Silver Howl

Chains of the Moon

The chill of the dungeon clung to Selene’s skin, sinking past her clothes until it felt as though frost lived beneath her veins. Damp stone walls pressed in on her, the faint glow of torchlight throwing cruel shadows across the chamber. Chains rattled with every shallow breath she drew, her wrists bound in iron cuffs that bit into her skin. She had fought like a cornered animal when they dragged her here, but her captors had been trained for rebellion. Now all she had was silence and the sound of her own heart hammering.

For the first time in years, Selene felt powerless. The weight of that truth pressed harder than the chains. She pulled against them until her wrists ached raw, testing for weakness, but the bonds held fast. Her mind whispered that this was not the end. She had survived worse nights, worse hunts. She had buried family and clawed her way back to life. She would not break now.

The heavy iron door creaked open, splitting the darkness with a flood of torchlight from the corridor. Dante stepped inside, his silhouette unmistakable. The Alpha of the Shadowfang pack moved with the quiet power of a predator in his domain. His gaze swept over her, slow and deliberate, making her blood heat against her will.

“You fight like a wolf, though you claim not to be one,” he said, his voice a low growl edged with curiosity. “Tell me, Selene. What are you hiding?” Selene lifted her chin, masking the fear that coiled tight in her stomach. “I am human. Nothing more.” His smile was sharp and dangerous, as though he could hear the lie tangled in her words. “Humans do not hear footsteps a mile away. Humans do not evade hunters in the dark as you did. Your blood carries secrets, and I will uncover them.”

He moved closer, each step echoing like a drumbeat. Selene forced herself not to shrink back. The iron chains held her body, but she would not let him chain her spirit.

“I have nothing for you,” she spat. “Kill me, if that is what you want.”

Dante stopped only inches away. His scent, wild and earthy, filled her lungs. He crouched low, so their eyes met at eye level. His hand brushed her cheek, calloused but strangely gentle. She flinched, though not from pain. The touch ignited something she did not understand, something dangerous.

“I do not want your death,” he murmured, studying her as if she were a puzzle carved by the moon itself. “I want your truth.”

Selene’s heart betrayed her, thundering in her chest. She hated the way his presence unsettled her, hated the way her body betrayed the walls her mind had built. This was her enemy, the Alpha, whose pack thrived on blood and dominance. Yet his eyes, fierce gold rimmed with shadows, held a heat that felt less like cruelty and more like recognition.

“Your truth belongs to me now,” Dante said, straightening to his full height. “And until I decide otherwise, so do you.”

He turned sharply, signaling the guards outside the chamber. Two wolves entered, their forms towering in human shape, though their eyes gleamed with the beast inside. One carried a wooden bowl of food, the other a pitcher of water. They set them near her without a word.

“Eat,” Dante commanded. “You will need your strength.” Selene stared at the offerings but refused to move. “I will not eat what you give me.” Dante tilted his head, amusement flickering across his features. “Defiant, even in chains. I admire that.” He gestured to the guards, and they retreated, leaving the two of them alone once more.

The Alpha crossed his arms, studying her in silence. The weight of his gaze pressed heavier than the chains, but Selene forced herself to meet it head-on. If she looked away, she would have surrendered more than her body, she would have surrendered her fire.

“You are strong,” Dante said finally, his voice softer. “Strength is rare among humans. Rare and valuable.”

“I am not your prize,” she snapped. His grin returned, feral and sharp. “No, you are my challenge.”

He left her with those words, his cloak trailing behind as he vanished through the door. The iron slammed shut, the sound reverberating like a warning bell. Alone once more, Selene’s chest rose and fell with sharp breaths. Anger warred with fear, but beneath them both was something far more treacherous. A spark she could not extinguish, no matter how she tried.

That night, sleep refused to claim her. The dungeon was alive with distant howls, wolves calling to the moon. Their voices echoed through the stone, stirring something deep within her bones. She pressed her palms to her temples, willing the sound away, but it thrummed through her as though her very blood answered.

When morning came, Dante returned. This time, he brought no guards, only his presence. He carried himself with the ease of a ruler who feared no one. He circled her slowly, like a hunter evaluating prey, but his eyes burned with more than hunger.

“You felt it last night,” he said, his voice low. “The moon’s call. Do not deny it.”

Selene’s breath hitched, betraying her. “I felt nothing.”

“Lies,” Dante growled, sudden and sharp. His hand shot out, gripping her chin and tilting her face toward him. His touch was not cruel, but it left her powerless to look away. “You cannot fight what you are forever.” Her heart hammered, her body thrumming with a strange energy she did not understand. Fear laced her veins, but so did something intoxicating, something that whispered of belonging.

“I am human,” she whispered, but the words faltered. Dante’s eyes softened, just for an instant. “We will see.” He released her and stepped back. The predator reined in once more. “Tonight, you will stand beneath the moon with me. Then we will learn the truth together.” Selene’s stomach twisted. Whatever he intended, it would test every wall she had built. She had sworn never to be bound, never to belong to anyone again. Yet in his presence, the chains felt less like prison and more like fate.

When the door closed once more, she leaned against the cold stone and shut her eyes. For the first time in years, Selene was not certain who she was.

But one thing was clear. Dante would not stop until he tore every secret from her soul. And she was no longer sure she wanted him to fail.