I didn't sleep.

After the silver-eyed girl vanished, I lay in the darkness, staring at the ceiling, my mind racing. Every shadow seemed to move. Every creak of the palace made me flinch.

I was trapped in a palace full of enemies. Isolde wanted to control me. Seraphine wanted to save me—or so she claimed. Silas was a mystery I couldn't solve.

And the girl with the silver eyes kept whispering warnings I didn't understand.

Every smile hides a blade, Moon Queen. Choose carefully... or bleed.

I pressed my palm against the mark on my chest. It was warm, pulsing gently. I still didn't know what it meant. I still didn't know who I really was.

But I knew one thing: I couldn't stay in this room. I couldn't hide forever.

I needed answers.

And I knew exactly where to start looking.

---

The palace gardens were empty at dawn.

I slipped out of my chambers before the servants woke, moving through the corridors like a shadow. I had learned to be quiet in the streets of Lunaris. That skill hadn't left me.

The gardens were vast and wild, filled with twisted trees and overgrown roses. The moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting silver patterns on the ground. It was beautiful—and unsettling.

I walked deeper into the garden, my bare feet cold on the stone paths. I didn't know what I was looking for. I just knew I couldn't stay still.

And then I saw him.

An old wolf was sitting on a stone bench near a crumbling fountain. He was small and bent, his fur gray with age. His eyes were clouded, but they turned toward me as I approached.

"Who's there?" he asked, his voice thin and wavering.

I stopped. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you."

He squinted at me. "You're the new one. The girl from the streets."

I stiffened. "How do you know that?"

"The palace whispers," he said with a toothless smile. "Everyone knows about the scarlet-haired girl who carries the mark of the Moon Wolf Queen."

I stepped closer. "Who are you?"

"I'm nobody," he said. "Just an old servant who has been in this palace longer than anyone remembers." He studied me with his clouded eyes. "You look like her, you know. Your mother."

My heart stopped. "My mother?"

"The true Moon Wolf Queen." His voice softened. "I served her when she was alive. She was kind. Gentle. Nothing like the woman who sits on the throne now."

I sat down on the bench beside him. "Tell me about her."

He was silent for a long moment. Then he sighed.

"Your mother was the heart of this kingdom," he said. "She loved the people. She protected the weak. She was everything a queen should be." He paused. "Isolde hated her for it."

"Isolde?"

"She wanted the throne," he said. "She wanted the power. But she could never have it while your mother lived." His voice dropped to a whisper. "So she made sure she didn't live."

I felt cold. "Are you saying Isolde killed my mother?"

"I'm saying your mother died too young." He met my gaze. "And I'm saying Isolde is a woman who would burn the world before she accepts defeat."

I clenched my fists. Fury burned in my chest—hot and fierce. Isolde had stolen my mother. She had stolen my name, my past, and the life I should have had. And now she was pretending to welcome me home.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"Because you deserve to know what happened," he said. "And because I won't live much longer. Someone needs to remember."

"Who else knows?"

He shook his head. "The ones who knew are dead. The ones who suspect are afraid." He reached out and touched my hand. "Be careful, child. Isolde is not your only enemy."

"Who else?"

He opened his mouth to speak—

A branch snapped behind us.

I spun around.

A servant was standing at the edge of the garden, her face pale and frightened.

"Your Highness," she said, her voice trembling. "The Queen Mother requests your presence. Immediately."

I looked back at the old wolf.

He was gone.

---

I walked through the palace corridors, my heart pounding.

The servant led me to Isolde's private chambers. The doors were carved with wolves and moons, their silver eyes gleaming in the torchlight.

I pushed the doors open.

Isolde was sitting at a table, her hands folded in front of her. She was wearing black silk, her silver hair coiled in an elaborate braid. She smiled when she saw me.

"Selene," she said. "Please, sit."

I didn't sit.

"You murdered my mother," I said.

Isolde's smile didn't waver. "Careful with accusations, Selene. In this palace, words can be more dangerous than blades."

The words hit me like a slap. "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. The old wolf in the garden. He told me everything."

Isolde laughed—a soft, musical sound. "The old wolf in the garden. Yes, I know him. He's been telling stories for years. None of them are true."

"He said you killed my mother."

"Your mother died the way queens often do—surrounded by secrets and people who wanted her gone." Isolde smiled faintly. "But whether it was murder or fate... the dead do not return, Selene. Only the living suffer the consequences."

I stared at her. "You're lying."

Isolde's eyes narrowed. "Be careful, Selene. I am still the Queen Mother. And you are still a rogue who stole bread in the streets."

I felt my anger surge. "I am not a rogue. I am the daughter of the Moon Wolf Queen. And I will not let you—"

"You will do exactly as I say." Isolde stood, her voice cold and sharp. "You are in my palace. Surrounded by my guards. Under my protection." She stepped closer. "If you want to survive, you will learn to be grateful."

"Grateful?" I laughed bitterly. "You brought me here to destroy me."

"I brought you here because you are useful," Isolde said. "The mark on your chest is useful. Your bloodline is useful. Your existence is useful." She smiled. "But usefulness can be replaced."

I stared at her. I felt cold. Empty.

I realized the truth.

She had not brought me here to welcome me home.

She had brought me here to destroy me.

---

I walked away from Isolde's chambers, but her words followed me like a shadow. For the first time in my life, I understood that having a crown did not mean having a home.

I walked through the corridors, my feet moving on autopilot. I didn't know where I was going. I didn't care.

I had thought I was alone before I came to this palace. I had thought I had nothing. But at least I had my freedom. At least I had my pride.

Now I had nothing.

I stopped in the middle of the corridor and pressed my palms against my eyes.

"What have I done?" I whispered.

"You've done nothing wrong."

I spun around.

Seraphine was standing behind me. Her face was pale, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Seraphine?" I said. "What are you—"

"I saw you leave my mother's chambers," she said. "I saw your face." She stepped closer. "What did she say to you?"

"She told me what she did." My voice cracked. "She killed my mother. She brought me here to use me. She doesn't care about me. She never has."

Seraphine's face crumpled. "I know," she whispered. "I've known for years... and every day I've hated myself for being too afraid to stand against her."

"Then help me."

She met my gaze. "I can't. She'll kill us both."

"Then we'll let her kill us," I said. "Or we'll fight back."

Seraphine stared at me. Her eyes filled with tears.

"You really are your mother's daughter," she whispered.

---

That night, I made a decision.

I would find the old wolf again. I would uncover Isolde's secrets.

And then I would destroy her.

I looked out at the Doom Moon, its red light spilling across the city.

I wondered where Silas was. The one person who seemed to see me as something more than a weapon.

The silver-eyed girl appeared in the window beside me.

"Your enemies hide behind smiles, Moon Queen," she whispered. "But every shadow reveals what the light tries to hide. Follow the darkness... and you will uncover what is hidden."

-

END OF CHAPTER 6