CHAPTER 10 : " The Forbidden Alliance "

The night air was thick with blood and smoke. The ruins of the Moonborn altar still smoldered, blackened stone hissing where the crystal bomb had detonated. Selene’s skin felt like it was burning from the inside out, her veins pulsing with corrupted magic.

Liora had vanished into the night like a ghost, leaving behind betrayal, pain, and a message Selene couldn’t forget:

> You were never meant to rule. Only to awaken her.

Ryker found her on the stone steps, half-conscious and shaking.

“Selene,” he murmured, crouching beside her. “Can you hear me?”

Her eyes fluttered open, dim silver tarnished by black. “She’s in me, Ryker. The true Moonborn. She’s been sleeping inside me all along.”

He lifted her into his arms, fury etched across his face. “Then we wake her on our own terms. Not theirs.”

She wanted to believe him.

But the darkness was growing louder.

Back in the heart of the keep, Selene gathered the remnants of her court.

Only a handful remained.

Irisa?

 Dead! 

Callen? 

Dead! 

Liora?

 Gone ! 

The council? 

Fractured! 

She paced before the fire, fists clenched. “We need more power. More wolves. More allies.”

Ryker leaned against the stone wall, arms folded. “There’s one group who might help.”

Selene turned. “The Bloodfangs?”

He nodded. “They live in exile beyond the Black Pines. Outlaws. Magic-wielders. Despise the council. But if anyone knows how to kill a possessed Moonborn… it’s them.”

Gamma Arden stepped forward. “They don’t trust anyone.”

“They trust me,” Ryker said. “Because I used to be one of them.”

Selene raised a brow. “And you didn’t think to mention that before now?”

“I wasn’t proud of it,” he muttered. “But if it means saving you, I’ll go back.”

Selene walked toward him, their eyes locking.

“Then we go together.”

Crossing the Black Pines was like stepping into another world.

The trees whispered curses. The shadows felt alive. And the air was thick with ancient magic that made Selene’s skin crawl.

By the time they reached the Bloodfang camp, they were surrounded.

Wolves with black fur and glowing red eyes emerged from the trees, weapons drawn, teeth bared.

Ryker stepped forward.

“I seek an audience with Alaric.”

A tall figure approached, cloaked in dark red. “Ryker. We thought you were dead.”

“I was,” Ryker said. “But the past won’t stay buried.”

The man stepped aside. “Follow me. But she”, he nodded at Selene, “will be watched closely.”

Selene bared her teeth. “Try me.”

Alaric sat atop a throne made of bones, antlers, and iron. His eyes were deep gold, his presence commanding, ancient, and dangerous.

“So,” he said, sipping from a goblet. “The infamous Moonborn Queen dares step into my domain.”

Selene didn’t flinch. “You hate the council. So do I. We want the same thing.... freedom.”

Alaric chuckled darkly. “Freedom comes with a price.”

Ryker stepped forward. “She’s not the enemy. Liora betrayed her. The curse is consuming her from within. She needs your help.”

Alaric stood, circling Selene like a predator.

“You reek of power, girl. But it’s not just yours, is it? Something inside you is… ancient. Angry.”

Selene’s voice trembled. “It’s her. The true Moonborn. Sleeping inside me.”

He grinned. “Then we’re already too late.”

The campfire crackled between them as the negotiations began.

Alaric leaned forward. “If I’m to risk my people in a war against the council and your little traitor, I want something in return.”

Selene narrowed her eyes. “What?”

He smiled. “The Binding Stone.”

Her stomach twisted. “That stone controls the bonds between mates.”

“Exactly,” Alaric said. “I want to use it to break the council’s bloodlines. Free the wolves they’ve enslaved.”

“And you expect me to just give it to you?”

“No,” he said. “I expect you to prove you want real freedom. Not just a new throne.”

Ryker whispered, “Selene… it might be our only chance.”

She looked at them both, the firelight reflecting in her eyes.

“Fine,” she said. “But if you betray me…”

Alaric grinned. “You’ll kill me. Everyone says that. No one ever does.”

Later that night, Selene stood at the edge of the Bloodfang camp, watching the stars.

Ryker approached silently, his presence comforting but tense.

“You really trust him?” she asked.

“No,” Ryker said. “But I trust you. And if you’re willing to risk this… so am I.”

She looked at him, eyes shimmering. “You never told me why you left them.”

He took a breath. “I killed Alaric’s brother. Not because I wanted to… but because I had to. He was turning Bloodfang magic on his own people. Feeding them to the shadows.”

Selene stepped closer. “You’ve carried that alone all this time.”

He nodded.

She reached up, touching his face. “You don’t have to carry me alone too.”

Their lips met.

It wasn’t soft.

It was desperate, hungry, like two people on the edge of war clinging to the only thing that felt real.

The next day, they rode out; Selene, Ryker, and a group of Bloodfang warriors.

Their target: the hidden vault beneath the council’s sacred keep, where the Binding Stone was sealed.

They reached the gates by dusk, cloaked in magic, moving like ghosts.

But the council was ready.

The ground erupted beneath them, traps. Magic wards. Guards with glowing eyes.

Alaric roared. “It’s a setup!”

Selene spun, dodging a blast of cursed fire.

From the shadows stepped Liora; robed in black, her hair braided with bones.

“You really thought I wouldn’t see this coming?” she purred.

Selene growled. “I’m done running from you.”

“Oh, darling,” Liora said. “You’re not running. You’re walking straight into your end.”

Steel clashed. Magic screamed. The Bloodfangs fought like beasts, and Selene ; half-shadow, half-light, unleashed hell.

She and Liora clashed in the center, their powers colliding like galaxies at war.

“You were like a sister to me,” Selene screamed.

“You were a pawn,” Liora spat. “The council raised you to awaken her. That was your only purpose.”

“Then why am I still alive?”

Liora hesitated.

Selene struck... but Liora vanished in a plume of smoke, reappearing at the vault door.

She slammed a crystal into the lock.

> Boom!

The vault cracked open.

And inside, hovering in black mist… was the Binding Stone.

Liora reached for it.

So did Selene.

Their hands touched.

And the stone exploded with light.

When the smoke cleared, Selene was on her knees.

Something was wrong.

Her body burned, her vision blurred.

Ryker ran to her, but froze.

His eyes widened.

“Selene… look.”

She turned to the shattered vault mirror.

And saw two reflections.

One ... her.

The other.... her. But older. Cruel. Smiling.

The true Moonborn had awakened.

Selene stumbled back. “No…”

The other Selene stepped out of the mirror, physically, shadow curling around her like a crown.

“I’ve waited centuries,” she purred. “Now, I take back what was always mine.”

Selene tried to summon her power.... but her body wouldn’t move.

Ryker roared and lunged.

But the dark Selene flicked a hand.

And he was thrown across the chamber, crashing into stone.

“Time to sleep, little queen,” the Moonborn whispered.

She touched Selene’s forehead.

And everything went black.

Get Ready for Chapter 11:

Selene is no longer the only queen in her body.

And the truth about her parents’ death?

It’s far worse than she ever imagined.