Chapter 4 – The Blood Oath
625 Words
The crimson light faded as quickly as it had appeared.
Selene collapsed to her knees, clutching the silver pendant against her chest. Her breathing came in short, and uneven gasped as the burning sensation slowly disappeared.
"What... was that?" she whispered.
Lucian knelt beside her.
His usually unreadable face was tense.
"The prophecy has recognized you."
Selene looked up at him, confusion clouding her eyes.
"I don't even know what the prophecy is."
"You will."
His voice softened.
"But not here."
Another howl echoed through the valley.
The fortress trembled as wolves surrounded its walls.
"They're closing in," Lucian said, rising to his feet.
A horn sounded from below.
Alpha Damon stepped forward, his voice carrying through the storm.
"Lucian Draven!"
"I know you're hiding her!"
Lucian walked onto the stone balcony overlooking the valley.
Rain soaked his black coat, yet he stood like a king carved from the night itself.
"You dare bring an army to my border?" he called back.
Damon didn't flinch.
"I came for my mate."
Lucian's silver eyes narrowed.
"You rejected your mate."
Silence followed.
Every wolf waited.
Damon lowered his head for only a second before looking back up.
"I made a mistake."
"No," Lucian replied calmly.
"You made a choice."
The words struck harder than any weapon.
Selene watched from inside the fortress.
For the first time, she saw regret written across Damon's face.
But it was too late.
The bond he had broken could never be restored so easily.
Suddenly, the hooded figure stepped beside Damon.
No one had noticed the stranger move.
Even the Alphas shifted uneasily.
The figure spoke in a voice that seemed older than the mountains themselves.
"Give us the girl."
Lucian's expression turned cold.
"I refuse."
The hooded figure laughed.
"You can not protect the last heir forever."
Selene's heart skipped.
Last heir?
Before she could ask what it meant, the stranger raised a hand.
Dark energy spread across the battlefield.
The ground cracked.
Ancient symbols glowed beneath the fortress.
Lucian cursed under his breath.
"They've broken the seal."
"What seal?" Selene asked.
"The one that has hidden your power since the night you were born."
The pendant around her neck began glowing again.
This time, it wasn't painful.
It was calling to something buried deep inside her.
A sudden rush of memories flashed through her mind.
A woman with silver eyes.
A castle consumed by flames.
A baby wrapped in white cloth.
A voice whispering...
"Protect the princess."
Selene gasped as the vision disappeared.
"I saw..."
Lucian caught her before she could fall.
"I know."
"You knew this would happen?"
"I feared it would."
Outside, the hooded figure smiled beneath the shadows.
"The blood remembers."
Lucian turned toward Selene.
His voice was steady but urgent.
"You must leave with me tonight."
She searched his face.
"If I go with you... there's no going back, is there?"
He didn't lie.
"No."
Her eyes drifted toward the valley.
Toward Damon.
Toward the life she had lost.
Then she looked back at Lucian.
At the king who had protected her without asking for anything in return.
She made her choice.
"I'll go."
A faint smile touched Lucian's lips.
"Then from this moment forward..."
He offered her his hand.
"...you will never face the darkness alone."
The fortress shook violently.
A deafening explosion shattered the front gate.
Stone crashed onto the courtyard.
The enemy had breached the walls.
Lucian drew a black sword from his side, its blade glowing with silver runes.
His eyes never left the smoke rising from the broken gate.
"They're here."
Heavy footsteps echoed through the ruined entrance.
One by one, dark figures emerged from the dust.
The hunt had finally reached them.
And this time...
There would be no escape.
- Writer
