The Truth Hidden in Her Blood

The storm refused to end.

Rain battered the towering windows of Blackthorn Palace as if the heavens themselves were warning of something yet to come.

Inside the royal chambers, silence lingered after the physician's shocking revelation.

"The power inside her hasn't existed for hundreds of years."

The words refused to leave Kael's mind.

He stood near the fireplace, staring into the flames while Selene sat quietly on the edge of the bed.

Neither spoke.

Yet countless thoughts passed between them.

Selene felt it.

The change.

The physician's fear.

The king's concern.

The strange way everyone looked at her now.

Not as a servant.

Not even as a cursed girl.

But as something unknown.

Something dangerous.

And somehow...

That frightened her more than hatred ever had.

At least she understood hatred.

She had lived with it her entire life.

But this?

This uncertainty?

This feeling that something was changing inside her?

She didn't know how to fight it.

Her fingers tightened around the blanket.

"What if they're right?"

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

The question immediately drew Kael's attention.

"What do you mean?"

Selene lowered her eyes.

"What if the prophecy is true?"

The room fell silent.

A deep ache settled inside her chest.

For years she had tried to ignore the prophecy.

Pretend it didn't exist.

Pretend it wasn't the reason her mother never hugged her.

Pretend it wasn't the reason children avoided her.

Pretend it wasn't the reason she spent birthdays alone.

But tonight...

The impossible had happened.

Power had awakened inside her.

Power she couldn't explain.

Power that frightened everyone.

Maybe they had been right all along.

Maybe she truly was a curse.

A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it.

"I don't want to hurt anyone."

Kael's chest tightened.

The vulnerability in her voice struck something deep inside him.

Not because she was afraid for herself.

But because she was afraid of hurting others.

Even after everything she had suffered.

Even after years of cruelty.

Her first concern was still everyone else.

It made something painful settle inside his heart.

A feeling he wasn't accustomed to.

Guilt.

Because he knew more than he had told her.

Not everything.

But enough.

Enough to realize she had been carrying a burden she never deserved.

Kael slowly approached.

The firelight danced across his sharp features.

For a moment, he looked less like a king and more like a man carrying his own invisible scars.

"You are not a curse."

Selene looked up.

Their eyes met.

"You don't know that."

"I do."

His answer came instantly.

Without hesitation.

Without doubt.

Selene's throat tightened.

Nobody had ever defended her so confidently before.

Nobody.

Not once.

And somehow...

That hurt.

Because she wanted to believe him.

Desperately.

Yet years of rejection had taught her something cruel.

Hope was dangerous.

Hope always led to disappointment.

Before she could respond, another knock echoed through the chamber.

Three quick knocks.

Urgent.

Kael's expression darkened immediately.

"Enter."

The doors opened.

Commander Rowan stepped inside.

But something was wrong.

Very wrong.

His normally calm face was tense.

Pale.

Concerned.

The moment Kael saw him, his instincts sharpened.

"What happened?"

Rowan shut the doors behind him.

Then glanced briefly toward Selene.

His hesitation said everything.

Whatever news he carried wasn't good.

"Tell me."

Kael's voice hardened.

Rowan exhaled heavily.

"The archives were broken into."

The room instantly froze.

Kael's silver eyes narrowed.

"The royal archives?"

Rowan nodded.

"Someone entered the restricted wing less than an hour ago."

The king's expression became unreadable.

The royal archives contained centuries of secrets.

Ancient records.

Bloodline histories.

Forbidden prophecies.

Information capable of destroying kingdoms.

Very few people had access.

Even fewer knew how to enter unnoticed.

"Was anything taken?"

Rowan's jaw tightened.

"Yes."

A dangerous silence followed.

Kael already knew the answer before Rowan spoke again.

"The records concerning House Vale."

Selene's heart skipped.

Her family?

Why?

The room suddenly felt colder.

Much colder.

Kael's wolf stirred beneath his skin.

Not fear.

Instinct.

Predatory instinct.

Someone was hunting answers.

The same answers he had been seeking.

And they had moved first.

"What else?"

Rowan hesitated.

That alone was enough to raise alarms.

"What else?" Kael repeated.

The commander swallowed.

"The records concerning the Moonborn."

The word hit the room like thunder.

Selene frowned.

Moonborn?

She had never heard the name before.

But something about it made her pulse quicken.

As if some forgotten part of her recognized it.

Kael's face darkened immediately.

Rowan continued.

"The guards found one of the archivists unconscious."

"What did he say?"

"He claims the intruder wore a black cloak."

Kael's expression remained cold.

"That's not useful."

Rowan nodded.

"I know."

Then he paused.

And everything changed.

Because his next words carried something neither of them expected.

Fear.

"Goddess help us, Kael."

For the first time, Rowan didn't address him as king.

He addressed him as a friend.

A man.

Not a ruler.

The distinction was important.

Because Rowan only did that when things were truly serious.

"What is it?"

The commander looked directly at Selene.

Then at Kael.

"The archivist said the intruder wasn't alone."

Silence.

"He saw someone standing beside them."

Kael waited.

Rowan's voice dropped lower.

Almost a whisper.

"The second figure looked exactly like Selene."

The world stopped.

Selene stared.

Confused.

Frozen.

"What?"

Rowan looked uncomfortable.

"He swears it was her."

"That's impossible."

Selene's voice shook.

"I've been here all night."

"I know."

"But that's what he said."

The room fell silent again.

Heavy.

Oppressive.

A strange feeling crawled down Selene's spine.

Something wasn't right.

The storm outside intensified.

Lightning illuminated the room.

For a brief second, the shadows seemed to stretch unnaturally along the walls.

Watching.

Listening.

Waiting.

Then—

A memory surfaced.

Sudden.

Violent.

Unwanted.

Selene gasped.

Her hand flew to her head.

Pain exploded behind her eyes.

Images flashed before her.

A woman.

Beautiful.

Silver-haired.

Crying.

Blood.

Moonlight.

A voice whispering desperately.

"Hide her."

Another image.

A symbol.

A crescent moon surrounded by stars.

Then darkness.

Endless darkness.

Selene cried out.

The room spun violently.

Kael reached her instantly.

"Selene!"

Her breathing became erratic.

The images wouldn't stop.

More memories.

More voices.

More pieces.

Like fragments of a shattered mirror.

And then—

She saw a face.

A man's face.

Cold.

Ancient.

Terrifying.

Golden eyes.

Eyes that seemed capable of swallowing entire worlds.

The stranger smiled.

And whispered directly to her.

"I finally found you."

Selene screamed.

The windows shattered.

Glass exploded across the room.

The fireplace erupted.

Moonlight flooded the chamber.

And for one horrifying second—

A second only Kael witnessed—

Ancient silver markings appeared across Selene's skin.

Glowing.

Beautiful.

Terrifying.

Then they vanished.

Just as quickly as they had appeared.

Silence followed.

Heavy silence.

Selene collapsed unconscious into Kael's arms.

The king stared at her.

His heart pounding.

His wolf restless.

His mind racing.

Because the markings he had just seen...

Should not exist.

Not anymore.

Not after they had all died.

Not after history erased them.

Not after the last Moonborn disappeared five hundred years ago.

Outside, hidden somewhere beyond the palace walls, a cloaked figure stood beneath the storm.

Watching Blackthorn Palace from afar.

Watching Selene.

A slow smile spread across his face.

At last.

After centuries of waiting.

After centuries of searching.

The heir had awakened.

And the game could finally begin.