Selene POV
The car jolted to a stop, and I blinked as the familiar sight of the old stone manor ca into view. The safe house. I hadn’t seen it in years—not since the last ti there was chaos in Moon Whisper.
I glanced behind , at the girls who were huddled together, their faces drawn with fear they couldn’t quite articulate. The maids and nannies sat quietly, their eyes wide, waiting for soone—anyone—to tell them that everything was going to be okay.
I rocked my newborn son – I and Noah were yet to decide on a na, given everything that has been happening so far. We’ve not just had the ti.
I forced a smile, even though it felt brittle on my lips. "We’re here," I said, my voice soft, trying to inject so warmth into the words. "We’ll be safe now."
The children nodded, but their expressions didn’t change. They didn’t believe . Maybe they were right not to.
Kragen stepped out of the car first, then ca over to my door and opened it, offering this hand. I hesitated for a heartbeat, but then I took it, letting him help down.
As we walked toward the entrance, I couldn’t help but rember the last ti we had co here, seeking refuge. Moon Whisper had been teetering on the edge of destruction then, too—different faces, different threats, but the sa ominous sense of impending doom.
"I never thought I’d see this place again," I murmured, my voice barely louder than the rustle of the wind in the trees.
Kragen chuckled, a low, rough sound that sohow managed to hold both bitterness and amusent. "Neither did I," he said. "Funny how history seems to enjoy repeating itself, isn’t it?"
I glanced at him, my brow furrowing. "Do you ever wonder if we’ll survive this ti, too?"
His smile was thin, barely there, and for a mont, the weight of the world seed to hang between us, unspoken but undeniable. "I’ve learned not to make promises I can’t keep," he replied his tone light but with an edge that sent a chill down my spine. "But I’ll do what I can to make sure we do."
We reached the front of the house, and the heavy wooden door creaked open, revealing the familiar interior. It was exactly as I rembered—dark, quiet, with a kind of eerie stillness that always felt like it was waiting for sothing.
The nannies and maids ushered the children inside, and I followed, my eyes scanning the room as if expecting to see the ghosts of our past selves lingering in the shadows. It felt like stepping into a mory—a mory I wasn’t sure I wanted to relive.
Kragen stood beside , his presence a solid reminder that, despite everything, we were still here. Still fighting.
We walked further into the house, the others dispersing into their assigned rooms, and soon it was just the two of us standing in the main hall, the silence thick between us. I turned to him, searching his face for so sign of what he was thinking. He looked tired, the lines of stress etched into his features deeper than I’d ever seen before.
"We were here the last ti the world fell apart," I said, my voice soft, almost wistful. "Do you rember?"
Kragen smirked, glancing around the room as if it might sohow answer for him. "How could I forget? You insisted on redecorating half the place while we were holed up here. Said it wasn’t ’comfortable enough for a proper apocalypse.’"
A laugh escaped my lips, surprising with its suddenness. "And I was right. This place is a drafty old mausoleum."
His eyes flicked toward , amusent glinting there for a mont. "You were never one for modest accommodations."
I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Well, if I’m going to survive the end of the world, I’d rather do it in style."
Kragen chuckled, the sound warr this ti, less weighed down by the gravity of the situation. It was a brief reprieve from the tension that had been building between us for weeks. For just a mont, it felt like old tis—before everything had gone so wrong.
But the mont passed, and the shadows returned. His expression grew serious again, and I could see the change in his deanour before he even spoke.
"I need to tell you sothing," he said, his voice lowering to a near whisper.
My heart skipped a beat, the unease from earlier creeping back in full force. "What is it?"
Kragen paused as if weighing his words carefully. "The n who ca looking for you," he began slowly, "the ones Noah told us about—they weren’t just anyone."
A shiver ran down my spine. "Who were they?"
He hesitated for a mont longer, then finally spoke. "The Fates."
I stared at him, confusion swirling in my mind. "The Fates? You an the sa Fates who have been searching for you?
His expression darkened, his eyes locking onto mine. " Yes, Selene," he nodded "They’re not like us. Not like wolves, or even humans. They’re sothing older. Sothing... different and like my father said, filled with ancient traditions and laws. Now they walk in the mythical world, it ans trouble."
I felt a cold knot form in the pit of my stomach. "You think they ca for ?"
Kragen sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "They’re after you, Selene. They think you’re a threat. And if they ever get their hands on you, they’ll have your head."
I took a step back, my heart racing. "But why? What have I done?"
"You haven’t done anything. Not yet." Kragen’s voice softened, almost tender. "But they believe you will. They see things... things we can’t understand. And in their eyes, you’re dangerous."
I shook my head, disbelief warring with the fear rising inside . "That doesn’t make any sense. I’m not—"
"You don’t have to believe it," he interrupted his tone firm but not unkind. "But they do. And that’s enough."
I stared at him, trying to make sense of the madness he was telling . The Fates? Coming for ? It sounded like sothing out of a nightmare, and yet, the look in Kragen’s eyes told he believed every word of it.
"Kragen..." I began, my voice trembling. "Why are you telling this now?"
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached for the clasp of his shirt, pulling it open with slow, deliberate movents. My breath caught in my throat as he exposed his chest—his skin pale in the dim light of the safe house, but not like it used to be. There was sothing wrong. Sothing dark.
I gasped as I saw it—patches of his skin, twisting and writhing as if sothing was moving just beneath the surface. It was as if part of him was changing, shifting into sothing else. Sothing monstrous.
"What—what’s happening to you?" I whispered, taking an involuntary step back.
Kragen’s eyes were dark, unreadable as he t my gaze. "It’s already begun. The darkness inside ... it’s growing. I can feel it, every day, trying to take over. And it’s getting harder to fight."
I shook my head, my mind reeling. "No... no, you can’t—"
"I can’t stop it, Selene," he said quietly, his voice almost resigned. "The beast inside ... the urge to kill everything in my path... it’s getting stronger."
I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to stifle the sob that threatened to escape. "Kragen, please... you can’t—"
"You’ll be safe here," he interrupted, his voice calm as if he were discussing sothing mundane. "The safe house will open after 14 days. By then, the danger will have passed."
I shook my head, panic surging through . "Kragen, you can’t destroy the world. You can’t leave —"
"I won’t destroy the world," he said, and for the first ti, there was a flicker of warmth in his tone. "That’s not my plan."
"Then what?" I demanded, my voice rising. "What are you going to do?"
He smiled, but it was a sad smile, filled with sothing that looked like regret. "I’m going to find a way to end this. To stop the charade once and for all. And when I do... I hope that in my next life, I’ll be born as your mate."
I stared at him, the weight of his words sinking in slowly, like lead in water. He was saying goodbye. He was going to leave , to sacrifice himself for sothing I didn’t fully understand.
"No..." I whispered, shaking my head. "No, you can’t—"
But he was already moving toward the door, his expression set, determined. I reached out, grabbing his arm, trying to stop him. "Kragen, wait—"
He turned to , his eyes softening for just a mont as he looked at . "You’ll be safe here, Selene. That’s all that matters."
"No," I choked out, tears spilling down my cheeks. "You can’t leave . You can’t—"
But he was already gone, his hand slipping from mine as he stepped through the door. It closed behind him with a soft, final click, leaving standing there, alone, in the dark.
"Kragen!" I scread, rushing toward the door, and pounding on it with both hands. "No! Co back! Please!"
But it was too late. The door remained closed, and the only sound in the room was the echo of my sobs.
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