Chapter 8 Bloodlines and Betrayals

The moon hung thin in the night sky, a sharp sliver casting pale light over the forest. The air felt cold, heavier than usual, like it was pressing down on Selene's skin. She stood still, her breath coming out soft that moved in the chill. The trees around her swayed gently, but the forest was uncomfortably quiet.

Her heart hammered hard, and her hands trembled slightly. She didn't want to move. Not yet. Not while the memory of what she'd just seen pressed deep inside her chest. Kieran - her father - alive and standing there in the shadows. The man she'd mourned for years. The man she thought was gone.

Her eyes blinked, hoping the vision would fade. But it didn't. He was real. And closer than she had ever dared imagine.

"Why?" Her voice broke, soft and trembling. "Why did you leave me?"

Kieran's face was tight, unreadable, like he'd been holding back words for a long time. His eyes showed pain and regret, but beneath that was something darker - a secret he wasn't ready to share.

"I had no choice," he said quietly. "I had to disappear. It was the only way to keep you safe."

Selene's chest tightened. "Safe? You left me alone. You let me face everything by myself."

He said nothing. The silence between them was thick, almost choking.

Dorian stepped beside her, his hand firm on her back. His dark eyes stayed locked on Kieran, burning with warning and suspicion. He didn't trust this man, and Selene wasn't sure she did either.

Kieran glanced at Dorian, then back at Selene. "There's more you need to know," he said carefully.

Selene opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Lyra slipped silently from the shadows. Her movements were smooth, like a cat's. Her eyes were cold, sharp as blades.

Selene's skin prickled. She didn't trust Lyra. Never had. Lyra's calm voice held weight as she spoke. "It's not just about safety. There's a reason you were hidden all these years."

Selene's breath caught. "What reason?"

Kieran took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Your blood... it's different. You carry the mark of the first alpha."

Selene shook her head, disbelief hitting her hard. "I'm just me. Just a girl trying to survive."

Lyra's eyes narrowed. "You're more than that. Much more. There is power inside you. Old power. They want it."

Dorian's voice cut in, firm and protective. "Sounds like stories to scare you."

"It's not stories," Kieran said. His voice was low and steady. "They're coming for you. For your bloodline."

Selene swallowed hard. "Who?"

Kieran's gaze darkened. "Old enemies. They want to start a war. And you hold the key."

Before anyone could say more, a sharp noise snapped through the night air. A branch cracked beneath heavy feet.

Everyone tensed.

Shadows moved at the edge of the clearing - fast, silent, deadly.

Dorian pushed Selene behind him. "Get down," he ordered.

Before she could react, a figure lunged from the shadows. Dorian caught it with a grunt, wrestling the attacker to the ground. Selene's heart thundered.

More shadows slid forward, eyes glowing faint gold in the dark.

Kieran drew his blade with a sharp hiss, eyes steeling. Lyra was at his side, hands clenched, ready to fight.

Selene's breath caught in her throat. She gripped Dorian's hand, fingers tight and shaking. "I'm not afraid," she whispered, though her voice trembled.

The fight erupted around them like a storm. Blades flashed and clashed. Growls were heard all over. The attackers moved with deadly grace and fierce purpose.

Selene ducked under a swipe, her side hurting badly where the attacker had grazed her. Pain flared, but she didn't pay any attention to it.

Dorian fought fiercely, each strike rendered was sharp and strong, filled with desperation and raw power.

Suddenly, a deep roar ripped through the trees. The earth seemed to shake thoroughly .

Selene was still.

From the shadows stepped a massive wolf. Its fur was black as the night, eyes burning gold like embers.

This was no ordinary wolf.

The beast's gaze locked onto Selene, deep and knowing. Its voice rumbled through the clearing, low and thunderous.

"You carry the blood of the first alpha. Your choice will shape what comes next."

Selene's breath caught. She looked at Dorian, then at Kieran. Her heart pounded loud in the silence.

The wolf stepped closer, slow and deliberate. "You must choose. Embrace your power or watch your world fall."

Before she could answer, the creature vanished into the night, melting into the shadows like smoke.

The attackers fled too, into the dark .

The clearing was still again.

Selene sank to her knees, pressing her hand to the burning pain in her side. Dorian crouched beside her, worry shadowing his strong face.

"You're hurt," he said quietly.

"I'm fine," she said, but the ache was sharp and deep.

Kieran stepped forward, his voice firm. "This is real. You are not just caught in the middle."

Lyra watched her closely. Her eyes flickered with something new - fear or respect, Selene couldn't tell.

The world shifted beneath her feet. The weight of the choice ahead pressed down hard.

She looked from Dorian to Kieran to Lyra. Her breath caught in her throat.

Suddenly, a new voice broke the silence.

"Selene."

She spun around.

A figure stepped into the moonlight. Tall, slender, with eyes colder than the night.

Her mother.

The woman Selene had thought lost forever.

Alive.

Shock slammed through her like a tidal wave. Questions exploded in her mind. How? Why? What had happened all these years?

Her mother's gaze was steady. "You don't know everything," she said softly.

Selene's voice trembled. "Where have you been? Why did you leave me?"

Her mother took a step forward. "There are things you need to understand. Things that go beyond you and me."

The night seemed to hold its breath.

Dorian's hand tightened on Selene's. "What is going on?" he asked, eyes sharp.

Her mother's eyes flicked to him. "You don't know who she really is. And neither do you."

Selene felt the world tilt, everything she believed shaking.

"I'm sorry I disappeared," her mother said. "But I had to protect you. From a secret that could destroy us all."

Selene's mind raced. What secret? What danger?

Kieran's jaw clenched. "It's time the truth came out."

Suddenly, the forest seemed to close in. The night became darker, heavier.

From the shadows, a figure came forward approaching us - tall, strong, cloaked in darkness.

Selene started breathing nervously, her heart pounding heavily in her chest. Her body tensed.

The stranger's voice was cold, sharp. "The blood of the first alpha runs through you. That blood will either save or doom us all."

The forest held its silence.

Selene's eyes met her mother's. "Tell me everything," she said, voice firm.

Her mother nodded slowly. "I will. But first, you must choose. Power or peace."

The choice burned bright.

Selene looked at the faces around her - Dorian, Kieran, Lyra, her mother - each holding pieces of the puzzle she never knew existed.

The night was far from over.

And her real fight was only just beginning.