The sky was still bleeding red when Selena arrived at the ancient citadel of Arkelion.
Bathed in moonlit fog, the towering castle looked like it had been carved straight from the night itself. Spires rose like black claws, cutting into the crimson glow of the Blood Moon. Shadows twisted across the marble courtyard as if they were alive, whispering warnings only vampires could hear.
Selena moved through the grand gates silently, her cloak hiding the dried blood on her clothes. Her skin still hummed with the aftershocks of the bond—Luca's fear, his pain, his heartbeat slowly evening out as his pack surrounded him.
She'd told herself she wouldn't check on him through the bond.She failed.
As she stepped inside, a cold voice drifted across the hall.
"You are late."
Selena stiffened.
From atop the obsidian staircase, Queen Aradia descended with all the grace of a serpent. Her gown—woven from midnight silk—flowed like liquid darkness. Her eyes glowed a deep, ancient scarlet, and even after centuries of rule, there was a danger in her beauty that made lesser vampires kneel on sight.
Selena bowed her head."My Queen. Forgive the delay. I encountered—""Rogues," Aradia finished, circling her like a predator assessing prey. "I am already aware."
Selena lifted her eyes. "Then you know they crossed into our territory." Aradia's lips curled. "Territory matters little when the Moon bleeds."
The Queen's gaze drifted upward toward the window, where the Blood Moon pulsed like a beating heart. Selena hesitated. "You felt it too."
"Every vampire in Arkelion felt it. And every wolf in the Silver fang lands as well, I assume." Her eyes sharpened. "So tell me, child… where exactly were you when the Moon changed?"
Selena hated the way her voice wavered."In the forest. Near the old chapel ruins."
Aradia paused—just long enough to make the silence dangerous."Those ruins border the wolves' domain."
Selena swallowed. She had fought alongside a wolf. A prince of the wolves. A sworn enemy.
If the Queen knew… "I was patrolling the border, nothing more." A single eyebrow lifted."Alone?" "Yes, my Queen."
Aradia leaned in, studying her face with a stillness that was more frightening than rage.
"You reek of wolf scent."
Selena's heart froze in her chest.
Before she could speak, Aradia's hand shot out, gripping Selena's chin with icy fingers. She inhaled slowly, her eyes narrowing to crimson slits.
"Not just any wolf…"Her voice sank into a whisper razor-sharp with suspicion."Royal blood."
Selena felt her veins turn cold.
Queen Aradia released her abruptly.Then, in a voice elegant and lethal, she asked:
"Tell me, Selena: why does the scent of the Silver fang heir cling to your skin like a second shadow?"
Selena bowed her head, forcing calm into her voice. "I do not know, Your Majesty. Perhaps the rogues—"
"Do not lie to me."The Queen's voice cracked like thunder.
Every torch in the hall flickered at once.
Selena dropped to her knees. "Forgive me—"
"Stand."
Selena obeyed. Aradia walked around her, fingers tracing the air near her neck, her aura brushing like icy feathers against the bond mark that had begun to form under Selena's collarbone—still invisible, but pulsing with heat.
Please don't feel it, Selena begged silently.
But the Queen stopped.Her eyes glowed brighter.
"There is something… off about you."A pause."Something tainted. Or… bound."
Selena's breath hitched as Aradia's hand hovered inches from her skin.
In that moment, the bond to Luca flared—burning like silver coals in her chest.
Selena fought to hide the gasp.She bit her lip until blood filled her mouth.But it wasn't enough.
Aradia's head snapped toward her."You felt something just now."
Selena forced her voice steady."A shock from the Moon's energy. Nothing more." The Queen watched her another long, unbearable moment before turning away. "Clean up. Then meet me in the Hall of Echoes. We have much to discuss."
Selena bowed and hurried off—though she felt Aradia's gaze burning between her shoulder blades until she vanished from sight.
In the privacy of her chamber Selena ripped off her cloak and stared into the mirror. There it was. Faint, but growing.A mark just above her heart—two intertwined symbols, one crimson, one silver.
The sign of a Blood Oath Bond. A forbidden connection. A death sentence. She pressed a trembling hand over it. "You idiot," she whispered. "Why him? Why now?"
But the bond brushed her mind again—warm, steady, protective—Luca checking on her without even knowing he was doing it. And she felt her anger dissolve into something softer. Something dangerous.
A knock slammed against her door, "Selena!" It was Lord Varos, the Queen's advisor. His voice was sharp. "The Queen summons you now. Move."
Selena took one last breath and stepped out. But as she walked the long hall toward the throne room, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Someone who already knew. Someone who wanted the bond for themselves. And in the shadows of Arkelion, hidden eyes glowed red—following her every step.