The High Priestess

No one moved.

The woman's smile was flawless.

Too flawless.

She glided across the shattered clearing with effortless grace, her white robes untouched by the blood staining the sacred ground.

Every priest and priestess lowered their heads.

"The High Priestess," they whispered.

Selene's silver eyes settled on me.

"So..."

Her voice was soft.

"...you are Seraphina."

I forced myself to meet her gaze.

"Do you know me?"

A flicker crossed her face before the smile returned.

"I knew your mother."

My breath caught.

"You knew Queen Elara?"

"I served beside her."

Something about the way she answered made my skin crawl.

Lucien stepped between us.

"You've said enough."

Selene chuckled.

"Still protective."

"I know what you're capable of."

"So suspicious."

She folded her hands.

"Have five hundred years changed you so little?"

Lucien's expression remained cold.

"I could ask you the same question."

The tension between them was suffocating.

King Aldric looked from one to the other.

"This isn't the time."

"It is exactly the time," Selene replied.

She turned toward the six kings.

"The Blood Moon has awakened."

"The heir has returned."

"Ancient law must be followed."

The kings exchanged uneasy glances.

Ryker frowned.

"What law?"

King Aldric sighed heavily.

"The Law of Succession."

He looked at me.

"When the Moon Throne awakens, every Alpha Kingdom must recognize the heir..."

He paused.

"...or challenge that claim."

My heart sank.

"Challenge?"

Another king nodded.

"If the heir survives the challenges..."

He looked directly into my eyes.

"...she becomes Queen."

"And if she doesn't?" I asked quietly.

Silence answered first.

Then King Aldric spoke.

"She dies."

A gasp escaped Evelyn.

"No!"

She rushed forward.

"This is insane!"

"No one should have to fight for the right to live!"

Several kings lowered their eyes.

Lucien's jaw tightened.

"There will be no trials."

Selene tilted her head.

"You would ignore sacred law?"

"I would protect my Queen."

"And if the kingdoms refuse?"

Lucien didn't hesitate.

"Then they answer to me."

His words echoed through the clearing.

Every Alpha shifted uneasily.

Even the kings looked uncomfortable.

Selene smiled again.

"You always were willing to start a war."

"If that's what it takes."

Their eyes locked.

The hatred between them wasn't new.

It had been growing for centuries.

I could feel it.

Before I could ask about it, Ryker stepped beside me.

"Seraphina."

I looked at him.

His face was pale.

"I..."

For the first time since I'd known him...

The confident Alpha Prince looked uncertain.

"I didn't know."

I stared at him.

"You didn't know what?"

He swallowed.

"I didn't know who you were."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

"So if I were still an ordinary omega..."

His silence answered the question.

Pain stabbed my chest.

I nodded slowly.

"I understand."

"No, listen—"

"You rejected me because you believed I wasn't worthy."

His shoulders stiffened.

"That's not what I meant."

"It doesn't matter what you meant."

My voice trembled despite my best effort.

"You stood before everyone..."

"You looked into my eyes..."

"And you broke me."

His expression crumbled.

"I'm sorry."

Those two words came too late.

Much too late.

Before I could respond, Lucien spoke.

"Your apology changes nothing."

Ryker glared at him.

"This is between me and Seraphina."

Lucien stepped closer.

"No."

His voice remained calm.

"You made sure the entire kingdom became involved the moment you rejected her publicly."

The clearing fell silent again.

No one could deny it.

Ryker looked back at me.

"I made a mistake."

I searched his face.

For years...

I had dreamed of hearing those words.

Now...

They meant nothing.

"I hope you become the Alpha your people deserve."

His eyes widened slightly.

"But you are no longer the man I dreamed of."

Ryker's face lost all color.

The rejection in my voice hurt him.

I saw it.

But I couldn't make myself care.

Not anymore.

Suddenly—

A young guard came running into the clearing.

He was covered in blood.

"Your Majesty!"

He fell to one knee before King Aldric.

"The eastern watchtower..."

He struggled to breathe.

"...has fallen."

The kings immediately straightened.

King Aldric frowned.

"To whom?"

The guard looked terrified.

"They carried no banners."

"No pack markings."

"No scent."

Lucien's expression darkened.

"That's impossible."

The guard shook uncontrollably.

"They only left one message."

"What message?" Aldric demanded.

The young guard slowly turned toward me.

His voice barely rose above a whisper.

"They said..."

He swallowed hard.

"...tell the Moon Queen..."

My heartbeat quickened.

"...the hunt has begun."

The wind suddenly howled across the clearing.

Somewhere in the distant mountains...

A wolf answered.

Not one.

Hundreds.

A chilling silence settled over Moonfall Clearing.

The distant howls echoed again.

One.

Then another.

Then dozens more.

Every wolf in the clearing instinctively turned toward the eastern mountains.

King Aldric's face hardened.

"They're getting closer."

Another king drew his sword.

"Too close."

I looked at Lucien.

"What are they?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Instead, his eyes scanned the tree line as if expecting someone to appear.

"They aren't wolves."

A shiver crawled down my spine.

"What do you mean?"

"They used to be."

Before he could explain, Selene stepped forward, her white robes flowing around her like mist.

"The kingdoms are already frightened, Lucien."

Her smile never reached her eyes.

"There's no reason to frighten the girl even more."

Lucien's gaze remained fixed on the forest.

"The truth has never frightened her."

"No?"

Selene tilted her head.

"Then perhaps you should tell her why the Moon Kingdom fell."

The words landed like stones.

I looked between them.

"What happened to the Moon Kingdom?"

Neither answered.

My frustration boiled over.

"Stop doing that!"

Every eye turned to me.

"I'm tired of everyone speaking in riddles."

I pointed toward Selene.

"You say you knew my mother."

Then I turned to Lucien.

"You promised to tell me the truth."

I drew a shaky breath.

"So tell me."

Lucien finally faced me.

"Five hundred years ago, your family ruled the werewolf kingdoms."

I frowned.

"My family?"

"The House of Draven."

He continued before I could interrupt.

"The Moon Throne united every Alpha Kingdom."

"So what changed?"

"Betrayal."

The single word carried centuries of pain.

"Someone opened the palace gates."

"The royal guards were slaughtered."

"The palace burned."

"And your parents were murdered."

I felt sick.

"My mother..."

Lucien closed his eyes briefly.

"She died protecting you."

The clearing became painfully quiet.

I swallowed hard.

"My father?"

His expression darkened.

"King Orion Draven fell defending the Moon Gate."

A strange ache settled deep inside me.

I couldn't remember either of them.

Not their faces.

Not their voices.

Nothing.

Yet tears blurred my vision anyway.

Selene watched me carefully.

"Tragic, isn't it?"

Something about her tone made my skin crawl.

It sounded rehearsed.

Not sympathetic.

Calculated.

Lucien noticed it too.

"You've always been a poor actress."

Her smile widened.

"And you've always underestimated me."

King Aldric stepped between them.

"Enough."

He turned toward me.

"There will be time for history later."

"No."

I shook my head.

"I deserve the whole truth."

"You do."

He sighed.

"But not while enemies surround us."

As if summoned by his words—

A horn echoed from the eastern ridge.

Unlike the earlier horns...

This one sounded different.

Lower.

Darker.

Every king recognized it.

"No..."

King Rowan whispered.

"They found the valley."

The blood drained from Lucien's face.

"Impossible."

A scout sprinted into the clearing.

He collapsed before the kings, gasping for breath.

"My kings..."

He struggled to speak.

"They've crossed the border."

"How many?" Aldric demanded.

The scout looked up.

His face was ghostly pale.

"I couldn't count them."

Silence.

"They covered the mountains."

Another scout stumbled into the clearing.

"The eastern villages are burning."

A third arrived seconds later.

"They're marching toward Moonfall."

Panic erupted.

Families grabbed their children.

Warriors shouted orders.

The kings barked commands to their guards.

Lucien remained perfectly still.

His calm frightened me more than the chaos.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

His silver eyes met mine.

"They're forcing my hand."

"I don't understand."

"They don't want a battle."

"They want you."

A cold knot formed in my stomach.

"Why?"

"Because you're the last obstacle."

"To what?"

He looked toward Selene.

Before he could answer—

A terrified scream cut through the clearing.

"Fire!"

Everyone turned.

The sacred temple behind the Moon Stone had burst into flames.

Orange fire climbed toward the night sky.

Priests rushed toward the entrance.

"My Lady!"

A young priest stumbled out of the smoke.

His robes were soaked in blood.

He pointed toward the burning temple.

"The sacred archive..."

His voice broke.

"It's gone."

King Aldric frowned.

"What do you mean, gone?"

"The Book of the Moon Kings..."

He swallowed hard.

"...has been stolen."

The entire clearing froze.

Even Lucien's expression changed.

For the first time...

I saw genuine alarm in his eyes.

Selene slowly lowered her gaze, hiding a faint smile.

She masked it almost instantly.

But I saw it.

Just for a heartbeat.

She wasn't surprised.

She expected this.

And in that moment...

I realized something terrifying.

The enemy hadn't just attacked the ceremony.

They had planned every step.

Including the fire.

Including the theft.

And somehow...

The High Priestess seemed to know exactly what had been taken.