The Darkness Within

Darkness.

Complete darkness swallowed the grand ballroom.

Panic erupted instantly.

Women screamed.

Tables overturned.

Glasses shattered against the marble floor.

The once elegant Moonlight Selection Banquet had descended into chaos within seconds.

"Protect the nobles!"

"Guards!"

"Light the torches!"

Fear echoed from every corner of the hall.

But Kael heard none of it.

His attention was entirely fixed on the trembling girl in his arms.

Selene's body burned with unnatural heat.

Tiny beads of sweat covered her forehead.

Her breathing came in short, painful gasps.

And worst of all—

The scent of her blood had changed.

Kael's wolf instantly became restless.

Danger.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

"Selene."

His voice carried a rare note of concern.

Her eyes fluttered weakly.

Pain twisted her beautiful features.

"It hurts..." she whispered.

Kael's heart clenched unexpectedly.

The sensation irritated him.

The Alpha King did not worry.

He did not panic.

Yet seeing her suffer made something savage awaken inside him.

Suddenly—

Boom!

A violent wave of energy exploded from Selene's body.

The nearest chandeliers shattered instantly.

Crystal rained from the ceiling.

Guests screamed and scattered.

Kael immediately shielded Selene with his body as fragments crashed around them.

The darkness inside the ballroom deepened.

Strange shadows began crawling across the walls.

Moving.

Breathing.

Watching.

The sight made even veteran warriors step backward uneasily.

"What is that?"

"Moon Goddess protect us..."

"The prophecy..."

Fear spread like wildfire.

Kael's eyes narrowed dangerously.

The prophecy.

Again.

Everything somehow led back to that cursed prophecy.

For years the kingdom had feared Selene because of words spoken by a dying seer.

A prophecy nobody fully understood.

A prophecy powerful enough to destroy a child's life.

The cursed child shall awaken beneath the red moon.

She shall carry darkness in her blood.

And kingdoms shall fall at her feet.

The words echoed through Kael's memory.

Most believed the prophecy meant destruction.

Death.

War.

But Kael had never trusted prophecies.

He trusted instincts.

And every instinct inside him screamed one thing.

Protect her.

Suddenly Selene cried out.

A sharp, agonizing scream tore from her throat.

The sound froze everyone.

Kael looked down immediately.

Silver light was beginning to spread beneath her skin.

Veins of glowing moonlight traced along her arms like liquid stars.

The shadows around the ballroom instantly recoiled.

As if afraid.

As if something stronger had appeared.

"What in the Goddess's name..." one noble whispered.

The room fell silent.

Everyone stared.

Because what they were witnessing should have been impossible.

Werewolves possessed wolf spirits.

Some carried elemental gifts.

Others inherited enhanced strength or speed.

But no one had ever displayed power like this.

No one.

Selene gasped as another wave of pain ripped through her body.

She felt like she was being torn apart from the inside.

For years something had slept quietly within her.

Hidden.

Waiting.

Now it was awakening.

And she had no idea how to stop it.

"Make it stop..." she whispered weakly.

Kael tightened his hold around her.

"You are safe."

The words left his mouth before he realized it.

Safe.

An unfamiliar promise.

One he had never offered anyone before.

Selene's frightened eyes lifted to his.

For a brief moment, the pain faded.

Just enough for her to see him clearly.

The king.

The most feared Alpha in existence.

Holding her like she mattered.

Protecting her.

Looking genuinely worried.

The sight made her chest ache.

Nobody had ever looked at her that way.

Not once.

A loud crash suddenly echoed from above.

Kael's instincts exploded.

"Duck!"

A massive crystal chandelier broke free from the ceiling.

Hundreds of pounds of crystal and metal came crashing downward directly toward them.

Guests screamed.

There was no time.

No room to move.

Then something unbelievable happened.

The falling chandelier froze in midair.

Completely still.

The entire ballroom stared in shock.

The chandelier hung suspended above them as though held by invisible hands.

Silence followed.

Absolute silence.

Selene's glowing eyes widened.

The chandelier slowly drifted aside before crashing harmlessly against an empty section of the floor.

Boom!

The impact shook the room.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

Because they all knew what they had just witnessed.

Selene had stopped it.

Without touching it.

Without even understanding how.

Fear immediately returned to the faces of the nobles.

But this time it was different.

Before, they had feared a prophecy.

Now they feared proof.

Vanessa Laurent stared at Selene with growing horror.

No.

This couldn't be happening.

That servant was supposed to be insignificant.

Weak.

Disposable.

Yet tonight she had become the center of the kingdom's attention.

The king claimed her.

The prophecy surrounded her.

And now...

She possessed power nobody could explain.

Jealousy burned through Vanessa's chest like poison.

If Selene remained alive, everything Vanessa had worked for would disappear.

Her dream of becoming Luna.

Her influence.

Her future.

Everything.

A dangerous thought entered her mind.

Then slowly took root.

Meanwhile, Kael had already reached a decision.

"We're leaving."

His voice carried absolute authority.

No one dared argue.

The royal guards immediately formed a protective circle around their king.

The palace physician hurried forward.

"Your Majesty, the girl needs treatment immediately."

Kael nodded once.

Without another word, he carried Selene from the ballroom.

The massive doors closed behind them.

Leaving hundreds of terrified nobles staring after their retreating figures.

And a kingdom filled with new questions.

Questions nobody could answer.

---

The corridors of Blackthorn Palace were unusually quiet.

Moonlight poured through tall stained-glass windows as Kael moved swiftly through the royal wing.

His expression remained calm.

But inside, his thoughts were far from calm.

What happened tonight should not have happened.

Not after all these years.

Not after the measures taken to suppress it.

His jaw tightened.

Someone had lied.

Someone had hidden the truth.

And he intended to find out who.

The palace physician struggled to keep up.

"Your Majesty, we should take her to the infirmary."

"No."

The answer came immediately.

The old physician blinked.

"Then... where?"

Kael continued walking.

"To my chambers."

The physician nearly stumbled.

The king's chambers?

The private royal chambers?

Nobody entered those rooms.

Nobody.

Not servants.

Not ministers.

Not even nobles.

Yet the king sounded completely serious.

The physician wisely kept his mouth shut.

Several minutes later, enormous black doors swung open.

Kael entered his chambers.

The room was magnificent.

A massive fireplace glowed warmly against polished stone walls.

Ancient books lined towering shelves.

Silver moon symbols decorated the ceiling.

And beyond a set of glass doors, the kingdom stretched beneath the night sky.

Yet despite its beauty, the room felt lonely.

Empty.

Like a place occupied by someone who merely existed instead of lived.

Kael gently placed Selene upon his bed.

The softness surprised her.

For a moment, she forgot the pain.

Forgot the fear.

Forgot everything.

Then another wave of burning heat surged through her body.

She cried out.

The physician immediately began examining her.

Minutes passed.

Then more.

Finally, the old man stepped back.

Confused.

Concerned.

And frightened.

Kael noticed immediately.

"What is it?"

The physician hesitated.

His hands shook slightly.

"I don't understand."

Kael's eyes narrowed.

"Explain."

The physician swallowed hard.

"Your Majesty..."

He looked toward Selene.

Then back toward the king.

"The power inside her..."

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"...isn't wolf magic."

The room fell silent.

Kael's gaze darkened instantly.

The physician continued reluctantly.

"I've studied supernatural bloodlines for over fifty years."

Fear appeared in the old man's eyes.

"And whatever is awakening inside Lady Selene..."

He took a slow breath.

"...hasn't existed for hundreds of years."

Outside the palace windows, thunder suddenly rolled across the distant sky.

As though the heavens themselves had heard his words.

And somewhere far beyond the borders of the kingdom—

Something ancient opened its eyes.