The vampire palace library was older than most kingdoms.
Selena felt it the moment she stepped inside.
Ancient.
Silent.
Powerful.
The massive wooden doors closed behind her with a heavy thud, sealing her inside a world of towering bookshelves and dim golden lanterns.
Dust floated lazily in the air.
Thousands of books stretched across endless rows of black oak shelves that climbed toward the vaulted ceiling.
Some of the books looked centuries old, their leather covers cracked and worn.
Others were locked behind glass cases with silver chains.
Selena slowly walked deeper into the library.
Her footsteps echoed softly against the stone floor.
"Great," she muttered under her breath.
"A palace full of enemies and now a creepy library."
Still…
Her curiosity was stronger than her caution.
She ran her fingers lightly across the spine of one of the books.
Most of the titles were written in ancient vampire script.
She couldn't read them.
Selena sighed.
"Of course."
Then she noticed something strange.
A section of the library was blocked off.
Tall iron gates sealed the far end of the room.
Silver symbols had been carved into the metal.
Wolf symbols.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Why would vampires lock away wolf history?"
She walked toward the gate slowly.
The closer she got, the stronger the strange energy in the air felt.
Her wolf stirred uneasily inside her chest.
Something important is here.
Selena grabbed the iron bars and pushed.
The gate didn't move.
Locked.
"Figures."
She looked around the library.
The room appeared empty.
No guards.
No librarians.
No witnesses.
Selena smirked.
"Well…"
She grabbed the bars again and pulled harder.
Her wolf strength surged through her muscles.
The iron groaned loudly.
After a few seconds—
CRACK.
The lock snapped.
Selena stepped inside the forbidden section.
The air felt colder immediately.
Older.
The books here were far more ancient.
Their covers were dark, some almost black with age.
Many were sealed with strange red wax symbols.
Selena pulled one from the shelf.
The title was written in a language she barely recognized.
But a symbol on the cover caught her attention.
A crescent moon.
With a drop of blood beneath it.
Her heart skipped.
Blood Moon.
She opened the book carefully.
The pages were fragile, yellowed by centuries.
Most of the text was still in the ancient language.
But parts of it had been translated into modern script.
Selena leaned against the shelf and began reading.
Her eyes moved quickly across the page.
Then she froze.
Her heart started beating faster.
"No way…"
She flipped to the next page.
Then another.
Each sentence made her chest tighten.
The book wasn't just about wolves.
Or vampires.
It was about both.
A prophecy.
A very old one.
Selena read aloud quietly.
"When the Blood Moon rises over the divided kingdoms…"
"The blood of wolf and vampire shall unite."
"From their union shall rise the True Luna…"
"A queen who will command both night and moon."
Selena's breathing slowed.
"This is insane."
She turned another page.
The prophecy continued.
"The True Luna shall hold power beyond either race."
"She will bring either peace…"
"Or destruction."
Selena stared at the words.
Her thoughts raced.
"This has to be a coincidence."
She flipped through more pages.
Drawings appeared between the text.
Ancient illustrations.
One of them showed a wolf and a vampire standing beneath a red moon.
Another showed a woman standing between two armies.
Her silver eyes glowing.
Her body surrounded by strange energy.
Selena felt a chill run down her spine.
"Why does that look like…"
Before she could finish the thought—
A voice spoke behind her.
"You weren't supposed to find that."
Selena spun around instantly.
Prince Adrian stood at the entrance of the forbidden section.
His expression was calm.
But his eyes were darker than usual.
Selena held up the book.
"You knew about this."
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
His gaze moved to the open pages.
"Yes."
Selena frowned.
"You knew about this prophecy?"
"Yes."
"And you didn't tell me?"
Adrian stepped closer.
"You weren't ready to hear it."
Selena scoffed.
"I wasn't ready?"
She waved the book.
"This thing literally talks about wolves and vampires ruling together."
Adrian's expression remained unreadable.
Selena stared at him suspiciously.
"Is that why your father forced this marriage?"
Adrian didn't answer right away.
That silence was enough.
Selena laughed bitterly.
"Unbelievable."
"So this entire thing was about prophecy?"
"About power?"
Adrian spoke quietly.
"It's more complicated than that."
Selena slammed the book shut.
"Of course it is."
She walked toward him.
"You forced me into marriage because of some ancient legend."
Adrian's crimson eyes met hers.
"The prophecy has existed for centuries."
Selena crossed her arms.
"So?"
"So many have tried to control it."
"Use it."
"Destroy it."
Selena narrowed her eyes.
"And you?"
Adrian's voice was steady.
"I wanted to understand it."
She studied his face carefully.
"Do you believe it?"
Adrian glanced at the book in her hands.
"Belief is irrelevant."
"Prophecies shape the actions of those who believe in them."
Selena frowned.
"You're talking like a philosopher."
"I'm talking like a prince who grew up watching kingdoms destroy themselves over ancient predictions."
Selena walked back to the shelf and placed the book down.
"Then explain something."
Adrian waited.
"If this prophecy talks about a 'True Luna'…"
She looked at him directly.
"Why does it feel like everyone expects that to be me?"
Adrian's silence returned.
That answer told her everything.
Selena laughed again.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Adrian spoke carefully.
"The prophecy describes a wolf queen born under the Blood Moon."
Selena froze.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
She turned toward him.
"I was born during a Blood Moon."
Adrian nodded once.
The realization hit her like a storm.
Her hands tightened into fists.
"So your father…"
"Your entire kingdom…"
"They believe I'm some kind of magical savior?"
Adrian's voice lowered slightly.
"Or destroyer."
Selena paced the room.
"This is ridiculous."
Adrian didn't argue.
Selena turned toward him again.
"You really expect me to believe some ancient prophecy says I'm destined to rule two species?"
"No."
"Then what do you expect?"
Adrian's eyes held hers.
"I expect you to survive."
Selena frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Adrian's voice became colder.
"The moment others learn what you might be…"
"They will try to control you."
"Or kill you."
The weight of those words settled heavily in the quiet library.
Selena glanced down at the ancient book again.
The drawings.
The prophecy.
The mysterious woman beneath the Blood Moon.
Her chest tightened.
"Great."
She sighed.
"So not only am I trapped in a vampire kingdom…"
"Now I'm the center of some insane supernatural prophecy."
Adrian studied her carefully.
"Welcome to the real war."
Selena raised an eyebrow.
"I thought the war hadn't started yet."
Adrian's expression darkened slightly.
"It started the moment you were born."
The silence between them deepened.
Selena suddenly realized something unsettling.
The enemies they had faced so far…
The cult.
The assassins.
The nobles.
Those were only the beginning.
Because if the prophecy was real…
The entire world would eventually come for her.