Chapter Seven: Beneath the Palace
1087 Words
The silence between them became dangerous.
Lucien stared at Selene without moving, his silver eyes fixed on her face as though trying to peel apart every layer hiding beneath her calm expression.
“Yes.”
The word still echoed through the chamber.
Not playful.
Not teasing.
A warning.
And the terrifying part was—
She meant it.
Most people feared Lucien Valeblood.
Kings feared him.
Generals feared him.
Entire nations bent beneath the threat of his armies.
Yet the woman standing before him now looked entirely unafraid.
As though she had already seen the worst he could become.
The thought unsettled him more than it should have.
Selene slowly stepped away first, breaking the tension before it consumed the room entirely.
“I’m tired,” she said quietly.
Lucien’s gaze followed her immediately. “You won’t sleep.”
Her fingers paused slightly against the edge of the table.
Interesting.
“Incredibly confident tonight, aren’t we?”
“You only become colder when something is bothering you.”
The words hit harder than expected.
Because he was right.
Lucien knew her habits.
Or at least…he used to.
Selene looked away toward the palace windows.
The capital stretched endlessly beneath the storm-dark sky, lights flickering through the rain like distant stars. Somewhere beyond those streets, people still celebrated tomorrow’s wedding, unaware that death already stalked the palace halls.
The kingdom was rotting beneath its beauty.
And this time, Selene intended to uncover every corpse buried underneath the throne.
A low rumble suddenly vibrated through the chamber floor.
Both of them froze.
Lucien’s expression sharpened instantly.
“What was that?”
Another tremor shook the room.
Books fell from nearby shelves while candle flames flickered violently. Somewhere deeper within the palace, stone groaned like something massive shifting underground.
Selene’s blood turned cold.
No.
Not yet.
In her previous life, the underground ruins beneath the palace remained sealed for another two years.
So why—
The tremor stopped abruptly.
Silence returned.
But something felt wrong.
Deeply wrong.
Lucien moved toward the chamber doors immediately. “Stay here.”
Selene almost laughed.
“You truly still believe that’s possible?”
Without waiting for permission, she walked past him into the corridor.
Lucien cursed softly beneath his breath before following.
The palace had already erupted into confusion again.
Guards rushed through hallways while servants panicked beneath flickering torchlight. Another violent tremor rolled through the floors, stronger this time.
A distant scream echoed somewhere below.
Selene stopped moving instantly.
Below.
The underground levels.
Her memories crashed violently together.
Ancient tunnels hidden beneath the royal palace.
Ruins older than the Alpha Kingdom itself.
And something sleeping beneath them.
No.
Not sleeping anymore.
“Seal the lower corridors,” Lucien ordered nearby guards sharply.
“My king,” one knight said nervously, “something collapsed beneath the western wing.”
Selene’s eyes widened slightly.
The western wing connected directly to the underground catacombs.
Impossible.
This was happening far too early.
Lucien noticed her reaction instantly.
“You know something.”
It wasn’t a question.
Selene remained silent too long.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Another scream echoed upward through the stone floors.
Then—
The torches went out.
Darkness swallowed the corridor instantly.
Servants panicked.
Several guards drew weapons immediately.
And beneath the darkness—
A growl echoed through the palace.
Low.
Ancient.
Not human.
Every wolf inside the corridor reacted instantly.
Fear.
Pure instinctive fear.
Even Lucien stiffened beside her.
Selene closed her eyes briefly.
She remembered that sound.
Gods help them.
A torch reignited suddenly.
Then another.
Flickering light revealed pale faces filled with terror.
One of the guards whispered shakily, “What…was that?”
No one answered.
Because somewhere below the palace—
Something massive moved again.
Stone cracked violently beneath their feet.
Selene turned immediately toward the western corridor.
Lucien grabbed her wrist before she could leave.
“You’re not going down there.”
The contact sent heat rushing painfully through her chest.
Too familiar.
Too intimate.
Selene looked down at his hand gripping her.
Then slowly lifted her eyes toward him.
“If that thing reaches the upper palace,” she said quietly, “everyone here dies.”
Lucien’s jaw tightened. “You know what it is.”
Another dangerous silence.
Then Selene spoke carefully.
“Stories from my bloodline mentioned creatures guarding ancient ruins beneath royal territories.”
“Creatures?”
Her expression darkened.
“Not wolves.”
The corridor became deathly still.
A crash exploded somewhere below them.
Then came screaming.
Real screaming this time.
Lucien released her wrist immediately.
“Guards with me.”
Knights rushed forward without hesitation.
Selene followed.
The deeper corridors beneath the western wing smelled of dust, blood, and ancient stone. Cracks spread across the walls while broken debris littered the staircases descending underground.
The air itself felt wrong.
Heavy.
Like the palace had awakened something buried too long beneath it.
Lucien drew the black blade hanging at his side.
The weapon gleamed beneath torchlight.
Selene remembered that sword well.
Nightfang.
Forged from the bones of ancient alpha wolves.
It was one of the few weapons capable of killing creatures tied to lunar magic.
Which meant Lucien might actually survive what waited below.
If fate remained merciful.
The group descended deeper underground.
Torchlight barely touched the darkness ahead.
Then they found the bodies.
Three royal guards torn apart across the stone corridor.
Blood painted the walls.
One of the younger knights vomited instantly.
Lucien’s expression turned lethal.
“What could do this?”
Selene already knew.
Her stomach twisted.
In her previous life, the creature beneath the palace killed hundreds before finally being sealed again.
And if events continued accelerating—
The future itself might collapse entirely.
A faint sound echoed ahead.
Scraping.
Breathing.
Watching.
The torches flickered violently again.
Then two enormous silver eyes opened inside the darkness.
Several guards stepped backward immediately.
The creature slowly emerged from the shadows.
Massive.
Twisted.
Its body resembled a wolf only in the cruelest sense, stretched unnaturally large with black fur fused against bone-like armor. Ancient silver markings glowed beneath its skin while claws scraped sparks across the stone floor.
But its eyes—
Its eyes looked almost human.
Hungry.
Suffering.
Ancient beyond understanding.
The creature growled softly.
And every wolf in the corridor froze in primal terror.
Every wolf except Selene.
Because the moment she saw it—
The creature bowed its head slightly toward her.
Lucien noticed immediately.
His heart stopped.
And then the monster spoke.
“Moon…daughter…”
The entire corridor fell into horrified silence.
- Writer
