Chapter 3 SHADOWCREST ALPHA
The howl lingered long after it faded into the distance.
Selene stood frozen, every muscle in her body taut as the sound echoed through her bones. It was not the wild call of a lone wolf or the territorial warning of a pack patrol.
This howl carried authority. Confidence. Ownership.
Someone powerful had felt her awakening.
Rex's expression hardened as he turned toward the cave entrance, his body angling subtly in front of Selene as though shielding her without making it obvious.
“That was not a scout,” he said quietly. “That was a summon.”
Selene swallowed.
“To whom?” she asked.
“To everyone loyal to Shadowcrest,” Rex replied. “And to anyone who fears what you are.”
The fire crackled softly behind them, unaware of the shift in the world outside. Selene’s heartbeat thudded steadily now, strong and controlled, though dread crept into her chest like cold fingers.
“They know I am alive,” she said.
“Yes,” Rex answered.
Selene clenched her fists.
“Then they must know I am coming.”
Rex turned to her sharply.
“No,” he said. “You know they are coming for you.”
Selene met his gaze, unflinching.
“They took my sister,” she said. “I will not hide while they torture her.”
Rex exhaled slowly, as though choosing his next words carefully.
“You do not yet understand Shadowcrest,” he said.
“They do not simply conquer. They collect. They break what they cannot bend and reshape what they can use.”
Selene felt something dark coil in her stomach.
“What are they doing to her,” she asked.
Rex did not answer immediately.
Instead, he moved deeper into the cave and retrieved a small bowl filled with dark liquid. He held it out to her.
“You need to feed,” he said.
Selene recoiled.
“No,” she said. “I will not drink blood.”
“You already crave it,” Rex replied calmly. “And denying it will only make you dangerous.”
She shook her head violently.
“I am not like them.”
“No,” Rex said softly. “You are worse. Or better. Depending on how you choose.”
Selene stared at the bowl, her senses betraying her as the scent reached her. Rich. Warm. Alive. Her mouth watered against her will, and shame flooded her immediately.
“I do not want this,” she whispered.
Rex stepped closer, lowering his voice.
“You do not want to lose control,” he corrected. “There is a difference.”
Her hands trembled as she took the bowl. She hesitated only a moment before lifting it to her lips.
The first taste sent a shock through her body, power surging like lightning through her veins. Her breathing steadied. The hunger eased, retreating into a manageable ache.
When she lowered the bowl, her vision felt clearer. Sharper.
Rex nodded.
“Well done,” he said. “Now listen.”
Far away, within the fortified walls of Shadowcrest Park, Diana knelt on cold stone.
Her wrists were bound with enchanted chains that burned against her skin whenever she struggled. Blood trickled from a cut on her forehead, her hair matted and tangled. Around her, towering pillars cast long shadows across the council chamber, lit by crimson torches that flickered like watching eyes.
She lifted her head as footsteps approached.
A figure emerged from the darkness, tall and imposing, draped in black and silver. His presence pressed against the room like weight, suffocating and absolute.
The Shadowcrest Alpha, Lucan.
“Still defiant,” he said mildly.
Diana glared at him through swollen eyes.
“Go to hell,” she spat.
He smiled.
“I already rule a version of it,” he replied.
He crouched in front of her, studying her face with unsettling fascination.
“You know,” he said, “you were never the prize.”
Diana’s heart skipped.
“She is,” he continued. “Your sister.”
“She is not my blood sister,” Diana snapped. “And she will never belong to you.”
Lucan rose slowly.
“She already does,” he said. “She just does not know it yet.”
Back in the forest, Selene stiffened suddenly.
She gasped, pressing a hand to her chest.
“What is wrong,” Rex asked.
“I felt her,” Selene whispered. “Diana. She is alive.”
Rex’s eyes widened slightly.
“A blood bond,” he murmured. “It has begun.”
Selene stared at him.
“What does that mean?”
“It means Shadowcrest is trying to use her to reach you,” Rex said grimly. “They are binding her pain to your senses.”
Selene’s breath hitched.
“They are hurting her,” she said, certainty flooding her voice.
Rex nodded.
“And they will not stop until you answer.”
Selene turned toward the cave entrance, resolve hardening her features.
“Then I will answer.”
Rex caught her arm.
“You are not ready,” he said. “Your power is raw. Untrained. If you walk into Shadowcrest territory now, they will overpower you.”
Selene pulled free.
“They will kill her if I wait.”
“They will kill you if you rush,” Rex countered.
A sudden wave of dizziness hit Selene, followed by an image that was not her own.
Chains.
Blood.
Diana screaming her name.
Selene cried out, dropping to her knees as the vision vanished.
Rex knelt beside her instantly.
“They are pushing the bond,” he said. “Testing you.”
Selene looked up at him, eyes blazing.
“Teach me,” she said. “Now.”
Rex studied her for a long moment, then nodded.
“Very well,” he said. “But understand this. Once we begin, there is no turning back.”
“I already crossed that line,” Selene replied.
Training began under the cover of darkness.
Rex pushed her relentlessly. He forced her to shift partially, teaching her how to summon the wolf without surrendering to it. He taught her how to move silently, how to strike precisely, how to listen beyond sound and see beyond sight.
She learned quickly.
Too quickly.
Power bent to her will as though it had always belonged to her. The vampire side gave her speed and control. The wolf gave her strength and instinct.
Together, they moved as one.
By dawn, Selene stood breathing hard, sweat and blood streaking her skin, her eyes glowing faintly.
“You are adapting faster than I anticipated,” Rex admitted.
Selene wiped blood from her mouth.
“I do not have much time,” she said.
A raven landed suddenly at the edge of the clearing, its eyes glowing unnaturally. A parchment was tied to its leg.
Rex stiffened.
“Do not touch it,” he warned.
The raven dropped the parchment at Selene’s feet and vanished into the trees.
Selene picked it up.
Her hands shook as she read.
“Come to Shadowcrest by the next moonrise. Come alone. Or the girl dies.”
At the bottom, a single symbol was etched in blood.
The Alpha’s mark.
Selene crushed the parchment in her fist.
“I am going,” she said.
Rex’s voice was low and dangerous.
“If you go alone,” he said, “you will walk into a trap prepared to enslave you.”
Selene lifted
her head, fire burning in her eyes.
“Then let them try,” she said.
In the distance, the crescent moon slipped higher into the sky.
And Shadowcrest Park prepared to receive its first hybrid queen.
