The forest was quiet except for the uneven rhythm of Selene's sobs. The wind carried the scent of pine and damp earth, but it did nothing to soothe the storm raging inside her chest. She sat curled against the thick roots of an ancient oak, arms wrapped around herself as though she could hold the pieces of her heart together.
She had thought Kael would be different.
Even though the bond was fragile, even though he had denied her place beside him as Luna, she had clung to a thread of hope—that the bond itself would be stronger than pride, stronger than ambition.
But he had crushed it.
His words replayed in her mind like a cruel chant. "I cannot accept you. You are too weak to stand at my side."
Weak.
The word tasted like ash.
Selene lifted her head, wiping her face with trembling fingers. She wanted to scream until her voice broke, to claw the mark on her neck that proved she belonged to him, but even that seemed useless. No amount of scratching could erase what fate had branded into her skin.
She hated that even now, despite his rejection, her wolf still ached for him.
"Why?" her whisper trembled into the night. "Why did you give me this bond if you would tear it apart?"
The silence that followed was heavier than any answer.
The moonlight broke through the canopy, spilling across her like silver water. For a moment she imagined her mother's voice, soft and reassuring, telling her that pain was only the beginning of strength. But her mother was long gone, taken by the same brutal pack rivalries that now threatened Selene's future.
Her tears finally dried, leaving her hollow. She couldn't stay here. If the rogues that haunted the forest caught her in this vulnerable state, she wouldn't stand a chance.
With effort, Selene pushed herself up. Her legs trembled as though they, too, bore the weight of her rejection. She turned back in the direction of the pack house, every step a struggle between longing and pride.
But the moment she reached the edge of the clearing, she froze.
Kael stood there.
His tall frame was rigid, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dark. For a heartbeat she thought—hoped—that he had come after her, that regret had finally softened his pride.
But then she saw his jaw tighten, his fists clenched at his sides.
"Selene," he said, his voice deep but strained.
She shook her head before he could continue. "Don't."
He flinched, as if her single word cut deeper than claws. But she could not stop. The pain inside her had turned sharp, a shield she wielded against him.
"You already made your choice," she whispered, though her voice cracked. "Don't come here and pretend you care."
"I do care," Kael growled, stepping closer. "You are mine, Selene. But I cannot—" He broke off, frustration flashing across his features. "I cannot put my pack at risk for a Luna who cannot protect herself."
His words were fire against her already-burned skin.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, fury battling with grief. "Then perhaps I was never yours to begin with."
The silence that followed stretched taut. His wolf paced inside him, visible in the flicker of his eyes, but his lips pressed into a hard line.
Finally, he turned his head away, as though he couldn't bear the sight of her tears. "Go home, Selene," he said softly. "Before you get hurt."
She swallowed a sob, then brushed past him, her shoulder grazing his arm. He didn't reach for her. He didn't stop her.
The bond between them tugged like a frayed rope, and for the first time she wondered if it might one day snap.
Back at the pack house, whispers trailed after her like smoke. Wolves always sensed when something was wrong, when power shifted. The guards lowered their eyes, but she caught the flicker of curiosity, of pity. Word of Kael's rejection would spread quickly, and soon everyone would know the Luna had been deemed unworthy.
Her room felt colder than the forest. She pressed herself against the bed, curling once more into herself. Sleep came in broken fragments, full of Kael's golden eyes and the echo of his voice telling her she was not enough.
When morning broke, Selene rose with a new heaviness in her chest. She dressed quickly, avoiding her reflection in the mirror. She couldn't bear to see the girl staring back—fragile, rejected, lost.
She needed to leave.
Even if Kael refused to sever the bond, she couldn't linger where every glance reminded her of her failure.
Gathering her cloak, she slipped from the pack house. The guards at the gate hesitated but let her pass, perhaps assuming she was on one of her usual forest walks.
The air was sharp with dew, the forest alive with birdsong. Yet to Selene, every sound felt like mockery. She walked deeper, farther than she had the night before, driven by the desperate need to escape the walls closing in around her heart.
Her wolf stirred uneasily as she entered a part of the forest seldom traveled. Shadows stretched long beneath the trees, and the undergrowth grew thick, swallowing her path.
We shouldn't be here, her wolf whispered inside her mind.
"I know," Selene murmured aloud. But still she pressed on.
Perhaps it was reckless, but recklessness was all she had left.
Hours passed. When she finally stopped to rest beside a stream, she realized she had wandered farther than intended. The water shimmered, cold and inviting, and she knelt to cup it in her hands. The reflection that stared back at her was pale, her eyes swollen from tears.
She hated this version of herself. Weak. Powerless. Cast aside.
And then, for just a moment, she swore she saw another face ripple across the water—eyes darker, sharper. Watching.
Selene gasped and jerked back, her heart racing. She glanced around, but the forest remained still. Only the wind whispered through the branches.
Shaking her head, she stood quickly. "I'm imagining things," she told herself. Yet her wolf bristled, hackles raised.
The feeling of being watched clung to her as she moved, each step echoing in the silence.
Dusk fell sooner than she expected, painting the sky in streaks of blood and gold. Selene's exhaustion pulled at her limbs, but she forced herself onward. She didn't want to return to Kael, not yet. Not until she could face him without breaking.
Finally, she stumbled into another clearing. The moon had risen, casting everything in silver glow. Selene sank onto the grass, her body trembling with weariness.
Her eyes fluttered shut.
And that was when she felt it.
The weight of a gaze heavy enough to pierce through the dark.
Her wolf snarled in warning, every nerve in her body suddenly alert. Selene's breath caught as she sat up, scanning the trees.
The forest looked empty. But the shadows between the trunks seemed to thicken, as though something—or someone—moved just beyond sight.
She couldn't see him. But she could feel him.
The presence was powerful, more commanding than any rogue. It carried an energy that curled around her like smoke, dangerous and deliberate.
And then, faintly, she heard a voice. Not aloud, but through the bond wolves sometimes shared. A whisper brushing against her mind.
So fragile. So lost. Yet destined for more.
Selene gasped, clutching her chest. "Who's there?" she demanded, her voice trembling.
No answer. Only the distant crack of a branch, as though something large had shifted in the shadows.
Her wolf pressed against her consciousness, urging her to run.
But Selene couldn't move. She was frozen by the intensity of the unseen gaze, the certainty that whoever lurked beyond the trees was not merely watching—he was waiting.
Somewhere deep inside, a chill realization settled in her bones. This was no rogue.
This was an Alpha.
And in the shadows, unseen, he smiled.
The moonlight caught the glint of his eyes—dark, hungry, patient. He had been waiting for this moment, watching her fall apart, watching Kael's rejection carve open
a wound only he intended to fill.
Selene shivered as the night pressed closer.
The forest no longer felt like home.
It felt like a trap.