Lucian's Point of View.
I stood outside the Bloodmoon Castle, its towers reaching up to a sky stained crimson and silver. The night hummed with power, thick and electric. Beneath me, wolves bowed in silent rows, their eyes gleaming gold under the moonlight.
I turned around and beside me stood Selene.
A crown rested on her head, silver laced with obsidian, sharp as her voice, regal as the stars. Her black hair flowed down her back like a shadow with purpose. She wasn't smiling, there was something holy in her silence.
She turned her head, those storm-colored eyes locking with mine.
"You're not alone anymore," she whispered, her voice soft but deafening in my ears.
I reached for her fingers trembling, breath caught in my throat and immediately, I woke up like I had been shoved off a cliff.
"No!" I roared.
I shot upright, sweat cooling against my skin, chest heaving like I'd just survived a war.
The room was dim, lit only by the flicker of dying firelight and the orange haze from the balcony's lanterns. The scent of sandalwood lingered in the air, laced with something sweeter and foreign.
I turned to my side as soft sheets shifted behind me.
A woman's voice stirred from the pillows.
"Alpha?" she asked gently, her tone thick with sleep. "Are you alright?"
My teeth clenched.
The blonde I had dragged into my bed earlier sat up, bare, her golden hair falling over one shoulder. Her lips were still pink from my kiss, her neck bruised with the imprint of my hunger, but to my shock, all I saw in my mind was Selene's face in hers.
The dream clung to me like smoke.
"Lucian?" she asked again, concern creeping in. "You were dreaming, was it a nightmare?"
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, not answering. My hands trembled and I balled them into fists.
"I can get you something, tea, or…"
"Get out."
She froze. "What?"
I rose to my full height, slipping on my heavy black robe without looking at her.
"Now!"
She reached toward me. "Wait, did I…"
I turned slowly, and my glare cut through her like a blade.
"Get out now before I rip the rest of your dignity off you!"
She gasped, soft and hurt, but wisely said nothing more. She scrambled to grab her dress and shoes, nearly tripping over herself as she fled the chamber, the door slamming shut behind her with a sharp echo.
I stood still for a moment, staring at the dying embers in the hearth.
My breath still wouldn't slow.
Why did she appear in my dreams?
Selene.
Crowned and staffing next to me.
"This must be a joke!"
"A freaking one!"
Throughout the day, I spent every second denying her, ordering her chained, mocking her title, and yet, the first time I closed my eyes, she slips into my dream.
"Fuck!" I cussed.
I hated her.
Hated the way her voice echoed in my head like prophecy. Hated that my wolf stirred at the mention of her name and that the Moon dared choose a rogue for me.
I hated even more the part of me that wanted to understand why.
With a snarl, I ripped the heavy coat from the chair, threw it over my shoulders, and stormed into the hall. The corridor was dark and long, torches casting long, golden shadows across polished stone. Two guards stood at attention by the eastern wing, their post near Voran's private quarters.
They stiffened at my approach.
"Alpha," one greeted. "Is something…"
"I need to speak with the priest."
"It's late, my Lord, shall I summon him to you in the morning…"
"Did I stutter?"
The guard flinched. "No, Alpha."
He turned and unlocked the door to Voran's quarters.
I expected resistance from him, instead, I found the old man already awake.
He sat by the window, his hands resting over an open book, his face half-shadowed in the candlelight. His violet robe draped around him like ancient silk. The room smelled of ink, incense, and something fainter, moonflowers, perhaps.
His eyes lifted to mine the second I entered.
"I see she's found her way into your dreams."
I froze in the doorway as the chill crept up my spine.
I hadn't said a word.
My mouth tightened. "How the hell do you know that?"
"The Moon doesn't lie," Voran replied, standing slowly, with the grace of someone used to watching centuries pass. "And the bond… the bond is awake even at a distance, it thrums between you and her. You feel it, even right now as I speak."
"I don't feel anything!" I lashed out loud.
"You dreamt of her."
"I dreamt of control slipping through my fingers, that's all."
He stepped forward, eyes sharp. "No, Lucian, you dreamt of truth, and now, the more you resist it, the more your soul will suffer."
My teeth clenched. "You did this."
His brows rose slightly. "Excuse me?"
"You twisted the bond, you are the one who planted it with your black magic. You poisoned my sleep to manipulate me into accepting her."
Voran's face frowned, and the air in the room shifted.
"I warned you once, Lucian," he said, his voice suddenly dangerous. "But if you ever accuse me of defiling the will of the Moon again, I will not be so calm."
It was the first time I'd ever seen fury on Voran's face.
He took another step toward me.
"I have served longer than you've drawn breath. I do not manipulate dreams nor do I whisper lies, and I most certainly do not twist the Moon's will to suit your fears."
I didn't back away, but my fists curled tighter.
His voice lowered.
"Do what you will with your pride, drag it through every hallway of this palace. Chain her again if you must. Hate and deny her but if the bond is not solidified within the next twenty-four hours…"
He moved to the window, staring toward the distant mountains.
"…the dissonance will shatter you. Your control and mind, hers too. This pack, your kingdom will begin to rot from the inside out."
I stood frozen in shock. "Twenty four hours?"
He turned back toward me.
"Refuse her again… and disaster will follow, neither of you will survive."
I didn't respond because there were no words this time.
I turned and stormed out of Voran's quarters, my steps echoing down the corridor like war drums.
For the rest of the night, I didn't sleep and soon morning came.
"Twenty fours hours…" I muttered to myself in disbelief.
I sat by the fire in my chambers as the logs burned to ash, staring into the embers like they owed me answers. The dream of Selene lingered behind my eyes like a stain I couldn't blink away.
Every time I closed them, she was there.
Crowned, calm, and mine.
By the time the first light of dawn breached the horizon, I'd already ordered my servants to keep everyone away. I wasn't in the mood for courtiers or shallow flattery, not after what Voran had said.
I was losing control, and that terrified me more than I'd admit aloud.
A soft knock echoed against the carved ironwood door.
"Enter."
The door opened, and in stepped Cassian, my Beta and cousin. He is my second, my right hand since we were boys. Younger than me by three years, but far more perceptive than most men twice his age. Cassian was sharp-featured, strong, and loyal to a fault.
He bowed low, but not stiffly and never with fear, that was why I trusted him.
"You called, Alpha?"
I gestured to the chair across from mine. "Sit."
He did, without hesitation.
"I need your thoughts," I said, voice low. "On Selene."
His brows lifted slightly. "You want my honest opinion, or the politically correct one?"
"The truth, Cassian."
He exhaled, leaning forward, elbows on his knees. "She's your mate, chosen by the Moon and fighting that bond will destroy you, slowly… but absolutely."
I said nothing but my eyes didn't leave him.
"She humiliated you," he added. "I get that, the whole pack does, but you can either punish her and rot from the inside, or bind her, give the pack what it needs, and move on."
I clenched my jaw.
"Love isn't necessary, Lucian," he continued. "Not for the ceremony or for survival."
His voice softened.
"You can bind her… make the people happy, strengthen the bloodline, and still take a second mate later. One you actually care for, someone you choose."
I looked up sharply.
"A second mate?"
Cassian nodded.
That sounded almost tolerable.
I could honor the bond, fulfill the Moon's will, give the pack its Luna, and still follow my own path.
Still claim someone I wanted.
I stood abruptly, rolling my shoulders back. "That's acceptable."
Cassian rose as well.
"Inform the guards at the dungeon, Selene is to be released immediately."
"Yes, Alpha."
"She's to be thoroughly bathed, her hair redone and she must be dressed properly in something befitting the Luna of this pack. No rags or rogue wear."
"Understood."
"And tonight," I added, voice colder now, "the binding ceremony will be held, every elder, every Alpha, every warrior and noble, we'll show them that prophecy was fulfilled, whether we want it or not."
Cassian nodded once, firmly. "I'll see to it. Shall I make the public announcement?"
"Yes. Let the pack know their Luna will be crowned under the full moon tonight."
He bowed again. "As you command."
Then he turned and walked out, the heavy doors closing quietly behind him.
I stared at the empty chair across from me, heart pounding in a rhythm I didn't like.
Tonight, she would stand beside me, not because I wanted her there, but because I had no choice.
And still… some sick part of me wondered what she would look like in silver.
*
Tonight finally arrived.
The hall had never looked more regal.
Torches lined the stone walls, casting long, dancing shadows that flickered over iron-carved reliefs of former Bloodmoon rulers. Red and gold silk hung from the high, arched ceilings, and polished obsidian glinted beneath the firelight like the floor itself had been forged from night.
The binding circle in the center glowed faintly, sigils drawn in crushed silverleaf, etched into the floor with sacred ash.
Elders whispered behind their hands, their ceremonial robes rustling like dead leaves. Warriors stood still as statues along the outer pillars. The entire hall pulsed with quiet anticipation and pressure.
I stood at the head of the circle, arms at my sides, draped in formal robes the color of stormclouds, stitched in blood-red thread, laced with the Blackthorn crest across the chest. I wore no crown as I wanted no symbolism today.
My face betrayed nothing.
But inside, my wolf stalked restlessly.
"She's coming," it growled.
I know.
Suddenly, the great doors creaked open and the hall fell silent as every head turned towards the entrance.
At once, Selene entered, and the world paused for a moment.
She stood framed in moonlight, her silhouette sharp and stunning. She wore a gown the color of cold starlight, silver with a blue undertone that shimmered like frost over fire. The bodice clung to her frame like water poured over glass, elegant but armored. The skirt flowed behind her in soft ripples, edged in black embroidery shaped like thorns.
But it was her hair that struck me dumb.
Longer than I remembered and I ever imagined.
Dark as ink and impossibly thick, it poured past her waist in a wave of polished silk, braided with thin threads of starlight silver and midnight ribbon. She didn't wear a single jewel, but she didn't need to.
Her beauty was devastating breathtaking and it pissed me off.
My wolf let out a low, primal roar of excitement, clawing beneath my skin like he might burst through my chest.
"She's ours," he growled, voice filled with awe and hunger. "She's finally ours."
She's nothing to us, I snapped.
He didn't listen.
My jaw tightened as I watched her approach, each step unhurried, each breath controlled. Her spine was straight, her eyes forward, she didn't glance at the crowd, not at the nobles who gasped or at the warriors who stared.
She didn't even look at me.
Her gaze slid over me like I was furniture, cold and distant.
That, more than her beauty, made something in me snap.
How dare she show up in my hall, wearing my colors, standing on my ground… and look at me like I was the one who didn't matter.
I hated her stillness.
I hated her indifference and how stunning she looked.
As she stepped into the binding circle beside me, the pressure in the room shifted. The bond surged like a wave between us, hot and searing and unavoidable. I felt it wrap around my chest, tightening with each breath.
And still, she didn't look at me.
Voran began the ancient chant, the words of the Moon's tongue spilling across the hall like silk soaked in fire.
My wolf trembled beneath my skin and the bond grew louder and hungrier.
The circle lit up beneath our feet, the runes glowing white-blue as the ritual reached its peak.
I looked at her, wondering if she was feeling the same way with me.
"Hold each other." Voran let out.
We lifted our hands, and the moment our palms touched, fire licked across my spine.
A rush of heat shot through me like lightning in blood. My breath hitched and I saw her eyes flicked toward me, just once, but there was nothing behind them.
No emotion, or fear, not even anger.
Silence, perfect, polished silence.
It made me want to break something.
I leaned in, so close my breath touched her cheek. I wanted her to feel the truth, every word, like venom.
"You were never my choice," I whispered through clenched teeth. "You are my obligation, and the mate bond means nothing to me."
She didn't blink.
Her expression didn't change, but her mouth curved, just slightly, not a smile but a dismissal.
"I now pronounce you Luna and Alpha, you are now bonded as mates."
The priest spoke the final words and the crowd clapped in praise.
I glanced around and back at her.
The bond locked in place.
The flame between us flared, then died.
It was done.
The room erupted into restrained applause, the elders rising, the council nodding to each other like something holy had just been mended.
They didn't see the war inside me or feel how badly my wolf wanted her.
How badly I wanted to run.
Without waiting for another word, I turned away, everyone's eyes fell on me.
I didn't wait for the veil nor reach for her hand.
I walked down the aisle, leaving her in the circle like an ornament.
When I reached her chamber door, I opened it and walked away but as I vanished down the corridor, my hands still burned where hers had touched them, and I hated how much I wanted to feel it again.
"The deed is done and more is yet to come."