Chapter 3 – Claimed by the Darkness
878 Words
The forest disappeared behind them in a blur.
Selene had never moved this fast before.
Lucian's hand remained firmly around her wrist as he led her through the ancient woods with effortless speed. His grip wasn't painful, but it was impossible to break.
Every instinct told her to pull away.
She didn't.
Not because she trusted him.
Because somewhere deep inside, a voice whispered that she was safer with the monster beside her than the wolves hunting her.
The thought terrified her.
After several minutes, Lucian finally slowed.
Before them stood a forgotten stone fortress hidden beneath towering cliffs. Thick vines crawled over its walls, concealing it from anyone who wasn't meant to find it.
"What is this place?" Selene asked, struggling to catch her breath.
"A sanctuary."
His silver eyes swept across the forest behind them.
"For now."
He pushed open the heavy wooden doors.
The hall inside was illuminated by flickering candles. Ancient paintings lined the walls, each depicting kings, queens, and wolves crowned beneath a blood-red moon.
Selene's gaze lingered on one portrait.
A young woman.
Her eyes...
They looked exactly like hers.
She frowned.
"Who is she?"
Lucian remained silent.
His silence was answer enough.
"My ancestor?" she whispered.
He nodded once.
"The first queen of your bloodline."
A chill raced through her body.
Everything he told her only deepened the mystery.
"I don't understand any of this."
"You will."
His calm voice almost annoyed her.
"When?" she demanded.
"When you're ready to hear the truth."
Selene laughed bitterly.
"My entire life has been a lie, and you think I'm not ready?"
Lucian finally met her eyes.
"No."
His expression hardened.
"I think you're not safe."
Silence settled between them.
For the first time, Selene noticed the exhaustion beneath his composed exterior.
Lucian Draven wasn't afraid.
But he was cautious.
That frightened her more than anything.
A knock echoed through the hall.
A warrior entered before kneeling immediately.
"Your Majesty."
Lucian didn't look away from Selene.
"Report."
"The Alphas have formed an alliance."
Selene's heart skipped.
"They're searching every territory."
The warrior hesitated.
"They've placed a bounty on Lady Selene."
Her stomach twisted.
"A bounty?"
Lucian's jaw tightened.
"How much?"
The warrior lowered his head.
"Enough to start a war."
The room fell silent.
Selene suddenly understood.
She wasn't being hunted because she had been rejected.
She was being hunted because she was valuable.
Lucian dismissed the guard with a wave.
When the doors closed, he turned toward her.
"You can stay here."
"For how long?"
"As long as necessary."
"And if I refuse?"
His gaze darkened.
"They'll kill you before sunset."
Selene folded her arms.
"You keep telling me what everyone else wants."
She stepped closer.
"But you haven't told me what you want."
For the first time since they met...
Lucian hesitated.
Only for a heartbeat.
Then he answered.
"I want you alive."
"That's all?"
His silence stretched.
"It should be."
Something in the way he said it made her chest tighten.
She looked away first.
Outside, thunder rolled across the mountains.
Rain began to fall.
The scent drifting through the open windows was cold and heavy.
Lucian's expression changed instantly.
"They're closer than I thought."
A deafening howl shook the fortress.
Another followed.
Then another.
Dozens.
Selene's pulse quickened.
"They found us."
Lucian walked toward a massive window overlooking the valley.
Torches burned in the darkness below.
Hundreds of wolves.
More arrived every second.
Leading them...
A familiar figure.
Alpha Damon Blackwood.
Selene's breath caught.
Damon lifted his head toward the fortress.
Even from that distance, she could see the regret written across his face.
Lucian noticed.
Without a word, he stepped beside Selene.
His presence surrounded her like a shadow.
"He's too late," Lucian said quietly.
Damon suddenly shifted into his human form.
His voice echoed across the valley.
"Selene!"
She froze.
"I know I was wrong!"
His words carried through the rain.
"I never should have rejected you!"
Lucian's expression remained unreadable.
"He only sees your worth now that others do."
Selene couldn't deny it.
The timing felt too convenient.
Too suspicious.
Damon called again.
"Come back!"
"I can protect you!"
Lucian gave a quiet, humorless laugh.
"He couldn't protect what he threw away."
Selene remained silent.
Her heart remembered the pain.
Her mind remembered the rejection.
Before she could answer, another presence swept over the battlefield.
The wolves below lowered their heads.
Even Damon stiffened.
A cloaked figure emerged from the darkness.
Unlike the others, the stranger's face remained hidden beneath a black hood.
Lucian's calm expression vanished.
For the first time...
Selene saw genuine concern in his eyes.
"No..."
he whispered.
"It can't be."
"Who is that?" Selene asked.
Lucian's gaze never left the mysterious figure.
"The one person I prayed would never find you."
The hooded stranger slowly raised a hand.
A crimson symbol burned across the palm.
The mark on Selene's silver pendant suddenly glowed with the same blood-red light.
Pain shot through her chest.
She cried out as the pendant grew hotter against her skin.
The hooded figure smiled.
Even from the valley below...
Selene could feel those eyes staring directly into hers.
"They've awakened the prophecy," Lucian said under his breath.
"And now..."
His hand instinctively reached for hers.
"...there's no turning back."
- Writer
