The Maid Beneath the Moonlight

The Silverfang Kingdom had only two kinds of people.

Those born to rule.

And those born to kneel.

At the very center of the kingdom stood Blackthorn Palace, a towering fortress carved from black stone and surrounded by silver forests that glowed beneath the moonlight. The palace was home to the most feared bloodline in the werewolf realm—the royal Alpha family.

Every servant trembled at the mere mention of them.

Especially the king.

Alpha King Kael Draven.

Cold. Ruthless. Untouchable.

A monster wrapped in beauty.

The palace buzzed with excitement tonight as nobles from different packs flooded the grand ballroom for the annual Moonlight Selection Banquet, an event where noble daughters competed for a chance to become the future Luna Queen. Crystal chandeliers glittered overhead while violinists played soft melodies that echoed across the marble hall.

The air smelled of expensive perfume, wine, and greed.

Young women dressed in shimmering gowns laughed delicately behind jeweled fans, each secretly hoping the Alpha King would choose her. Their mothers whispered ambitious prayers while powerful Alphas discussed alliances and territories over glasses of blood-red wine.

Everyone came tonight for one reason.

To catch the attention of Alpha King Kael.

But hidden beneath the beauty of the celebration was fear.

Because Kael Draven had rejected every woman brought before him for the past five years.

Some said he was cursed.

Others believed his heart died with his former mate.

And some whispered darker things…

That the king was slowly losing control of the beast inside him.

Near the far end of the ballroom, moving silently between tables, was a girl no one noticed.

Or rather—no one cared to notice.

Selene Vale balanced a silver tray carefully in her hands while weaving through the sea of nobles. Her plain black maid uniform contrasted sharply against the glittering gowns surrounding her. A thin white apron hugged her waist, and her dark curls were tied neatly behind her head.

She kept her eyes lowered.

Servants who made eye contact with nobles often paid for it later.

“Move faster, useless girl,” one of the older maids hissed as she brushed past her. “The guests are waiting.”

Selene nodded quietly.

“Yes, Madam.”

Her voice was soft, almost fragile.

Years of cruelty had taught her how to make herself small.

No one here knew she was once Lady Selene Vale, daughter of one of the kingdom’s oldest noble families. No one would believe it anyway.

Not after what happened.

Not after the prophecy.

“The cursed child shall bring death beneath the red moon.”

Those words destroyed her life before she even understood them.

Her family abandoned her.

Her pack rejected her.

And at sixteen, she was sold to Blackthorn Palace as a servant to erase the shame of her existence.

For two years, Selene survived quietly within these walls.

Invisible.

Forgotten.

Safe.

At least… until tonight.

“Careful!”

A noblewoman suddenly shoved her shoulder.

The tray tilted violently.

Selene gasped, barely catching the glasses before they shattered. A few drops of wine splashed onto the noblewoman’s silver gown.

The woman’s expression darkened instantly.

“You filthy servant!”

The music around them softened as nearby guests turned to watch.

Selene immediately lowered her head.

“I’m sorry, my lady. I—”

A hard slap cut her words short.

The force sent her stumbling backward. Gasps spread through the crowd, though no one stepped forward to help her.

Her cheek burned painfully.

“You should be grateful servants are even allowed inside this palace,” the woman snapped. “Girls like you belong in the gutters.”

Selene swallowed the humiliation quietly.

“I apologize.”

The noblewoman scoffed. “Pathetic.”

Laughter rippled through the nearby guests before they quickly returned to their conversations as though nothing happened.

To them, servants were less than wolves.

Selene bent down to clean the spilled wine with trembling hands, ignoring the sting in her eyes. She refused to cry. Crying only made people crueler.

But suddenly…

The entire ballroom fell silent.

An overwhelming pressure swept through the hall like a violent storm.

Every wolf instinctively lowered their heads.

Even the air itself seemed to freeze.

Selene’s breath caught.

She knew that aura.

Alpha King Kael had arrived.

Heavy footsteps echoed against the marble floors.

Slow.

Powerful.

Deadly.

Selene kept her gaze lowered, but she could still see the polished black boots stopping directly in front of her.

The silence became suffocating.

Then came his voice.

Deep. Cold. Dangerous.

“Who touched her?”

A chill raced through the ballroom.

The noblewoman who had slapped Selene suddenly paled.

“Y-Your Majesty… I…”

Kael said nothing.

Selene slowly lifted her eyes for the first time.

And her heart stopped.

The Alpha King stood before her like something carved from darkness itself. Tall and broad-shouldered, dressed entirely in black royal robes embroidered with silver thread. His sharp jaw, pale skin, and piercing gray eyes made him terrifyingly beautiful.

But it was his eyes that frightened her most.

Predatory.

Wild.

Like a wolf barely chained.

He stared at her intensely.

Not the spilled wine.

Not the trembling tray in her hands.

Her.

Selene’s pulse quickened nervously.

Why was he looking at her like that?

The entire room held its breath as Kael stepped closer.

Closer.

Closer.

Until only inches separated them.

Then suddenly—

His eyes flashed bright silver.

The Alpha King inhaled sharply.

And for the first time in years…

His wolf awakened.

“Mate.”

The word left his lips like a growl.

The ballroom erupted into horrified whispers.

Selene froze completely.

No.

No, that was impossible.

An Alpha King could not possibly be mated to a servant.

Especially not her.

Kael’s gaze darkened possessively as he stared down at the terrified girl before him.

And somewhere deep inside the palace walls…

The moon howled.

“Mate.”

The word echoed through the grand ballroom like thunder striking the earth.

For a moment, no one moved.

No one breathed.

The orchestra had stopped completely, leaving only the sharp sound of Selene’s trembling breaths filling the suffocating silence.

The noblewomen standing nearby stared at her as though she had suddenly transformed into a monster before their eyes.

Impossible.

The Alpha King’s mate could not be a servant.

Not her.

Not the cursed girl.

Selene’s fingers tightened painfully around the tray she still held. Her entire body had gone cold. She could feel hundreds of eyes burning into her skin, filled with shock, disgust, and jealousy.

Then suddenly—

Crash!

The silver tray slipped from her shaking hands and shattered against the marble floor.

The sound snapped the ballroom back to life.

“What did His Majesty just say?”

“A maid?”

“That filthy servant is his mate?!”

“The Moon Goddess must be mistaken!”

Whispers exploded across the hall like wildfire.

Several noblewomen looked seconds away from fainting while others glared openly at Selene with venom in their eyes.

The woman who had slapped her earlier stumbled backward in horror.

“I—I didn’t know…”

Her face drained of color as she realized she had struck the king’s mate.

Kael Draven did not look at anyone else.

His cold silver eyes remained fixed entirely on Selene.

The beast inside him was restless.

Hungry.

Possessive.

He could hear her heartbeat clearly despite the chaos around them. Fast. Uneven. Terrified.

Fear.

She was afraid of him.

Something dark twisted painfully inside his chest at the realization.

Kael slowly crouched before her, his black royal cloak spreading across the marble floor like living darkness.

Gasps erupted across the ballroom.

The king had never bowed for anyone.

Yet here he was, lowering himself before a servant.

Selene’s breath caught as his hand reached toward her face.

Instinctively, she flinched.

The movement was small.

Barely noticeable.

But Kael saw it.

His jaw tightened immediately.

Someone had hurt her.

His wolf snarled violently beneath his skin.

“Who touched you?” he asked quietly.

The softness in his voice terrified the room more than shouting would have.

Selene lowered her eyes quickly.

“N-No one, Your Majesty.”

Kael’s expression darkened.

“Look at me.”

The command carried unmistakable Alpha authority.

Selene obeyed before she could stop herself.

The moment their eyes met again, something invisible seemed to snap between them.

The mate bond.