CHAPTER 8: THE MOON PRINCESS
1298 Words
The forest fell silent.
Even the Shadow Wolves lowered their heads.
The massive Lycan standing before them radiated an ancient authority that made the air itself feel heavy.
Selene couldn't tear her eyes away.
That...
That was Kael.
The ruthless billionaire.
The cold man who had forced her into a marriage contract.
Except now, he looked nothing like a man.
His towering body was covered in sleek midnight-black fur streaked with silver that shimmered under the moonlight. His golden eyes burned with quiet fury, and every breath that escaped him came out as a plume of white mist.
The Shadow Wolf leader took an involuntary step back.
"...The King's true form."
"So the rumors were true."
Kael's deep growl rolled through the forest.
"You wished to test me."
"Here I am."
The wolf leader bared its fangs.
"You're poisoned."
"I can smell the wolfsbane."
"You can't maintain that form for long."
A cruel smile spread across its muzzle.
"Kill him!"
More than a hundred Shadow Wolves lunged at once.
The ground shook beneath their paws.
Selene's heart stopped.
"Kael!"
The Lycan King vanished.
A thunderous boom echoed across Black Hollow.
The nearest Shadow Wolf was launched into a tree with enough force to snap the trunk in half.
Another flew through the air before crashing into a boulder.
Kael moved so quickly that Selene could barely follow him.
Every swing of his claws sent wolves tumbling.
Every roar made the weaker ones hesitate.
Within seconds, the road became a battlefield.
---
"Protect Luna!"
Captain Nadia shouted.
The guards formed a shield around Selene.
Bullets flashed through the darkness.
Silver blades clashed against claws.
Ethan pulled Selene toward one of the armored SUVs.
"You need to stay back!"
"I can't just hide!"
"You can if you want Kael to stay focused."
Selene looked toward the battlefield.
Kael fought like a force of nature.
Three wolves attacked him from different directions.
He caught one by the throat, threw another into the air, and struck the third with his tail before it could land a hit.
Yet...
Something was wrong.
She noticed it now.
His movements were becoming slightly slower.
His breathing had grown heavier.
The Shadow Wolf leader had been right.
The wolfsbane was still affecting him.
---
A howl echoed deeper inside the forest.
Every Shadow Wolf froze.
The leader's ears twitched.
"It has begun."
Kael stopped fighting.
His golden eyes narrowed.
"What did you do?"
The leader laughed.
"You came exactly where Alpha Ronan wanted."
"The ritual is already underway."
Selene frowned.
"What ritual?"
No one answered.
Instead...
The ground began to tremble.
At first, it was barely noticeable.
Then the shaking intensified.
Cracks spread across the road beneath their feet.
The mist swirling around the forest turned silver.
A strange light rose from somewhere deep within Black Hollow.
One of the older guards turned pale.
"No..."
"It can't be..."
Captain Nadia looked at him.
"What is it?"
The guard swallowed hard.
"...The Moon Altar."
Nadia's face lost all color.
"Impossible."
"It was destroyed centuries ago."
"It wasn't."
The guard whispered.
"It was hidden."
Kael's expression darkened.
"So that's their plan."
Selene looked from one face to another.
"Someone tell me what's happening!"
Kael slowly turned toward her.
His voice was low.
"Ronan isn't trying to kill you."
"He's trying to awaken you."
Before Selene could respond—
A piercing scream echoed through the forest.
It wasn't human.
It wasn't wolf.
It sounded...
Ancient.
Then a pillar of silver light erupted into the sky from the heart of Black Hollow.
The entire forest bowed toward it.
Even the Shadow Wolves knelt instinctively.
The leader smiled.
"The Moon Princess has been called."
His crimson eyes locked onto Selene.
"And she has finally answered."
The silver pillar pierced the heavens.
It bathed the entire forest in an eerie glow.
Selene couldn't look away.
Something inside her...
Called to it.
Her heartbeat matched the rhythm of the light.
Come...
The whisper was soft.
Almost gentle.
Yet it echoed inside her mind.
Come home...
Selene gasped.
"Did... did you hear that?"
Everyone looked at her.
"Hear what?" Ethan asked.
"The voice."
"There was a woman."
"She told me to come home."
Silence.
Kael's expression hardened.
"The Moon Goddess."
Selene stared at him.
"What?"
"The only one who can speak through the Moon Altar."
Captain Nadia's eyes widened.
"That's impossible."
"No one has heard Her voice in nearly a thousand years."
Kael kept his gaze on Selene.
"But she heard it."
---
Without warning, Selene took a step toward the forest.
Then another.
She wasn't trying to move.
Her body simply...
Obeyed.
"Selene."
Kael's deep voice echoed behind her.
She couldn't stop.
Another step.
Another.
Her pupils slowly turned silver.
The necklace around her neck began to glow.
The moonlight seemed to wrap around her like flowing ribbons.
Every Shadow Wolf lowered its head.
"The prophecy..."
One whispered.
"It's true."
The leader smiled.
"She has awakened."
---
Kael moved.
In an instant, he was beside Selene.
He caught her wrist.
"Fight it."
Selene blinked.
"I..."
"I can't."
"It keeps calling me."
Her voice sounded distant.
Dreamlike.
"It says..."
"...Mother is waiting."
Kael's golden eyes narrowed.
"They're lying."
"They're using the Altar to manipulate your blood."
Selene shook her head weakly.
"But what if..."
"...what if she's really there?"
The thought tore through Kael's resolve.
If there was even the smallest chance Eleanor was alive...
Selene would never stop searching.
And Ronan knew that.
---
The Shadow Wolf leader laughed.
"She's walking willingly."
"Much easier than dragging her."
Kael slowly turned.
The rage in his golden eyes was enough to silence the entire forest.
"You've mistaken my patience..."
His claws extended.
"...for mercy."
He charged.
The earth exploded beneath his feet.
The wolf leader barely had time to react before Kael's claw slashed across his chest.
Blood sprayed across the road.
The massive wolf crashed through three trees before stopping.
The remaining Shadow Wolves howled in panic.
"The King!"
"Retreat!"
But Kael wasn't finished.
He leapt again.
This time his jaws clamped around another wolf, hurling it into the air.
Nadia seized the opportunity.
"Advance!"
The guards rushed forward.
Silver blades flashed.
Gunfire echoed.
Within minutes, the Shadow Wolves were fleeing into the darkness.
Only the wounded leader remained.
He laughed despite the blood pouring from his wounds.
"You've already lost."
Kael pinned him to the ground.
"Where is Eleanor?"
The wolf coughed.
"Beyond..."
"The Moon Gate."
"What is the Moon Gate?"
The wolf grinned.
"You'll see soon enough."
Then...
His body suddenly stiffened.
Dark veins spread across his neck.
"No..."
He whispered.
"He's..."
"...watching."
Before Kael could stop him—
The wolf burst into black flames.
Within seconds...
Nothing remained except ash.
Selene stared in horror.
"He..."
"He burned alive."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"Ronan silenced him."
"He never intended for any of his followers to be captured."
---
A sudden gust of icy wind swept through Black Hollow.
The silver pillar of light began to pulse faster.
Then...
A figure appeared at the very top of the glowing altar in the distance.
Even from miles away, Selene could tell it was a woman.
Long silver hair flowed behind her.
She wore a gown that shimmered like moonlight.
Her face was hidden beneath a delicate veil.
Slowly...
She raised one hand.
And pointed directly at Selene.
A voice echoed through the entire forest.
Clear.
Beautiful.
Ancient.
"Bring the child of the moon... to me."
The words had barely faded when the ground split open beneath Selene's feet.
She screamed as the earth crumbled.
"Selene!"
Kael lunged toward her.
His claws caught her hand.
For one terrifying moment, she dangled over a deep chasm glowing with silver light.
Below...
She saw ruins.
An enormous underground city.
And thousands of glowing eyes opening in the darkness.
- Writer
