Chapter 2 2

The fire crackled softly in the hearth of the cabin, but Selene barely felt its warmth. Wrapped in a wool blanket, she sat in silence on the edge of the bed, eyes distant, mind racing. The mark on her collarbone pulsed faintly beneath her shirt- a reminder of the twin bond now seared into her soul.

Two mates. Two fates.

And no idea how to survive either one.

She heard the door creak behind her.

"Thought I'd find you awake," Andrew said, stepping into the room.

He looked tired. Shadows clung to his eyes like the weight of the world hadn't given him a moment of rest. His shirt was slightly torn at the shoulder, a reminder of the fight in the woods, but he hadn't bothered changing. That was Andrew-battle-worn and always ready for the next one.

"You should sleep," Selene murmured, still not looking at him.

"So should you," he replied. He crossed the room and sat on the floor in front of her, arms resting on his knees. "But neither of us will, will we?"

She shook her head slowly. "How long have you known about the prophecy?"

Andrew hesitated. "Years. Our father found an old scroll buried beneath the ruins of the First Pack's Temple. It spoke of a girl born under an eclipsed moon. Marked by fate. Claimed by two."

Selene's throat tightened. "Claimed. Like I'm some prize to be fought over."

Andrew looked up at her, jaw clenched. "You're not a prize, Selene. But you are important. More than you know. Your wolf... she's unlike anything I've ever felt. When I found you in the woods tonight, something inside me shifted."

She leaned forward, whispering, "Shifted how?"

His eyes darkened. "I felt fear. Not for myself. For you. And I don't feel that. Not even in war."

Selene reached down, brushing his hair back from his forehead. "You carry too much."

"So do you," he said, catching her wrist gently.

They stayed there, the bond humming between them, neither moving. Neither speaking.

Until Andy's voice cut through the moment.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, standing at the threshold. "But we need to talk."

Andrew stood, stiffening. "Now?"

Andy nodded. "Now."

Selene sighed, already sensing the storm brewing between them. "Can we at least try to speak without bloodshed?"

Andy raised a brow. "That depends on him."

Andrew growled low. "Don't push me tonight, Andy."

"Then don't make it so easy," Andy snapped.

Selene stood, placing herself between them. Again.

"This isn't helping," she said. "I'm barely holding myself together and watching the two of you tear into each other isn't making it easier."

Andy's gaze softened. "We're not trying to fight, Selene. But things are moving fast. Too fast. And I think you deserve the truth."

She narrowed her eyes. "What truth?"

He glanced at Andrew, then back at her. "About your birth."

They sat around the cabin's table, a map spread before them, candlelight casting shadows across the parchment. Andy pointed to a mountain range to the east-rugged, almost impossible to traverse.

"Wolfsbane Ridge," he said. "No one goes there. Not unless they want to vanish."

Selene folded her arms. "What does that have to do with me?"

Andrew answered, voice low. "That's where you were born."

She blinked. "What?"

"Your parents were part of a forgotten bloodline. The Solari," Andy explained. "They were gifted-part wolf, part something else. Something older. Some say descended from the Moon Goddess herself."

Andrew continued, "They were slaughtered. Every last one. Except a baby girl smuggled out by a healer who knew what she was."

Selene's heart thundered. "You're saying I'm... Solari?"

Andy nodded. "The last of your line."

"That's why those things came for you in the forest," Andrew added. "You're not just a mate. You're a key. To what, we don't know. But others are already looking for you. And they won't stop."

Selene's head spun. It felt like her entire identity had cracked wide open. A nobody Omega abandoned at birth was now the last of a powerful bloodline with a bond to two Alphas and a prophecy carved in moonlight.

She stood abruptly. "I need air."

Before either brother could stop her, she was out the door and into the night.

The sky was velvet-black, stars scattered like shattered crystal. The moon hung low, crimson around the edges, like it bled for her too.

Selene ran a hand through her hair and walked toward the edge of the cliff behind the cabin. From here, the forest stretched endlessly, and wind howled through the trees like the world itself grieved.

Moments later, she sensed him.

Andy.

"I told him not to follow you," he said gently. "Figured you'd prefer the quiet one this time."

She let out a soft laugh. "I'm not sure I have a preference anymore. Between fire and frost, how does a girl choose?"

Andy stepped beside her, hands in his pockets. "You're not just choosing between us, Selene. You're choosing the kind of leader you'll be. The kind of queen."

She turned to him. "I don't want to rule."

His eyes held hers. "But you were born to."

He moved closer, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "You're stronger than you know. And no matter what happens, I'll protect you. Even if you don't choose me."

Her heart ached at the softness in his voice.

"I don't want to hurt either of you," she whispered.

"You might," Andy said, "but we're big boys. We'll heal."

"But the bond..."

Andy gave a small, sad smile. "The bond will survive. Even if we don't."

He leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead, lingering a moment longer than necessary.

Then he stepped back, leaving her alone under the stars.

Back inside, Andrew paced like a caged animal, fury simmering in his blood. He'd felt it-the moment Andy touched her. The kiss. The pull.

He clenched his fists.

Not because he was jealous.

Because he was afraid.

Not of losing her...

...but of what he might become if he did.

----

The next morning broke cold and gray. Storm clouds lingered on the horizon, and the usual sounds of birdsong were oddly absent. Selene stood at the window of the cabin, watching mist roll over the forest floor like ghostly fingers creeping closer.

Something was coming.

Something that made her wolf pace anxiously beneath her skin.

She turned as the cabin door creaked open behind her. This time, it was Andrew.

"You didn't come back last night," he said softly.

"I needed to think," she replied, not meeting his eyes.

A long pause stretched between them.

Andrew crossed the room slowly. "You know... when we were little, Andy used to have nightmares. He'd sneak into my bed and pretend he wasn't scared. But I could always feel his hands shaking."

Selene turned toward him. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because when we met you, that bond didn't just split between us. It tangled everything. My loyalty to him, to our pack, to myself... it all shifted. I'm not just scared of losing you, Selene. I'm scared of what losing us might do to him."

She walked toward him, heart heavy. "And what about you? You act like he's the only one who matters."

Andrew's eyes darkened. "You both matter."

Selene's voice cracked. "Then why does it feel like choosing either of you means breaking the other?"

Andrew stepped forward. "Because it might."

He was close now-close enough for her to feel the heat rolling off him, the raw power coiled just beneath his skin.

"But I'm not going to ask you to choose yet," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "Not until you're ready. Not until you know what you want."

Selene blinked up at him, and for a moment, the world fell away. No prophecy. No danger. Just her, him, and the bond that pulsed between them like a second heartbeat.

Then a knock shattered the moment.

Andy stood in the doorway, a grim look on his face.

"You need to come see this. Both of you."

The three of them stood on the edge of a clearing deep in the woods.

Before them: destruction.

Trees blackened and scorched. The earth cracked open and steaming. Symbols burned into the dirt in a language none of them recognized.

Andrew crouched low, fingers brushing one of the sigils. "Ritual markings. Blood magic."

Andy circled the clearing, his expression stormy. "This wasn't random. Someone summoned something here."

Selene stood frozen, staring at the scorch marks.

Her wolf pressed hard against the edges of her skin, restless. Uneasy.

Suddenly, the wind shifted.

A whisper rose from the markings-no sound, but a feeling. Cold. Hollow. Ancient.

Then Selene's vision blurred.

The trees dissolved. The twins' voices vanished. And she was somewhere else.

Standing in a grand temple of white marble and silver. Moonlight poured through a skylight shaped like a crescent. Shadows flickered in the corners-watching. Waiting.

A voice echoed in her mind.

"Choose your king, or awaken your god."

Selene gasped.

The vision shattered.

She collapsed to her knees, clutching her head.

Both brothers were at her side in an instant.

"Selene-what happened?" Andrew asked.

She looked up, eyes wide. "I saw it again. The temple. The moonlight. And the voice-same as before."

Andy helped her stand, voice urgent. "What did it say?"

Her lips parted, the words tasting like ash. "Choose your king... or awaken your god."

Andrew's face went pale. "That confirms it."

"Confirms what?" she asked.

Andy answered for him. "If you don't choose one of us-if your heart doesn't anchor this bond-it could trigger something ancient. Something buried deep in the bloodlines. A power we were never meant to touch."

Selene stared at them, fear blooming in her chest. "Then what am I? A ticking time bomb?"

"No," Andrew said fiercely. "You're the only thing holding the balance."

Andy added, "And that's why they're coming for you."

She swallowed hard. "Who?"

The brothers exchanged a look.

"The Blood Priests," Andy whispered. "The ones who cursed the Solari in the first place. We thought they were long dead."

Andrew's jaw clenched. "If they're back... they'll want to finish what they started."

Selene felt her knees weaken.

The twins caught her before she fell.

That night, Selene sat outside the cabin alone again, knees drawn to her chest.

She stared at the stars, wondering if the Moon Goddess was watching.

Wondering if she'd made a mistake giving Selene a choice at all.

Behind her, she sensed Andy's presence-but this time, Andrew was beside him.

No more tension. No cold glares.

Just quiet solidarity.

They sat on either side of her, not saying a word.

And for the first time in days, Selene didn't feel alone.

She felt like the eye of a storm-

-calm before the chaos.

But deep down, she knew... The storm hadn't even begun.