Chapter 5 Chapter 5
The Flight
Selena’s heart raced so fast, it felt like it would burst through her chest. Hunters? The word repeated over and over in her mind. They’re coming for me. My family. My bloodline.
Ryder’s hand grabbed her shoulder, urgent. “Selena, we need to move. Now.”
“I can’t… I can’t leave him,” I whispered, my eyes locked on Kael. He stood statuesque near the window, his eyes looked cold, but I could feel the storm of guilt, fear, and love swirling inside the surface. He was pretending. Pretending to be cold. Pretending to reject me in front of everyone. All to keep me alive?
“He’s counting on you to survive. That’s why he’s letting this happen.” He said. The words hit me like a whip. Kael—my mate, my heart, the man I trusted with everything—was sacrificing his own reputation, maybe even his kingdom, to save me. My chest burned with both anger and gratitude. Ryder pulled a hidden passage key from his robes.
“The servants’ corridors are empty tonight. I’ve cleared the patrols. We have minutes, maybe less.” I nodded, swallowing my panic. Every second counted. Every heartbeat could be my last in the palace. As we moved through the shadowed corridors, my mind replayed the announcement, the Moon Council’s words, Lyra’s cruel smile. The Last Daughter of the Ash Coven. Everything sounded like a dream.
I was supposed to be dead. I was supposed to be invisible, and I was supposed to be gone. And yet here I was, fleeing for my life with the Alpha King’s closest friend as my only guide.
“Ryder,” I whispered, hissing his name so low I almost didn’t hear it myself. “The Shadowlands… Kael… what if—” He cut me off with a sharp look. “Don’t think about that. Not now. Focus on staying alive.
Everything else comes later.” We reached the hidden corridor. I could feel the palace beneath us vibrating with the life of the capital, the distant echoes of celebrations long gone. Kael had left no one behind to protect me; every move he made was a calculated lie of rejection. He was counting on me to understand, even if I didn’t yet.
The corridor ended at a small, forgotten exit in the eastern wall. Ryder pushed the door open, revealing a moonlit courtyard. Shadows stretched long under the silver light. My heart leapt—freedom, but dangerous freedom.
“From here, the river trail leads to the Shadowlands,” Ryder said, scanning the perimeter. “It’s risky, but it’s the fastest way.”
I swallowed my fear and stepped forward. The air felt different, thick with tension and faint traces of magic. I could feel the pulse of the land—the old magic of the Lunar Dominion and the shadowed power beyond it. I had only ever read about it in forbidden scrolls, but now I'm going to face it for real.
We moved fast, sticking to the shadows. The city lights faded behind us, replaced by the cold, gray silence of the outer forest. My senses were on high alert. Every snap of a branch, every rustle in the trees, set my nerves on fire.
“Selena,” Ryder whispered behind me, pressing a hand to my back as we crouched behind a fallen log. “Assassin.”
My stomach dropped. My pulse went wild. My hands tingled with magic, ready to react. A figure moved, almost blending into the night, a deadly gleam of silver armor catching the moonlight.
I had only seconds. Run? Fight?
Ryder’s hand was on my wrist, pulling me behind him. I barely had time to cast a defensive barrier—a thin shield of light that shimmered over us. The assassin’s dagger hit it with a loud clang. Sparks flew.
“Faster!” Ryder hissed.
We sprinted. My legs burned. My chest heaved. I could hear the assassin gaining on us, moving with unnatural speed. My mind raced, thinking of Kael’s face, his distant eyes, the cold words that had been a lie to save me. I could almost feel his presence, the bond tugging at me, urging me forward.
The forest thickened. The river trail loomed ahead, dark and swift. Ryder leapt across a fallen tree, and I followed, landing awkwardly but managing to stay on my feet. The assassin stumbled at the jump, a curse leaving their lips.
But it wasn’t over. They were fast, too fast.
I raised my hands. Blood magic. The power surged inside me like wildfire, raw and untamed. The air thickened. The ground inside the assassin cracked and shifted, a web of silver light wrapping around them. They froze, eyes wide, struggling against the invisible force.
“Keep moving!” Ryder shouted, dragging me forward. We didn’t stop until the forest opened into a barren plain. Moonlight reflected off the river ahead, black and glinting like liquid glass. Safety—or at least a temporary reprieve—lay on the other side.
I collapsed to my knees, trembling. My hands ached from the magic. My heart ached for Kael. My mind ached with the weight of the secret I carried. Ryder knelt beside me, checking the perimeter. “We’re not safe yet. The Shadowlands are no joke. There are worse things than the Moon Council waiting.”
I nodded, shivering under the cold night sky. Somewhere out there, monsters, exiles, witches, and rogues roamed. Survival wasn’t guaranteed, and my path forward would be treacherous. And yet… in the distance, I could almost hear it: the pull of Kael’s bond, like a tether, guiding me, reminding me that no matter the danger, I was not alone. Not truly.
My hand brushed the river’s edge. The water reflected the moonlight, glinting like silver fire. Ahead lay the Shadowlands, unknown and perilous, but my only path.
I took a deep breath, standing taller despite my exhaustion. The hunt wasn’t over. The Moon Council had sent their hunters, but I would not go down just like that. Not while Kael—and my family—still needed me.
And as I stepped into the darkness of the Shadowlands, I could feel a whisper in the wind, almost like a promise: Run now, survive, and the fire of your blood will change everything.
From the shadows of the trees, a silver-clad Moon Council assassin emerges, dagger raised, eyes glowing with magical intent. I barely had time to react before the first strike landed.
