Chapter 162 The Queen’s Proposal

Chapter 162 The Queen’s Proposal
Selene’s POV

Fear was finally spreading through Crescent Valley.
Good. It was overdue.
Selene Drake stood atop the old clocktower overlooking the town as police lights flashed through the streets below like bleeding stars. Helicopters circled the forest perimeter and sirens screamed endlessly into the night.

Humans were beginning to notice disappearances, animal attacks, students collapsing from violent fevers under the moon and teachers suddenly resigning.
The entire sections of Crescent Forest expanding overnight. The veil between worlds was weakening exactly as it was supposed to.
And still….
They understood nothing. Selene smiled faintly.
“They think this is a disease.”

A voice behind her answered calmly. “To them, it is.”

She didn’t turn around immediately, because she already knew who it was.
Kai Blackthorne always moved like silence pretending to be human.

“Careful,” she said softly. “Sneaking up on predators usually ends badly.”

Kai stepped into view beside her, jaw tight.
“You wanted to talk.”

“I wanted to warn you.”

His icy blue eyes narrowed slightly. “That’s new.”

Selene ignored the sarcasm and below them, another ambulance sped through town. The moon hung enormous overhead tonight. It was too bright and too close.
The seal below Crescent Valley was weakening faster than expected and Luna had accelerated everything the moment she marked Kai.
Not because of romance and not because of destiny. But because blood-recognition had finally completed. The Heir had chosen an Alpha.
Ancient laws older than any living pack had reacted instantly.
Kai crossed his arms coldly. “You’ve been orchestrating this.”

“No,” Selene corrected. “I’ve been preparing for it.”

“There’s a difference?”

“A massive one.”

Wind whipped through the tower violently and Selene finally turned toward him fully. And for the first time since they’d known each other…There was no mockery in her expression. It was only certainty. “You still don’t understand what Luna is.”

Kai’s eyes darkened immediately. “She’s not your weapon.”

“No,” Selene agreed quietly. “She’s the key.”

Silence followed heavy and dangerous. Kai stepped closer slowly.
“What does that mean?”

Selene studied him carefully. Because this was the part that mattered.
Not Luna and not Ethan. But Kai. He was always the deciding variable.
The one future she could never predict correctly.
“You know the stories our clans were raised on,” she said.

“The old myths.” Kai’s expression hardened.

“They’re not myths.” she replied.

“Exactly.”

She moved toward the edge of the tower, staring toward Crescent Forest.
“The seal beneath this town was never built to imprison a monster.”

Kai went still and Selene continued calmly. “It was built to imprison evolution.”

That got his attention.
Good.
“At the beginning,” she said softly, “wolves weren’t divided into clans. There were no Blackthornes. No Drakes. No Alphas. Only the Originals.”

Kai’s jaw tightened slightly.

Ancient forbidden history. Pack elders rarely spoke about it anymore.
Selene smiled faintly.
“They could shift completely without moons. Control elemental force. Enter human minds. Command forests and some even stopped aging.”

Kai’s voice lowered. “That power destroyed them.”

“No,” Selene said. “Fear destroyed them.”

Thunder cracked overhead. “The humans discovered them. Wars started. Entire bloodlines were hunted. So the surviving Originals created the seal beneath Crescent Valley.”

Kai stared at her now. Understanding beginning.
Horror following close behind it and Selene’s silver eyes gleamed.
“They sealed away the source of their evolution.”

“And Luna…” Kai muttered.

“Carries the direct bloodline needed to open it again.” she continued.

Silence exploded between them and Kai looked genuinely shaken now.
Good.
He finally understood the scale.
“She’ll die if the seal fully opens,” he said immediately.

Selene’s expression shifted slightly. That was not pity. It was something more complicated. “Maybe.”

Kai snarled instantly. “You’re insane.”

“No,” Selene snapped suddenly. “I’m realistic.”

The force in her voice echoed across the tower.
“For centuries our kind has hidden in forests like frightened animals while humans poison the world around us. We’ve weakened ourselves. Divided ourselves. Pretended survival was victory.”

Her eyes sharpened. “But Luna changes everything.”

Kai’s claws extended instantly. “She’s not some sacrifice.”

Selene didn’t even flinch. “That’s why she chose you.”

The words hit harder than expected and Kai froze slightly.
Selene stepped closer carefully now, more strategic and more honest.
“The bond matters, Kai.”

His eyes narrowed. “You think I don’t know that?”

“No,” Selene said quietly. “I think you don’t understand why.”

The wind shifted violently around them and deep below the town, something ancient pulsed once. Answering Luna and answering the bond.
Selene lowered her voice.
“The Heir was never meant to awaken alone.”

Kai stared at her silently.

“She needs an Alpha strong enough to survive the awakening beside her. Someone who can anchor her power without being consumed by it.”

Realization slowly entered his face and Selene nodded once.
“Yes.”

The bond wasn’t emotional coincidence. It was structural.
Ancient and necessary. Kai looked disgusted by the implication.
“You’re talking about breeding instincts like they’re prophecy.”

Selene almost laughed. “That’s exactly what prophecy is.”

Kai turned away sharply. But Selene saw it.
The conflict and the fear. Because now he understood something terrible, that If Luna fully awakened…He might be the only thing keeping her human.
Selene stepped closer behind him.
“And if you reject the bond,” she whispered, “the awakening becomes unstable.”

Kai’s eyes darkened immediately. “She won’t survive it.”

Selene didn’t answer. She didn’t need to, because Kai already knew.
That was her leverage. Not threats. It was the truth.
Finally, Kai asked the question she’d been waiting for.
“What do you actually want?”

Selene smiled faintly. At last.
Honesty.
“I want the seal broken intentionally,” she admitted. “Controlled. Directed. Not unleashed through chaos.”

Kai scoffed bitterly.
“You expect me to believe this is about saving anyone?”

“No,” Selene said calmly. “It’s about rebuilding our kind before humans destroy us completely.”

Then she looked directly into his eyes. “And I want you beside her when it happens.”

Kai stared at her in disbelief. Selene’s expression remained calm.
“You were always meant to rule, Kai.”

“Not with you.”

A flicker crossed her face then. Small, it was gone instantly.
Interesting. But she recovered smoothly. “This was never about romance.”
Kai’s voice sharpened. “It was for you.”

Silence and then Selene looked away first. Just briefly.
But brief was enough. Then her mask returned completely cold and perfect.
“Luna trusts you,” she said quietly. “Which means eventually… she’ll follow you.”

Kai’s expression hardened dangerously. “You’re trying to manipulate the wrong person.”

“Am I?”

Selene stepped backward toward the shadows. “Because Ethan already made his choice.”

Kai froze instantly. That caught him.
Good.
Selene smiled slightly.
“He’s moving faster than either of you realize.”

Cold dread entered Kai’s face. “Where is he?”
Selene’s eyes gleamed silver under the moonlight. “Be careful,” she whispered. “The boy trying to save Luna may destroy her first.”

Then she disappeared into the darkness. Leaving Kai alone with the truth.
And far under Crescent Valley….
The seal cracked again.