CHAPTER - 5
1448 Words
Luna Alara reached for Seraphine’s hands, her eyes glistening with well-practiced tears. “My daughter,” she said softly, her voice trembling just enough to sound human. “Remember what I told you.”
Seraphine leaned in, pretending to hold back sobs. “I’ll make you proud, Mother.”
Alara’s lips brushed her ear, voice dropping to a whisper sharp enough to cut.
“Do not let him forget which sister he was meant to claim. Smile when she bleeds, comfort him when he doubts, and when his guard lowers…”
She pulled back slightly, meeting her daughter’s gaze with a quiet, chilling smile.
“…make him see that love for her is a curse. You, my darling, will be the cure.”
Seraphine’s lashes fluttered, her heart swelling with a dangerous mix of pride and vengeance. “Yes, Mother.”
Alara cupped her cheek gently. “The Moon bends to those who dare command her.”
Selena, standing a few steps away, caught the last part… the tone, not the words, and her stomach twisted. She wanted to speak, to ask her mother for one final truth, but Alara didn’t look at her. Not once. Not even when the horses shifted and the guards took their places.
It was as if Selena were already gone.
Alpha Lucienne mounted his dark horse, his movements effortless, his presence heavier than the mist. His cloak flowed behind him like a shadow that obeyed no wind. When he turned his gaze toward the sisters, his eyes… steel gray and merciless, silenced every whisper in the courtyard.
“Mount up,” he ordered.
Seraphine climbed gracefully onto her mare, giving a small, practiced smile. Selena hesitated, fumbling with the reins until Lucienne’s cold tone snapped across the air.
“Do you need help?” he asked, the hint of mockery threading his voice.
Selena shook her head, cheeks burning. “No, Alpha.”
He didn’t reply, only gave the command to move.
The gates creaked open. The escort of warriors fell into formation. Behind them, the pack watched…. some in pity, others in fear. None in understanding.
Luna Alara lifted a hand, her farewell soft and regal. “May the Moon guide your steps, my daughter.”
Selena turned once more, just in time to see her mother’s lips curve…. not in blessing, but in triumph.
---
The forest swallowed them soon after.
For hours, hooves pounded against damp earth, the rhythm echoing like a heartbeat in the mist. Selena’s thoughts tangled with the clatter….. guilt, confusion, the ache of something she couldn’t name.
Seraphine rode beside her, face serene, voice light. “It’s strange, isn’t it?” she said sweetly. “How quickly everything changed.”
Selena didn’t answer.
“You must be frightened,” Seraphine continued, brushing invisible dust from her cloak. “Being marked by someone like him. He’s… intense.”
Lucienne, who rode ahead, didn’t turn, but Selena could feel his attention sharpen, a presence heavy enough to press on her skin.
“I’m not frightened,” Selena said quietly.
Seraphine smiled faintly. “Then you’re naive.”
The words stung. Selena bit the inside of her cheek, refusing to give her sister the satisfaction of a reaction.
Lucienne spoke then, his voice calm but cutting through the quiet. “If you two are done arguing, I suggest you save your breath. The Nightbane territory is not kind to the weak.”
Selena’s head dipped. “Yes, Alpha.”
Seraphine’s tone turned syrupy. “Of course, Alpha Lucienne. We’ll behave.”
He spared her a single glance…. unreadable, distant and turned back to the road. Seraphine’s smile lingered, though her eyes gleamed with something venomous.
---
By nightfall, the world around them changed.
The air grew colder, the trees taller. The scent of pine gave way to iron and smoke. Shadows moved differently here…. slower, deliberate, alive. When they finally crested a ridge, the Nightbane fortress came into view…. an obsidian sprawl of towers and battlements carved into the mountain’s spine. Torches burned blue in the wind, their flames whispering against the dark.
Selena’s breath caught. “It’s… beautiful,” she murmured.
Lucienne dismounted, his boots crunching over frost. “It’s a prison for most,” he said quietly. “And a kingdom for the few who earn it.”
Seraphine smiled, sliding gracefully from her saddle. “Then I suppose I’ll fit in perfectly.”
He looked at her for a moment, long enough for silence to turn sharp, then turned away. “You’ll both learn your places soon enough.”
They followed him through the iron gates, past rows of warriors who bowed their heads in respect. The air inside the walls was thick with dominance, every glance a reminder of power earned through blood. Selena felt small beneath it, as if the fortress itself could smell her uncertainty.
As they crossed the courtyard, a man emerged from the shadows…. tall, scarred, his eyes the color of storm clouds. He bowed slightly. “Alpha. The council awaits.”
Lucienne nodded. “Tell them to wait longer.”
The man blinked, surprised. “Yes, Alpha.”
Seraphine watched the exchange with fascination, stepping closer. “Your men fear you.”
Lucienne gave her a sidelong glance. “As they should.”
“Doesn’t that get lonely?” she asked softly.
He paused…. just for a heartbeat, then resumed walking. “Fear is company enough.”
Selena trailed behind, catching every flicker of her sister’s calculated smile. She recognized that tone, the soft purr Seraphine used when she wanted something. And right now, she wanted the Alpha’s attention.
Inside the great hall, the temperature seemed to drop. Silver chandeliers hung like frozen moons. The stone walls bore scars of claw and fire. Selena’s eyes darted around, drawn to the faint hum of magic beneath the floor, the kind of power that breathed even when everyone else held their breath.
Lucienne motioned for them to stop. “You’ll stay in separate chambers. The east wing is forbidden until I decide otherwise. You’ll attend the bond verification tomorrow at dawn.”
Seraphine tilted her head. “Verification?”
He turned, eyes cold. “If the mark was born of the Moon, it will hold under the ritual flame. If not…” His gaze lingered on Selena. “The fire will consume what shouldn’t exist.”
Selena’s chest tightened. “You mean it could kill me?”
He didn’t answer. That was answer enough.
Seraphine stepped forward, feigning concern. “Surely there’s no need for something so cruel, Alpha. She’s my sister.”
Lucienne’s tone sharpened. “Then pray the Moon has mercy on her.”
For a moment, silence ruled the hall, heavy and alive.
Seraphine placed a gentle hand on Selena’s shoulder, her expression soft, voice dripping with poison. “I’ll pray for you, dear sister.”
Selena met her gaze. “Save your prayers. I’ll need strength, not pity.”
Lucienne’s eyes flicked between them, the fire of something unreadable sparking briefly before he turned away.
“Guards,” he said. “Escort them to their rooms.”
The sisters were led up the marble stairs. Torches lined the walls, their blue flames casting strange, shifting patterns across their faces. When they reached the split hallway, Seraphine paused and looked back down toward Lucienne’s figure receding into shadow.
“He’s magnificent, isn’t he?” she whispered dreamily.
Selena said nothing.
Seraphine smiled. “You can’t keep him, you know. You may bear his mark, but I’ll bear his heart.”
She turned toward her room and slipped inside before Selena could speak.
---
That night, the fortress slept, but Selena couldn’t.
She sat by her window, the cold glass trembling beneath her fingertips. The mark on her wrist pulsed faintly, threads of light weaving beneath her skin, whispering in rhythm with her heartbeat.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Lucienne’s face…. the steel in his stare, the shadows in his voice. He was a storm she didn’t understand, but already she could feel herself caught in its eye.
Somewhere down the corridor, Seraphine’s laughter floated through the silence…. soft, rehearsed, intoxicating.
Selena’s chest ached. She whispered into the dark, “Moon, if this is fate… why does it feel like punishment?”
The answer came not in words, but in sound, a wolf’s low howl from the northern ridge, long and mournful.
And as the echo faded into the cold air, the mark on her wrist burned brighter, as though the Moon herself were warning her.
Tomorrow, she would face the ritual fire.
Tomorrow, the truth of the bond would either save her… or destroy her.
- Writer
