Selena.
The ride is quiet, but there is no peace in it. The dirt road narrows as we go, trees closing in on both sides once we leave the safety of the inner grounds.
I sit at the front beside Silas, my hands folded neatly in my lap, my gaze fixed forward. Behind me, I can feel Loretta's presence like a sharp edge pressed against my spine.
She has not spoken since we left, but her displeasure coils through the small space, restless and bitter, tightening the air with every passing moment.
Silas shifts beside me, his grip tightening on the reins. After a moment, he clears his throat, his eyes flicking toward the side mirror before returning to the road. "Selena," he says, his voice even, almost careful, "could you move to the back?"
I glance at him, already knowing the reason before he finishes. "I can't see properly," he adds. "You're blocking my view."
His words are soft, almost apologetic, but they strike all the same. In my first life, shame would have flared hot and immediate, curling my shoulders inward as I rushed to make myself smaller, less present. This time, I nod. I do not apologize. I do not rush
"Of course," I say, and step down carefully, moving to the back of the car without another word.
The moment I do, Loretta rises smoothly and takes my place beside him, her movement fluid and unhesitating, as if this seat has always belonged to her. She settles in with a faint smile, her fingers brushing his arm in an intimate, possessive gesture.
Silas does not pull away.
Silas starts driving again, and I turn my face toward the window, watching my reflection waver against the glass. Something inside my chest hollows, but my mind remains sharp, alert, quietly recording everything.
By the time we stop, the light has begun to fade, the sky bruised with shades of violet and gold. The forest looms close now, dense and shadowed. Silas steps down first and turns toward me. "We'll hunt from here," he says. "You should wait. It won't take long."
Loretta is already shrugging out of her cloak, excitement bright in her eyes. "Stay close, sister," she adds lightly, as though concerned. "The woods aren't safe for some people."
People like me.
"I'm sure she can take care of herself," Silas says, indifferently.
They walk a short distance away before shifting, bodies folding and reshaping in a violent, powerful rush. Two wolves stand where they were moments ago. One is massive and silver-gray, the other sleek and dark, eyes gleaming with impatience. Without a backward glance, they disappear into the trees.
I exhale slowly, my breath fogging in the cooling air.
Follow them, my wolf urges, her voice steady and certain.
"You didn't have to ask" I whisper, and slip into the woods, letting my senses open fully.
Their scents are easy to track. Silas's is familiar and sharp. Loretta's is sweet beneath it, threaded with something darker.
Anger.
I slow as their voices carry through the trees, my heart hammering as I press myself behind a stand of low brush.
"This was our chance," Loretta snarls. "You should have let me do it."
"Not yet," Silas growls back.
"How much longer?" she snaps. "The wedding is in two weeks."
"And that is exactly why we wait," he replies. "Everything is in place."
Loretta laughs, sharp and ugly. "Do you know how they look at me? How they whisper? I am always second. Always less. Because of her." My breath catches as her voice rises. "We don't need her. She's weak and pathetic. And I'm pregnant with your child. Imagine what the pack members would say once they find out."
Silence stretches between them, heavy and dangerous. Then Silas speaks again, slower this time. "If she dies now, questions will be asked."
"Not enough to matter," Loretta insists. "Her father is dead. Without her, they'll still choose you. You are currently the strongest alpha, not only in strength but also politically. You know that."
The world seems to tilt beneath my feet. Not from fear, but from disbelief. I have loved her. Defended her. Called her sister from the moment my father found her stranded and alone in the woods. And this is what she has carried in her heart.
"It could be done," Silas says at last. "But it must look like an accident."
Relief sharpens Loretta's scent. "Don't bother," she murmurs. "I have a better idea." She leans in, whispering something I cannot hear. Silas goes still, then nods.
My heart slams violently as I retreat, forcing my body to stay silent, controlled, even as panic claws at my chest.
I return to the clearing and stand exactly where I was told to wait, my hands trembling despite my efforts.
Don't worry, I will protect you, my wolf vows fiercely. No matter what.
Silas emerges alone moments later. "Selena," he calls, his voice threaded with false concern. "I can't find Loretta."
"What?" I turn, forcing my expression into confusion.
"She ran off," he says. "We should search separately. It'll be faster."
We move deeper into the woods together, the shadows lengthening as dusk settles fully.
"Silas," I say quietly. He looks back. "Have I ever done anything to wrong you?"
He pauses and examines me. "No," he says. "You haven't."
"Then why—"
His jaw tightens. "Can we talk about this later? We need to find your sister," he says, his tone gentler now, almost tender. "It's getting dark. We should split up. It'll be faster."
Something cold coils in my stomach, but I nod. I take a step back, preparing to turn.
Thwack.
Pain explodes at the back of my head.
The world lurches violently as a sharp, crushing force sends me stumbling forward. I barely register the sound of my body hitting the ground before darkness crowds my vision.
The forest spins, stars bursting behind my eyes as I gasp.
Even though I don't see him, I hear him breathing beside me.
"I'm sorry," Silas murmurs, so softly it almost feels like kindness. "This is the only way."
Then, he hits me, again, and again. Until I feel blood oozing from my head.
Footsteps retreat. Leaves crunch. The sound fades until there is nothing but the pounding of blood in my ears and the distant whisper of the trees.
Get up, my wolf urges.
"I thought you said you were going to protect us," I groaned.
But you are not dead, are you? She retorted.
I force my eyes open, my head screaming in protest. The world swims, but instinct takes over. I roll weakly onto my side, drawing in air, while every nerve in my body feels as if it is on fire.
Then I hear it.
A low growl.
Another answers it.
The sound curls through the trees, deep and hungry, circling closer. Shadows move between the trunks, shapes too large, too deliberate to belong to ordinary wolves.
"What do we do now?" I ask my wolf.
We wait. Running will only get us killed.
"Wait. That is your plan?"
"Do you have a better one?" she asks, and then she shuts me out.
Fear surges through me.
And as if that isn't bad enough, three massive wolves step into the clearing, their forms scarred and powerful, eyes glowing with danger that makes my pulse stutter.
They circle around me slowly, assessing.
Then the air ripples.
Bones shift. Fur melts away. Flesh reshapes.
Three men stand where the wolves were moments before, tall, broad, bare-chested, their presence pressing into me like gravity itself. They were unnaturally beautiful. Dark hair. Sharp jawlines. Blue eyes.
One of them steps closer.
"Hello, mate," he says.
His words barely register.
Confusion crashes through me, sharp and disorienting. My head throbs, my vision narrowing as the world tilts beneath my feet.
Whatever is holding me upright finally slips.
The forest sways, blurring at the edges, and then everything goes dark.