Chapter 2

The gates of SilverMist opened to thunder and gold.

 Lanterns flared as the Bloodfang warriors rode in, their black horses tossing sparks against the stone path. At the center of them all was Alpha Lucienne Blackthorn…. tall, composed, the kind of man whose silence commanded more attention than any roar. His guards followed in perfect formation, blades flashing under the red moon.

 Gasps rose among the guests.

 “He’s even more handsome than the rumors,” one of the women whispered.

 “Look at his eyes, they’re like fire,” another breathed.

 Selena stood by the courtyard’s edge, tray in hand, watching from behind a pillar. Her heart thudded hard against her ribs. He looked nothing like she imagined… no arrogance, no cruelty, just calm power. His presence filled the air like thunder about to break.

 Beside him, Darius dismounted with an easy grin, helping one of the younger warriors down. His movements were graceful. But when his gaze found Selena across the courtyard, his smile softened. Just a small, quiet glance. Enough to make her pulse skip.

 “Selena!” her mother’s voice snapped through the air.

 She turned quickly, nearly spilling the tray.

 Luna Alara glided toward her, expression sharp. “You’re not to stand here gawking. Go serve the guests and stay out of the ceremony hall once it begins. I won’t have you embarrassing us tonight.”

 “Yes, Mother,” Selena whispered.

 “Keep your eyes down, and if anyone asks who you are, say you’re one of the helpers from the kitchens.”

 Selena’s throat tightened. “By why mom? I understand”

 “Good. Now move.”

 As Alara swept away to greet the Alphas, Selena adjusted the tray in her shaking hands and forced herself to breathe. She walked through the crowd, offering drinks, smiles, pretending not to hear the whispers that followed her.

 “Isn’t that the cursed one?”

 “The one born under the Blood Moon?”

 “She shouldn’t be here…”

 Each word cut like glass.

 At the head of the courtyard, Lucienne greeted Luna Alara and Seraphine. His voice was deep, steady. “Luna Alara, thank you for your welcome. It’s an honor to join your pack tonight.”

 “The honor is ours, Alpha Lucienne,” Alara said with a smile too bright to be warm. “The Moon Goddess smiles upon this union.”

 Seraphine stepped forward gracefully, bowing her head. “Welcome, Alpha. I’m… truly honored.”

 Lucienne’s eyes studied her, polite but unreadable. “Seraphine SilverMist,” he said, as though tasting the name. “Your reputation precedes you.”

 Darius leaned closer to his brother, murmuring something that made Lucienne’s mouth twitch, not quite a smile, but close.

 Then Lucienne’s gaze shifted… just slightly, past Seraphine, to where Selena stood near the servants. Her head was bowed, but the moonlight hit her hair just right.

 He frowned faintly. “You mentioned just your daughter here, Luna,” he said, voice casual. “But I heard there were twins.”

 The words hung in the air like a spark.

 Seraphine’s smile stiffened. Alara’s hand clenched around her goblet. “You heard wrong, Alpha. There was another child, but she… she doesn’t concern the pack.”

 Lucienne’s gaze didn’t waver. “Still, I find it strange. The Moon’s gifts rarely come in pairs without purpose.”

 “It wasn’t a gift,” Alara said tightly. “It was a curse.”

 Selena froze where she stood, fingers gripping the tray until her knuckles ached.

 Darius spoke then, “Some say curses are just misunderstood blessings, Luna. Don’t you think?”

 Alara’s jaw flexed. “Not in this case.”

 Lucienne looked between them, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “Perhaps I’ll judge that for myself someday.”

 “Perhaps not,” Alara said, her voice final. She turned away quickly. “Seraphine, show our guests to the ceremonial hall.”

 As the group began to move inside, Selena slipped closer to the back, pretending to refill trays. She couldn’t help herself. Her gaze followed Darius,the way he laughed softly at something one of the guards said, the way he caught her eye for just a heartbeat before looking away again.

 The music grew louder. The two packs gathered, Bloodfang and SilverMist, side by side, while the priestess stood at the center, waiting for the Alpha’s mark to choose his mate.

 Selena set down her tray quietly, just outside the archway. She wasn’t supposed to stay, but her feet wouldn’t move.

 From her hiding spot, she could see everything, Seraphine standing tall beside her mother, Lucienne standing opposite, his wolf barely contained beneath his calm expression.

 “Tonight,” the priestess announced, “under the gaze of the Blood Moon, the bond between SilverMist and Bloodfang shall be sealed. The Alpha’s soul will recognize its destined half.”

 A hush fell. Even the air seemed to pause.

 Selena swallowed hard, fingers pressed against the cold stone wall.

 Lucienne stepped forward, extending his hand toward Seraphine. She smiled, radiant and sure. The priestess began to chant, her voice rising in rhythm with the drums.

 And then, the wind shifted.

 A sudden, sharp gust swept through the hall, Lucienne’s head turned slightly. His gaze flicked past Seraphine… and landed on Selena, standing half-hidden in the shadows.

 Their eyes met.

 For a heartbeat, everything stopped. The drums, the chants, even breath itself.

 Selena’s chest tightened. She couldn’t look away.

 Lucienne’s brows drew together, confusion flickering across his face… as if something familiar tugged at him, though he couldn’t name it.

 “Lucienne?” Seraphine’s voice trembled slightly.

 He blinked, turning back, expression quickly composed. “Continue.”

 The priestess hesitated, then resumed.

 Selena exhaled shakily, pressing her back to the wall. Her heart was beating too fast. She needed to leave, she should have listened…

 “Selena!”

 Her mother’s hiss cut through the air like a blade. Everyone turned.

 Selena froze where she stood. The entire hall now stared at her, the cursed twin who shouldn’t have been seen.

 The priestess fell silent. The drums stopped.

 Alara’s face turned crimson with fury. “I told you to stay out of sight!”

 Selena opened her mouth, but no sound came.

 And then…. before she could move, the Blood Moon flared, flooding the hall in red light. Lucienne’s mark, the symbol of his wolf, burned faintly across his wrist, glowing in rhythm with Selena’s heartbeat.

 A murmur rose through the crowd.

 Darius took a small step forward, eyes darting between his brother and Selena.

 Lucienne looked down at his wrist, then up at her again…. shock in his gaze now, sharp and raw.

 Selena’s lips parted, breath catching.

 The priestess whispered, voice trembling, “The Goddess has chosen.”

 Silence.

 Every eye turned toward Selena.

 And Luna Alara’s scream split the hall.