The Reborn Luna: Claimed by the Billionaire Alpha

Chapter 15 - The Stranger's Warning

The hooded figure's words lingered in the cold night air, thick with unspoken truths. Selene could feel Rylen's tension beside her, his grip tightening around his sword, but she wasn't ready to strike—not yet. There was something about this stranger, something unnerving yet oddly familiar, as if she had heard their voice in a dream before.

"Start talking," Selene demanded, her voice steadier than she felt inside. "What do you mean by 'the dagger has chosen'?"

The stranger let out another low chuckle, the sound curling around them like smoke. "It means exactly what it sounds like," they said, taking another step forward. Rylen mirrored the movement, positioning himself slightly ahead of Selene, protective as ever. But the stranger didn't flinch. Instead, they lifted a gloved hand, revealing a silver sigil burned into the leather—a mark Selene recognized.

Her breath hitched. "That symbol… it belongs to the Order of Eclipsed Shadows."

The stranger inclined their head. "So, you do know of us. That saves time." Their voice lost its amusement, turning sharp. "Then you must also know that the dagger in your possession is a relic that should have been destroyed centuries ago."

Selene's grip tightened instinctively on the weapon at her side. The dagger still hummed faintly, its energy wrapping around her like an unseen force. "If it should've been destroyed," she said carefully, "why does it still exist?"

The stranger exhaled, the sound almost like a sigh. "Because some things refuse to die," they murmured. "Especially those forged in blood and betrayal." They took another step closer, their tone growing urgent. "Listen to me, girl. That blade—its power is not meant for human hands. It will consume you. Corrupt you. And when it's done… there will be nothing left of who you are."

A sharp silence followed.

Selene swallowed hard. The thought of losing herself to the dagger sent a chill through her. She had always sensed something dark within it, but the way this stranger spoke made it sound inevitable.

"I can handle it," she said, forcing confidence into her words.

The stranger shook their head. "No one can."

Rylen, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. "If that's true," he said, his voice steady but laced with suspicion, "why don't you just take the dagger from her now?"

The stranger turned to him. "Because it has already chosen her. To take it by force would only awaken its wrath."

Selene frowned. "So, what? You expect me to just hand it over willingly?"

A pause. Then, the stranger said something that made her blood run cold.

"No. I expect you to kill me with it."

The words sent a jolt through Selene's entire body. Rylen's sword was up in an instant, his stance shifting defensively. "What kind of sick game are you playing?" he growled.

The stranger remained calm. "No game. A test." They turned back to Selene. "If the dagger's power hasn't already started to control you, then prove it. Strike me down."

Selene's fingers twitched against the dagger's hilt. The air around her seemed to ripple, charged with an energy she didn't understand. The weapon felt heavier, like it was waiting for her to make a choice.

"I don't want to kill you," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

The stranger's lips curled into a knowing smile. "Then don't."

The energy in the air shifted. One moment, the stranger was standing before her. The next, they were gone—vanished into the darkness as if they had never been there at all.

Selene let out a shaky breath.

Rylen turned to her, his expression unreadable. "That wasn't normal."

"No," Selene agreed. "It wasn't."

But deep down, she knew—the stranger had been telling the truth. The dagger was changing her. And she wasn't sure how much longer she could fight it.

Selene stood frozen, her heart hammering against her ribs. The dagger's grip felt like fire in her palm, its energy pulsing as if it had a heartbeat of its own. The stranger's words echoed in her mind—Kill me with it. The demand had been chilling, but what disturbed her most was the way the dagger had responded to those words, as if it had been waiting for the command.

"They disappeared," Rylen muttered, his gaze scanning the darkened forest around them. His sword remained drawn, but there was no one to fight. No trace of movement. Nothing.

Selene's fingers loosened around the dagger, her breath uneven. "They weren't just anyone," she whispered. "They knew about the dagger's power. And… they wanted me to use it."

Rylen turned to her, his expression troubled. "And what if you had? What if the moment you struck them, you weren't able to stop?"

Selene looked down at the blade, its surface reflecting the silver moonlight. She had fought countless battles, faced death more times than she could count, but this was different. This wasn't just about winning or losing. It was about who she was becoming.

She sheathed the dagger quickly, as if hiding it would silence the voice inside her head.

Rylen exhaled sharply, pushing his sword back into its scabbard. "We need to move. If that stranger was right, we don't have much time before the dagger starts—" He stopped himself, as if afraid of finishing the sentence.

"Before it starts corrupting me?" Selene finished for him.

He hesitated before nodding. "Yeah."

Selene crossed her arms. "You don't trust me."

Rylen rubbed the back of his neck, his frustration clear. "It's not about trust, Selene. It's about the fact that this dagger is older than time itself, and we have no idea what it's capable of."

She clenched her jaw. "Then we find out."

His brows furrowed. "Find out? You mean—"

"Yes," she interrupted. "If I'm supposed to be its wielder, then I need to understand it. No more running. No more guessing."

Rylen looked as if he wanted to argue, but after a long silence, he sighed. "Then we start at the ruins," he said. "The ones near the Black Hollow Mountains. If there's any record of the dagger's origins, it'll be there."

Selene nodded, determination settling over her. "Then let's go."

---

The Journey to Black Hollow

They traveled under the cloak of night, moving swiftly through the dense forest. The path was treacherous, with twisting roots and uneven ground threatening to slow them, but neither stopped.

Selene's thoughts, however, were far from the journey.

She could still feel the dagger's presence, an unshakable awareness that it was watching her. The stranger's words had stirred something deep within her, something she wasn't ready to admit:

She was afraid.

Afraid of what the dagger might do.

Afraid of what she might do.

"Selene," Rylen's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She glanced at him, noting the tension in his stance. He had always been protective of her, but tonight, his concern was different. He wasn't just worried about her safety—he was worried about her.

"What is it?" she asked.

He hesitated before saying, "If we find out that the dagger is dangerous… truly dangerous… are you willing to let it go?"

Selene's breath caught in her throat. It was a simple question. One with an obvious answer.

But she couldn't say it.

Because deep down, she wasn't sure if she could let it go.

"I—"

The sudden snap of a branch cut her off.

Rylen's hand flew to his sword, and Selene immediately reached for her dagger. The forest had been eerily quiet before, but now… something was here.

A shadow moved.

Then another.

The air thickened, the scent of damp earth mingling with something else—something unnatural.

Rylen's grip tightened. "We're not alone."

Selene swallowed hard, her pulse quickening. "I know."

From the darkness, red eyes appeared. Dozens of them.

The shadows came to life.

And then, the attack began.

---

The Battle in the Forest

A snarling creature lunged at Selene, its claws aimed for her throat. She barely had time to react before Rylen's sword flashed, cutting the beast down mid-air.

More were coming.

Selene's instincts took over. She drew the dagger, and the moment the blade was free, a surge of power coursed through her. The air around her seemed to shimmer, the dagger humming in her grasp.

A beast lunged—she slashed. The dagger glowed, its blade slicing through the creature like fire through paper.

But something was wrong.

With every strike, she felt a pull, as if the dagger was drinking in something unseen. As if it was feeding.

She gasped, staggering back as another wave of creatures charged forward. Rylen fought beside her, his movements swift and precise, but there were too many.

"Selene!" he shouted. "We can't take them all—we need to move!"

But Selene barely heard him.

The dagger was calling to her.

Use me.

She squeezed her eyes shut. No.

Use me.

Her grip trembled. I won't.

And then—the voice changed.

It was no longer a whisper. It was a command.

Kill them all.

The darkness swallowed her whole.

---

The Aftermath

Selene awoke to silence.

The smell of blood was thick in the air, and the ground was littered with bodies—but they weren't human. The creatures that had attacked them lay motionless, their forms still twitching with remnants of fading life.

Her hands were sticky with blood.

Rylen was kneeling beside her, his expression a mixture of relief and fear.

"Selene…" His voice was hoarse. "What happened?"

She blinked, disoriented. Her memories were blurred, fractured pieces of something too dark to grasp fully.

"I… I don't know," she admitted.

Rylen stared at her, his gaze dropping to the dagger still clenched in her fist. Its glow had faded, but the weight of its presence was heavier than ever.

Selene looked around at the bodies. She had fought them, yes. But had she…?

Had she done all of this?

The horror of it settled over her like a crushing wave.

The dagger had taken over.

And for the first time since she had held it—she had let it.

She exhaled shakily, meeting Rylen's worried gaze. "We need to get to the ruins," she whispered. "Now."

Because if they didn't…

She might not be Selene much longer.

---