BLESSED LUNA RISING

CHAPTER THREE -Shadows of the Past

The penthouse balcony overlooked the glittering city skyline, but my mind was miles away in the forests I had once called home. Darius stood behind me, his strong arms wrapped around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder. The heat of his body was both comforting and dangerous—a reminder of the power I was now entangled with.

“You’re thinking about him,” Darius murmured, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through me. “Elias.”

I didn’t deny it. “He messaged me. He knows I’m back. Or at least suspects.”

Darius’s grip tightened possessively. “Let him come. Let him see what he threw away. You are no longer the timid girl he rejected. You are Dr. Selene Kane, the woman who will stand at the side of the Lycan King.”

I turned in his arms, searching his dark eyes. “And what about Aurora? She’s only three. She doesn’t understand pack politics or the dangers of being the daughter of two powerful bloodlines.”

A soft smile touched his lips—the first gentle expression I had seen on the ruthless king. “She will be protected. Trained. Loved. Our daughter carries the blood of the Lycan line. She will be a force one day.”

The mention of our child brought a wave of warmth mixed with fear. I had raised Aurora in hiding, moving between safe houses, using my medical skills to build a network of allies who owed me favors. She was smart, curious, and already showing signs of her father’s power—tiny sparks of energy when she was upset, the way her eyes sometimes glowed gold in the moonlight.

“I need to see her,” I said firmly. “Today.”

Darius nodded. “My men will bring her here safely. But Selene… the summit is in ten days. Elias will be there. The entire supernatural elite will be watching. This is our chance to declare our alliance publicly.”

Alliance. The word felt heavy. Was this love, obsession, or a strategic merger? Darius had claimed me that night three years ago when I was at my lowest. He had offered me power when I had none. But trust was a fragile thing after Elias’s betrayal.

Hours later, the door to the penthouse opened, and my heart leaped as Aurora toddled in, clutching her favorite stuffed wolf. Her dark curls bounced, and her green eyes—my eyes—lit up when she saw me.

“Mommy!”

I scooped her up, burying my face in her hair, inhaling her sweet baby scent mixed with that faint wild power. “My little moon. I missed you so much.”

Darius watched us with an unreadable expression. When Aurora noticed him, she tilted her head curiously. “Who’s that big man, Mommy?”

He knelt slowly, bringing himself to her level. “I’m Darius. Your father.”

Aurora’s eyes widened. She reached out a tiny hand and touched his cheek. A spark of energy jumped between them, and for a moment, the air hummed with power. Darius’s eyes glowed gold, and a look of pure wonder crossed his face.

“She’s strong,” he whispered. “Stronger than I imagined.”

The moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. One of Darius’s trusted betas entered, looking grim. “My King, we have reports. Alpha Elias has increased patrols near our borders. He’s looking for someone. And there are rumors of a powerful new healer in the city.”

My stomach tightened. Elias was closing in faster than I expected.

Darius stood, his expression hardening into the ruthless king I knew. “Double the guards around the penthouse. Selene and Aurora are not to leave without my personal escort.”

I wanted to protest being caged again, but the memory of Elias’s rejection kept me silent. For now, safety came first. Revenge would come later.

The Following Days

The next week passed in a whirlwind of preparation. Darius introduced me to his inner circle—powerful Lycans who eyed me with a mix of respect and curiosity. I spent my days at the medical center, my nights divided between passionate encounters with Darius and quiet moments with Aurora.

One evening, as I read Aurora a bedtime story in the luxurious nursery Darius had arranged, she looked up at me with serious eyes. “Is Daddy a king like in the stories?”

“Yes, little one,” I whispered. “A very powerful king.”

“Will he protect us from the bad alpha?”

My heart clenched. She was too young to understand the full weight of what had happened, but children sensed tension. “Yes. We’re safe now.”

But safety felt temporary. Elias’s messages kept coming—pleas mixed with demands. We need to talk. The pack is suffering without you. Come home.

I deleted them all.

On the eve of the summit, Darius presented me with a stunning gown—deep emerald green that matched my eyes, embroidered with silver threads that caught the light like moonlight on fur. “You will outshine everyone,” he said as he zipped it up, his fingers lingering on my skin.

As we arrived at Blackthorn Castle, the grand fortress lit up against the night sky, my nerves were on edge. Luxury cars lined the driveway. Alphas, Lunas, and high-ranking supernaturals mingled in the grand ballroom.

And then I saw him.

Elias stood near the center, tall and imposing in a formal suit, Lila at his side looking every bit the perfect Alpha Princess. Their pup—now a toddler—clung to her hand.

Our eyes met across the room. Shock, recognition, and something darker flashed across Elias’s face.

Darius’s hand settled possessively on my lower back as he guided me forward. The crowd parted for the Lycan King and his mysterious companion.

“Elias,” Darius greeted smoothly, his voice carrying. “Good to see you. Allow me to introduce Dr. Selene Kane… my mate.”

The room went silent. Elias’s face paled, then flushed with rage as recognition fully hit him. “Selene? You—”

I stepped forward, my voice calm and cutting. “Hello, Elias. It’s been a long time. Three years, to be exact. Since you rejected me in front of the entire pack.”

Whispers erupted. Lila looked between us, confusion turning to fury.

Elias took a step closer, his voice low. “You disappeared. The pack needed you. I made a mistake—”

“A mistake?” I laughed coldly. “You called me a ghost. You chose her while I carried the child of another. But I survived. I thrived. And now I stand here as the mate of the Lycan King.”

Darius’s presence at my side was a wall of power. “She is mine, Elias. And if you or your pack threaten what is ours, there will be war.”

The tension in the room was electric. Old wounds reopened. New alliances formed and broke in glances and whispers.

Later that night, in a private suite, Darius pulled me into his arms. “You were magnificent.”

But as passion ignited between us once more, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of a much larger storm. Elias wouldn’t let this go. And with Aurora’s power growing, the stakes were higher than ever.

The Blessed Luna was rising. And the packs would never be the same.