CHAPTER 11 : " Secrets of the Blood Moon "

Selene’s body was motionless, eyes closed, breath shallow, like a marionette with its strings cut.

But inside… inside, a storm raged.

She screamed in the void, her voice swallowed by the darkness. The Moonborn—, the other her... had taken control, banishing her into her own mind.

> “This is my body now,” the Moonborn whispered through their shared consciousness.

“You were only the vessel.”

Selene fought, claws scraping against invisible walls, but the Moonborn’s grip was too strong.

> “You want the truth?”

“Then suffer it." 

And the visions began.

The moon bled red overhead in the memory. A dark forest. A woman running; wild-eyed, barefoot, clutching a newborn.

Her mother.

Selene’s heart ached as she recognized her.

Chasing her through the trees were men cloaked in council robes. One of them held a sword shimmering with obsidian.

The woman hid the baby under the roots of an old tree.

> “Live, Selene,” she whispered. “Live, even if it kills me.”

Then she turned to face the hunters.

Selene watched, helpless, as her mother was cut down beneath the bleeding moon.

But worse… far worse… was what happened next.

The council leader pulled out a vial of black fire and poured it over the body.

> “Let her soul burn. The Moonborn must remain trapped. The child is nothing without her.”

Selene screamed, fists pounding against the vision.

But her mother’s soul didn’t burn.

It split.

Half of it went into the earth.

The other… into Selene.

In the real world, Ryker was losing his mind.

Selene’s body lay cold on the vault floor, her breathing barely visible.

“Wake up,” he growled, shaking her. “Dammit, Selene, come back to me.”

The dark Selene, her possessed form, smiled, watching him suffer.

“Poor little wolf. You thought you could save her.”

Ryker stood, claws elongating. “I’ll tear you apart.”

She laughed. “You’d be killing her, not me.”

Blood dripped from his hands. “Then I’ll drag both of you to the grave.”

Before he could strike, Alaric and the Bloodfangs stormed in.

They froze at the sight of two Selenes.

“Which one is real?” Alaric asked.

“I am,” both said in unison.

But only one smiled with a mouth full of shadow.

Outside the ruins, under the blood-red moon, a cloaked figure emerged from the mist.

Eira.

The ancient witch who once warned Selene of her fate.

She entered the chamber, eyes locking onto the Moonborn with fury.

“You broke the seal.”

The dark Selene chuckled. “You mean she broke it. I simply stepped through.”

Eira turned to Ryker. “There’s a way to separate them.... but it will come at a cost.”

“What cost?” Ryker snapped.

“The soul tether. Their bond.”

Ryker’s chest tightened. “You’re saying… I’ll lose her?”

“Not just her,” Eira whispered. “Yourself.”

Selene stood in a whirlwind of memory and magic.

Images spun around her—her mother’s sacrifice, her father’s murder at the hands of the council, the spell that split her soul in two.

And in the center of it all, a name echoed.

> “Lunara.”

That was the Moonborn’s true name.

Not Selene.

Not a queen.

But a goddess, bound in flesh.

And Selene was her prison.

> “They killed your parents to keep me buried,” Lunara whispered.

“But now that I’m awake… nothing can stop me.”

Selene looked up, her eyes full of defiance. “I can.”

Eira drew the circle with blood and salt, chanting words older than time itself.

Selene’s body began to glow, caught between two souls. Lunara fought back, tendrils of shadow lashing at the witch.

“She’s resisting!” Eira cried.

Ryker stepped forward, placing his hand on Selene’s chest.

> “Then I’ll hold her. I’ll give her something to fight for.”

He leaned in, whispering against her lips.

> “Come back to me, Selene. I love you. I need you.”

A spark ignited.

Selene’s soul surged forward.

The shadows screamed.

And for a moment, just one glorious second... 

Lunara was ripped from her body.

The ritual succeeded.

But with a cruel twist.

Selene woke; heart pounding, breath heaving.

And across the chamber, another body stood.

Fully formed.

Lunara.

She wasn’t just a spirit anymore.

She had her own flesh now. Her own power.

The Moonborn Goddess had returned to the physical realm.

And she looked exactly like Selene, only darker. Taller. Her silver eyes blazing with madness.

> “Thank you for setting me free,” Lunara purred.

“Now I can kill the council… and you.”

Selene’s mouth went dry.

They had created two queens.

And only one could survive.

Alaric and the Bloodfangs surrounded Lunara, but she raised a hand—and every single one collapsed to their knees, gasping, choking.

“I created your bloodlines,” she said. “You will kneel.”

Ryker growled. “You’re not our goddess.”

Lunara turned her gaze on him. “You’re hers. And she doesn’t deserve you.”

She walked toward him, placing a single finger on his chest.

> “Join me, Ryker. Become the Alpha of the new world. Let the old die.”

Selene’s stomach twisted.

He looked at her… then at Lunara.

And didn’t answer.

That night, Selene confronted Eira alone.

“Why didn’t you tell me I wasn’t the true Moonborn?” she demanded.

Eira hesitated. “Because I hoped the prophecy was wrong.”

Selene’s voice cracked. “Am I just… a vessel?”

“No,” Eira said. “You’re something worse.”

Selene froze.

“You’re the anchor,” Eira whispered. “Lunara can’t live without you. Your soul feeds her.”

Selene’s eyes widened in horror.

“So if I die.... ”

“She dies too,” Eira said.

Selene stumbled back.

The weight of it all crushed her lungs.

She couldn’t kill Lunara without killing herself.

The next full moon rose like a knife in the sky.

Lunara stood atop the ruins of the high council’s tower, arms raised, calling down lightning, shadows, and fury.

The Bloodfangs had either sworn loyalty... or died trying.

Selene watched from below, clutching the hilt of the sacred dagger Eira had given her.

The only weapon that could sever the soul tether.

Ryker approached, eyes filled with torment.

“She’s gathering the rogue packs. She’s going to start a war.”

Selene nodded. “Then we end her. Tonight.”

Ryker took her hand. “Together?”

Selene’s lips trembled. “Always.”

They ran.

Up the stairs.

Through the blood.

Into the storm.

Selene raised the dagger... 

And Lunara turned…

Smiling.

> “You’re too late.”

Behind her, a figure stepped out of the shadows.

Selene’s father. Alive.

Clothed in council robes.

And holding a blade against Eira’s throat.

> “Didn’t you wonder why I let you live, Selene?” he whispered.

Lunara laughed, her voice like thunder.

> “Because he wasn’t trying to protect you. He was preparing you… for me.”

Selene screamed.

The dagger dropped from her hand.

And the blood moon split the sky.

Get ready for Chapter 12: The Alpha’s Lust.

Because next?

We’re about to unleash hell! With power, passion, and a soul-binding night Selene may never survive.