The body was still warm when they left it behind.
Selena didn't look back.
She couldn't.
Because if she did, she might allow the frustration, the anger, the helpless rage bubbling inside her to take control—and right now, she needed control more than anything.
The traitor had died too easily. Too quickly.
And worst of all… he had taken answers with him.
The palace loomed ahead of them as they crossed back over the wall, its towering structure bathed in the cold glow of the Blood Moon. What had once seemed like a fortress now felt like a cage—one filled with unseen enemies and shifting loyalties.
Selena's boots struck the stone floor with purpose as she strode through the courtyard. Guards rushed toward them, alerted by the disturbance, but one look at Adrian's expression sent them retreating into silence.
"Double the guards," Adrian ordered sharply. "No one enters or leaves the palace without my permission."
"Yes, Your Highness," they responded, bowing quickly before dispersing.
Selena didn't stop walking.
"Guards won't be enough," she said, her voice tight. "They're already inside. They've been inside."
Adrian matched her pace effortlessly. "I know."
Her jaw clenched. "Then we hunt them."
They moved straight to the chamber where the traitor had been held.
The broken chains still lay scattered across the floor, their faint magical glow now almost completely extinguished. Blood stained the stone, dark and drying, while the lifeless bodies of the guards had been removed.
Selena crouched slowly, her fingers brushing the fragments of the chains.
Her wolf stirred.
Not with anger this time—but with focus.
"Look," she murmured.
Adrian stepped closer. "What is it?"
She held up a tiny shard of blackened metal, no bigger than her fingernail. "This wasn't broken by strength alone. There's magic here… something old."
Adrian's eyes darkened. "The cult."
Selena nodded. "And not just any members. Someone powerful enough to break enchanted restraints."
Her mind raced.
The traitor hadn't escaped randomly.
This had been planned.
Calculated.
Which meant…
"They knew we would capture him," she said slowly.
Adrian's gaze sharpened. "And they were ready to silence him."
Selena rose to her feet, her pulse quickening. "That means we're not just dealing with spies."
"No," Adrian agreed. "We're dealing with a network."
The realization settled heavily between them.
This wasn't just one betrayal.
It was a system.
A web of secrets woven deep into the palace itself.
Selena turned, her silver eyes blazing with determination.
"Then we stop thinking like prey," she said.
Adrian tilted his head slightly. "And start thinking like hunters?"
A faint, dangerous smile touched her lips.
"Exactly."
The hunt began before dawn.
Selena refused to wait for daylight, refused to give their enemies even a moment to regroup.
She changed quickly into dark, fitted clothing, strapping her weapons into place with practiced ease. Her movements were sharp, precise—every motion fueled by purpose.
When she stepped back into the corridor, Adrian was already there.
Waiting.
Watching.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
There was something in his gaze—something deeper than strategy or concern. Something that lingered just beneath the surface, unspoken but undeniable.
"You're going after them," he said.
It wasn't a question.
Selena nodded. "They made a mistake tonight."
"And what mistake was that?"
Her eyes gleamed.
"They let me live."
They started in the lower levels of the palace.
The servants' corridors.
The forgotten passageways.
The places no noble would willingly go—but where secrets thrived.
Selena moved like a shadow, her senses stretched to their limits. Every sound, every scent, every shift in the air was cataloged and analyzed.
Her wolf guided her.
Leading her deeper.
Closer.
"Here," she whispered suddenly, stopping in the middle of a narrow corridor.
Adrian halted beside her. "What is it?"
She closed her eyes briefly, focusing.
"I can smell it," she said. "Blood… but not fresh. Old. And something else…"
Her nose wrinkled.
"Magic."
Adrian's expression hardened. "A meeting place?"
Selena opened her eyes.
"Yes."
They followed the trail to a hidden door tucked behind a faded tapestry.
It was subtle. Almost invisible.
But not to her.
Selena pressed her hand against the stone wall—and pushed.
The door slid open with a soft, grinding sound.
Darkness greeted them.
The room beyond was small. Circular.
And filled with symbols.
Selena stepped inside slowly, her breath catching.
The walls were covered in markings—ancient, twisted symbols that seemed to pulse faintly in the dim light. At the center of the room was a stone altar, stained dark with dried blood.
Adrian entered behind her, his presence tense.
"The cult," he said quietly.
Selena nodded.
"They've been meeting here."
Her wolf snarled.
This place was wrong.
Corrupted.
She moved toward the altar, her fingers brushing the surface.
And then—
A flash.
A vision.
Blood.
Screams.
A circle of hooded figures chanting beneath the Blood Moon.
And at the center—
A woman.
Silver eyes.
Power radiating from her like a storm.
Selena gasped, stumbling back.
Adrian caught her instantly.
"Selena!"
Her breathing was uneven, her heart racing.
"I saw… something," she whispered.
"What?"
She looked up at him, shaken.
"The ritual," she said. "The cult… they're preparing something bigger. Something tied to the Blood Moon."
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"And you?"
Selena hesitated.
"They were… watching me."
Silence filled the room.
Heavy. Suffocating.
"They know about you," Adrian said finally.
Selena nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Her wolf stirred uneasily.
"And they're not just watching."
She looked around the room again, her gaze hardening.
"They're waiting."
A sudden sound echoed from the corridor outside.
Footsteps.
Multiple.
Selena's head snapped toward the door.
"We're not alone."
Adrian stepped in front of her instinctively, his body tense.
"Stay close."
But Selena didn't move back.
Instead—
She stepped forward.
Right beside him.
"Together," she said firmly.
Adrian glanced at her.
And for a brief moment—
Something shifted.
Not just trust.
Something deeper.
Stronger.
The door burst open.
Figures flooded in.
Cloaked. Armed.
Eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
Cultists.
The fight exploded instantly.
Selena moved first.
Her dagger flashed, slicing through the air as she struck the nearest attacker. Her movements were faster now—sharper, more precise.
Something inside her had changed.
Awakened.
Adrian fought beside her, his strength overwhelming as he cut through their enemies with brutal efficiency.
But there were too many.
They kept coming.
Relentless.
"Behind you!" Adrian shouted.
Selena spun just in time to block an attack, her blade clashing against steel. She pushed forward, driving her opponent back before finishing him with a swift strike.
Her breath came fast now.
Her heart thundered.
Her wolf roared.
And then—
Something snapped.
A surge of power erupted from within her.
Not wild.
Not uncontrolled.
But ancient.
Deep.
Silver light flickered beneath her skin, her eyes glowing faintly as she moved with impossible speed.
The room fell silent for a split second.
Even the attackers hesitated.
Adrian saw it.
Felt it.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Selena…"
But she didn't respond.
She was already moving.
In seconds, the remaining cultists fell.
The room went still.
Dead silent.
Selena stood at the center, her chest rising and falling as the faint glow faded from her body.
Adrian approached slowly.
Carefully.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded, though her voice was quiet.
"I think so."
But her eyes…
Her eyes held something new.
Something neither of them fully understood.
The hunt wasn't over.
Not even close.
But now—
They knew the truth.
The enemy wasn't just hiding in the shadows.
They were preparing.
Watching.
Waiting.
And Selena…
Was at the center of it all.