"Not every lock should be opened. Not every heir should claim the throne."
---
The forest didn't sleep that night.
The trees groaned like they remembered ancient screams. The ground steamed with the heat of waking gods. Even the stars flickered—some fading, some glowing brighter than ever.
And in the middle of it all stood Selene.
Alone.
Holding the scroll.
Feeling every word of her bloodline vibrate in her spine.
> Daughter of Lunari.
Flameborn.
Gatebreaker.
---
Inside the den, Kai sat across from Riven.
"She's slipping," he said. "Power changes wolves."
"She's not slipping," Riven said quietly. "She's evolving."
Kai's jaw clenched. "Into what?"
Riven met his eyes. "Into something no one—not you, not I, not even the gods—can control."
---
At dawn, Nyra stood on the eastern cliff with her hand outstretched.
The sun rose behind her like it was obeying her will.
When Selene approached, Nyra didn't turn.
"Ready to talk about it?" Nyra asked.
Selene crossed her arms. "About you trying to claim Kai like a possession? Or the ancient divine blood burning in my chest?"
Nyra smiled. "Both."
Selene exhaled. "What do you want?"
Nyra finally turned to face her. "I want what I was promised. You want your past? I can help you unlock it. But the gods didn't leave because they were merciful. They were exiled because they devoured everything."
Selene narrowed her eyes. "And you want me to unleash them?"
"No." Nyra stepped closer. "I want to see if you're strong enough to contain them."
---
That night, Selene gathered her pack.
A fire burned between them.
Riven, Kai, Nyra, and the others sat silently as she stood, golden blood glowing faintly beneath her skin.
> "The gods are returning," she said. "One of them… is inside me."
> "I don't know what I'll become."
> "But I will not let them rule this world again."
> "I'm going to open the gate. Not to surrender… but to destroy them."
The pack murmured in shock.
Kai stood. "You'll die."
"Then I die," Selene said. "But on my terms."
---
Three days of travel.
Up the ruined mountain path.
Past old wards carved into obsidian.
They reached the Gate of Echoes.
An archway built into the mountain, tall as a castle, carved from stone that shimmered like bone in moonlight.
The runes hummed as Selene approached.
Nyra chanted in the old tongue.
Riven placed her hand on the hilt of her blade.
Kai watched Selene, his heart hammering.
> "Don't go where I can't follow," he whispered.
She looked at him.
"I won't."
Then she stepped into the gate.
---
Inside was not stone or darkness.
It was a void of light and memory.
A realm between realms.
Visions exploded in her mind.
A burning throne. A silver crown. Wolves that walked on two legs, their eyes hollow, their souls devoured by divine hunger.
And at the center of it—
Lunari.
Tall. Beautiful. Hollow-eyed. Wrapped in silver fire.
"Daughter," she spoke. "Do you seek to rule?"
"No," Selene said. "I seek to end you."
The goddess laughed. "Then let me show you your true blood."
With a scream, Lunari pressed her palm to Selene's forehead.
---
Outside the gate—
Selene's body collapsed.
Kai ran to her, shaking her shoulders.
"Selene! Wake up!"
But inside, Selene's soul burned.
She saw everything.
The fall of the first packs. The betrayal of the other gods. The creation of the Alpha Bloodline—not from nature, but from stolen divinity.
And her birth… not in a den.
But in a tomb.
Crafted.
Forged.
Destined.
A godkiller.
---
Selene awoke screaming.
The sky cracked.
The mountain trembled.
The gate shattered behind her.
And when she opened her eyes, they burned gold.
"Did you see?" Nyra whispered.
"I saw everything," Selene said, her voice no longer mortal.
Riven stepped back.
Kai's lips trembled.
Selene stood. "I'm not just her heir…"
> "I'm her end."