Bloodline Secrets

The morning sun slipped weakly through the shutters. Dust floated in the pale light. The cottage smelled faintly of smoke and pine, but Selene couldn’t breathe it in. Her chest felt tight.

She lay tangled in her blanket, skin hot with sweat, heart racing. The dream still clung to her golden eyes, a whisper in her ear, the heat of a body that had never touched her. She pressed her hand hard against her chest, trying to calm her heartbeat. It didn’t work.

Her skin burned like she had a fever. Every move made her aware of her own body the fast pulse, the restless ache in her stomach, the echo of his voice deep inside her mind. She bit her lip until she tasted blood, but it didn’t help.

“Selene?”

The voice made her jump.

Nyra stood by the door, arms crossed, a worried frown between her brows. Her dark eyes scanned Selene her flushed cheeks, shaking hands, the sweat on her skin.

“You’re burning up,” Nyra said.

Selene pulled the blanket closer and sat up. “It’s nothing. Just a bad dream.”

Nyra stepped nearer. “You’ve been like this since the Ritual. Tossing, gasping in your sleep. Now this.”

“I said it’s nothing,” Selene snapped, but her voice broke.

Nyra sat beside her on the bed, quiet but firm. “You saw him again, didn’t you?”

Selene froze. The memory of those golden eyes burned behind her eyelids. She shook her head quickly. “No.”

Nyra didn’t believe her. The silence stretched heavy between them.

Finally, Nyra spoke softly. “You deserve the truth.”

Selene forced a weak laugh. “Truth about what? That I can’t sleep? That the Ritual”

“No.” Nyra’s tone cut sharp. “About us. About why the wolves look at you like they already know your fate.”

Selene’s heart sank. “Nyra…”

Nyra leaned forward, her eyes tired and shadowed. “The Duskbane women are cursed, Selene. We always have been.”

The words hit hard.

Selene shook her head. “That’s just an old story.”

“I wish it was.” Nyra’s voice trembled. “Every few generations, one of us is marked by an Alpha. Always a woman. Always claimed. And every one of them…” She swallowed. “Every one has died.”

Selene’s body went cold.

“I saw it with my mother,” Nyra said quietly. “He touched her once, and she was never the same. Fever, nightmares, screams. She carried his child and it killed her.”

Selene couldn’t breathe. Her fingers dug into the blanket.

Nyra’s eyes were wet. “That’s what’s happening to you now. I tried to warn you, but after the Ritual… after him”

“Stop,” Selene whispered, her voice shaking.

“You can’t ignore it,” Nyra said. “You’re burning because his mark is already in your blood.”

Selene’s pulse pounded. The words rang in her head marked. Already marked.

“You’re lying,” she said weakly.

Nyra’s voice broke. “Do you think I want this to be true?”

Selene said nothing.

“There was one woman,” Nyra whispered. “Long ago. The only one who lived.”

Selene blinked. “Lived?”

Nyra nodded. “They say she carried the Alpha’s child and survived. They say she walked into the mountains and disappeared. Some believe the goddess took her.”

Selene shook her head. “That’s just a myth.”

“Maybe,” Nyra said. “But the others? They’re graves. Our family records are full of daughters who die before twenty-five. Do you really think that’s chance?”

Selene couldn’t speak.

Nyra took her hand, voice soft. “I don’t want to lose you too, Selene.”

Selene pulled away, trembling. “I won’t die. I’m not cursed. I’m not my mother or yours.”

Nyra’s eyes hardened. “They said that too. They all fought. And they still lost.”

“Then they didn’t fight hard enough!” Selene shouted, tears in her eyes. “I’ll survive. I’ll run if I have to.”

“You can’t run,” Nyra said fiercely. “Once he marks you, it never fades. His scent is already in your blood. That’s why you burn.”

Selene staggered back, chest tight. “No. I won’t let him control me. Not him. Not the goddess. No one.”

Nyra’s voice softened, full of sorrow. “You can deny it all you want. But marks don’t fade. I just don’t want to bury you too.”