Chapter 1 - Beyond the Forbidden Border

Selene's POV

I shouldn't have been this close to the border.

The Neutral Territory was forbidden for a reason. This was the abandoned land between the Witch Kingdom of Lunaris and the Werewolf Kingdom of Silvermoon. No one came here except those looking for trouble.

But I needed the moonflowers. They only grew here, in the space between our worlds where magic was wild and unpredictable. My healing potion wouldn't work without them.

I kept my eyes on the ground, searching through the dead grass for the silver petals that glowed faintly in the afternoon light. My basket was almost full. Just a few more and I could leave.

A twig snapped behind me.

I froze, my hand moving instinctively to the dagger at my belt. Slowly, I turned around.

Three wolves stood at the edge of the tree line. But these weren't normal wolves. They were massive, easily twice the size of any natural animal. Their eyes glowed red instead of the normal gold. Foam dripped from their mouths.

Rogue wolves. The kind that had lost their minds and their humanity. The kind that killed anything that moved.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I dropped my basket and raised my hands, calling my magic to my fingertips. Purple light crackled around my fingers.

"Stay back," I warned, my voice steadier than I felt.

The wolves didn't listen. They spread out, circling me slowly. Hunting. I was prey to them. Nothing more.

The biggest one lunged first.

I threw a blast of magic at it. The purple light hit the wolf's chest and sent it flying backward into a tree. But the other two kept coming. One from the left, one from the right.

I spun and threw more magic. I hit one but missed the other. The wolf's claws caught my arm, tearing through my sleeve. I screamed as pain shot through me. Blood soaked into my dress.

The first wolf was already getting back up. All three of them were circling again, tighter this time. My magic was strong but I couldn't fight three rogue wolves alone.

I was going to die here.

The biggest wolf charged again. I threw everything I had at it but I knew it wouldn't be enough. The wolf's jaws opened wide, going straight for my throat.

Then something black and massive slammed into it from the side.

Another wolf. Even bigger than the rogues. Its fur was pure black and its eyes glowed silver in the dim light.

The black wolf tore into the rogue with vicious efficiency. The rogue didn't stand a chance. Within seconds, it lay dead on the ground.

The other two rogues turned on the black wolf. They attacked together, trying to overpower it with numbers.

But the black wolf moved like nothing I'd ever seen. Fast. Deadly. Beautiful in a terrible way. It dodged their attacks and struck back with precision. One rogue went down with its throat torn out. The last one tried to run but the black wolf caught it before it could escape.

Silence fell over the clearing. Three dead rogues lay on the ground. And standing in the middle of them was the black wolf, breathing heavily, blood staining its dark fur.

I should have run. Should have used the distraction to escape back to witch territory. But I couldn't move. Couldn't look away.

The black wolf turned to face me.

Our eyes met.

Silver eyes stared into mine. Not the mindless red of the rogues. These eyes were intelligent. Aware. And they looked at me with something that made my breath catch.

I felt it then. A pull. Like invisible strings connecting my heart to this creature. Recognition of something I didn't understand. A feeling that made no sense.

Fear mixed with something else. Something I couldn't name.

"Thank you," I whispered. The words came out before I could stop them.

The wolf tilted its head slightly, as if surprised I'd spoken to it. It took a step toward me.

I took a step back, raising my hands again.

"Don't come any closer."

The wolf stopped. We stared at each other. My heart pounded but not entirely from fear anymore.

Then I heard shouting. Voices calling my name. The border guards must have heard the fighting.

The black wolf's ears flicked toward the sound. It looked at me one more time, its silver eyes staring into mine for a long moment.

Then it turned and ran back into werewolf territory, disappearing into the trees.

"Selene!" Guards burst into the clearing, weapons drawn. They saw the dead rogues and their faces went pale.

"What happened? Are you hurt?"

I looked down at my bleeding arm.

"Rogues attacked me."

"How did you survive?" One guard examined the bodies.

"These are vicious kills. What did this?"

I opened my mouth. Closed it. I should tell them about the black wolf. Should report that a werewolf had crossed into the Neutral Territory.

But something stopped me.

"My magic," I lied.

"I managed to fight them off."

The guards looked skeptical but didn't argue. They escorted me back to the witch kingdom, lecturing me the entire way about the dangers of going near the border. I barely heard them.

All I could think about were those silver eyes. The way they'd looked at me. The strange pull I'd felt.

It didn't make sense. Werewolves were dangerous. Everyone knew that. They were violent creatures who couldn't control their nature. We'd been enemies for three hundred years.

But that wolf had saved me. Had protected me instead of killing me when it had the chance.

Why?

Back in my chambers, I cleaned the wound on my arm and wrapped it with bandages. The cuts weren't deep. They'd heal quickly.

But I couldn't stop thinking about what happened.

I walked to my window and looked out toward the forest. Somewhere beyond those trees was the werewolf kingdom. Somewhere out there was the black wolf with silver eyes.

I told myself I'd never see it again. That I should forget the entire incident.

But that night, I dreamed of silver eyes watching me from the darkness. And when I woke, my heart was racing like I'd been running.

Three weeks passed.

I tried to focus on my duties. I studied magic. I helped in the healing ward. I did everything I could to push the memory of the border incident from my mind.

Then one morning, a scroll arrived at my door.

I opened it with shaking hands, already knowing what it would say.

The official summons for the Mating Ceremony.

Every witch maiden had to choose a mate when she turned twenty-one. It was tradition. Law. I'd known it was coming but seeing it in writing made it real.

I had one month to choose a husband from the approved suitors. The scroll listed all the rules. Representatives from neighboring magical kingdoms would come. There would be trials and courtship rituals. At the end, I would make my choice.

One rule was written in bold, underlined twice: No werewolves permitted. Any werewolf who enters Lunaris during the ceremony will be executed immediately.

I stared at that line for a long moment. Why did reading it make my chest feel tight?

A knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Come in," I called.

A servant entered carrying a wooden box.

"This was left at the gate for you, my lady. No name. No message."

She placed the box on my table and left.

I approached it slowly, my curiosity getting the best of me. I lifted the lid.

Moonflowers. At least two dozen of them. The rare silver ones I'd been collecting at the border. Fresh and perfect, their petals glowing softly with magic.

My breath caught.

There was no note. No explanation. But somehow, impossibly, I knew.

They were from the wolf. The black wolf with silver eyes.

But how? Why would a werewolf send me flowers? How did it even know where I lived or who I was?

I picked up one of the moonflowers, turning it over in my hands. My heart raced. Part of me was scared. But another part, a part I didn't want to acknowledge, felt something else entirely.

I looked back at the scroll on my desk. At the rule about werewolves. At the ceremony that would seal my fate in just one month.

And I couldn't shake the feeling that everything was about to change.

And the terrifying part was that I didn't know if I wanted it to be.