The Reborn Luna: Claimed by the Billionaire Alpha

Chapter 17 – The Price of Power

The chamber trembled as if the walls themselves were alive, reacting to the presence of the being before Selene. The air was thick with an ancient power—a power that recognized her.

The whispers swirled around her, some pleading, some demanding.

Break the chains.

Finish what was started.

The dagger calls. You must answer.

Selene's grip on the dagger tightened. She could feel the pull of its magic like an unseen hand wrapped around her wrist, urging her forward.

Rylen was at her side, his breathing heavy, his sword still drawn. "Selene, whatever you're about to do, think first."

Her heart pounded. That was the problem. She was thinking. And the more she thought, the more she realized there was no easy way out of this.

The figure on the throne remained motionless. But its presence filled every corner of the room. It was waiting. Watching. Judging.

Selene swallowed hard. "Who are you?"

A pause. And then, in a voice like shifting stone:

"I am the beginning. I am the end."

A chill ran down her spine.

Rylen stepped closer. "Not an answer."

The being lifted its hooded head, and though its face was still obscured, Selene felt the weight of its stare.

"The dagger is a key. The key to the chains. And you… are its bearer."

Selene's chest tightened.

The whispers around her grew louder.

The chains in the room rattled violently, as if alive.

Break the chains.

Break the chains.

BREAK THE CHAINS.

Selene flinched, shaking her head. "I don't even know what you are."

"You will."

The shadows surged.

A Battle of Will

The force hit them like a storm.

Selene barely had time to react before the shadows lunged, tendrils of darkness whipping through the air like living things. Rylen grabbed her and pulled her back just as a chain snapped loose and struck the ground where she'd stood a moment before.

Dust and debris exploded around them.

Rylen cursed, raising his sword. "We need to move!"

Selene was already running, her mind racing. She didn't understand what was happening—but she knew one thing:

This being wanted to be free.

And she wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

The dagger pulsed, burning against her palm. The closer she got to the throne, the stronger the pull became. It was like something deep inside the weapon was waking up, recognizing its purpose.

She clenched her teeth.

No.

She wasn't a puppet. She wasn't going to break the chains just because some ancient force told her to.

She needed to understand what she was dealing with first.

Selene skidded to a stop near the altar, her eyes scanning the symbols carved into its surface. The markings were familiar—the same as the ones on the dagger.

A story. A warning.

She traced her fingers over the ancient text, her mind piecing together the fragments.

The being on the throne… had been sealed away.

Not as a punishment.

But as a necessity.

Selene's stomach twisted.

The chains must break. The cycle must end.

That wasn't a warning.

It was a demand.

She turned sharply. "Rylen, we can't let this thing out."

He didn't need convincing. "Yeah, I got that part when the shadows started trying to kill us."

But the throne-bound figure remained eerily still. It didn't attack. It didn't lash out.

It was waiting.

For her.

For a choice.

Selene clenched her fists. If the dagger was a key, then maybe—**just maybe—**she could use it in reverse.

Seal the being away forever.

She just had to figure out how.

The Betrayal of Magic

The shadows coiled, sensing her hesitation. The throne-bound figure finally moved, stepping down from the dais with inhuman grace.

"You hesitate."

Selene's breath hitched. "Because I don't trust you."

"Trust is an illusion."

The ground shook.

The chains hanging from the ceiling snapped free, slithering like serpents toward Selene.

Rylen moved fast, slashing at the nearest one, sparks flying as steel met metal.

Selene barely dodged in time as another chain whipped toward her, the air cracking with force. She ducked, rolling across the stone.

The throne-bound figure did not attack.

It simply watched.

"You fight against fate."

Selene gritted her teeth. "Maybe fate should try harder."

She spun, raising the dagger. And then she made her choice.

With all the force she could muster, she drove the dagger into the altar.

The chamber exploded.

A New Prison

The force of the magic surge knocked them both off their feet.

A deafening crack echoed through the ruins as the altar split in two, blinding light pouring from its core. The throne-bound figure staggered, its form flickering violently.

The chains in the chamber lashed out, wrapping around its limbs.

Selene's pulse hammered. It was working.

The shadows screamed, writhing, fighting against the binding magic. But Selene pushed harder, channeling everything the dagger had into the spell.

The throne-bound figure lifted its head—and for the first time, it struggled.

"You do not understand what you have done."

Selene gritted her teeth. "I don't need to."

The last of the chains snapped forward, coiling around the figure's torso. The altar shuddered, the ruins groaning under the weight of the spell.

And then—it was over.

The light faded.

The whispers vanished.

And the chamber fell silent.

Selene's knees buckled, exhaustion slamming into her all at once. Rylen caught her before she could collapse, his own breath ragged.

The throne was empty.

The figure was gone.

Sealed away.

Selene exhaled a shaky breath. It was over.

For now.

The Aftermath

They emerged from the ruins just as the first light of dawn touched the horizon. The air was still heavy with residual magic, but the threat was gone.

For the first time in what felt like hours, Selene allowed herself to breathe.

Rylen ran a hand through his hair, still shaken. "You okay?"

She nodded, though she wasn't sure it was true. "Yeah."

They had won.

But the dagger was still in her hand.

And something deep inside her whispered that this wasn't the end.

Not even close.

The ruins were silent, yet the weight of what had happened still clung to the air like an unshaken storm. Selene's legs trembled beneath her as she tried to steady herself. The dagger—her dagger—still pulsed in her grip, though the magic it had unleashed had quieted.

Rylen stood beside her, his breathing still ragged, his sword at the ready. Even though the immediate danger had passed, his instincts told him not to let his guard down.

The throne was empty. The chains were shattered.

But something felt wrong.

Selene turned her gaze to the dagger, its once-black blade now glowing faintly with an eerie silver sheen. The power inside it was not gone—it had simply shifted. Changed.

"You do not understand what you have done."

The voice was no longer coming from the shadows of the chamber. It was in her mind.

Selene gasped, nearly dropping the dagger, but as soon as she loosened her grip, the power inside it surged again. The glow flickered, and for the briefest moment, she saw a pair of golden eyes staring back at her.

A shiver ran down her spine.

Rylen noticed. "Selene?"

"I'm fine," she lied.

He didn't believe her. "That's what you said before we walked into the ruins and almost got killed."

She forced a weak smirk. "And yet, here we are. Still alive."

His eyes narrowed, but he didn't push further. He knew her well enough to recognize when she wasn't ready to talk.

Instead, he turned his gaze back to the ruins behind them. The chains were broken, the ancient being was sealed—but for how long?

"Come on," he said, sliding his sword back into its sheath. "We need to move before anything else wakes up."

Selene nodded. She knew he was right.

But as they turned to leave, she couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.

And that the battle they had just fought…

Was only the beginning.

---

Echoes of the Past

The journey back to camp was quiet. Too quiet.

The forest, usually alive with the sounds of rustling leaves and distant animal cries, was silent.

Selene glanced around warily. The unnatural stillness made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "Something's wrong," she muttered.

Rylen nodded, his hand instinctively resting on the hilt of his sword. "I feel it too."

They pressed forward cautiously, their footsteps muffled by the damp earth beneath them. The sun had fully risen now, but instead of bringing warmth and safety, it only seemed to highlight the unease settling in Selene's chest.

And then—

A whisper.

Not from the wind.

Not from the dagger.

From the trees.

Selene froze. "Did you hear that?"

Rylen turned sharply, scanning their surroundings. "What?"

She strained her ears, heart pounding.

The whisper came again—soft, broken, ancient.

"The cycle begins anew."

Selene's grip on the dagger tightened.

She had heard those words before.

In the ruins.

In her dreams.

And now… in the waking world.

Before she could say anything, the ground beneath them shuddered.

The trees groaned, their branches twisting unnaturally. The sunlight dimmed, as if something was swallowing it whole.

And then—

They weren't alone anymore.

---

The Hunters Arrive

From the shadows of the forest, figures emerged.

Cloaked. Hooded. Silent.

Selene and Rylen instinctively took a step back, their weapons drawn.

The figures did not speak, did not attack. They simply watched.

Selene's pulse raced. She had encountered many enemies in her time, but something about these figures felt different.

They weren't ordinary warriors.

They weren't mercenaries.

They were hunters.

Rylen's jaw clenched. "Who are you?"

One of the figures stepped forward, lowering his hood. His face was sharp, his eyes as black as the void.

"You carry a power that does not belong to you," he said.

Selene stiffened.

The dagger pulsed again, as if reacting to the man's words.

The hunter tilted his head slightly, studying her. "You think you won. That you saved yourself." A cold smile touched his lips. "But you merely exchanged one prison for another."

Selene's breath caught.

Before she could respond, another hunter spoke, his voice softer but no less chilling.

"The one you sealed away was never meant to be freed. But neither were you meant to wield that blade."

Selene took a step forward, her heart hammering. "Then tell me—who was it meant for?"

The first hunter's smile widened.

"The true heir of the throne you abandoned."

The words struck her like a physical blow.

The hunters knew who she was.

They knew what she carried.

And worst of all…

They knew something she didn't.

---

A New Threat

The air between them was tense, charged with unspoken truths and unseen dangers.

Rylen moved closer to Selene, his stance protective. He had fought beside her for long enough to recognize a trap when he saw one.

These men weren't here to kill them.

They were here to test them.

Selene kept her voice steady. "If you know so much, then you know this power was forced on me. I didn't ask for it."

The first hunter chuckled. "And yet, you carry it all the same."

Selene's fingers curled around the dagger's hilt. "Maybe. But that doesn't mean I'll let anyone take it from me."

The hunter's dark eyes gleamed. "We shall see."

Without warning, he vanished.

Not stepped back. Not ran. Vanished.

As if the shadows themselves had swallowed him whole.

The others followed suit, fading into the trees like specters.

And just like that, the unnatural silence returned.

Selene and Rylen remained frozen, waiting. Listening.

Nothing.

No sound. No movement.

Just an empty forest… and the lingering sense that something was coming.

Selene exhaled, gripping the dagger tighter.

Rylen glanced at her. "Well. That was terrifying."

She nodded. "Yeah."

A pause.

Then Rylen added, "Do you think they'll be back?"

Selene didn't need to think.

Yes.

They would be back.

And next time…

They wouldn't just be watching.