The forest air thickened, pressing against Selene's lungs until every breath felt stolen. She could still feel it—the gaze, heavy and relentless, watching her as if she were prey caught in a snare. Her wolf's fur bristled inside her, urging flight, but her body felt anchored to the grass beneath her.
Her eyes darted through the shadows, trying to trace movement between the trees. Nothing. Only the silence of the forest and the faint rustle of branches swaying in the night wind.
Yet she knew.
She wasn't alone.
"Show yourself," she whispered, though her voice trembled, betraying the hollow courage she tried to muster.
No reply came. Instead, the whisper she had heard before brushed across her mind again, softer this time but unmistakable.
So fragile. So lost. Yet destined for more.
Her heart lurched. She stumbled to her feet, clutching her cloak tight around her as if that thin barrier of fabric could shield her from the weight of that voice. "Who are you?" she demanded into the darkness.
The trees offered no answer. But the shadows seemed to breathe, shifting as though they obeyed someone unseen.
Her wolf growled low, restless. Not safe. This is no friend.
But Selene couldn't run. She had nowhere to run to. Not back to Kael's rejection, not deeper into the unknown. She felt trapped in a cage with invisible bars—and whoever lurked in the dark was the key.
Her knees buckled. The exhaustion she had been fighting since dawn crashed down on her all at once, her body trembling under the weight of heartbreak, hunger, and fear. Her chest rose in ragged breaths, and she realized she had reached her limit.
"I can't…" she whispered, clutching her chest. Her vision blurred as tears welled again, not from sorrow this time but from the sheer desperation of survival.
The last thing she saw before her strength abandoned her was the gleam of eyes—piercing, silver-bright, fixed on her with predatory calm.
Then, darkness claimed her.
She did not remember falling, only the feeling of arms—strong and unyielding—slipping beneath her just as her body crumpled to the earth. She should have felt fear, should have thrashed or clawed, but the darkness already had her.
And yet, even as consciousness slipped away, Selene felt something strange. Not the cold indifference of Kael's rejection. Not the pitying stares of her pack.
This presence burned. Like fire hidden beneath ice, it seared against her fading awareness.
A deep voice echoed faintly in her dreams, commanding but restrained.
You are mine to claim. But not yet.
Selene woke to warmth.
Her lashes fluttered open to soft light filtering through a wooden ceiling above her. For a moment, she thought she was back in her pack house, waking from a nightmare. But the scent hit her before she could fully stir—smoke, pine, and something darker, sharper, like iron and rain mixed together.
It wasn't home.
She bolted upright, only to realize she lay on a bed softer than any she'd known, thick furs cushioning her beneath the weight of a heavy quilt. Her cloak was gone, folded neatly at the foot of the bed.
Panic surged. She scrambled backward until her shoulders hit the carved headboard, her eyes scanning the room. It was larger than her chamber at the pack house, though built of rough-hewn logs and stone, warmed by the fire crackling in a nearby hearth. Weapons lined the wall—blades, axes, even a bow carved from bone.
This was not a safe place.
And then she saw him.
The man stood near the fire, his back partially turned, as though he'd been waiting for her to stir. The flames licked across his figure, casting his shadow tall against the stone wall.
Broad shoulders. A body honed by strength and war. Black hair brushed his collar, wild and unrestrained. But it was his presence that struck her hardest—the sheer weight of his aura, pressing into the air like a storm barely leashed.
He turned.
Eyes, sharp and glinting like molten silver, locked on hers.
Her breath caught.
Her wolf recoiled at first, overwhelmed by the intensity of his dominance. This was no ordinary wolf. This was power incarnate, dangerous and untamed.
But beneath that dominance was something else—control. Precision. As though every movement, every breath he allowed her to witness was chosen deliberately.
Selene's heart thudded painfully.
"You're awake," he said, his voice deep and smooth, carrying a dangerous calm.
"Where am I?" Selene whispered, her throat dry.
"In my territory." His lips curved, though not into a smile. "And under my protection."
Her stomach sank. She swallowed hard, shaking her head. "I didn't… I didn't mean to cross into your lands. I'll leave, I swear. Just—just let me go."
One dark brow arched. He moved closer, each step deliberate, silent despite his size. "You collapsed in my forest, half-dead from exhaustion. Do you truly think I will simply set you on your feet and let you wander off again?"
His words struck, not unkind but unyielding. Selene shrank against the headboard, torn between fear and some strange pull she couldn't explain.
She wanted to look away, but his silver eyes held her trapped.
"Who are you?" she asked softly.
He stopped at the foot of her bed, tilting his head slightly, studying her as though deciding how much of himself to reveal.
"I am Darius," he said finally. "Alpha of the Shadowfang Pack."
Selene's blood ran cold.
Everyone knew of the Shadowfangs—the rival pack to the north, feared for their ruthless warriors and their Alpha who had never once lost a battle. Mothers whispered their name as a warning to reckless pups, and elders spoke of them with cautious respect.
And now she lay in his bed.
Her wolf bristled, hackles raised, torn between fight and submission.
Darius watched her reaction carefully, his expression unreadable. Then, to her shock, he crouched slightly, leveling his gaze with hers. The movement was slow, almost gentle, though nothing about him felt soft.
"I will not harm you," he said, his voice low but steady. "If I wanted you dead, little wolf, you would not be breathing now."
The words should have terrified her. And they did. But they also held truth. His gaze was piercing, but not cruel.
Selene's lips trembled as she whispered, "Why help me?"
Darius's eyes darkened, flickering with something unreadable. For a long moment he said nothing.
Finally, his voice dropped lower, almost like a growl. "Because I take what others throw away."
The meaning sank deep into her, chilling and burning all at once.
He knew. Somehow, he knew what Kael had done.
Her throat closed. She turned her face away, unwilling to let him see the fresh tears welling in her eyes.
But Darius noticed. His gaze softened—not much, but enough to make her heart falter.
"You were rejected," he said flatly, no question in his tone. "By your Alpha."
Selene squeezed her eyes shut. She hated the word. Hated that even a stranger could see her shame so easily.
"I don't want your pity," she whispered.
He chuckled darkly, the sound sending shivers down her spine. "Pity?" He rose to his full height, towering over her again. "No, little wolf. Pity is for the weak. And whatever you are, weakness is not your true nature."
Selene stared at him, startled. "You don't know me."
"Not yet." His lips curved again, this time sharper. "But I will."
Her breath hitched, her pulse racing as his words settled like a vow.
The fire crackled, filling the silence. Selene's mind swirled, trapped between disbelief and the undeniable truth: she was no longer in her pack, no longe
r under Kael's rule.
She was in the heart of enemy territory.
And the most feared Alpha of the north had just claimed her fate as his own.