SELENE'S POV
I heard a scream, unsure if it was mine, but Rhea's mouth was shut, so it had to be mine. The only other person here was the soldier on the ground.
And he was dead.
The tightness in my chest started. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe well, and my heart was pounding so hard I was sure Rhea could hear it.
"What is it?" she asked, noticing I was starting to shake. But I couldn't speak. I was gasping for air, and the sight of the dead body wasn't helping.
I fell to the ground. Rhea rushed to hold me, her expression shifting from fear to panic.
"It's okay," she said, but it wasn't. Why was a soldier lying lifeless on the ground?
I was still shaking, struggling to inhale.
"Breathe, Selene," Rhea told me. If only it were that easy.
But slowly, I started feeling air fill my lungs again, though I was still shaking.
Rhea slowly let go of me.
"Wait here," she said. "I have to go fetch the healers."
I wasn't okay with the idea of her leaving me alone, but I couldn't get up without falling again.
So I watched her run back to the healing den.
She was handling this better than I was, stronger than she gave herself credit for.
I shifted farther from the dead soldier. Nausea was creeping in.
My eyes started to sting, and red itchy bumps appeared on my skin. My allergy was kicking in.
A minute later, I was sneezing and coughing badly. I had to get away.
I stood up slowly, feeling dizzy. I could barely walk but managed to put a few feet between me and the corpse.
Then I heard a sound, twigs snapping under someone's foot. I looked around. Rhea wasn't back yet. I broke into a cold sweat.
Another twig snapped.
"Who's there?" I asked. "Please help me."
I coughed. My allergy was getting worse, and so was my eyesight.
Because I saw a figure standing behind a tree, but I couldn't make out who it was.
"Rhea?"
No answer.
I was getting dizzier.
"Please help me," I cried.
The figure still didn't say anything or move.
Then I saw two…
Then three…
Then I passed out.
When I finally opened my eyes, it was completely dark. I couldn't make out any part of my surroundings, but I knew I wasn't in the woods anymore.
I could feel my hands tied behind my back to a chair. I was on my knees on the cold, hard ground.
But I couldn't see where I was.
Panic hit me again. Had I gone blind? Where was I?
Suddenly, footsteps approached, more than one person.
They stopped a few feet away. I was shaking.
"Who are you?" I cried. "What do you want with me?"
A pause.
"Hello, Selene," one said, a female voice, cold and sharp.
"Who are you?" I asked again.
"We'll ask the questions, how about that?" she replied.
"And if I don't answer?"
A sudden kick to my belly. I cried out in pain.
"We can do more than that, of course," a male voice said, "but we wouldn't want you dead. Not now anyway."
"Now, will you comply with us?" the woman asked.
I nodded, shaking with fear.
"Good. You're not our target, but you might be useful," she said.
"Your usefulness determines whether you'll be spared or killed."
I swallowed hard. I knew they were going to kill me. What use could I be to them?
"You're a friend of Rhea, aren't you?"
I nodded.
"How close are you two?"
"We've been friends our whole lives," I said, wondering why they wanted to know.
"That means she trusts you," the woman said. "Perfect."
"Tell us what's been going on with her," the man said.
"I don't know." Another kick to my belly, harder this time. I screamed.
"If you lie to us again, I'll shove my boot down your throat. Do you understand?" the man asked. I nodded, fighting back tears.
"She's having nightmares," I sniffed, "and she's hearing things."
"Is that all?"
I nodded.
"It's not as deep as we thought then," the man muttered.
"But it's only a matter of time," the woman said, "and if she can see and hear our plans, we have to get rid of her immediately."
So Rhea is who they're after. She's their target.
"You know it's not that easy," the man snapped, "not when she's chosen."
"But like you said, it's not deep yet. We can kill her before she gets any more powerful," the woman said. "Using her dear friend Selene. She won't see it coming. Not even in a dream."
My feet went cold.
"I'm not going to kill her," I said quickly. "I don't care what you do to me, I won't kill her."
"Oh please," the woman laughed. "You can't kill her even if you wanted to, but you can definitely help us."
"I won't. You can torture me to death, but I won't," I said, wondering where this bravery was coming from.
The woman laughed even harder.
"Do you know Dexter?" the man asked calmly.
A shiver ran down my spine.
"Of course she does," the woman said. "Her poor friend, the one our soldiers nearly killed."
I gasped.
It was them. They were behind the attack.
"We couldn't help but notice you like him very much," the woman chuckled.
"While we might not be able to harm Rhea directly, we can certainly finish off Dexter," the man said. "You wouldn't like that, now would you?"
"No," I said, barely above a whisper.
"Dexter will live, and you'll finally have him to yourself but only if Rhea is out of the picture," the man said.
"But if you don't help us, Dexter will die. So will you. And eventually, Rhea too," the woman said.
Goosebumps covered me.
"So, are you in?"
Tears ran down my cheeks. I can't do this…
But Dexter…
"Yes," I said, making a deal with the people I couldn't see.
"Very good, Selene," the man said.
"And just so you know," the woman said, "we run this pack and beyond. We have eyes and ears everywhere. You can't run from us, so don't even try."
"But if you're foolish enough to try," the man said, "Dexter dies."