn a breath. Then, from the forest beyond, a sound rose—a howl so low and hollow it didn't sound alive. The air turned cold, the scent of earth and iron flooding the room. Kade moved instantly, his body shielding hers. Malek's eyes darkened. "Shadowborn," he said. Selena's stomach dropped. "What's a Shadowborn?" Kade's answer came hard and grim. "Wolves stripped of their souls. Monsters born from moonlight and madness. The same ones who…" His voice caught. "The same ones who killed—" He stopped himself.
Her whisper filled the silence. "Killed who?" Malek's eyes met hers, unwavering. "You," he said softly. The word cut through her like glass. Her breath hitched, the ground seemed to tilt beneath her feet, and the air became too thick to swallow. Kade's fury erupted instantly, his eyes flashing silver. "Not now," he hissed. "She has the right to know," Malek countered. "Not like this." Another howl split the storm outside—closer, hungrier. Kade turned to her, gripping her arm. "We have to go. Now." Malek stepped forward. "My pack's territory is closer. She'll be safer with me." "Over my dead body," Kade growled. Malek's expression turned sharp. "That can be arranged."
The air thickened again, power crackling like a live wire. The cabin walls creaked, straining under invisible pressure. "Stop!" Selena cried, stepping between them, her mark burning beneath her skin. "We don't have time—" Her voice was swallowed by a crash as the door burst inward, splinters flying across the room. From the storm outside, something massive forced its way through—a creature made of shadow and fury. Its fur was black as void, its eyes glowing sickly violet, its snarl vibrating with broken agony. The Shadowborn had come. It fixed its gaze on her as if nothing else existed—and lunged.
Kade moved first. His body twisted and tore into motion, bones snapping, fur erupting in a blur of silver-gray. He met the beast midair, their collision splintering the floorboards. Malek followed, his shadow unraveling from his skin to form the sleek, black wolf beneath. He was silent in his violence, moving with the precision of death itself. The room became a storm of claws and teeth. Kade's growl shook the walls, Malek's snarl burned low and steady, and the Shadowborn's shriek rose like the sound of a dying god. Selena stumbled back, her mark igniting in response. The light surged, spilling down her arm like liquid fire.
"No," she gasped, shaking her head as the heat spread. "Not again." The mark flared brighter, white-hot and alive. The Shadowborn threw Kade off and turned toward her, hunger and pain twisting its face. It lunged. Selena screamed, throwing her hands up, but the power answered before fear could stop it. A column of silver fire erupted from her body, cutting through the air like lightning. The Shadowborn was hurled backward, crashing into the wall with a roar that rattled the night itself. The room exploded in light, every shadow fleeing its reach.
Kade and Malek stumbled back, both blinded by the brilliance. Selena dropped to her knees, breath heaving, her skin still glowing like the moon itself lived inside her. The Shadowborn, broken but not dead, dragged itself upright, its growls laced with desperation. Malek struck first, his black wolf form moving like smoke, slamming into the beast's flank. Kade lunged from the opposite side, gray fur flashing as he tore into its throat. The air filled with the sound of struggle—wet, primal, and heart-wrenching. "Selena!" Kade's voice broke through the noise, pleading, desperate. "Don't close your eyes! Stay with me!"
But she was already fading. The edges of the world softened, the battle's sounds slipping away like echoes underwater. She tried to move, but her body was no longer hers. The Shadowborn twisted free with a final, desperate cry, violet eyes blazing as it launched toward her. Selena's heart stuttered. The last thing she saw before the dark claimed her was the beast mid-leap—its fangs gleaming, her Alphas' wolves colliding in its path, and the moon above them all, burning blood-red.
Then came silence.
And in that silence, the moon whispered one word through her fading consciousness—
"Choose."