*The moon chooses no side—but it always leaves consequences.*
The great obsidian doors of the Hall of Elders creaked open with a groan that echoed down the arched corridors. A cold wind swept through, carrying with it the heavy scent of ancient incense and authority. Prince Kael stepped inside, his shoulders squared, his face carved from stone, though tension rippled under his skin like a storm waiting to break.
The hall was large, circular in design, its high domed ceiling, painted with fading depictions of the Moonbond: lovers entwined under the gaze of twin moons, wolves and humans kneeling in harmony, and others with fire, blood, and ruin.
Twelve thrones lined the perimeter, each one occupied by a cloaked figure. Elders of the Seven Clans, the oldest governing body in the kingdom. They had ruled long before Kael's father wore a crown. And they would likely still be whispering power long after Kael was gone.
"You were summoned yesterday, Your Highness," barked Elder Mordric, rising slightly from his throne, voice brimming with contempt. His white beard flowed down to his lap, but nothing about the man seemed soft. "And yet you arrive now, dragging rumors at your heels."
Kael didn't flinch. Of course, nothing stays hidden in this palace.
"I was detained. By something greater than council meetings." He said.
"Do not speak to this council of greatness, boy," said Lady Veyra, the sharpness in her voice cutting through the air. Her eyes, glass-blue and unblinking studied Kael like he was a puzzle to be solved or a disease to be cured.
"I brought her here under my protection," Kael said. "She saved a child from my own men, fought without killing, and survived wounds that would've ended some one if not cared for. When I touched her, the bond activated. It wasn't a myth. It's real. The Moonbond has returned."
A heavy silence fell. Torches flickered Anxiously against the wind that crept in through unseen cracks.
"You realize what you're saying?" Theron, the eldest of the council, rasped. "You claim the ancient attachment. The cursed bond that has caused wars, insanity, and exile for centuries."
"I didn't claim anything," Kael said. "I'm telling you what happened."
Mordric stood fully now. "Then she must be destroyed before the curse spreads again. Before she turns you mad or destroys you like they all did in the past."
"Enough," Kael snapped, his patience thinning. "You speak of her like she's a weapon. She's not. She's....." He stopped
"She's something else."
"You grow too fond too quickly," Veyra said, eyes narrowing. "The Moonbond does not bring love, Kael. It brings obsession. Possession. If she has power over you, she can destroy everything your family built."
Kael clenched his fists, holding in the anger threatening to rise. "She's not a threat. But this council is, if you continue to act out of fear and superstition."
"Then bring her before us," Theron said slowly. "Let her speak for herself. Let us see the bond."
"No," Kael said immediately, surprising even himself. "Not yet. She's healing. She's confused. And if she sees the inside of this room now, she'll think she's on trial."
"She is on trial," Mordric muttered.
But Kael was already turning away. "Then hold it without me."
He left the hall in silence, boots echoing across stone, the weight of twelve judging eyes burning into his back.
🔹🔹🔹
EAST WING OF THE PALACE
Selene lay on the stone floor, but sleep never came. The walls felt like they were closing in, elegant though they were. Gold-trimmed stone, fine silks, embroidered curtains—it all felt fake, like a cage wrapped in luxury. Like a poisoned apple.
The pain in her ribs had dulled, thanks to a healer who barely spoke a word. But the ache in her chest, that tight, confusing pull that started the moment Kael touched her, still throbbed.
She was bonded. Somehow.
And she hated it.
She should've run the moment he spared her. But something in his eyes had stilled her, commanding yet stormy, as if he was at war with himself. The prince who called her dangerous had also carried her in his arms like she was brittle.
She didn't want to feel anything for him.
He was the enemy. The son of the monarchy that had exiled her kind, that had sent patrols into the mountains to hunt them like animals.
But the bond, it didn't care about politics.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
She sat up instantly, hand moving inside her clothes where she kept the blade stolen from a distracted guard earlier.
The door creaked open. Not Kael.
A woman entered, tall, with a scar running from her cheekbone to her collar. Her armor was clean but worn, her posture sharp.
"Selene of the Forsaken," the woman said.
"Who are you?" Selene asked warily.
"I'm Captain Arin. I'm not here to investigate you. I came because I've seen what that bond does to strong men. And I want to make sure the prince doesn't fall because of you."
"Then you've come to the wrong room," Selene said coolly. "I don't want him. Or the bond."
Arin studied her for a long moment. "You speak like someone who's already seen what it can destroy."
"I have." She lied. She had only seen it in books or heard stories.
The captain's tone softened, just slightly. "Then maybe you'll survive this place. Maybe. But this palace isn't what it seems. Neither are the people in it. Including him."
She handed Selene something wrapped in cloth. Selene opened it carefully, inside was a small map and a key.
"What's this?"
"A way out, if things go south. Keep it hidden."
Selene stared. "Why would you help me?"
Arin hesitated at the door. "Because your people weren't always our enemies. And maybe the moons are trying to fix what we broke."
Then she left, silent as mist.
Selene sat back on the bed, the map trembling in her hands. She didn't trust this place.
But maybe… she wasn't completely alone.
🔹🔹🔹
THAT NIGHT
Kael stood on his balcony, looking at the sky. The stars were distant. The moons hung low, heavy with ancient secrets.
In the quiet, he whispered to the wind, "What are you, Selene?"
And far below, in the dungeon filled with silence, Selene whispered the same.
"What are you, Kael?"
To be continued...