CHAPTER 59
The palace gates opened slowly.
Not with celebration.
Not with ceremony.
But with unease.
---
Two figures stepped through.
Selene.
And Brian.
---
They were no longer the same people who had left.
Brian's posture was sharper now—less relaxed, more alert, as though he had learned to survive in silence rather than comfort.
Selene walked beside him, her expression composed, but her eyes scanning everything.
The palace did not feel like home anymore.
It felt like danger dressed in gold.
---
A servant rushed forward immediately.
"Prince Brian… Lady Selene…"
His voice wavered slightly.
"You have returned…"
Brian nodded once. "What has happened here?"
The servant hesitated.
Then lowered his voice.
"…Everything."
---
Selene's gaze narrowed slightly. "Define everything."
Before the servant could answer—
The sound of hurried footsteps interrupted them.
Two guards ran past, shouting orders.
"Seal the east corridor!"
"Report to the council chamber immediately!"
---
Brian frowned. "What is going on?"
The servant swallowed hard.
"…The kingdom is under attack."
Silence.
---
Selene blinked once. "Attack?"
The servant nodded quickly.
"Not inside the palace… but close. The outer regions. It has been ongoing for months."
Brian's expression hardened.
"Months…?"
---
Before they could process further—
A loud voice echoed from the upper hall.
"Move! The experiment chamber is unstable!"
Selene turned sharply.
"…Experiment?"
---
Brian looked toward the sound.
Something about it didn't feel normal.
Not royal.
Not political.
Something else.
---
A soldier approached them quickly.
Recognition flickered in his eyes.
"Prince Brian… Lady Selene… you should not be here."
Brian stepped forward. "Explain what is happening in this kingdom."
The soldier hesitated.
Then spoke carefully.
"…Werewolves."
---
Silence dropped instantly.
Selene's expression didn't change immediately.
But her fingers tightened slightly at her side.
Brian went still.
"…Say that again."
---
"Werewolves," the soldier repeated. "They are attacking from the outer regions. They are not just beasts anymore… they think. They plan. They… change."
Selene finally spoke.
"Change?"
---
The soldier nodded.
"They can take human form."
That word landed heavily.
---
Brian exhaled slowly.
"So that is what we are fighting."
---
Selene's eyes shifted slightly toward the palace interior.
"…And the royal family allowed this to continue?"
The soldier looked away slightly.
"Prince Zack has been leading the response."
At the mention of Zack—
Brian's expression tightened subtly.
---
Selene noticed.
"…Zack is here?"
"Yes, my lady."
---
A pause.
Then Selene asked quietly:
"And Kael?"
---
The soldier froze.
That silence was answer enough.
---
Brian stepped forward slightly. "Where is Prince Kael?"
The soldier's voice dropped.
"…Missing. Presumed lost in the initial attack months ago."
Selene did not react immediately.
But something in her eyes shifted.
Not emotion.
Calculation.
---
Brian's jaw tightened.
"…And his mate?"
The soldier hesitated.
"She was with him."
Silence again.
---
Selene finally spoke.
"So the kingdom is bleeding… and no one knows where the heir is."
---
The soldier nodded slowly.
Brian looked toward the palace.
Something about it felt different now.
Heavier.
Like it had been split into fear and silence.
---
Just then—
Another guard approached quickly.
Urgent.
"Prince Brian! You are requested in the council chamber immediately."
Brian frowned. "For what?"
The guard lowered his voice.
"…The Queen has called a full assembly. There is a captured creature. Prince Zack is conducting analysis."
Selene's eyes sharpened.
"A captured what?"
---
The guard swallowed.
"…A werewolf."
---
Brian exhaled slowly.
Then looked at Selene.
"This is worse than we thought."
Selene nodded faintly.
"Yes."
A pause.
"Much worse."
---
As they walked deeper into the palace, the atmosphere changed.
Less royal.
More military.
Servants moved faster.
Guards stood tighter.
Fear was not spoken—
But it was everywhere.
---
Brian lowered his voice.
"Something is wrong in this kingdom."
Selene replied softly.
"No," she said.
"It is already happening."
---
And as they stepped toward the council chamber—
Neither of them realized yet—
They had walked directly into the center of a war that was no longer just about territory…
But about what it meant to be human anymore.