Nightfall
The night pulsed with a thousand flickering lights as Lunaria's ancient streets hummed with electric energy. Golden and silver lanterns floated like captured stars, bathing the city in ethereal glow while incense mingled with distant laughter and rhythmic drums that matched the crowd's heartbeat.
"Stick close, girls," Mama's voice cut through the chaos, firm but warm. Her watchful eyes scanned the massive crowd pressing around them like a tide. The Neon Moon Festival drew the entire city into its magnetic orbit—no ordinary celebration, but a night when destinies revealed themselves.
Zirelle's eyes sparkled with innocent wonder. "It's beautiful," she breathed, reflecting the kaleidoscope of lanterns.
Dancers twirled under moonlight, their fluid movements weaving sacred prayers to the Moon Goddess. Music floated through the air, touching every soul as they found their spot near the square's heart—where the Seeker Ceremony would forge bonds beneath watching stars.
"Mama, I'll be back," Anna said quietly, rising with practiced ease that masked her inner turmoil.
"Where are you going?" Amara's voice held gentle concern.
"Bathroom," Anna mumbled, hurried words hiding the unease coiling in her stomach.
"Do you know your way?"
Zirelle didn't look away from the festivities. "She's not a child," she said with quiet confidence.
Before Anna could step away, a familiar voice sliced through the air like a blade.
"I'll take her."
Anna's pulse skyrocketed. Cold shivers crawled down her spine as her blood turned to ice.
*Majesty.*
Amara smiled, unaware of the storm brewing. "That's thoughtful of you."
Majesty didn't wait for permission. His iron grip closed around Anna's wrist, dragging her into the shadows of a narrow alley.
"Let go," Anna hissed, but his hold only tightened.
"Stay still, little sis," he murmured dangerously. "Let's not cause a scene."
Fear and defiance warred in her chest. "What will you do?"
His cruel smirk flashed with twisted possession. "Kiss you."
Horror froze Anna mid-breath. "You're insane."
"Humans care about titles," he sneered. "Werewolves don't. Alphas marry sisters to preserve bloodlines."
The words ignited fierce rebellion. "I'm not your breeding toy. I don't want this."
"You don't get a choice, Anna. You're mine."
Her heart clung to desperate hope: *Not for long. Once I meet my true mate, I'll be free.*
He leaned closer, breath cold against her skin. "Even your mate won't save you."
Her heart plummeted. "What are you saying?"
His voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "I'll kill him."
Anna stared in disbelief. "You're joking."
A dark chuckle escaped his lips. "Find out. I'll be there tonight."
He released her abruptly, pointing toward a nearby door. "There. Go do your thing."
*He's bluffing. He has to be.*
When Anna returned, Thane and Eli flanked Majesty in an impenetrable circle.
Eli's sharp smirk cut through the tension. "Look who it is."
He reached for Anna, but Majesty blocked him with effortless authority. "Don't touch her."
Eli's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Still possessive, huh?"
Suddenly, stones whizzed through the air. Majesty caught one mid-flight, shielding Anna like a living fortress.
A tall figure stepped from the shadows, eyes blazing with disdain. "Look who it is."
"Caius," Eli growled. "Not the time."
Caius sneered contemptuously. "Don't tell me what to do."
Majesty's tone sharpened to ice. "I'm not in the mood."
"You arrogant bastard," Caius spat. "Illegitimate or not, you think you're untouchable."
Another voice intervened—calm, commanding. "Let it go, Caius."
Majesty's cold smirk returned. "Done whining? Good. I've got better things to do."
Caius snarled. "Don't come back."
"Don't dare me... Prince Caius," Majesty shot back, voice dripping disdain.
The word "Prince" hung like a challenge. Anna's eyes locked on Majesty as another puzzle piece clicked into place.
---
## The Seeker Ceremony
Morgana lay flat on cool earth, the moon a silver sentinel casting a gentle glow over the vast field. Night air was thick with sage, lavender, and something wilder—magic's very breath. Every nerve tingled with anticipation and dread, her heartbeat hammering beneath the open sky.
A small vial passed between trembling hands—silver liquid swirling like captured starlight, said to guide souls through darkness and reveal fate. Morgana's fingers brushed the cool glass, but inside burned an irresistible promise.
She hesitated, every fiber screaming to pull away, but the pull was undeniable. With a shallow breath, she tipped the vial to her lips.
The liquid slid down like fire and light combined—ethereal burn that set her insides alight. It tasted like night itself: cold, sharp, infinite. Her throat clenched as heat spread through her chest like igniting stars.
Then, across the moonlit field, her gaze caught his.
Majesty stood like a shadow carved from silver and darkness, framed by pale moonlight. His sharp, calculating eyes locked onto hers with a weight that nearly buckled her knees. Moonlight kissed his skin, highlighting his dangerous smile—the one that haunted her dreams and nightmares. A smile promising storms and secrets, lethal charm twisting her insides.
*Don't look at him. Don't think about him.*
But her eyes betrayed her will.
He was the devil she hated. The danger she could never escape.
The potion burned through her veins like wildfire, igniting something ancient and fierce. She felt invisible threads weaving around her heart, pulling her toward a fate she wasn't ready to accept.
Before her thoughts could spiral further, darkness swallowed her vision. Sleep claimed her like a gentle thief.
---
Morgana's eyes fluttered open to vast emptiness. The sacred field had vanished like smoke, leaving only a hollow void. Above, the moon hung too bright, too alive—no longer a soft guardian but a glaring sentinel stripping away warmth.
Then it hit her—an unexpected, piercing scent: cedarwood. Sharp, ancient, unmistakable. It clawed at memory, bringing floods of feelings she barely dared touch. A marker, a tether to something real amid the void.
Panic blossomed in her chest. "Hello?" Her voice cracked, desperate. "Is anyone there?"
Only echoing doubt answered, swallowed by nothingness.
*What if there was no one? No mate waiting? No soul intertwined with hers?*
The terrifying thought twisted in her gut. What if she was meant to walk alone, forever untethered?
---
Majesty stood alone in the shadowed night, cool air biting his skin. He didn't want anyone here. Solitude was his sanctuary, the only space where he could keep the world's expectations at bay.
Then came a voice: "Hello? Is anyone there?"
Soft but certain, a ripple he recognized like a secret whispered to his soul.
"Majesty," breathed a woman's voice from behind—fragile yet powerful, a prayer woven with ancient weight.
He spun around, heart pounding. She glowed with otherworldly light, power radiating in raw, untamed waves.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"Some call me the Moon Goddess. You may call me Selene."
The name sent chills up his spine. "You told me I couldn't have a mate. Why now?"
"I changed my mind."
The simple sentence landed like a grenade. "You don't get to decide my fate." He snapped angrily
"But I already have. The bond is sealed."
Defiance burned in his chest. "I reject her."
"You can't. She won't feel the mate bond—but you will. Her pain you will share. If she dies, you die."
His chest tightened, breath caught between shock and denial. "You may have been a mistake."
Selene's expression softened. "You may hate me now, but I've seen who you truly are. I never make mistakes, Majesty."
She vanished, leaving him with a pounding heart and inescapable fate.
---
Morgana's chest heaved with sobs. "Why can't I just have a normal life?" Tears burned hot and relentless, every breath a ragged gasp of defiance.
Through suffocating silence came a familiar voice: "I believe you were looking for me... little sis."
Her breath caught. She turned slowly, heart thundering.
*No. It couldn't be.*
But there he was.
"Majesty," she whispered, shaking with disbelief and fear.
"Tell me this isn't real," she begged stepping backwards. "Please, let this be a mistake."
"Anna, I—"
"Don't call me that! Why does it have to be you?"
Years of pain poured out in that anguished cry. "I can't be your mate. I hate you."
His smile was cold, distant—like a blade's edge. "You may hate me now, but you can't escape this, Anna. The bond is unbreakable."
"I won't be your pawn." She stumbled back, heart pounding with raw defiance.
His eyes darkened like a brewing storm. "Then you'll suffer. Both of us."
The words hit with breathless force—not just threat but prophecy.
She shook her head. "I'll never accept you."
His voice dropped to an icy whisper. "Then we both will burn."
The final words cut like a blade, leaving a hollow ache. She was trapped between hatred and something darker—an inescapable destiny threatening to consume them both. The unbreakable bond was a tightening noose, and no resistance could stop the fire burning between them from spreading, consuming everything they thought they knew.