Chapter Three: Betrayer's Mark
873 Words
The forest seemed to stretch endlessly, trees blurring as Selene ran beside Lucien, their feet pounding the earth in sync. Every breath was laced with the scent of pine, blood, and fear.
“How did they find me?” Selene gasped, ducking under a low branch.
“They were tracking your energy,” Lucien said tightly. “The seal on your wrist—it's like a beacon to those who know what to look for.”
Selene cursed under her breath. “So I’m glowing and marked like prey?”
“No,” he said, glancing at her. “You’re glowing like prophecy.”
A wolf’s snarl ripped through the woods behind them.
Lucien grabbed her arm and yanked her down into a ravine, covering them both with pine needles and bramble. Selene’s pulse thundered in her ears as heavy paws crashed above.
Three wolves, massive and snarling, passed overhead. Selene recognized the black one leading the pack—Kael’s Beta, Rowan.
Her breath caught. If Rowan was here… Kael couldn’t be far behind.
“You’re not just being hunted,” Lucien whispered. “You’re being silenced.”
Selene’s jaw clenched. The man she once trusted with her soul was trying to erase her existence. And for the first time, she wanted to fight back.
When the wolves were out of earshot, Lucien helped her climb out. They moved in silence, deeper into the forest, until they reached a secluded cave masked with illusions.
As they entered, the air shifted—warmer, laced with herbs and the faint hum of old magic. Inside were stone walls etched with runes and a small fire already lit. Scrolls, blades, and jars of crushed powders lined the rocky shelves.
“Welcome to the last sanctuary of the Moon-Blooded,” Lucien said.
Selene stepped inside, her gaze locking on the mural at the far end. A woman with silver hair and glowing eyes stood surrounded by wolves bowing to her feet. Fire and moonlight wrapped around her like armor.
“It’s you,” Lucien said quietly.
Selene’s throat tightened. “I’m nothing like her.”
“She was hunted too. Until she rose.”
Selene turned sharply. “You keep talking about war and prophecy. But I don’t know how to control this power, or why it’s even inside me.”
Lucien didn’t flinch. “That’s what I’m here for. To help you awaken it fully before they destroy you.”
“I need answers first,” Selene snapped. “Who was my mother? Why was I hidden? Why would Kael—”
She stopped herself. The name burned on her tongue.
Lucien’s expression darkened. “Kael knew.”
Selene's heart stuttered. “What?”
“He may not have known your full bloodline, but he knew your potential. He was warned. The Council has ways of sensing dormant power—especially Moon-Blooded. That’s why he rejected you.”
A bitter laugh escaped her lips. “I thought he rejected me because I wasn’t good enough.”
“You weren’t weak,” Lucien said. “You were dangerous. And he chose power over fate.”
Selene turned away, tears blurring her vision. Her rejection had been orchestrated. Her exile, a silent execution.
“I loved him,” she whispered.
Lucien stepped closer, his voice gentler. “He chose the crown. Not you.”
Selene’s fingers clenched into fists. "Then let him keep his throne... I’ll take his world."
The fire flared.
Lucien smiled. “Now you’re speaking like a queen.”
Before Selene could respond, something shimmered at the entrance of the cave.
A message rune flickered into view, crackling with silver sparks before a voice filled the space.
“Selene Carter. Return to Crescent Moon territory immediately. The Alpha has declared your presence a threat. Your blood will be cleansed under the light of the next full moon.”
Lucien stepped in front of her protectively. “That was a death sentence.”
Selene’s jaw trembled, but she lifted her chin.
“They want to cleanse me?” she said bitterly. “Let them try.”
But as the rune faded, another glow lit up her wrist. The crescent mark had shifted—two smaller runes branching off the curve.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
Lucien’s eyes widened. “It’s begun.”
“What’s begun?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Then: “The Trials of Ascension. The Moon doesn’t choose lightly, Selene. If you’re truly her heir, you’ll be tested. Mind. Body. Soul.”
“And if I fail?”
“Then the seal will kill you.”
Silence fell over the cave.
Selene stared at her wrist. This wasn’t a gift. It was a command. Rise… or perish.
“I’ll need training,” she said at last.
Lucien nodded. “Then we start now. Tomorrow, we begin the first trial.”
“What’s the first?”
Lucien looked at her, his silver eyes flickering with something unreadable.
“Facing the memory you fear most.”
> Selene turned to the fire, but the flames shifted—forming a phantom image of Kael standing over her mother’s body.
And then her mother whispered from the smoke:
“He knew. He always knew.”
- Writer
