Chapter 5 THE FLIGHT INTO SHADOWS

I ran.

Barefoot. Breathless. Bleeding.

The cold bit into my skin as I tore through the night, the white silk of my ceremony gown snagging on branches and thorns. The laughter from the Great Hall still echoed in my head—cruel and endless—until it mixed with the sound of wolves howling behind me.

Kael’s wolves.

"Get her!"

“Find her!”

His voice thundered through the bond that no longer existed. But I still felt it—the authority, the command that once made my body obey without question.

My lungs burned. The ground was wet beneath my feet, streaked with silver light from the moon. I stumbled, clutching the mark between my collarbones. It pulsed wildly, sending shocks of pain through my chest, up my throat, down to my fingertips.

My wolf screamed in my mind.

Run, Selene! Don’t stop! Run!

I wondered how the same person who had rejected me in front of the whole pack and asked me to leave was now looking for me.

Either way, I was determined not to go back.

Tears blurred my vision as I sprinted past the pack borders. The scent of pine and earth gave way to something heavier—colder. A warning scent every wolf in SilverMist had been taught to fear.

The Shadow Woods.

A cursed place. A place no one ever came back from.

The stories said spirits lived there. That the trees whispered to the moon. That even the bravest Alpha lost his mind before reaching the heart of it.

But behind me, Kael’s hunters were closing in. I could hear their paws striking the ground, their growls echoing through the night.

“Stop her before she crosses!” one shouted.

I didn’t stop.

Branches lashed at my face. My gown tore, leaving streaks of crimson across the white fabric. The mark on my chest flared hotter—so hot it felt like fire beneath my skin.

My body ached for Kael’s command to stop, to submit, to turn back. But there was no bond anymore. There was only pain and the sharp taste of freedom hidden beneath it.

Just a little further, my wolf urged. Please, Selene, just a little—

The forest changed.

The moment I crossed the invisible line that separated SilverMist territory from the cursed woods, the air shifted. The howls behind me faded as though swallowed by mist. The trees stood taller, their bark glowing faintly with a sickly silver sheen. The moonlight dimmed, replaced by a strange, humming darkness.

And then I heard it.

A whisper. Soft. Female. Ancient.

"Selene…"

I froze. The voice came from everywhere—the wind, the shadows, the trees themselves. My pulse raced.

“Who’s there?” I gasped.

No answer. Only more whispers, overlapping, chanting my name like a prayer.

"Selene… daughter of Moonfire…"

I took a step back. The ground pulsed beneath my feet, like the forest itself was breathing. The mark on my chest responded. Glowing faintly silver, then white-hot.

Pain shot through me, dropping me to my knees. I pressed my palm over the mark and screamed. The sound echoed off the trees and came back distorted, like something else was screaming with me.

The whispers grew louder.

"Not weakness. Not ruin. Awakening."

The moment the word touched the air, light burst from my skin.

It wasn’t like anything I’d ever felt. It wasn’t fire—it was alive. The Moonfire spilled from my fingertips, racing up my arms, wrapping around me like ribbons of liquid light.

The world trembled.

Behind me, I heard distant shouts—the guards reaching the border—but as soon as they tried to follow, the forest swallowed their voices. The mist thickened, curling like claws, pushing them back.

One of them screamed. Then silence.

The forest sealed itself behind me with a sound like thunder, the earth itself splitting before knitting back together. The scent of magic filled the air—wild and ancient, like starlight soaked in blood.

And just like that, the world I knew vanished.

The air turned thick and cold, every breath tasting of metal and memory. The shadows shifted and watched. The Moonfire still flickered across my skin, then dimmed until only faint veins of light traced my arms.

I tried to stand, but my legs gave out. My body trembled violently, drained by the surge of power that had erupted from within.

Above, the moon stared down through the canopy. Its glow no longer gentle but sharp, a blade of red light cutting through the trees. The world was utterly silent. No crickets. No wind. Just the faint thrum of energy beneath my palms as I fell to the forest floor.

My wolf whimpered weakly. What did we do?

“I don’t know,” I whispered. “I don’t know…”

The trees loomed closer, their roots curling toward me like fingers. The ground beneath me shimmered, symbols burning briefly before fading back into soil. I could feel something beneath the surface—ancient, restless.

The air was alive.

Every breath I took seemed to pull power into me instead of pushing it out. My pulse slowed. My body, moments ago shattered, now hummed with faint warmth.

Somewhere far away, I thought I heard a melody. It wasn’t from the forest, but from beneath it—soft, mournful, like the earth itself was singing. The sound seeped into my bones, lulling me even as my body ached.

My vision blurred. The Moonfire flickered one last time before fading.

The last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me was the moon above the trees—glowing not silver, but blood-red.

And in that light, I felt it.