AT ONE BRIGHT SUNNY MORNING
MICHAEL
I watched from the shadows as the procession moved through the courtyard, the air thick with incense and murmurs of the faithful. The saint, our so called Moon Goddess chosen walked with perfect grace, a pale flame of silver light rippling from her aura. Every eye was on her, every whisper fawning over her destined role. And then… she looked at me.
My chest tightened. The orphan of the house she was meant to bless, the one left hollow by death and fire. Her gaze found mine, sharp and unflinching. My name wasn't called, but I felt the weight of her attention like a blade across my skin. And then she did it. A slow, deliberate motion, her finger rising, pointing directly at me. Every heartbeat thudded in my ears, loud enough to drown out the crowd. Every alpha near me stiffened, sensing the tension, sensing the storm that had just begun.
Her lips curved in a faint, cruel smile. The Moon Goddess may have chosen her, but the storm she just unleashed had chosen me.
I didn't move. I couldn't. Her finger pointed at me had rooted me in place. Every eye around the courtyard blurred, every whisper fading into silence. Then, slowly, she lifted her hand not a guard, not an alpha, but her. The Saint's voice cut through the crowd, low and commanding.
"Come closer."She said.
I froze for a heartbeat, then stepped forward, drawn against my will by the gravity of her gaze. The closer I got, the more the air around her seemed to thrum with danger and something darker… something forbidden. When I stopped before her, she tilted her head, her silver eyes scanning me like she could read every scar, every loss I carried.
"And your name?" She asked, soft but sharp, a quiet authority that made the hairs on my neck rise.
"Michael… Michael Stoneheart." I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.
She let the name hang between us, her lips curving faintly.
"Michael Stoneheart… an orphan… yet chosen to stand here, at the heart of the ceremony. Intriguing."She whispered.
Her gaze didn't waver. And in that moment, I knew this was no ordinary summoning.
"Bring him to me." She said, her voice smooth, sharp, impossible to ignore.
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Every Alpha nearby stiffened, eyes snapping to the guards. They looked at each other, hesitant. She didn't wait for hesitation. Her gaze pierced them like steel.
"Now."She ordered.
Without another word, two massive guards grabbed me under the arms. The shock in the room was electric. Whispers turned into gasps. I tried to struggle, but the grip was iron, unyielding.
"Wait-" Someone began.
"Do as the saint says." The other guard muttered. "Or face the consequences."
Before I could react, they lifted me clean off the ground. I dangled in their grasp, my feet kicking uselessly as the crowd parted like water around us. Every alpha's eyes were on me, some furious, some curious, all stunned. And all the while, her silver gaze followed me, calm, commanding, and terrifyingly certain. They didn't ask. They just grabbed me, big, solid hands under my arms and lifted me off my feet before I could even think. My knees dangled, heart hammering, and every eye in the courtyard seemed to burn holes into my back.
I wanted to scream, to fight, to do anything, but the grip was iron. We moved fast too fast for me to process the chaos behind me. All I could focus on was the figure ahead, the one who had pointed at me, whose eyes had singled me out. Selene. The guards set me down, their hands releasing me as if letting go of a live flame. The doors of the hall shut behind us with a heavy thud, and suddenly it was just her. Just her and me, and the silence was almost unbearable.
"You are here because I chose you." She said, voice smooth and commanding, like she could bend reality with it. "I am Selene."
I blinked, caught off guard.
"The… saint?" My voice came out rough, incredulous. "You're… the Moon Goddess saint?"
Her lips curved, faint and sharp.
"No." She said, tilting her head like she was amused by my confusion. "I am… a beta. I cannot carry the cub. I am the one who chooses the omega to bear it. That… is you."
My chest tightened.
"Me? Chosen… by a beta?" I shook my head, trying to understand. "I thought the saint, she's the one who carries it…"
"Gone." Selene interrupted, calm, but her silver eyes were steel. "Vanished. And now, Michael Stoneheart… you are mine. You will bear the Moon Goddess cub."
The words hit like a blow. My hands curled into fists.
"You can't just… choose me!' I snapped, even as something in me fear, adrenaline, maybe something darker made my stomach twist in ways I didn't like.
She stepped closer, her presence sharp, dangerous, magnetic. "
"I can, and I did. Whether you fight, scream, or curse me… it changes nothing. You are mine, Michael. And the world will bend to the bond I have chosen for you."Selene added.
I wanted to look away. I wanted to run. But I couldn't. And somewhere deep in the chaos of shock and rage, I felt it, the pull of a storm I couldn't escape. I got trapped by the saintess. Selene didn't look at me as she raised a hand.
"Prepare him." She said, her voice low and firm. "The bath. Now."
The maids moved instantly, silent and careful, but their eyes were wide. I tried to protest, but Selene's gaze pinned me where I stood. Every instinct screamed at me to resist, but I couldn't look away. The maids guided me through the corridors. Their hands on my arms were polite but unyielding. The walls were tall, carved with faintly glowing sigils, the flickering candlelight casting long shadows that followed us. Finally, they stopped before a pair of massive doors. One maid stepped aside.
"The bath… prepared as lady Selene commanded."She said.
I stepped inside. The room was enormous. Black marble lined the walls, steam rising from a bath large enough to hold more than one person. The water shimmered, scented faintly with herbs and oils. Selene stood at the far end, arms crossed, eyes sharp.
"Strip." She said. Her tone was calm, but there was no mistaking it for a question.
My chest tightened. I hesitated, but her gaze didn't waver. I moved, hands shaking.
"You will follow my orders." She said simply, her voice steady, controlled. "No questions. No arguments."
I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of her authority as I obeyed, realizing that in this room, it was hers entirely and I was just the one she had chosen to control.