Shadows of Doubt

The wind howled through the trees as Selene rode hard through the forest, her cloak snapping behind her like a banner of war. She should have felt victorious—she had met the enemy, gathered intelligence, and could now return to the Order with the information they sought.

But victory did not sit well in her chest.

Lucian's words echoed in her mind, each syllable unraveling the certainty she had clung to her entire life.

"The real monsters wear the faces of men."

A lie. It had to be.

Yet, as she neared the stronghold, doubt slithered through her veins like poison.

The Sanctuary of Lumina, home of the Order, loomed ahead. The towering fortress was carved from pale stone, its walls glowing faintly under the moonlight, a beacon of righteousness against the dark creatures of the world.

But tonight, it felt colder than she remembered.

The guards at the gate barely spared her a glance as they pulled the iron doors open, allowing her to pass. Inside, torches flickered along the stone corridors, casting long, distorted shadows that danced like ghosts.

Selene dismounted swiftly, her boots hitting the stone with a dull thud. She was exhausted, both in body and mind, but she needed to speak to Elias.

She needed to hear him say that Lucian was lying.

That her doubts were unfounded.

She strode through the halls, her heartbeat steady but tense. When she reached the war chamber, she hesitated for only a breath before pushing the heavy wooden door open.

Elias stood near the long stone table, speaking in hushed tones with two high-ranking hunters. His piercing blue gaze snapped to her the moment she entered.

"You're late," he said, his voice unreadable.

Selene swallowed, stepping forward. "The vampire escaped."

One of the hunters scoffed, a man named Gregor, built like a bear with a jagged scar running down his cheek. "You let a single bloodsucker best you?"

Selene ignored him, keeping her focus on Elias. "It wasn't a rogue. It was him. The one the Order is hunting."

Elias' expression darkened. "Lucian."

The room grew still.

Gregor crossed his arms, studying Selene with thinly veiled suspicion. "And you survived an encounter with a noble vampire?"

Selene forced her jaw to stay steady. "He ran before I could strike the killing blow."

It wasn't a complete lie.

Elias stepped closer, his gaze sharp. "Did he say anything to you?"

Selene hesitated. "Nothing of importance."

Elias watched her carefully. The weight of his scrutiny made her stomach twist.

"Then we move at dawn," he said at last. "The Council has ordered his immediate execution."

Selene exhaled, forcing herself to nod. This was the right thing. She had done her duty. She had led them to their target.

So why did she feel like she had just signed away something she couldn't name?

Midnight Confessions

Sleep did not come.

Selene lay in her chamber, staring at the ceiling as candlelight flickered against the stone walls. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw silver irises watching her, filled with something that wasn't quite human—something ancient, unreadable.

Her instincts screamed that she should be relieved. The hunt would be over soon.

Yet her mind whispered another truth.

Lucian could have killed her that night in the ruins. But he hadn't.

He could have taken her dagger and left her defenseless. But he hadn't.

Instead, he had given her a choice.

And the longer she lay in silence, the heavier that choice became.

With a frustrated breath, she pushed herself out of bed. She couldn't stay here, drowning in uncertainty. If she was to have clarity, she needed to find it herself.

She needed answers.

Slipping into the shadows, she moved quickly through the halls, avoiding the patrols. The Sanctuary was a fortress, but Selene knew its every passage, every blind spot. She had trained within these walls since childhood.

And now, for the first time, she felt like a traitor inside them.

She reached the war archives without being seen, pressing herself against the cold stone as she pushed open the heavy door.

The scent of aged parchment filled the air. Scrolls and books lined the shelves, chronicling centuries of vampire hunts, battles, and victories.

Selene moved swiftly, her fingers running along the worn spines of books until she found what she was looking for: The War of Shadows.

She pulled the heavy tome from its place, laying it carefully on the table. The pages were brittle, the ink faded with time.

She skimmed through accounts of vampire atrocities—slaughters, betrayals, wars waged in blood.

But something was missing.

There were no accounts of what had started the war.

No records of peace negotiations, of failed treaties.

Just violence. Just justification.

Selene turned another page, her eyes narrowing as she came across something unusual—an entry that had been ripped out.

Her pulse quickened. She ran her fingers over the jagged remnants where the page had been torn, her mind racing.

Someone had erased part of history.

A chill ran down her spine.

"What if everything they told you was a lie?"

Lucian's words rang in her head, louder now.

She clenched her fists. She couldn't ignore this. She needed to see for herself.

Which meant she had to find Lucian—before the Order did.

A Race Against Dawn

Selene's horse galloped through the night, her cloak billowing behind her.

She didn't know what she would do when she found him. She didn't know what she wanted from him.

But she knew one thing.

She wasn't ready to let the Order kill him.

By the time she reached the cliffs, dawn was just a whisper on the horizon.

Lucian was waiting.

He stood at the edge of the precipice, arms crossed, watching her approach. His silver eyes flickered with something unreadable as she dismounted, breathless from the ride.

"You're late," he murmured, the ghost of a smirk on his lips.

Selene ignored the quip, stepping forward. "The Order is coming for you."

Lucian sighed. "Of course they are."

She hesitated, forcing the next words out. "They told me who you are."

Lucian met her gaze, unflinching. "And did you believe them?"

Selene inhaled sharply. She didn't know how to answer.

"I read the archives," she said instead. "There were things missing. Pages removed."

Lucian's expression darkened. "The Order has been rewriting history for centuries."

Selene's stomach tightened. "Why?"

Lucian stepped closer, and despite everything, she didn't move. "Because the truth would make them the villains of this story."

She swallowed hard.

Lucian searched her face, his voice dropping lower. "Why are you here, Selene?"

She hesitated.

Then, with a steadiness she didn't feel, she said,

"Because I think I need to hear your side of the story."

A long silence stretched between them. Then, for the first time, Lucian's lips curled into something softer than a smirk.

"Then let's begin."

As the first light of dawn kissed the horizon, Selene knew she had crossed a line she could never return from.

And she wasn't sure she wanted to.

End of Chapter Four.