Selenes POV

The moment the Bloodlink with my father—Alpha Redfang—faded,I yanked an old leather pack from the wardrobe and began stuffing it with what little I still called mine.My hands trembled,but I forced them to move.

If I stopped,the grief would crush me.

Tunics,cloaks,weapons—anything useful went inside.Then my fingers brushed a soft white gown.Jasmine’s favorite.

“Mommy,you look like a Moon Princess,”she had said.

My throat tightened.I folded it gently,tucked it at the bottom,and swallowed my tears.Not now.Not yet.

The door creaked open behind me.

“Selene?”

Lucians voice.

I turned,masking my fury with a brittle smile.“Just cleaning the wardrobe.”

His golden eyes scanned the room,sharp,suspicious.He opened his mouth—but another voice followed him in.

“Hey,Selene.”

My blood went cold.Maris.

She stepped in behind him,her scent filling the space—my daughter’s scent.My wolf bristled,fangs pressing against my gums.I wanted to leap,to tear the stolen heart from her chest.But I forced myself still.Not here.Not yet.

Then I noticed the two travel trunks behind Lucian.My stomach twisted.

“What’s that?”

He smiled like a man doing me a favor.

“Maris will be staying here for a while.”

I blinked slowly.“What?”

Before he could explain,Mariss laugh rang out,airy and sweet.

“Didn’t you hear?I’m pregnant.”

She cradled her stomach like a fragile treasure,waiting for my gasp,my blessing.

Instead,I raised an eyebrow.“And?”

Her smile faltered.She tried again,softer this time.

“I thought you’d be happy for me…after everything we’ve been through.”

Happy?

The word clawed through my chest like a blade.

Before I could answer,Lucian snapped,“Selene,what’s wrong with you?She’s your closest friend.You should be happy for her,not act jealous and bitter.”

Jealous.Bitter.

I turned to him slowly,letting the cold in my voice cut the air.

“Jealous?Why on earth would I be jealous?”

He hesitated,then muttered,“Because she’s carrying a pup—and you—”

He stopped,but it was too late.The words were silver-tipped arrows straight to my heart.

Because I lost mine.Because he killed mine.

I inhaled sharply through my nose,forcing calm.

“Then tell me,Lucian,”I said quietly,pointing toward Maris,“why does she suddenly need to stay in my den?”

He stepped closer,trying to sound righteous.

“Because she shouldn’t be alone right now.She needs us—our protection,our support.That pup needs stability.”

“Us?”I repeated.

Maris nodded quickly,lowering her lashes.

“It’s just until things settle.I thought you,of all wolves,would understand.”

“She’s pack,”Lucian said firmly.“She’s family.”

I laughed bitterly.

“She’s not my pack.”

Maris flinched;Lucians expression hardened.

“Why are you so petty,Selene?You sound pathetic.”

Pathetic.

The word rang in my skull like a whip crack.

I tilted my head,lips curling into a half-smile.

“Then tell me,Alpha,”I murmured,“is it your pup?”

The room went dead quiet.

Maris froze.Lucians jaw flexed,his eyes flashing gold.

“Don’t be ridiculous,”he snarled.“Of course not.”

“Really?”I asked softly.“Then why are you defending her like she’s your Luna?”

He bared his teeth.

“Because she’s alone,Selene!What kind of monster would turn away a pregnant she-wolf?”

A monster who killed his own pup,I thought.

But I didn’t say it.

Instead,I turned back to my pack and zipped it shut with deliberate calm.

“Now,if you’ll excuse me,”I said flatly,“I’d like to finish cleaning my den.”

Lucian muttered something to Maris,and together they left.

The moment the door closed,my smile fell.My hands shook so violently the bag’s strap nearly tore.

My wolf’s voice rose inside me,low and vicious:

He took our child.He brought her killer into our den.The Moon will demand blood.

And this time,I didn’t silence her.

Selenes POV

That night,sleep never came.

I lay still in the dark,listening to the faint rhythm of Lucians breathing beside me—until it stopped.

His scent shifted,moving away from the bed.The mattress dipped,then the door clicked softly shut.

Moments later,faint laughter drifted from the guest den.Mariss voice.

The sound sliced through the silence like a blade.

I pressed my palm to my stomach.A small,hidden pulse stirred beneath my skin—the pup he didn’t know existed.

He would never know.Not this time.

By dawn,he returned.The scent of jasmine clung to him.He smiled as if he hadn’t spent the night with another she-wolf.

“Selene,”he said carefully.“We need to talk.”

I looked up,my voice flat.“What now?”

He hesitated before clearing his throat.

“Maris shouldn’t stay in the guest den.She’s expecting,and she needs comfort.”

I stared,waiting for the rest.

“The Alpha’s quarters are larger,”he continued.“It only makes sense that she takes them.Just until her pup is born.”

For a heartbeat,I thought I had misheard.

Then laughter—cold,hollow—escaped me.

“You want me to give up my den…to her?”

His jaw tightened.“It’s not permanent.You’ve had it long enough.Mariss with child.She deserves comfort,Selene.Make a small sacrifice—for your best friend.”

The audacity almost made me bare my fangs.

I wanted to scream that I,too,carried life inside me.That my unborn pup deserved warmth far more than his mistress ever would.

But I said nothing.

In less than a day,I would be gone.

I forced my voice steady.

“Fine,”I whispered.

He sighed in relief,stepping closer to brush a kiss against my forehead.The touch made my skin crawl.

“Lucian?”Mariss voice echoed from the corridor.

He turned instantly,ready to obey.

“Hold on,”I said calmly.“I need your mark on something first.”

I picked up the parchment from the table.“Just pack paperwork,”I added lightly.

“Selene,not now—”

“It’ll only take a second.”

Maris called again.His patience snapped.“Fine.Give it here.”

He scrawled his signature without a glance.

When he handed it back,I smiled faintly.

He had just signed the formal dissolution of our bond—the Lunar Severance.

He had no idea he’d freed me.

“Is that all?”he asked gruffly.

“Yes.”

He left without another word.

The moment the door shut,I lifted the comm-stone.

“The bond’s severed,”I told my advocate wolf.“Pull every Redfang investment from Silvermoon Holdings.The Alpha no longer has our protection.”

Lucian had never known that my bloodline’s fortune kept his empire alive.Now it would crumble,piece by piece.

A bitter laugh slipped out as I turned back to packing.

Then came her voice.

“Selene,let me help.”

Maris stood in the doorway,her smile sweet as poison.

“Don’t bother,”I said curtly.

She ignored me,stepping into my den.Her gaze swept over the shelves until it landed on the small wooden chest—Jasmine’s belongings.

“Careful,”I warned.“Don’t touch that.”

She smiled,feigning innocence,and reached for the snow globe—a fragile orb with a tiny wolf cub dancing under falling flakes.Jasmine’s favorite.

“This is lovely,”Maris said softly,tilting it.“It was Jasmine’s,right?”

My chest ached.“Yes.Put it down.”

Her grin sharpened.

“Oops.”

The globe slipped from her hand.It shattered against the stone.Glass and water scattered.The little cub’s figure cracked clean in half.

“Oh no,”she gasped,clutching her chest in fake remorse.“Clumsy me.Pregnancy brain.”

Her eyes gleamed as she watched me kneel.

The snow globe wasn’t just a trinket—it was the only thing that soothed my nights after Jasmine’s death.

Now it lay ruined,shards glinting like tears.

I gathered the pieces with shaking hands,blood seeping where glass bit into my palms.

“It was her favorite,”I whispered.

Maris crouched beside me,her lips curling.

“Don’t worry,Selene,”she murmured,her voice dripping honey.“You’ll have other pups.You’ll move on.”

Something inside me snapped.

The wolf that had been silent for too long finally bared her fangs.

A growl rumbled up my throat,low and feral.The air trembled with it.

Mariss smirk froze as the scent of danger filled the den.

Selenes POV

The broken wolf figurine trembled in my bleeding hands.

Something inside me snapped.

“You bitch.”

The growl came out before I even realized I was speaking.

Maris tilted her head,her lips curling in a mock-sweet smile.

“Selene,calm down.It was an accident—”

That word detonated something inside me.

My hand moved faster than thought.

The slap cracked through the den like a whip.

Maris stumbled back,clutching her cheek,her eyes wide in disbelief—she had never expected the Luna of Silvermoon to strike her.

“You don’t get to touch her things!”I shouted,my throat raw.“You don’t get to destroy what’s left of my pup!”

“Selene!”

Lucians voice thundered from the doorway.

He stormed in,fury in every stride,and pulled Maris into his arms as if shielding her from me.

“She hit me,”Maris whimpered,tears shimmering on command.

I stood there,chest heaving,the broken figurine shaking in my grip.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”Lucian roared.

“She broke Jasmine’s charm stone!”I cried,pointing at the shattered shards.“She did it on purpose!”

“Enough!”His growl shook the air.“You sound insane—jealous,bitter,pathetic!Look at you,raging at a pregnant she-wolf who has what you never could!”

The words hit harder than claws.

But he wasn’t done.

“It’s not her fault your pup is gone,Selene.Maybe if you’d been a better mother—”

“Don’t you dare!”I screamed.“Don’t you dare blame me!”

His eyes darkened,and his wolf surged forward.

The backhand came fast.

The impact sent me crashing to the floor.My vision blurred.My cheek burned,but humiliation burned hotter.

Maris gasped dramatically,her hands over her mouth,her eyes wide with fake horror—but I saw the satisfaction lurking there.

My fingers brushed my throbbing cheek.

Lucian stood frozen,breathing hard,shock flickering in his gaze as if he hadn’t meant to strike me.

“Selene—”

“Oh,Lucian,”Maris interrupted,collapsing against him.“This is all my fault.I never should’ve come here.Selene was right—I bring nothing but pain.”

Her trembling voice filled the room.Crocodile tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Maybe I should just end it.Take this pup with me—then you’ll both be free.”

Lucians panic was instant.He crushed her against his chest.

“Don’t say that!Don’t ever say that.You and the pup are everything.”

I stared from the floor,tasting blood and disgust.

Mariss tears were fake—but Lucians devotion was real.

He glared down at me.

“Look what you’ve done.She’s terrified,she’s blaming herself—because of you.”

“Because of me?”My voice cracked.“She—”

“Enough!”Lucians growl echoed off the walls.“You’re not yourself.You’re becoming dangerous.”

Maris whimpered again,clutching her stomach.

“Lucian…it hurts.”

That was all it took.

Lucians fury returned tenfold.His wolf’s aura flared.

“You’re staying in here until you learn control,”he snarled.“I won’t let you hurt her—or this pup.”

Before I could move,he wrapped his arm around Maris and dragged her out,slamming the heavy wooden door behind them.The lock clicked.

“No!”

I threw myself at the door,pounding my fists against it.

“Lucian!Don’t you dare lock me in!Open this door!”

No answer.

“Lucian!”

My voice cracked.“Please!You can’t do this!”

Only silence answered.

I was trapped in the upper den—the old Alpha chamber,high above the pack hall.No windows large enough to break through,no passage out.

Minutes bled into hours.I screamed until my throat shredded.

I called his comm-stone again and again until the connection severed—blocked.

The air grew cold.Hunger gnawed,thirst clawed at my throat.

The scent of my own blood lingered in the room from where glass had sliced my palms.

I sank to the floor,back against the wall,trembling with fury.

He had locked me up like a rogue.

He had chosen her—the thief who carried my daughter’s stolen heart.

In the silence,my wolf stirred deep inside me.Her voice was low,ancient,patient.

He’s no Alpha.He’s prey.

I pressed my hand to my stomach.The faint heartbeat pulsed beneath my palm—steady,defiant.

Our pup will never know chains.

For the first time since Jasmine’s death,I didn’t cry.

I smiled.

The Redfangs would come for me.

And when they did,Silvermoon would burn.