part one
Selena woke to darkness—not the gentle kind that lingered before dawn, but a suffocating black that felt alive. Her lashes fluttered as a tremor ran through her limbs; every breath came ragged, her body quivering from some unseen aftershock. The air was heavy, damp with the scent of ash and pine. Panic flared until a warm hand touched her forehead, steady and grounding. "Easy, Selena," came a low, familiar voice. "You're safe." Kade. The sound of his voice steadied her heartbeat, drawing her back from the edge of chaos. She forced her eyes open to the dim glow of firelight flickering across stone walls, shadows dancing like ghosts above them.
She lay on a bed woven from furs, her head resting against Kade's thigh. His touch traced soothing circles at her temple, a fragile tenderness that made her chest ache. "Kade… where are we?" she whispered, her voice rasping from exhaustion. He brushed her cheek gently, eyes never leaving hers. "My refuge," he murmured. "Hidden deep in the mountains. The Shadowborn would need an army to find us." The crackle of the fire filled the silence between them. Selena swallowed, her throat raw. "The creature—did it touch me?" Kade's jaw tightened. "No," he said, his voice hardening like stone. "We stopped it before it could."
Her gaze fell to the bandage that wrapped his ribs, tracing the dark stain where blood had seeped through. Bruises marred his arms; a gash scored his shoulder. "You're hurt," she whispered. He looked away. "It doesn't matter." "It does to me," she said, her words soft but unyielding. His eyes snapped back to hers, surprise flashing in their storm-gray depths. For a heartbeat, neither of them breathed. Something raw and unspoken passed between them—fear, longing, recognition. Then his voice broke quietly. "You scared me."
Selena frowned. "I scared you?" Kade nodded slowly, the firelight catching in his eyes. "When the Shadowborn leapt for you—when you collapsed—I thought…" He hesitated, his throat working. "I thought I was losing you." His words trembled, weighted with something deeper than fear. Her heart ached at the grief beneath his calm. "Kade," she whispered, reaching for him, "I'm here." His fingers brushed along her jawline, lingering. "You don't understand. Losing you once…" His breath hitched. "Losing you again would kill me." The air thickened between them, filled with questions she wasn't ready to ask.
"Once?" The word slipped from her lips before she could stop it. Kade froze. His shoulders went rigid, his silence a confession of its own. "Kade," she said softly, pulse quickening, "what aren't you telling me?" Before he could answer, a voice rose from the shadows beyond the firelight. "He isn't the only one who thought he lost you." The sound of that voice turned her blood cold. Malek stepped forward, emerging from the darkness as if the night itself had formed him. His obsidian eyes fixed on her, calm but burning with intent. Kade's posture shifted instantly, the tenderness gone, replaced by the edge of a warrior ready to strike.
"You weren't invited in here," Kade snapped, his voice a growl. Malek smiled faintly, that same dangerous curve of his mouth that could turn threat into charm. "You can bar wolves from your territory," he said, "but not an Alpha from his Luna." Selena's breath caught. "I told you," she whispered, her defiance trembling, "I don't belong to anyone." Malek approached slowly, firelight gilding his sharp cheekbones, his presence magnetic. "You will," he murmured. "Every Luna must." Kade moved between them, standing taller despite his wounds. "Back away," he warned. Malek's gaze flicked briefly to the bloodstained bandages. "You're in no shape to protect anyone."
"Try me," Kade said, low and steady. Malek lifted a hand, palms open. "Relax," he said softly. "I didn't come to fight. I came because she deserves the truth." Selena's heart began to hammer again. "Truth?" she whispered. "About what?" Malek's tone shifted, dark velvet laced with sorrow. "About the man who spoke your name in your vision." Kade stiffened immediately, his muscles coiling. "Don't," he said sharply. Malek's smirk was slow and cruel. "Shouldn't she know who called her love while your wolf bled on her floor?" Selena's breath faltered, fragments of memory flaring behind her eyes—moonlight, warmth, a whisper that had felt like forever. "Kade," she said, trembling, "who was he?"
Kade's silence was answer enough. His eyes burned with secrets. Malek's answer was simple. "Me." The word fractured the room. Selena's lips parted, disbelief flickering into dread. "You?" she whispered. "That was you?" Malek nodded slowly. "I knew you before you died. Before you were reborn." Kade's snarl rumbled through the cave, fury darkening his face. "Enough." But the memories wouldn't stop. Selena saw flashes—hands entwined beneath a silver sky, a promise made, then broken. "What were we?" she whispered. Malek's voice softened. "Bound by destiny," he said. "Torn apart by betrayal."
Kade's fists clenched, his body trembling with barely contained rage. "He's twisting the truth." Selena turned toward him, desperate. "Then tell me the truth." Kade met her gaze, his expression full of pain and longing. "You loved him once," he whispered finally, the words tasting like grief. Her stomach turned, the room spinning. "But he wasn't your heart-bond," Kade continued quietly. "He was the one fate pushed toward you—not the one you chose." Malek's eyes glinted. "She chose me in the end." Kade's growl cracked the air. "And it killed her." Silence fell heavy as a grave.
Selena's pulse roared in her ears. "What?" she whispered. Malek stepped forward, voice rising. "Kade won't admit the truth. You died because you hesitated. The Shadowborn struck on the night you were meant to seal the bond—and your indecision left you unprotected." "She died because you broke the barrier that guarded her!" Kade snapped, voice thunderous. Malek's jaw tightened. "I did it to reach her before you did." Selena pressed a trembling hand to her chest. "So I was the reason?" she whispered. "I died because of a choice between you?" Kade's voice cracked. "No, Selena—listen to me—" "Yes," Malek interrupted, and Kade lunged.
They collided, power flaring between them like lightning. Selena's cry echoed through the cavern. "Stop!" she screamed. Both froze, chests heaving, eyes burning with centuries of rivalry. Then—outside—the world howled. A chilling chorus of wolves, closer than before. Kade's head snapped toward the cave mouth. "They're coming." Malek's face darkened. "The Shadowborn. They followed her." Kade's instincts surged, his voice snapping into command. "We have to move. Now." Shadows stirred at the entrance, and torchlight broke the dark. Selena's breath caught as figures emerged—men, not monsters. Warriors, cloaked in black fur, bearing the mark of wolves.
"My clan," Malek hissed, his voice sharp with disbelief. Kade's snarl deepened. "Your clan is forbidden here." Malek's eyes flicked toward the intruders, then to Selena. "They're not here for me," he whispered. "They're here for her." A towering warrior stepped forward, bowing low. "Luna Selena," he said, voice solemn. "By decree of the Duskwalker Elders, you must come with us." Selena's pulse spiked. "What?" Kade grabbed her arm, holding her close. "She's not going anywhere." The warrior lifted his torch, face grim. "If she stays with you," he said, "she dies before dawn."
The words hit like a blow. Kade froze. Malek's expression hardened to steel. "Explain," Kade demanded. The warrior looked between them, his gaze settling on Selena with reverence and fear. "The prophecy has already begun," he said. Behind him, torches flared brighter as wolves shifted restlessly. Selena's knees trembled. "What prophecy?" she whispered. The warrior raised his head, eyes gleaming gold in the firelight. "You are the beginning," he said softly, "and that is the end." Silence. Then, slowly, he lifted his hand and pointed at her. "You are carrying the Luna's Moonfire."
Selena's heart stopped. "What… what does that mean?" she breathed. The warrior's reply was quiet, reverent. "It means," he said, "you are more powerful than both Alphas…" His eyes flicked between Kade and Malek. "…and the moon wants your life tonight."