Romances de Eno Akpan

CHAPTER 5: The Stranger in the Mirror Selene( pov)The room was quiet when I awoke again. I briefly believed I was still in the dream, stuck in that never-ending pit of screaming and flames. My skin pricked as if ash still adhered to me, and my lungs hurt as if they had been filled with smoke. But as soon as I sat up, the reality of my situation enveloped me like a strange mask.The rustic cabin was small, with walls composed of uneven logs that appeared to be about to collapse. In stark contrast to my memories of blood and smoke, the air smelled of sage and dried herbs. The sound of rustling leaves was carried by a slight breeze that slipped through a broken window.The thing on the far wall caught my attention almost instantly. Above a wooden table, a mirror leaned crookedly, its surface cracked diagonally. It was the only item that didn't belong in the room. The silver had long tarnished, but the frame was elaborate, carved with moons and spirals.I knew deep down that I needed t

THE CURSED REBIRTH (Chapter 4)(Point of View: The Luna)My initial reaction was one of coldness.The kind of cold that seeps into bone, cruel as treachery and sharp as glass, rather than the soft coolness of dawn air caressing bare skin. I could have sworn—no, I was positive—that I had taken my last breath, but my chest rose in a startled gasp.I recall the burn of the poison and how my vision became blurry as the moonlight above me broke into shards. I recall Lyra's sly smile and her hushed victory. I recall my friend Kael's eyes widening in shock, but it was too late to save me.I was dead.But here I was.I opened my eyes slowly, fearing that the darkness would greet me, but instead I was looking up at a sky that didn't seem to belong in the world I was familiar with. With its silvery glow tinted red like a bleeding wound, the moon loomed large and bruised. The old trees that surrounded me had roots that curled like claws across moss-covered ground and trunks that were twisted as

Chapter Three: Broken Moonlight(From Selene's perspective)As the poisoned wine burned down my throat, the entire world swung sideways. The sharp, cruel, and bitter taste of metal stuck to my tongue, but the pain that followed was even worse. As though claws of ice and flame were tearing me apart from the inside out, it began in my chest and spread like fire through my veins. The weight of my wedding crown slipped off my knees, causing them to buckle and fall to the ground.The last thing I saw before the blur engulfed me was my mate, my Alpha, getting up from his seat with his hand outstretched too late, his eyes wide."Selene!" His voice cut through the din of the feasting hall, through the clinking of silver goblets, the music, and the laughter. I briefly believed he was going to catch me. The darkness, however, came more quickly.The cold marble floor gave me a nasty thud as I fell to the ground. The shallow, ragged breath caught in my throat. Once glowing in the candlelight, my

Chapter 2: Poisoned Vow(Selene’s POV)The warmth of Kael’s hand around mine should have been enough to calm me, but my heart still raced. The air in the hall was heavy, too heavy, like it had been laced with smoke I could not see. Guests were still laughing, cups clinking, wolves shifting uneasily in their seats as though instinct whispered danger.I had always trusted my instincts—yet tonight they were smothered under the crushing weight of duty, under the brilliant glow of the crown still warm upon my head.“Drink, Selene,” Kael urged, lifting his goblet toward mine with a tender smile. His eyes—those storm-gray eyes that always reminded me of fierce skies before thunder—held me captive. How could I doubt when he looked at me that way?Still, my hand trembled. My goblet tilted, the crimson liquid sloshing inside. I swear I smelled something foul beneath the sweet tang of wine—something earthy, bitter, wrong.A soft laugh touched my ear. “Are you nervous, dear sister?”Lyra’s voice.

CHAPTER 1: THE CORONATION OF LUNA(Selene's pov)As though the sun itself wanted to prepare me for my wedding, the morning light poured like molten gold across my chamber, sweeping over gilded mirrors and silk curtains. My heart pounded in my chest too rapidly and agitatedly, as though it was afraid of something I couldn't yet identify.I barely recognized the girl staring back at me as I sat in front of the shiny bronze mirror. Moonflowers, which glowed dimly in the sunlight, were intertwined with silver hair that coiled into elaborate braids. A smile that would not stay on my lips trembled. The day I would stand next to Alpha Kael as his Luna, mate, and queen was the day every girl had dreamed of.The servants moved like shadows around me, tying pearl clasps, adjusting my gown, and muttering blessings. Every time they met my eyes, they bowed their heads, and I could sense their pride and admiration. But beneath it all was a glimmer of anxiety. It was the same as mine."Do I appear t