Chapter 6 – Secrets That Bleed
938 Words
The name hung in the air like smoke.
Lucien.
Selina’s knees nearly buckled as her heart thundered in her chest. She hadn’t heard that name since the night her world shattered. The night her mother died in her arms, whispering it with her final breath.
Now, Kael—possessed by an ancient, malevolent force—had uttered it like a weapon.
Daemon helped her up. “Selina. What does that name mean to you?”
She didn’t answer.
Couldn’t.
Instead, she turned on her heel and marched from the Moon Chamber, ignoring the Elder guards rushing toward them. Kael’s unconscious body would be handled. For now, her priority had shifted.
To the past.
To the man she thought was a myth.
Daemon caught up quickly. “You’re shaking.”
“I’m not,” she snapped.
He grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. “You are. And I’ve never seen you afraid.”
“I’m not afraid of Kael.”
“I know. You’re afraid of him.”
She yanked her hand away, jaw clenched. “Lucien is dead. Or at least, he should be. If he’s alive… everything I’ve believed—everything I’ve built—crumbles.”
Daemon looked at her differently now. “Who was he to you?”
Selina hesitated.
Then whispered, “He was my mother’s first mate.”
---
The Council Hall echoed with cold authority, its towering pillars and arched ceilings meant to intimidate. The Elders sat like statues on their thrones, faces carved from stone. Only High Priestess Alina—one of the few remaining from her mother’s time—showed any emotion.
“Lucien was exiled,” Alina said slowly, each word deliberate. “Declared a traitor. A danger.”
Selina stood tall in the center of the chamber, blood still drying on her skin from the battle. “Then explain why Kael spoke his name while possessed.”
A murmur rippled through the council.
One of the younger Elders—a male named Thorne—scoffed. “The dead speak nonsense through the possessed. It’s nothing but a coincidence.”
“It’s not a coincidence,” Selina shot back. “Lucien was more than just my mother’s mate. He was her protector. Her shadow. She trusted him with secrets she didn’t even tell the council.”
Alina’s knuckles whitened on the armrest.
“You know something,” Selina said, stepping forward. “Don’t you?”
Alina closed her eyes.
Then said, “Lucien wasn’t exiled for betrayal. He vanished. The council rewrote the story to hide the truth.”
Selina’s breath caught.
Daemon leaned in. “Why would you hide it?”
“Because,” Alina said grimly, “Lucien didn’t vanish. He crossed into the Shadow Realm.”
Gasps echoed.
Selina blinked, stunned. “That’s a myth.”
“It’s real,” Alina said. “And only those with royal blood—those descended from the Moon Line—can survive passage. Lucien was the last known bearer. Until you.”
Everything twisted.
Her blood.
Her lineage.
Her mother’s final plea: Find him. He’ll protect you.
She thought she’d imagined it.
But now...
Daemon whispered, “If he’s alive, and still there…”
Alina nodded. “Then the prophecy has already begun. And Lucien is the key.”
---
Later that night, Selina stood on the Sanctuary rooftop, the moon silvering her skin. The Blood Moon had faded, but its mark lingered—etched deep into her chest like a brand.
Daemon joined her, silent for a long while.
“I’ve only heard stories of the Shadow Realm,” he said. “They say it bends time. Warps your mind. That no one returns unchanged.”
“If he’s there,” Selina whispered, “and I can reach him…”
“It could kill you.”
She faced him. “So could staying.”
Daemon stepped closer, brushing hair from her face. “You don’t have to carry this alone.”
Her breath caught. “Don’t.”
“Why?”
“Because you make me want things I can’t have. And you deserve more than someone broken.”
He didn’t flinch. “Then let me be your armor.”
A beat of silence passed.
Then the sound of rapid footsteps echoed from the stairwell.
Ronan burst onto the rooftop, face pale.
“You need to come. Now.”
---
The Temple Archives were in ruins.
Scrolls burned. Books torn from shelves. And in the center of it all, a single body—an Elder.
Thorne.
Dead.
His chest was carved with a single word:
“Liar.”
Selina scanned the room, heart hammering. “Who did this?”
A guard stumbled in. “There’s more, High Alpha. A message was left. In blood.”
They led her to the far wall.
Daemon cursed under his breath.
Scrawled in jagged crimson were six words:
“You’re not ready to find him.”
Selina’s breath turned to ice.
Her enemy wasn’t just Kael anymore.
Someone else was pulling strings. Watching her every move.
Someone who didn’t want Lucien found.
Someone who feared what would happen if she did.
And Selina—bruised, burning, and bleeding inside—had never been more determined.
“Get me everything on the Shadow Realm,” she ordered.
“We’re going to find him. And end this.”
---
As Selina uncovers the truth about Lucien’s fate and connection to the Shadow Realm, an Elder is murdered, and a chilling message warns her off the search. But the blood trail has already begun—and now, someone in the Sanctuary is clearly working against her.
- Writer
