chapter 2 - The King in the shadows
955 Words
The first rays of dawn filtered through the towering trees, casting pale streaks of light across the forest floor. Selene Ashcroft had not slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him.
Those silver eyes.
That calm, commanding voice.
"You don't belong to them anymore."
She tightened her grip around the worn cloak draped over her shoulders and forced herself to keep walking. She refused to believe the mysterious stranger had gotten inside her head.
He was just another predator.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the strange warmth that had settled beneath her skin the moment he looked at her.
It frightened her.
The silence of the forest was broken by the snapping of a branch.
Selene spun around.
"Who's there?"
No answer.
Only the whisper of leaves dancing in the wind.
She let out a slow breath, convincing herself she was imagining things again. After three nights alone, fear had become her closest companion.
A narrow trail led toward a stream hidden between moss-covered rocks. Kneeling beside the water, she cupped her hands and drank greedily.
Her reflection stared back at her.
Messy black hair.
Tired blue eyes.
A face that barely resembled the proud future Luna she had once dreamed of becoming.
"Pathetic," she whispered bitterly.
"You are anything but pathetic."
The deep voice behind her froze every muscle in her body.
Slowly, she turned.
He stood only a few steps away.
The same black coat.
The same unreadable expression.
The same impossible presence that made the entire forest feel smaller.
"You..." she breathed.
"I told you we'd meet again."
Selene rose to her feet, refusing to let him see her fear.
"Have you been following me?"
His lips curved into the faintest smile.
"I've been making sure no one else does."
"I don't need your protection."
"No," he replied calmly. "You need the truth."
She frowned.
"What truth?"
Instead of answering, he looked toward the trees surrounding them.
"They're coming."
Selene's heartbeat quickened.
"Who?"
Before he could answer, growls echoed through the forest.
Low.
Dangerous.
Hungry.
Three wolves emerged from the shadows.
Their eyes glowed amber, fixed entirely on Selene.
Her blood turned cold.
She recognized them immediately.
Members of Alpha Damon's patrol.
One of them shifted into his human form.
"There she is."
A cruel grin spread across his face.
"The Alpha wants her brought back."
Selene took an uneasy step backward.
"I've already been rejected."
"Doesn't matter anymore," the warrior sneered. "Orders have changed."
Lucian stepped in front of her without a word.
His broad shoulders shielded her completely.
The warriors laughed.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
For the first time since she met him, the stranger's expression hardened.
"I suggest," he said quietly, "you leave."
The wolves exchanged amused glances.
"Or what?"
The air suddenly became heavy.
The ground beneath their feet trembled.
An overwhelming pressure swept through the clearing.
Selene gasped.
Even without shifting, the stranger radiated power unlike anything she had ever felt.
The wolves' confidence disappeared.
One dropped to a knee.
Another struggled just to remain standing.
Fear filled their eyes.
"W-We can't move"
The stranger finally spoke.
"My name"
He took one deliberate step forward.
"is Lucian Draven."
Silence swallowed the forest.
Every wolf stared at him in horror.
"The"
One warrior's voice shook violently.
"The Lycan King..."
They immediately lowered their heads.
No Alpha.
No Beta.
No ordinary wolf dared meet the eyes of the ruler of the Lycans.
Selene's mind raced.
The Lycan King?
The monster whispered about in every pack?
The king whose name children were warned never to speak after sunset?
He stood only a few feet away from her.
And he had been protecting her.
Lucian's silver eyes remained fixed on the trembling warriors.
"Tell Alpha Damon Blackwood this."
His voice was calm.
Almost gentle.
Yet every word carried absolute authority.
"The woman standing behind me is under my protection."
One of the wolves swallowed nervously.
"Our Alpha won't"
"I wasn't asking for his opinion."
The warrior immediately lowered his gaze.
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty."
"Now leave."
They didn't hesitate.
Within seconds, all three wolves disappeared into the trees.
The clearing fell silent once again.
Selene stared at Lucian, unable to find her voice.
Everything she believed about the werewolf world had just been shattered.
"You."
She struggled to speak.
"You're really the Lycan King."
"I am."
"Why me?"
For the first time, something softened in his expression.
"You ask the wrong question."
Confusion crossed her face.
"The question you should ask," he said quietly, "is why your Alpha rejected you the very night your scent changed."
Selene's breath caught.
"My... scent?"
Lucian nodded.
"They smelled it."
"Smelled what?"
He stepped closer, close enough for her to hear every steady beat of his heart.
"The blood of an ancient bloodline."
She stared at him.
"I don't understand."
"I know."
"And that's exactly why they're hunting you."
A cold chill ran through her body.
Every answer only created more questions.
Lucian reached into his coat and handed her a silver pendant shaped like a crescent moon.
"It belonged to your mother."
Selene's eyes widened.
"My mother died when I was a child."
Lucian looked toward the distant mountains.
"No."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"They told you she died."
He looked back at Selene, his silver eyes burning with quiet certainty.
"They lied."
The pendant slipped from her trembling fingers.
It hit the ground with a soft metallic sound.
And in that same instant.
A deafening wolf howl echoed across the valley.
Lucian's expression darkened.
"They've found us."
His hand closed firmly around Selene's wrist.
"We have to leave."
Before she could ask another question.
The hunt began.
- Writer
