The forbidden library felt colder than before.
As if the moment Selena learned the truth…
The room itself had changed.
The air was heavier now.
Filled with something unseen.
Unsettling.
Selena stood beside the ancient shelf, her fingers resting lightly against the worn leather of the prophecy book.
Her thoughts were racing.
True Luna…
Blood Moon…
Union of wolf and vampire…
None of it made sense.
And yet—
It felt too real to ignore.
She turned slowly toward Adrian, her silver eyes sharp.
"You're going to explain everything."
Adrian didn't move immediately.
For a moment, he simply watched her.
As if measuring how much truth she could handle.
Then, without a word, he walked deeper into the forbidden section.
Selena followed.
He stopped at another shelf and pulled out a much older book.
This one looked far more fragile.
Its cover was almost black with age.
Strange symbols were carved into it—symbols Selena didn't recognize.
Adrian opened it carefully and placed it on a stone table nearby.
"Come."
Selena stepped closer.
The pages inside were filled with ancient drawings and text—far older than the one she had read.
"This," Adrian said quietly, "is the original record."
Selena leaned slightly over the table.
"The original prophecy?"
"Yes."
Her heartbeat quickened.
Adrian turned a few pages.
Then stopped.
"Read."
Selena's eyes scanned the page.
This time, most of the text had been translated.
She read slowly.
"Before the kingdoms were divided…"
"Before wolves and vampires became enemies…"
"There existed a balance."
Selena frowned slightly.
"Balance?"
Adrian spoke.
"Once, our races were not at war."
She looked up at him.
"That's impossible."
"It's forgotten history."
Selena looked back at the page.
Her voice lowered as she continued reading.
"The Moon Goddess and the Blood Sovereign created two races…"
"One to guard life…"
"One to command death…"
Selena's chest tightened.
"Wolves… and vampires."
Adrian nodded slightly.
"They were meant to coexist."
Selena shook her head.
"Then what happened?"
Adrian turned the page.
"Keep reading."
Selena continued.
"But balance breeds power…"
"And power breeds fear…"
"The first betrayal shattered the unity."
"Blood was spilled beneath a crimson sky…"
"The Blood Moon."
Selena's eyes narrowed.
"So that's when everything changed."
"Yes."
Adrian's voice was calm.
"The first war."
Selena exhaled slowly.
"So this prophecy…"
"It's about fixing that?"
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
Selena continued reading.
"When the Blood Moon rises once more…"
"The chosen Luna shall be born…"
"Her blood will carry both light and darkness…"
"She will bind what was broken…"
"Or end it forever."
Selena stopped reading.
Silence filled the room.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she pulled back from the table.
"This is insane…"
Adrian watched her carefully.
Selena turned toward him.
"You expect me to believe I'm some kind of… bridge between two races?"
"No."
"Then what?"
Adrian's voice lowered.
"I expect you to understand why others will believe it."
Selena ran a hand through her hair.
"So your father—"
"—believes the prophecy can be controlled," Adrian finished.
Selena laughed bitterly.
"Of course he does."
She began pacing again.
"So let me get this straight…"
"I'm born during a Blood Moon."
"There's a prophecy about a powerful Luna."
"And suddenly I'm the center of everyone's attention."
Adrian didn't interrupt.
Selena turned sharply.
"Do you believe it?"
The question hung heavily between them.
Adrian's crimson eyes held hers.
For a moment…
There was hesitation.
Then—
"I believe the prophecy exists."
"That's not what I asked."
Silence.
Selena stepped closer to him.
"Do you believe I'm this 'True Luna'?"
Adrian studied her face carefully.
Her anger.
Her confusion.
Her strength.
Then he spoke.
"I believe you're important."
Selena frowned.
"That's vague."
"It's intentional."
She crossed her arms.
"You're avoiding the question."
"Yes."
Selena scoffed.
"You're impossible."
Adrian ignored the comment.
"There's more."
Selena groaned.
"Of course there is."
Adrian turned back to the book and flipped several pages forward.
"Over the centuries, many have tried to find the 'True Luna.'"
Selena raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
"They all failed."
She leaned against the table.
"So why am I different?"
Adrian pointed to a specific passage.
Selena leaned forward to read.
"The mark shall awaken when the time comes…"
"The chosen one will bear the symbol of the Blood Moon."
Selena froze.
Her heart skipped.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
She lifted her sleeve.
The faint symbol on her arm.
The one that had appeared during the cult attack.
The crescent moon.
With a drop of blood beneath it.
Selena's voice dropped to a whisper.
"You've seen this before."
Adrian nodded.
"Yes."
Her chest tightened.
"And you didn't tell me."
Adrian met her gaze.
"It only appeared recently."
Selena clenched her fist.
"So that confirms it?"
Adrian's voice was steady.
"It confirms you are part of the prophecy."
Selena stepped back.
Her mind spun.
"No…"
"No, this doesn't make sense…"
She shook her head.
"I'm just a Luna."
"I lead my pack."
"That's it."
Adrian's gaze softened slightly—but only for a second.
"You were never 'just' anything."
Selena looked up sharply.
"That doesn't help."
Adrian closed the book gently.
"There's one more thing you need to understand."
Selena sighed.
"Let me guess—more bad news."
Adrian's expression darkened.
"Yes."
Selena folded her arms.
"I'm listening."
Adrian stepped closer.
"The prophecy isn't a secret."
Selena's stomach dropped.
"What?"
"Fragments of it exist in many forms."
"In many kingdoms."
Her voice became sharper.
"So others know about this?"
"Yes."
Selena's pulse quickened.
"The cult…"
"They mentioned the Blood Moon."
Adrian nodded.
"They're one of many groups searching for you."
Selena let out a slow breath.
"Great."
"So I'm being hunted."
"Yes."
"And your lovely vampire nobles want me dead."
"Yes."
"And your father wants to use me."
"Yes."
Selena threw her hands up.
"Fantastic."
She turned away, pacing again.
"This just keeps getting better."
Adrian watched her quietly.
Selena suddenly stopped.
A thought hit her.
She turned back slowly.
"What about you?"
Adrian didn't react.
Selena narrowed her eyes.
"Where do you stand in all this?"
Silence.
She stepped closer.
"You knew about the prophecy."
"You knew about the mark."
"You knew what I might be."
Her voice lowered.
"So tell me, Prince…"
"Am I your weapon?"
The question cut through the room like a blade.
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
For a long moment…
There was only silence between them.
Then—
"No."
Selena studied his face carefully.
Searching for deception.
For manipulation.
But his expression remained steady.
Unshaken.
"Then what am I to you?" she asked quietly.
Adrian's gaze held hers.
And for the first time…
There was something different in his eyes.
Something deeper.
"Someone I refuse to let them control."
Selena's breath caught.
The words settled heavily in her chest.
She didn't respond.
Didn't know how to.
Because for the first time since arriving in this cursed kingdom…
Adrian didn't sound like her enemy.
He sounded like something far more dangerous.
An ally.