Chapter 153 Princess' Secret Power
POV: Luna
The next few days passed in uneasy calm.
No more traps. No more attacks. Just quiet tension.
It felt like the calm before a storm.
Selene had been training harder than ever. Pushing herself to master the defensive magic I'd been teaching her.
"Again," she said, breathing hard.
"You need to rest," I told her. "You've been at this for hours."
"I need to be strong enough to protect myself. So you don't have to risk your life for me."
"That's my job."
"It shouldn't be. I'm not helpless."
"I never said you were."
She threw a magical orb at the training dummy. It hit dead center, burning through the target.
"Better," I said. "Your aim's improving."
"But it's not enough. These little light balls won't stop a real threat."
"They'll buy you time. That's all we need."
She wasn't satisfied. I could see it in her violet eyes.
"What's really bothering you?" I asked.
"I'm tired of being the damsel. The prize everyone fights over. I want to be the fighter."
"Then fight."
"I don't know how! Royal magic is all defensive. Protective. Passive."
"Then we find a way to make it active."
"How?"
Before I could answer, alarms started blaring.
"Not again," Selene muttered.
We ran toward the sound.
The western perimeter. Rogues were pouring through a breach in the wards.
At least twenty of them. All enhanced with dark magic.
My pack was already there, fighting.
"Stay behind me," I told Selene.
"No."
"Selene—"
"I said no. I'm tired of hiding."
She ran forward before I could stop her.
Right into the path of a massive rogue.
It lunged at her, jaws wide.
I shifted and tried to intercept.
But I wasn't fast enough.
The rogue was going to tear her apart.
Then something incredible happened.
Selene screamed.
And power exploded from her.
Not the decorative light magic she'd been using. Real power. Ancient. Royal. Devastating.
A wave of silver energy erupted outward, centered on her.
Every rogue it touched dissolved instantly.
When the light faded, at least ten rogues were gone.
Selene stood in the center of a crater, glowing with power.
Then she collapsed.
I caught her before she hit the ground.
"What was that?" Nova asked, staring.
"Royal magic," I breathed. "Real royal magic. Not the defensive stuff. The power her bloodline was founded on."
"I didn't know she had that," Aria said.
"I don't think she did either."
The remaining rogues, seeing what had happened, retreated.
We let them go, too focused on Selene.
I carried her to the infirmary.
The nurse examined her quickly. "Magical exhaustion. Severe. But she'll recover."
"How long?"
"A few hours. Maybe a day."
I sat beside her bed, waiting.
Through the Guardian Bond, I felt her unconscious mind churning. Processing what had happened.
Finally, she woke.
"Luna?" Her voice was weak.
"I'm here."
"What happened? I remember the rogue, then just... power. So much power."
"You manifested your true royal magic. Took out half the rogues in one blast."
Her eyes widened. "I did that?"
"You did."
"How? I've never been able to do anything like that before."
"Maybe you never needed to. Maybe your power only activates in life-threatening situations."
"That's inconvenient."
Despite everything, I laughed. "Yeah. It is."
Over the next few days, I helped Selene explore her new power.
Or rather, try to access it again.
"Focus on that feeling," I instructed. "The moment before the power exploded. What did you feel?"
"Fear. Anger. Desperation."
"Okay. Channel those emotions. Let them fuel the magic."
She tried. Nothing happened.
"It's not working," she said, frustrated.
"Because you're not actually afraid. You're safe here."
"Then how do I learn to control it?"
"We create pressure. Stress. Make your body think you're in danger."
"That sounds dangerous."
"It is. But necessary."
My friends helped. We set up training scenarios designed to push Selene to her limits.
Surprise attacks. Overwhelming odds. Situations where defensive magic wouldn't be enough.
The first few times, nothing happened.
Then, during a particularly intense drill, she snapped.
Power flooded out. Smaller than before, but controlled.
"I did it!" she exclaimed.
"You did! Again!"
We practiced for hours. Each time, she got better at calling the power without losing control.
"This is incredible," Aria said, watching. "If you can master this, you won't need a protector."
"I'll always need Luna," Selene said. "But at least now I can fight beside her instead of hiding behind her."
Through the Guardian Bond, I felt her pride. Her joy at finally being powerful.
It made me happy. And worried.
Because power like that? It attracted attention.
That night, I was on guard duty outside Selene's suite when I felt it.
A presence. Watching. Waiting.
I turned slowly, scanning the shadows.
There.
A figure. Tall. Cloaked. Standing at the end of the hallway.
The dark figure from my visions.
"Who are you?" I demanded.
No response.
The figure raised a hand. Dark magic swirled.
I shifted instantly and attacked.
But the figure vanished before I reached them.
Reappearing behind me.
I spun, claws extended.
The figure caught my strike. Their hand was wrapped in shadows. Unnatural. Wrong.
"The princess has awakened," a voice whispered. Male. Ancient. Cold. "Her power calls to us."
"Who's us?"
"Those who came before. Those who were sealed away. Those who hunger for freedom."
"You're from the otherworld. Behind the sealed door."
"Clever Eclipse wolf. Yes. We are imprisoned. But not powerless. We can reach through the cracks. Through weak points."
"Like Selene."
"Her royal magic resonates with the seal. Each time she uses it, the door weakens."
My blood ran cold. "Then she'll stop using it."
"She can't. Her power is part of her now. Awakened. Growing. Every day, she pulls us closer to freedom."
"I won't let you out."
"You don't have a choice. The seal was always temporary. A delay, not a solution. We will be free. The only question is how much we destroy in the process."
The figure started to fade.
"Wait!" I shouted. "Who are you working with? Who's helping you from this side?"
"Those who understand that the old world must burn before the new one can rise. Those who seek power without limits. Those who see the seal as a prison, not a protection."
Then they were gone.
I stood there, shaking.
The sealed door was weakening. Because of Selene's power.
Which meant every time I helped her get stronger, I was helping our enemies.
I went back inside and found my friends.
"We have a problem," I said.
I told them everything. The dark figure's appearance. The warning about Selene's power.
"So we can't let her use royal magic?" Nova asked.
"But we just spent days teaching her to control it," Aria protested.
"I know. But if using it weakens the seal—"
"Then we're screwed either way," Lyric finished. "If she doesn't use it, she's vulnerable. If she does use it, she helps our enemies."
"There has to be another option," Sienna said.
"Like what?"
"What if she learns to use the power without resonating with the seal? Channel it differently?"
"Is that possible?"
"I don't know. But we need to find out."
We researched through the night.
Finally, Sienna found something in an ancient text.
"Here. Royal magic and Eclipse power are connected. Both draw from the otherworld. But Eclipse power filters through a living vessel. Anchors it. Stabilizes it."
"So?" I asked.
"So what if Selene channels her power through Luna? Uses the Eclipse mark as a filter?"
"Would that work?"
"Theoretically. Luna's mark is designed to regulate otherworld energy. If Selene routes her power through it first—"
"It wouldn't resonate with the seal," Aria finished. "It would be filtered. Safe."
"But that would mean Luna taking on massive amounts of magical energy," Liam protested. "It could kill her."
"Or it could work," I said. "We won't know until we try."
"Luna—"
"We're running out of options. And time."
Through the mate bond, I felt Liam's fear. But also his acceptance.
He knew I was right.
"Okay," he said. "But we do this carefully. Controlled environment. Everyone ready to pull the plug if something goes wrong."
"Agreed."
The next day, we set up the experiment.
Selene and I stood facing each other. Hands clasped.
"Channel your power toward me," I instructed. "Don't release it into the world. Send it through our bond instead."
"Are you sure about this?"
"No. But let's try anyway."
She focused. Called on her royal magic.
I felt it through the Guardian Bond. Massive. Powerful. Beautiful.
Then it flowed toward me.
My Eclipse mark flared to life, automatically regulating the incoming energy.
The royal magic passed through my mark, filtered and stabilized.
Then I released it back to Selene.
Clean. Safe. No longer resonating with the seal.
"It worked!" Sienna exclaimed.
Selene and I both collapsed, exhausted.
"That was intense," I gasped.
"But it worked," Selene said, grinning. "I can use my power without weakening the seal."
"As long as I'm here to filter it."
"Then I guess you're stuck with me."
"I guess I am."
We celebrated the breakthrough.
But that night, I had another vision.
The dark figure. Standing at the sealed door.
Pounding on it. Trying to break through.
And behind them, I saw others. Dozens. Hundreds.
All waiting to be freed.
All hungry. Angry. Dangerous.
The figure turned and looked directly at me.
"Clever girl," they said. "But it won't be enough. We will be free. And when we are, your world will burn."
I woke up screaming.
Liam was beside me instantly. "Luna? What's wrong?"
"They're coming. The things behind the seal. They're getting stronger. And we're running out of time to stop them."