Selena didn't remember falling asleep.
But when she opened her eyes…
She was no longer in the vampire palace.
Sunlight filtered gently through tall trees.
Warm.
Soft.
Alive.
The cold stone walls and suffocating silence of the vampire kingdom were gone, replaced by the familiar scent of earth and pine.
Selena stood still.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"No…"
Her voice sounded… different.
Lighter.
Younger.
She looked down at her hands.
Small.
Unscarred.
A child's hands.
Her heart began to race.
"This…"
Her silver eyes widened as she slowly lifted her head.
The Moonfang Pack.
Her home.
The clearing stretched wide before her, filled with life.
Wolves moved freely—some in human form, others shifting effortlessly between forms as they trained, laughed, lived.
Children ran across the grass, their laughter echoing like music.
Warriors sparred nearby, their movements strong but relaxed.
Everything felt safe.
Whole.
Untouched.
Selena's chest tightened painfully.
"I remember this…"
A voice suddenly called out.
"Selena!"
She turned quickly.
A woman ran toward her, smiling warmly.
Long dark hair flowed behind her, and her eyes—silver, just like Selena's—glowed with quiet strength.
Her mother.
Selena's breath hitched.
"Mama…"
The woman reached her and knelt, brushing dirt gently from Selena's cheek.
"You've been running again," she said softly.
"You'll wear yourself out before dinner."
Selena stared at her.
Memorizing every detail.
Every feature.
Every expression.
Because this was a face she had tried for years not to forget.
"I'm fine," Selena whispered.
Her voice trembled slightly.
Her mother smiled.
"You always say that."
A deep voice echoed from behind them.
"She gets that from you."
Selena turned.
Her father approached, tall and powerful, his presence commanding even in human form.
His silver eyes were sharp, but when they landed on her, they softened.
"Little wolf," he said.
Selena's chest tightened again.
She hadn't heard that nickname in years.
He reached down and ruffled her hair gently.
"Still causing trouble?"
Selena swallowed hard.
"I'm not—"
"You are," her mother teased, standing.
"But she's strong."
Her father crossed his arms, watching Selena carefully.
"Strength is useless without control."
Selena frowned slightly.
"I can control it."
"Can you?"
He gestured toward the training grounds.
"Show me."
Selena's younger self straightened instantly.
Determined.
"I will."
The training field was smaller than Selena remembered.
Or maybe she had simply grown.
A few warriors stood nearby, watching with mild curiosity.
Her father stepped into the center of the clearing.
"Come."
Selena hesitated.
Then stepped forward.
Her small fists clenched.
Her wolf stirred faintly beneath her skin.
"Focus," her father instructed.
"Don't rely on anger."
Selena nodded.
"I know."
"Then prove it."
He moved first.
Fast.
Even holding back, his speed overwhelmed her.
Selena barely dodged the first strike.
She stumbled.
Recovered.
Attacked.
Her movements were raw.
Unrefined.
Driven by instinct.
Her father blocked easily.
"Too predictable," he said calmly.
Selena gritted her teeth.
"I'm trying!"
"Trying is not enough."
He stepped closer.
"Feel your wolf."
"Don't let it control you."
"Control it."
Selena closed her eyes briefly.
She reached inward.
Felt the faint pulse of her wolf.
Wild.
Restless.
Powerful.
She exhaled.
Then moved again.
This time—
More focused.
More controlled.
Her strike landed.
Her father caught her wrist.
But his lips curved slightly.
"Better."
Selena smiled faintly.
Pride flickering in her chest.
Her mother's voice called from the side.
"That's enough for today."
Her father released her.
Selena stepped back, breathing lightly.
Her mother walked over and handed her a cloth.
"You've improved."
Selena wiped her face.
"I'll get stronger."
Her father nodded.
"You will."
Then his expression shifted slightly.
More serious.
"There's something you need to understand."
Selena tilted her head.
"What?"
He crouched slightly to meet her eyes.
"The world outside this pack…"
"It's not like here."
Selena frowned.
"I know."
"No," he said quietly.
"You don't."
His gaze darkened.
"There are things out there that fear us."
"Things that would destroy us if they could."
Selena's chest tightened slightly.
"Like vampires?"
Her mother and father exchanged a glance.
A silent one.
Heavy.
Then her father nodded.
"Yes."
Selena clenched her fists.
"I'll fight them."
Her mother knelt beside her again, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"You won't have to," she said softly.
"We will protect you."
Selena looked between them.
Safe.
Protected.
Loved.
A feeling she didn't realize she would lose so soon.
The memory shifted.
The sun dipped lower.
The sky turned gold.
Evening approached.
The pack gathered in the central clearing.
Food.
Laughter.
Music.
Selena sat between her parents, listening to the sound of voices blending together.
For a moment…
Everything was perfect.
Then—
Her father stiffened.
Selena noticed immediately.
"What's wrong?"
He didn't answer.
His gaze lifted toward the forest.
Sharp.
Alert.
The laughter around them began to fade.
One by one, the warriors stood.
Silence spread across the clearing.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
Selena's mother stood slowly.
"Something's coming."
Selena's heart began to race.
The air changed.
The scent hit her.
Cold.
Metallic.
Blood.
Her father's voice turned sharp.
"Everyone inside. Now."
Panic rippled through the pack.
Children were grabbed.
Pulled toward safety.
Selena stood frozen.
"What is it?"
Her mother grabbed her hand tightly.
"Stay with me."
A sound echoed through the forest.
Fast.
Too fast.
Branches snapped.
Leaves scattered.
And then—
They appeared.
Figures moving through the trees.
Too quick.
Too silent.
Too deadly.
Selena's breath caught.
"Vampires…"
Her father stepped forward, shifting instantly.
His wolf form burst through—massive, powerful, glowing silver under the fading light.
The warriors followed.
Wolves filled the clearing.
The ground trembled with their power.
The first vampire stepped into view.
Pale.
Red eyes glowing.
Then another.
And another.
An entire army.
Selena's chest tightened in fear.
Her mother pulled her back.
"Don't look," she whispered.
But Selena couldn't stop.
The battle began in an instant.
Claws met steel.
Fangs met flesh.
The air filled with growls and screams.
Selena's father lunged forward, tearing through the first wave of attackers.
He was unstoppable.
Fierce.
Terrifying.
But the vampires…
They kept coming.
More than expected.
Too many.
Selena's heart pounded.
Something felt wrong.
This wasn't a random attack.
It was planned.
Coordinated.
A trap.
A loud crash echoed nearby.
Selena turned just in time to see one of the pack warriors fall.
Blood spread across the ground.
Her breath hitched.
"Mom…"
Her mother pulled her closer.
"We have to go."
Selena resisted.
"No! Dad—"
"He'll follow."
Her mother's voice was firm.
But Selena saw it.
The fear in her eyes.
They began to move toward the back of the clearing.
But before they could escape—
A figure landed in front of them.
Fast.
Silent.
Deadly.
A vampire.
Different from the others.
Stronger.
His presence alone felt suffocating.
Selena froze.
Her wolf trembled.
The vampire's gaze moved between them.
Calculating.
Cold.
Her mother stepped in front of her instantly.
"Run," she whispered.
Selena shook her head.
"No—"
"Run!"
The command snapped through her.
Selena turned and ran.
Tears blurred her vision as she pushed through the trees.
Behind her—
She heard the fight.
Her mother's cry.
The clash of power.
Selena's chest burned.
Her legs moved faster.
But then—
She felt it.
A presence behind her.
Closing in.
Fast.
Too fast.
Selena stumbled.
Fell.
She turned—
And saw him.
The vampire.
Standing over her.
Red eyes glowing in the darkness.
She couldn't move.
Fear locked her in place.
The vampire raised his hand—
And then—
A blur of motion.
Another figure appeared.
Faster.
Stronger.
The vampire was thrown aside violently.
Selena gasped.
Her vision blurred.
She tried to focus.
To see.
The second figure stood between her and the attacker.
Tall.
Dark.
Powerful.
She couldn't see his face clearly.
Only his eyes.
Crimson.
Then—
Darkness.
Selena's eyes snapped open.
She was back in the palace.
Her breath came in sharp gasps.
Her body trembled.
The memory lingered.
Fresh.
Painful.
Real.
Tears slid silently down her temples.
She sat up slowly, her chest rising and falling.
"No…"
Her voice shook.
"That wasn't how I remembered it…"
Her hands clenched tightly.
Something had changed.
Something important.
Her memories…
They weren't complete.
Because she remembered the attack.
The fire.
The destruction.
But that moment—
That second figure—
That vampire who saved her—
She had never seen him before.
Or…
She had forgotten.
Her heart began to pound harder.
Crimson eyes.
A presence that felt familiar.
Selena's breath hitched.
"No…"
Her mind raced.
"That's impossible…"
But deep down…
She already knew.
There was only one person in the palace with that kind of presence.
One person who moved like that.
One person with those eyes.
Adrian.