MARKED BY THE ALPHA'S HATE

Selene reached the cave with her lungs burning and her heart threatening to burst. Her legs trembled as she pushed herself through the narrow entrance, scraping her arms against the cold stone. Inside, the air was thick with moisture and the scent of moss. The dim light from the outside barely reached the curved walls, and shadows pooled like secrets.

She pressed herself against the cold cave wall, trying to calm the thunder in her chest.

Neris hadn't followed.

Had she been caught?

Killed?

Selene didn't know. But she couldn't go back.

A soft humming sound echoed deeper inside the cave.

She stilled.

It was faint melodic, almost childlike. She blinked into the darkness and slowly crept forward. Her claws had retreated, but her senses were still sharp. Every drip of water, every shift in air made her skin prickle.

Then she saw her.

A small child no older than seven sat on a rock in the center of the cavern. She wore a thin white dress, bare feet stained with dirt. Her eyes were silver, glowing faintly like twin moons. Her hair was long and black, tangled like vines, and she hummed as she drew symbols in the dirt with a piece of bone.

Selene's voice came out hoarse. Who… who are you?

The girl looked up, tilted her head, and smiled.

I've been waiting for you.

Selene stepped back. You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous.

The girl giggled. It's dangerous everywhere now.

Selene felt her stomach twist. There was something wrong with the child not evil, not malicious, but… ancient. Like she was wearing a body too small for her spirit.

What are you doing here?

The girl rose to her feet, holding the bone like a wand. I'm here because you're here. I'm here to remind you.

Remind me of what?

The child stepped closer. Her eyes never blinked. Of who you are. Of who your mother was. Of what they buried.

The moment she said it, the air changed.

Selene's vision blurred. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the cave floor with a gasp. Images poured into her head memories that weren't hers. A woman standing in a circle of wolves. A hand dripping with blood. A ritual interrupted by violence. A baby marked with a silver crest between her eyes.

Her.

She screamed.

When the vision passed, the girl knelt beside her, whispering, Daughter of the Red Moon, they will come for you because they are afraid. Not of what you are… but of what you'll choose to become.

Selene's hands shook. What… was that?

Your inheritance,the girl said simply. The truth your mother died to protect.

Selene froze. My mother?

The girl smiled, sad and small. You know her name. You've heard it in your dreams.

But before Selene could press further, a sharp vibration ran through the cave. The girl's smile faded.

They've found the edge of the spell," she whispered.

Selene scrambled to her feet. Is it the Blackfangs?

"No," the girl said. "Worse."

Meanwhile…

Darius stood in the wreckage of his war room. Smoke still curled from the corners. The scent of blood and ash coated everything.

She got away,Talon said behind him. With the witch.

I know.

You let her go.

Darius turned, eyes glowing red. Say that again.

Talon didn't flinch. She was right in front of you. You hesitated.

Darius didn't answer. He just stared at the dagger lodged in the wall—Selene's. It still smelled like her skin.

She's not just some Moonblood," Talon said, voice lowering. "She's more than that. You know it.

Darius's jaw flexed. She's the key.

To what?

Everything.

Talon's eyes narrowed. Victor thinks you're compromised.

I am compromised, Darius said. She's my mate.

Talon hesitated. You going to tell him that?

No.

Then what?

Darius turned toward the window, watching as more of Victor's soldiers stormed the estate.

Then I find her before he does. And I decide who she becomes.

Elsewhere, at the Syndicate Vaults

Victor Crane stood before a sealed chamber door, fingers laced behind his back. Two elders lay dead at his feet throats cleanly cut, no sign of a struggle.

He sighed.

Another two, murmured a soldier.

Victor didn't respond.

He stared at the glyphs glowing faintly on the vault's surface.

It had been centuries since the last time it opened. Since the Red Moon Creed had been spoken aloud.

He raised his hand and pressed it to the center glyph.

Nothing happened.

She's not ready,he muttered. Not yet.

The deaths weren't random. Someone was accelerating the prophecy. Forcing it to unfold.

He stepped back. Burn the bodies. And move the remaining elders into hiding. The traitor is among us.

What about Darius? the soldier asked.

Victor's eyes narrowed. "Watch him. Closely."

Back in the forest.....

Selene bolted from the cave, the child's warning echoing in her ears.

Worse.

What could be worse than Blackfangs?

The sky had darkened, the wind carrying a scent she didn't recognize burnt flowers, iron, and something old.

She ran until her legs gave out, collapsing by the edge of a stream. She dipped her hands in and splashed her face, trying to ground herself.

She looked up and froze.

Standing across the water was a woman cloaked in crimson.

Not Neris.

Not a soldier.

Not a witch.

Her eyes were silver, her hair like fire.

Selene, the woman said, voice like thunder in silk. We meet at last.

Selene backed away. Who are you?

Your mother's sister. The one they never told you about."

Selene's blood turned to ice. You're dead.

The woman smiled. I was. And then you were born.

Meanwhile, Darius stood at a crossroads—literally.

The trail had gone cold. No scent, no tracks. Neris had covered their path too well.

But he had another way.

He reached into his coat and pulled out a strip of cloth.

Selene's.

He held it to his nose. Closed his eyes.

And shifted.

Muscles tore and reformed. Bones cracked. His skin split open, revealing the massive black wolf underneath. Eyes glowing crimson, claws digging into the earth.

He ran.

Faster than any wolf in the Syndicate.

Because if Victor reached her first Selene would die.

And if she died…

The world would burn.