"My Luna…"
The voice echoed inside my mind like a heartbeat.
Deep.
Ancient.
Male.
And terrifyingly familiar. I froze. The pain in my mark became unbearable as silver light burst across my skin again. I stumbled backwards, clutching my neck.
"Selene!"
Kaiden caught me immediately.
His arms steadied me before I hit the floor.
"What happened?" he demanded.
I could barely breathe.
"There's… a voice…"
The entire arena went silent.
Lucien's face changed instantly.
"A voice?"
I nodded weakly.
"A man…"
Magnus' expression hardened.
"From below?"
My silence answered him. The chained creature smiled. "He calls for his Luna."
"No," I whispered immediately.
"No, that's impossible."
The creature's eyes gleamed.
"Impossible ended the moment you awakened."
The heartbeat beneath the mountain sounded again.
Boom.
Several cracks spread across the arena walls.
Dust rained from above. The Elders looked close to panic now.
One of them grabbed the lead Elder's arm.
"We have to evacuate!"
"And go where?" another snapped.
"If the King awakens, no territory will be safe."
Kaiden ignored them.
His entire attention remained on me.
"What exactly did the voice say?" My throat tightened.
I didn't want to answer. But eventually, I whispered:
"He called me his Luna." Silence. Absolute silence. Kaiden went completely still.
Magnus narrowed his eyes. Lucien cursed under his breath.
Even Orion lost his usual calm expression.
The chained creature closed its eyes almost peacefully.
"The bond remembers." Kaiden's voice dropped dangerously low.
"There is no bond."
The creature slowly opened its eyes again.
"You think bonds only happen once?"
The words hit me harder than they should have.
Because part of me remembered the vision.
The First Luna. The blood-red moon. The Alpha was kneeling beside her.
No. Not kneeling. Standing with her.Equal.
Partners.
The heartbeat echoed again.
Boom.
And suddenly another image flashed through my mind.
A man.
Tall.
Powerful.
Silver eyes glowing beneath a dark crown.
He stood beside the First Luna while entire armies bowed before them.
His face remained hidden.
But somehow, I knew him. And that terrified me. I gasped and returned to reality. Kaiden tightened his hold on me.
"What did you see?"
Before I could answer, a scream echoed from outside the arena. Then another. The doors burst open.
A wounded warrior rushed inside.
"Alpha Magnus!"
Magnus turned immediately.
"What happened?"
The warrior looked horrified.
"The corrupted beasts stopped attacking."
Everyone froze.
Stopped?
"That makes no sense," Lucien muttered.
The warrior swallowed hard.
"They aren't attacking anymore…"
His voice trembled.
"They're kneeling."
The entire room went silent again.
Ragnar blinked.
"They're what?"
"Kneeling," the warrior repeated.
"Every single one."
The chained creature beneath the arena laughed softly.
"Of course."
The lead Elder stared at the creature.
"Why?"
Its answer chilled everyone.
"Because their King has awakened."
Boom. Another heartbeat shook the mountain. This time stronger. More alive.
And suddenly All the silver symbols beneath the arena lit up at once.
Not just beneath the creature. Every symbol.
Thousands of them. My mark burned violently. Then the voice returned.
Closer this time.
"Come to me."
I gasped.
Kaiden instantly noticed.
"Selene?"
"He wants me to go down there."
"No," Kaiden answered immediately.
Magnus surprisingly agreed.
"Absolutely not."
But the chained creature slowly rose to its feet.
Not aggressively.
Respectfully.
"The King summons his Queen." My heart pounded. "I am not his Queen." The creature smiled sadly.
"Then why does your soul recognise him?"
Before I could answer, the floor beneath the arena exploded.
Stone shattered. Silver light erupted upward.
And from the darkness below, a hand emerged.
Human.
Male.
Powerful.
Followed by glowing silver eyes opening in the abyss.
The King had awakened