The Forbidden Eclipse Queen Claimed By Two Alphas

CHAPTER TWO

ELENA POV

My life was supposed to be simple. I was just Elena Whitmore, a normal girl trying to get through high school without causing trouble.

Most people at Blackridge High only knew me as Damian Cross’s girlfriend. I loved Damian because he was kind, steady, and safe to be around with.

Whenever the world felt too loud, Damian made me feel protected. I never imagined that a single night could tear my entire life to pieces.

The party was way too loud as wealthy students, dominant wolves, and royal heirs crammed into every corner of the mansion.

Pretty girls laughed loudly, desperate to be noticed by the popular guys. I hated places like this. I was used to being overlooked, and I liked it that way.

Then I felt a strange heat on my face. I turned my head and saw Lucian Blackthorne staring at me.

I knew all the rumors about him...everyone did.

He was the cursed prince, the arrogant hockey captain, and the heartbreaker who ruined every girl he touched.

His name made teachers look away and students whisper in the hallways. I had spent years actively avoiding him.

Tonight, his stare felt terrifyingly different. It was not flirtation, it felt like he was looking directly into my soul.

Suddenly, a strange fever burned inside my skin.

My wolf, which had been quiet and weak my entire life, began scratching violently against my chest.

My throat felt dry. I had never felt my inner beast act like this before.

"Elena?" a gentle voice asked.

Damian walked up and placed his hand on my shoulder. The instant his skin touched mine, a violent shock of electricity surged through my entire body.

My heart pounded against my ribs like a trapped bird. I gasped and looked up into his dark eyes, feeling an intense, desperate need to pull him closer.

"Are you okay?" Damian whispered, his eyes widening in shock. "What is this?"

Before I could answer, my eyes dragged back to Lucian. The exact same electric pull snapped in my chest, the heat doubled and the hunger roared in my blood.

Horror filled my stomach. I loved Damian. I had never doubted my feelings for him. Why was my own body betraying me for Lucian Blackthorne?

BANG!

The lights exploded above us, the glass from the bulbs showered the room. A massive, heavy pressure slammed down from the ceiling, throwing everyone to the floor. All wolves and vampires dropped to their knees, groaning in pain.

Only I stayed standing, the invisible force seemed to bend around me, leaving me untouched.

Then, pure agonizing fire ripped through my right wrist.

"Ah!" I screamed, dropping to my knees. My skin burned away as a glowing symbol carved itself into my arm.

Damian dropped beside me and wrapped his strong arms around my waist. "I have you! I've got you, Elena!"

The moment he held me, the strange bond flared out of control. Then footsteps echoed through the shattered glass. Lucian rushed over, his chest was bare, showing a matching glowing scar over his ribs.

The moment Lucian got close, the pressure became unbearable. I could feel both of them inside my mind. I felt Damian’s protective fury and Lucian’s dark terror.

'Mate,' my wolf cried out, gazing at Damian.

'Mate,' my wolf cried out again, turning toward Lucian.

"No," I choked out, tears running down my cheeks. "No, this is impossible!"

"Clear the room! Everyone get out!" a harsh voice shouted.

Headmaster Vance burst through the doors, surrounded by royal guards.

Silvercrest guards rushed in to form a wall around Damian, while Blackthorne guards surrounded Lucian.

I was trapped right in the middle of the two most powerful Alpha bloodlines in the territory.

The Headmaster stared at my glowing wrist, his face turning pale as paper. "It cannot be," he breathed in horror. "She is the Eclipse Mate."

I froze because I knew that name. Every child learned the legend in history class.

The last Eclipse Mate lived three hundred years ago, and her existence sparked a war that wiped out half the packs in the world.

"Take her into custody immediately!" Vance ordered, waving his hand toward the heavy guards. "She is too dangerous to be free!"

Panic seized my chest. The guards stepped forward with silver chains.

Before they could reach me, Lucian snarled and stepped directly between me and the guards. His carefree, playboy smile was completely gone. His dark eyes glowed a deadly gold, and sharp fangs extended over his bottom lip.

"Touch her and I will rip your throat out," Lucian growled, his voice echoing with royal power.

Damian stepped up right beside him, his jaw set in a hard line. His calm demeanor shattered, replaced by a raw, terrifying possessivism. "She stays with us," Damian declared in a low and cold voice.

The two best friends looked at each other, their bodies tense and ready to fight.

I watched in terror as the two people that trusted each other most turned into enemies in a matter of seconds.

"Stop!" I cried out. "Please!"

Pain spiked in my arm again. I screamed and grabbed my wrist. A second symbol burned into my skin right beneath the first.

The principal gasped and stumbled backward. "What is happening to her?" Vance yelled.

A third symbol began to form, burning deeper and hotter than the rest.

I fell to my hands and knees, sobbing from the agony. Three distinct marks now glowed on my skin.

One seemed to belong to Lucian, the other belonged to Damian. But the third symbol was darker, jagged, and completely unknown to anyone in the room.

Then, a deep, raspy whisper echoed inside my mind. It did not belong to Lucian or to Damian. It sounded ancient and cold as the grave.

'Wake up, my Queen,' the voice hissed. 'Wake up, Vespera.'

My vision turned completely dark, and my body hit the floorboards.

When I opened my eyes, the high school party was gone.

I was standing inside a massive, burning palace. Smoke filled the sky, and flames licked the stone walls. Hundreds of dead bodies covered the marble floor around me.

A heavy golden crown sat at my feet, stained with fresh blood.

I looked down at my hands only to see that they were dripping with warm blood. I looked at the body lying right in front of me.

It was an Alpha, dead on the floor with a torn throat and he had Lucian’s face.