Wanted by the World

Elena

***** Unknown Forest Territory — Five Months After Birth*****

The wind had been howling since dawn, shaking the leaves and rattling the wooden walls of the small cabin Lucian built for us. It felt like the world itself was warning me.

And somehow… I could feel it too.

Something was coming.

Something dangerous.

I held Fia closer to my chest and gently rocked her while Finn slept in his little basket beside the bed. They were still so tiny, barely five months old yet they carried an aura that made the air hum every time they cried.

Lucian said it was their blood reacting to the world.

I didn’t fully understand what that meant… but I knew it wasn’t good.

The cabin door creaked, and Lucian stepped in, his dark cloak dusted with snow, eyes sharp like he’d just walked out of a battle.

I frowned at him immediately.

“What happened?” I asked.

He didn’t answer at first.

Instead, he lowered his hood, walked slowly toward me, and placed a hand over Finn’s basket. A faint glow flickered from his palm, a protective spell he always renewed when he returned.

“Lucian,” I pressed, voice tightening, “you’re scaring me.”

He finally met my eyes.

“Elena… the prophecy has spread.”

My heart dropped.

No… no, not now. Not like this.

“Who knows?” I whispered.

His jaw clenched. “Everyone.”

I swallowed hard. “What do you mean, everyone?”

He stepped closer, lowering his voice so it wouldn’t wake the babies.

“Three packs announced bounties for ‘the moon-touched infants.’ Witches in the Northern Coven are performing tracking rituals. Even the Draconian Clan sent scouts into the human realm. Every kingdom is searching for two children who were never supposed to exist.”

My shoulders tightened until they hurt.

“How?” I whispered. “Seraphina made sure the world believed I died. How could anyone know?”

Lucian exhaled slowly. “Because prophecies don’t need truth to spread. They only need fear.”

He moved to the fireplace, tossing in a few logs. Flames burst upward instantly, too fast to be natural.

He was anxious.

Lucian was never anxious.

“Tell me the whole prophecy,” I said. “Not the small piece you shared before. All of it.”

He hesitated.

Then finally spoke.

“A twin born under the moon’s broken shadow will rise to rule the kingdoms…

And the other will turn them into dust.”

My blood ran cold.

“Which one?” I whispered.

Lucian shook his head. “No seer, no witch, no Alpha can tell them apart. They only know you… the mother… carries royal blood strong enough to shape the future.”

I sank onto the wooden seat, clutching Fia tighter.

Royal blood.

Prophecy.

Kingdoms hunting my children.

My voice trembled. “Lucian… what do they want with them?”

His answer came instantly.

“To control them.”

He paused.

“Or kill them before someone else does.”

I felt the air leave my lungs.

“But they’re just infants,” I whispered shakily. “They can barely hold their own heads up. They aren’t dangerous.”

Lucian walked toward me, his expression softer now.

“Elena… power doesn’t care about age. Prophecies don’t wait for children to grow.”

A sudden cry pierced the room, Finn waking up.

Lucian immediately kneeled beside the basket, lifting him gently into his arms. Finn’s small body glowed faintly against Lucian’s chest, like their blood recognized each other.

I’d seen it many times.

And yet, it still made my heart ache.

“Does this glow happen because of the ritual?” I asked.

Lucian nodded. “My blood protects them. But it also reveals what they are. Anyone with power can sense it if they get close enough.”

“So we’re not safe here,” I whispered.

“We were never safe here,” he replied quietly. “I just hoped we had more time.”

I stared into the fire, my mind racing.

Hunters. Witches. Packs. Kingdoms.

All searching for two babies who couldn’t even speak yet.

My babies.

My children.

My voice broke slightly. “Lucian… is Chase involved?”

Lucian didn’t look at me.

And his silence was an answer.

“He doesn’t know about them,” I said firmly, almost angrily, but also trying to convince myself. “He doesn’t know about Finn and Fia.”

Lucian lifted Finn to rest on his shoulder, gently rubbing his small back. “Maybe not directly. But Silverfang has power and enemies. When a prophecy spreads, everyone prepares for war.”

He finally met my eyes.

“Your former mate is searching too. Whether he knows the truth or not… his instincts will pull him toward you.”

My stomach twisted.

I didn’t want to think about Chase. Not after everything. Not after the rejection. Not after he threw me away like nothing.

But I knew Lucian was right.

I could feel the bond tug occasionally, faintly, like the whisper of a ghost I didn’t want to hear.

Finn’s cry softened to little hiccups.

Lucian paced slowly, soothing him like he’d done every day since the birth. He was gentle with them. Too gentle for someone so feared by the world.

“Lucian…” I said after a moment. “What do we do now?”

He stopped pacing.

Then spoke three words that tightened the air around us.

“We run again.”

I closed my eyes.

Of course.

Of course we would.

“Where?” I asked.

“A rogue territory deep in the Shadow Mountains,” he said. “No kingdom has authority there. My magic works stronger near the old ruins. It’s the safest place left.”

“And after that?”

“After that… we prepare.”

I looked at him sharply.

“For what?”

He met my eyes without blinking.

“For every living creature who plans to hunt your children.”

***** Later That Night *****

The babies finally slept again, Finn curled like a tiny wolf pup, Fia with her fingers tucked into her blanket.

Lucian sat sharpening a blade by the window, eyes scanning the forest through the cracks. He’d been quiet for an hour.

Too quiet.

“You’re thinking,” I said, leaning against the wall with crossed arms.

He didn’t look at me. “I’m always thinking.”

“About what specifically?”

His jaw tightened slightly.

“Seraphina.”

My entire chest went cold.

I stepped closer. “What about her?”

Lucian flicked his gaze toward the door, then lowered his voice.

“There’s a rumor… a dangerous one… that the Luna of Silverfang ordered a secret hunt.”

My throat tightened.

“A hunt for who?” I asked, though I already knew.

“For two newborns with power.”

I felt my knees weaken.

Lucian stood, sheathing his blade.

“Elena, listen to me carefully. If Seraphina confirms your children exist, she won’t stop at hiring assassins. She will use kingdoms. Armies. Dark covens.”

My hands trembled. “Because she wants Chase to have only her children.”

Lucian shook his head.

“No. Because she knows Chase will destroy the world to find his real children.”

I looked away. “They aren’t his responsibility anymore.”

Lucian stepped closer.

“Elena.”

I didn’t look at him.

“Elena,” he said more firmly.

His hand gently touched my chin, lifting my face to his.

“He chose wrong. Yes. He broke you. Yes. He made you run. Yes… all of that is true.”

His voice softened.

“But these children carry his blood. Nothing you do can change that connection. You can hide from Chase… but you can’t hide his children forever.”

My chest tightened painfully.

He was right.

And I hated it.

A sudden loud crack echoed from the forest, a branch snapping under pressure.

Lucian was at the door instantly, blade drawn.

Another sound.

Footsteps.

Shadows moving between the trees.

My heart jumped in my throat.

“Are they here already?” I whispered, backing toward the babies.

Lucian didn’t answer.

The footsteps grew louder… closer…

Three figures emerged from the darkness, cloaked, masked, carrying crossbows dripping with silver.

Hunters.

Lucian let out a low, dangerous growl.

“They found us sooner than I expected,” he said calmly. “Grab the babies.”

My heart pounded as I rushed to Finn and Fia, lifting them into my arms. They whimpered softly, sensing the tension.

Lucian stepped outside, blocking the doorway with his body.

The hunters raised their weapons.

A cold voice spoke from behind them.

“We are here for the infants.”

My blood froze.

“We don’t want trouble,” the leader continued. “Just the moon-touched twins.”

Lucian took one step forward.

“Over my dead body.”

The hunter smiled coldly. “That can be arranged.”

And just like that……

The world declared war on my children.