The Curse of the Last Luna

The first gong echoed through the high ceilings of the Grand Hall. Crystal chandeliers reflected light like shards of ice. Serene stood in a circle of candlelight in the center of the room, the silver dress she wore feeling like shackles on her skin. The exit was just a few steps behind the elders.

" I can reach it before my name is called. I'll likely be free," Serene thought.

"Serene Aeryndor," the voice of the Elder Council Chairman cut through the air.

The older man's arm unfurled a blood-sealed parchment scroll. "According to the Noble Agreement between Alpha blood and Lycan blood, tonight you will choose your mate. Alpha Caelan D'Arven or Lycan Dreven Kaelthorn."

Murmurs broke out among the audience. Those two names sent a jolt of electricity through every corner of the room. Caelan stood on the right side of the hall, as solid as a steel wall. His tall frame, broad shoulders, and piercing blue eyes seemed to cut through the air. There was no trace of softness on his face.

Meanwhile, Dreven stood on the left side. His body was slender, his movements graceful, his face like a stone statue, with unblinking gray eyes. There was no anger, only an emptiness that made him unreadable.

Serene took a breath, then lifted her chin. "I… will not choose."

"What did she say?" asked a Council member.

"Is she mad? She's so bold to say that in front of everyone!" another exclaimed.

"Yes, I won't choose either of them. I have my rights as a werewolf. No agreement will make me submit. Especially not to them," Serene added loudly.

Silence fell over the room after her second statement. Someone dropped a glass. Some elders paled. They never expected Serene to be so bold as to humiliate the two most respected and feared rulers of that era. After all, they had always known Serene as a woman who strictly adhered to the ancestral rules.

Caelan stepped forward. His voice was deep like the rumble before a storm. "Do you think you can defy the ancestral laws, Serene? On what grounds do you dare to say such things?"

"I said that based on my own conscience. If that law is just an excuse to sell me as a gift to one of you, then yes, I will never obey it," Serene replied, her eyes unwavering.

Dreven chuckled softly, his low tone sending a shiver down some spines. "Look, Caelan. Even before you touched her, Serene has already rejected you."

Serene looked at them one by one. "I reject both of you." She exhaled heavily.

Caelan took a step closer. His gaze was piercing. "If you run away, I'll always find you. No matter how long it takes. No matter where you go. Your life is in my hands now."

"And I'll be waiting for you at the crossroads," Dreven interjected with a thin smile. "Just to make sure I get her first."

Serene exhaled. Then she turned to leave the hall under the gaze of hundreds of eyes. Each step was quick, steady, and with a heart pounding wildly. She had to bury the fear she had been carrying all this time. After enduring the agony within the confines of the rules that bound her so tightly.

The cold night air pierced Serene's skin as she pushed open the side door and stepped out of the Moon Garden. A stone path wound between marble wolf statues, and large trees formed a dark canopy above. She walked quickly, thinking of the exit connected to the fortress's goods side.

"Running away on announcement night? How daring," the flat voice made her stop.

Dreven stood at the end of the path. The shadows of the trees swallowed half of his body. The moonlight only touched half of his face. This made him look even more like half-human, half-threat. "I'm not running away," Serene replied. "I just don't want to hear their nonsense. I'm so fed up with everything!"

Dreven stepped closer, almost silently. "You know Caelan will lock you up once the ceremony is over. I can take you out before that. Let's work together!" He extended his hand willingly.

Serene narrowed her eyes. "On what terms?" She stared at the large hand with disdain.

Dreven's smile touched the corners of his lips. "You know the answer." He stood so close that Serene could feel the cold aura emanating from him.

Serene stepped back. "That's not freedom. It's just a smaller prison than before." She felt threatened, but her face remained firm.

Dreven tilted his head, his eyes unblinking. "That prison will be your own, and I will be the only key."

Heavy footsteps echoed from another direction. Caelan's boots struck the stones with a steady thud. Serene instinctively turned to leave. But Dreven gripped her wrist tightly.

"Be careful, Luna," Dreven whispered. "Sometimes escape only leads you to the mouth of a hungrier wolf." The whisper was soft but deadly.

Serene didn't care. She roughly shook off his grip and walked away. Dreven didn't want to force her and let her go. But the two men's gazes still followed her departure.

The narrow corridor was lit only by torches that were too far apart. Long shadows danced on the stone walls. Serene was almost at the heavy wooden door at the end when the voice stopped her.

"Just give up, Serene," Caelan's voice was low and steady.

He turned to match Serene's pace. His eyes shone blue in the dim light. "You made me look foolish in front of the entire council. That was your first mistake."

"I don't care about your pride," Serene replied.

Caelan stood directly in front of Serene. Close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body. "You will care. Because starting tonight, every step you take will be under my watch."

Another voice emerged from the darkness on the side of the corridor. "Even her steps will be under my watch," Dreven said, stepping out of the shadows.

Serene looked at both of them alternately, her breath quickening. "You two are no more than two wolves vying for prey that doesn't want to be eaten."

Caelan smiled thinly. "The problem is, the prey has no right to choose."

Dreven approached from the other side, blocking the exit. "Unless the prey is smart enough to make one hunter kill the other."

"Do you think I'll let you decide my fate?" Serene pressed herself against the wall, searching for an opening. But Caelan's massive frame and Dreven's cold posture formed an impenetrable moving wall.

"No," Caelan replied, his voice like a threat. "I'll make sure you accept me. Refusal will make you regret it, Serene."

"And when you do," Dreven added, "You'll realize that choosing me is the only way to keep breathing."

The distance between them narrowed. Two pairs of blue and gray eyes trapped Selena. Her blood raced, and for the first time. She realized that this escape might be a game they had orchestrated together. Then, the door at the end of the corridor creaked open on its own, and a third shadow emerged from it.