Althea's POV
The halls of the palace were quieter at night. Shadows from the lanterns danced against the walls, soft and golden, and I followed them through the stone corridors with my bare feet brushing over cool marble floors.
I didn't knock.
Something pulled me forward—like the ache in my chest had grown hands and was guiding me through the silence. After the training, after the whispers, after the eyes that looked at me like I didn't belong… there was only one place I wanted to be.
One person.
I opened the door to Maximus's room slowly. The scent of cedarwood and spice greeted me instantly, strong and grounding. The fire in the hearth glowed low, casting a flickering light across the room.
He was standing near the window shirtless, his back to me, broad shoulders tense.
"Can't sleep?" I asked softly.
He turned, surprised, then relaxed the moment he saw me. His eyes, that stormy golden brown, dropped to my nightgown before slowly climbing back up to meet my gaze.
"No," he said, voice low. "You?"
I shook my head. "I had to see you."
He took a step toward me, then paused. His eyes searched mine. "Althea... if you stay tonight, I may not be able to let you go."
"I don't want you to."
That was all it took.
In a blink, I was in his arms, his mouth crashing into mine like a wave breaking after too long held back. I tasted heat, hunger, something starved and something sacred all at once. His hands gripped my waist, my back, burying into my hair like he needed to memorize every inch of me.
I gasped as he lifted me effortlessly, carrying me toward the bed.
When he laid me down, it wasn't rough or rushed. It was reverent.
"I need to feel you," he said, his voice cracked open with longing. "I've waited long enough."
"So have I," I whispered, touching his cheek, pulling him back to me.
The world faded to just us—our hands, our mouths, our bodies. Every kiss tasted like fate. Every touch felt like fire.
When his lips trailed down my neck, over my collarbone, he paused above the place where his mark would go.
He looked at me, chest heaving. "Not yet."
I nodded. "Not tonight."
But everything else… everything else, we gave.
The first time was slow. Worshipful. Like we weren't just claiming each other's bodies but every scar and story that came with them. He kissed the underside of my wrist like it held secrets, the curve of my hip like it was sacred. He said my name like a promise.
And I let go.
We moved together like our wolves had already danced beneath moonlight. No fear. No hesitation. Just truth.
When we were tangled in each other afterward, skin against skin beneath the soft sheets, his hand found mine and held it tight against his chest.
"You're real," he whispered against my temple.
"So are you," I breathed.
The morning sun crept in slowly, brushing against our limbs with golden warmth. I blinked awake with my head resting on Maximus's shoulder, the steady rhythm of his heart lulling me in and out of dreams.
I didn't want to move.
But something in the way he exhaled told me he was already awake—and thinking.
"Max?" I said softly.
He kissed my forehead before answering. "There's something I need to tell you."
I lifted myself onto my elbow, searching his eyes. "What is it?"
He sat up slowly, drawing the sheets around his waist, the morning light making the angles of his face sharper, more vulnerable.
"There was a prophecy," he said. "It was spoken by the Royal Seer yesterday during a council meeting. She said… you and I are the prophecy."
I froze. "The prophecy?"
He nodded. "The one that speaks of balance and fire. Of a king and queen who will end the chaos and restore the ancient bond between the moon and the wolves. She said we're moonfire—storm and flame. Fated. Essential."
My heart thundered in my chest.
"Is that why they were whispering? Why some of the council looked at me like I was both their salvation and their curse?"
"Yes," he said. "They were doubting you before. But now, they're scared of what you might be. What we might be."
I pulled the sheet around myself and sat beside him. "I don't feel like a prophecy."
He looked at me then, like I was made of stars. "But you are. I've seen it—your strength, your heart, the power in you that you don't even realize is yours yet. Caelum recognizes your wolf like he's known her since the beginning of time."
A pause. Then, gently, "Althea… what do you know about your origins?"
I blinked. "You think I'm not who I thought I was?"
"I think there's more to you. No ordinary wolf overpowers seasoned warriors without shifting. No ordinary wolf survives what you did and keeps fighting. And no ordinary wolf bonds with a royal lycan like this. We need to understand where your power comes from."
"I was brought up by my parents,who were not really nice to me .I have a sister who is now my former mate's chosen mate.I have known them my entire life so...."
He leaned in and kissed me again. Not with the wild hunger of last night, but with something softer. Something full of promise.
"I'll walk beside you every step," he whispered. "We find the truth together."
And in that moment, I knew… whatever the prophecy meant, whatever darkness rose to challenge us—we would face it.
Together.