Chapter Eighteen
Selene’s POV:
Ashridge was a mausoleum of power–cold, echoing, built to contain wolves and remind them of their place. But tonight, as I slipped through its ancient veins, it felt like a living thing. Breathing. Watching. Waiting
I couldn’t sleep Not after seeing herl
Lyra Or a ghost of her.
I replayed it over and over: the soft turn of golden hair, the sway of her walk, the way my soul had catch up. But when I ran after her, there had been nothing. No scent. No sound. No trace.
Madness, maybe. Or a memory so desperate it made phantoms out of shadows.
d recognized her before my mind could
But I knew what I saw She was here. Somewhere inside this cursed fortress. And if she was alive, it changed everything 3.
I walked barefoot, the chill of the stone bleeding into my skin. The hallways twisted like the guts of a beast, leading nowhere and everywhere. Tapestries rustled like they had secrets to spill. My fingers brushed the wall as I moved, anchoring me to something real My heart was loud in my chest. I wasn’t just walking toward her! was walking toward purpose. Toward war
The southern wing was older than the rest of the fortress. Dust coated the walls like a second skin. I passed rusted armor stands, doors long nailed shut, rooms that whispered of forgotten things. No guards. No servants. No light
Just silence. And yet, something buzzed beneath it. A hum in my bones, low and electric,!!
Magic. Old. Bitter There was a door at the end of the corridor–different from the others. Reinforced. Sealed fight with iron bolts and symbols etched into the frame. My breath caught as I stepped closer. The scent hit me then.!!
Faint But familiar.Lavender Lyra.
I reached out, but before i could touch the handle, a voice cracked the stillness behind me.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
| tumed slowly.It was a boy. No older than sixteen. He wore the Ashridge guard uniform, but his stance was wrong. Nervous. His eyes darted to the door behind me and then back to my face.X
“What’s behind it?” I asked quietly
He hesitated I stepped closer. “Do you know who I am?”
He nodded. “Selene of Stormveil. The one who killed her cousin and took her mate.”
My lips twitched. “Then you know not to lie to me. “Z
He swallowed. His hands trembled.
“They said no one comes here,” he whispered. “That the girl inside was a danger to the order.”
My heart stopped.
“So she is alive.”
He flinched
“Please,” he said. “They’ll kill me if they know I told you anything?
I looked at him. This trembling boy caught in a game too big for his years
“Then nun,” I said. “And forget you saw me.”
But now I had confirmation. She
He did I didn’t try the door. Not yet I didn’t know what would trigger the magic, what alarms would sound. But was here. Hidden Locked away like some cursed relic !
Why? What did she know?What did she see?l made my way back to my chambers in the western wing, blood thrumming in my ears. But as I turned the final comer, I stopped dead.
Kade stood by my door, arms crossed, face carved from stone.!!
“Out for a walk” he asked.
I said nothing!
He studied me. “You look different”
“You always say that when you can’t read me
A muscle jumped in his jaw. “What did you see?
So he knew
“Do you care?” I asked. “Or are you here to stop me before I stir too many ghosts?”
He stepped closer, voice low “Selene, this place isn’t what it seems. You think I have power here? I’m a prisoner with a bigger cage “Then help me open it”
He looked away and I saw it then–the fracture in him. The war behind his eyes. He wasn’t lying Not entirely
“If they’re hiding her” I said, “then she’s dangerous to them. And that makes her valuable to me
“She’s not the only one in danger now”
His eyes met mine. There was something
11:01 AM c d
“They offered you the title of consort” he said. “You could have stayed quiet. Played the role. But you keep digging. They won’t tolerate it much longer“_
I stepped close enough to feel his breath
“Then let them try to break me. I’ve been broken before.”
And I walked past him, into the room, closing the door on whatever passed between us.
I didn’t sleep. I sat by the fire until the flames died to embers, then paced until dawn began to claw at the sky!
When the knock came, I wasn’t surposed It wasn’t Kade
It was an Elder Tall, robed, eyes like glass.
“The council requests your presence.”
Of course they did
They waited in the stone chamber like kings playing at gods. All five. Their gazes heavy. Their silence heavier
“You were seen wandering the southem halls,” one said. “Do you deny i17′′)
“Why would I?” I asked. “I’m not ashamed of curiosity“:
“Curiosity can be dangerous, another muttered.!!
“So can secrets.”
The oldest among them leaned forward. “You have power, Selene. And potential. But you waste it on rebellion. On sentiment. We offer you safety. Prestige. A place at Kade’s side.”%
“As his whore. Silence fell like a sword.
“As his ally,” the Elder corrected. “If you accept, your loyalty will be rewarded. If you don’t.”
“You’ll kill me?” I laughed, low and bitter “Try”
They didn’t flinch. But I saw it. The shift. The fear Good Let them fear me.l turned to leave, but stopped at the door.
“You’re right” I said. “I do waste my potential. But not anymore.”
And I left before they could ask what that meant.
That night, I stood by the window of my room and watched the moon climb. My reflection stared back at me–hard d eyes, hollow cheeks, girl reshaped by fire and blood
They thought I came here to play a role.
They were wrong.I would tear this place down brick by brick. I would find Lyra. Free her. Burn their secrets. Expose their lies.
And when I was done, I would leave Ashridge as something more than a survivor would leave as a storm.
The wind howled outside.
And somewhere in the depths of the fortress, behind a sealed door, a girl whispered my name in the dark.
Lyra Hold on I’m coming.
