The Price of Blood

Selene's heart pounded as she flexed her wrists, the dull burn of silver fading as the last of the chains fell away. Freedom. It was so close she could taste it.

Darius tossed her a dagger. She caught it easily, the familiar weight grounding her. Good. She would need it.

He gestured toward the dungeon's entrance. "We need to move. Now."

Selene nodded, adrenaline sharpening her senses. "How many guards?"

Darius smirked. "Enough to make this fun."

Selene rolled her shoulders, muscles tightening with anticipation. "Then let's not keep them waiting."

They moved quickly, slipping through the dimly lit corridors of the underground prison. The air was damp, thick with the scent of mold and old blood. Every step sent echoes bouncing off the stone walls, but Darius knew the way.

Selene kept her blade ready, her ears straining for any sign of movement.

Then—voices.

Darius halted, pressing himself against the cold wall. Selene followed his lead.

Two Order guards stood at the next corner, their armor gleaming under the flickering torchlight. They spoke in hushed tones, unaware of the death lurking in the shadows.

Selene glanced at Darius. Silent or loud?

Darius gave her a wicked grin. "Your call, princess."

Selene smirked. Silent, then.

In a fluid motion, she moved.

Her dagger met the first guard's throat before he could make a sound. His eyes widened in shock as he slumped to the floor.

Darius struck the second before he could react, snapping his neck with a swift, precise motion.

The bodies hit the ground.

No alarms.

Selene exhaled. They had seconds before someone noticed.

Darius wiped his hands on his cloak. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

Selene's lips quirked. "Too late."

Darius chuckled but kept moving. "This way."

They pressed forward, twisting through the labyrinth of tunnels. Selene's pulse quickened—almost there.

Then the air shifted.

A cold presence slithered into the corridor like a shadow stretching through the dark.

Selene froze.

Darius tensed. "Shit."

Footsteps echoed from the far end of the hall, slow and deliberate.

A cloaked figure emerged from the darkness.

Selene's breath caught.

Not Vale.

Something worse.

A Seeker.

The creature's hood concealed most of its face, but beneath the shadows, Selene caught glimpses of rotting flesh, empty black eyes, and a twisted, inhuman grin.

A Seeker wasn't a normal hunter. It was an enforcer, bound by dark magic to track and capture traitors.

Selene's grip tightened on her dagger.

The Seeker tilted its head. "You cannot run."

Its voice was a whisper, yet it filled the entire corridor, crawling beneath Selene's skin like ice.

Darius swore. "Run."

But Selene didn't move.

Something was wrong.

The air around her thickened, pressing down on her chest like an invisible weight. Her vision blurred, her limbs turning heavy.

The Seeker wasn't just watching her—it was reaching inside her.

Selene gasped, dropping to one knee.

Her bond burned.

Lucian.

She could feel him, could hear the distant roar of his fury as he pushed against the invisible tether between them.

Selene—where are you?

The bond flared, raw and powerful.

And the Seeker snarled.

Selene's eyes snapped open.

The creature staggered back, its long, twisted fingers clutching its chest as if in pain.

Darius saw the opening.

He took it.

His blade slashed, cutting through the Seeker's neck in one clean stroke.

A shriek tore through the air as the creature crumbled into ash, its body dissolving into the stone.

The spell holding Selene broke.

She gasped, pulling in a sharp breath.

Darius hauled her up. "What the hell was that?"

Selene shook her head, still dizzy. "I don't know."

But she did.

She had felt it.

The bond wasn't just a connection to Lucian anymore.

It was changing her.

Darius studied her for a moment before pulling her forward. "We need to move."

Selene pushed the confusion aside. Survive first. Question everything later.

They reached a heavy wooden door at the end of the corridor. Darius kicked it open.

Cold night air rushed in.

Freedom.

Selene exhaled. They had made it.

But the moment was short-lived.

A figure stood in their path.

Vale.

Selene's pulse spiked.

He was alone. No guards. No army. Just him, standing in the moonlight, his expression unreadable.

Darius tensed beside her. "This is bad."

Vale sighed. "You shouldn't have run, Selene."

Selene lifted her dagger. "You shouldn't have chained me."

Vale's gaze flicked to her wrist—where the remnants of silver burns still marked her skin. A flicker of emotion crossed his face.

Then, in a blink—he moved.

Selene barely had time to react.

A wave of force slammed into her, knocking her back. Her dagger flew from her grip, clattering against the stone.

Darius lunged, but Vale stopped him midair, his fingers curling in a silent spell.

Darius collapsed, gasping as an unseen force crushed him.

Selene tried to rise—Vale's boot pressed against her chest, pinning her down.

"You think you understand this bond," Vale murmured. "You don't."

Selene struggled, but his strength was inhuman.

Vale knelt beside her, his voice low. "Lucian is coming for you. But he won't make it in time."

Selene's breath hitched.

Vale's gaze darkened. "And when I break the bond—you'll thank me."

Then, darkness swallowed everything.

Somewhere in the Forest…

Lucian roared.

His body burned, his fangs aching with rage.

Selene was in pain.

His bondmate. His mate.

And he couldn't reach her.

Darius had failed.

Selene was still trapped.

Lucian's silver eyes gleamed in the darkness. He turned to the handful of rebels who had joined him.

His voice was pure steel.

"We take the Order down."

No one spoke.

But their weapons gleamed in the moonlight.

Lucian's jaw tightened.

He would not lose her.

Not now.

Not ever.

End of Chapter Fifteen.