The Hunt Begins
764 Words
Selene came to slowly, her head pounding and her mouth tasting of copper. She was lying on the floor of Kade’s study, surrounded by shattered furniture and the lingering scent of powerful magic.
“Selene.” Kade’s voice was rough with worry as he helped her sit up. “Easy. You took quite a hit.”
“Lucian.” The name ripped from her throat like a physical wound. “Where is he? Where’s my son?”
Kade’s expression was grim. “Gone. They all vanished about five minutes after you passed out. But Selene…” He paused, his silver eyes reflecting a mixture of pride and terror. “What he did… I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“What do you mean?”
“He didn’t just go with them. He *transported* them. All of them. One moment they were here, the next…” Kade gestured helplessly at the destruction around them. “Every piece of glass in a hundred-yard radius shattered. The windows, the mirrors, even the crystal chandelier in the main hall.”
Selene pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the wave of dizziness that followed. “We have to find him.”
“We will.” Kade’s voice carried absolute conviction. “But Selene, we need to talk about what just happened. About what Lucian is.”
“He’s my son.”
“He’s an Oracle. A child with powers that most wolves only dream of.” Kade ran his hands through his hair, looking suddenly exhausted. “Do you have any idea what that means?”
“It means he’s in danger.” Selene started toward the door, but Kade caught her arm.
“It means he’s the most valuable prize in the supernatural world,” he said quietly. “Every pack, every coven, every clan is going to want him. And Darius just proved he’s willing to take him by force.”
The weight of those words settled over her like a shroud. Her beautiful, innocent boy, hunted like prey for abilities he’d never asked for.
“There’s something else,” Kade continued. “The Council has been trying to reach me since this morning. They want an emergency session.”
“About Lucian?”
“About us. About the fact that the former Luna has returned with the Alpha’s heir.” His jaw tightened. “They’re going to demand answers. And they’re not going to like the ones we give them.”
Before Selene could respond, Beta Marcus burst through the door, his face pale with urgency.
“Alpha, we have a problem. Three packs have requested formal audiences in the last hour. Word is spreading about the boy.”
Kade cursed under his breath. “Which packs?”
“The Night Runners, the Storm Wolves, and…” Marcus swallowed hard. “The Blood Moon pack.”
The Blood Moon pack. Mercenaries and killers who sold their services to the highest bidder.
Selene felt her world tilt again. “They’re coming for him.”
“Yes,” Kade said simply. “They are.”
She looked at himthis man she’d loved and hated and lost, and saw her own desperation reflected in his silver eyes.
“What do we do?”
For a long moment, he was quiet. When he spoke, his voice carried the weight of absolute determination.
“We get our son back. And then we make sure no one can ever take him from us again.”
“How?”
Kade’s smile was sharp as a blade. “We give them exactly what they want.”
Selene frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“A wedding, Selene. A public, binding ceremony that declares Lucian the legitimate heir to Ravenstone and makes you untouchable as my Luna.”
The proposal hit her like a physical blow. “You want to marry me? Now? While our son is missing?”
“I want to protect you. Both of you.” His eyes burned with fierce intensity. “It’s the only way to make this work.”
Selene stared at him, her heart hammering against her ribs. Five years ago, she would have given anything to hear those words. Now, they felt like another prison.
But if it would keep Lucian safe…
“Fine,” she whispered. “But the moment we get him back, this arrangement ends.”
Kade’s expression was unreadable. “If that’s what you want.”
What she wanted was her son. Everything else was just details.
Even if those details included marrying the man who’d once broken her heart beyond repair.
- Writer
