Chapter 6 — Selene’s POV: Choosing Him
1239 Words
“I was hiding from them.”
The words didn’t leave my mouth, but they echoed in my head like a warning I couldn’t silence.
The voices outside grew louder.
Closer.
Too close.
I stood up instantly, my body already moving before my mind could catch up. Every instinct I had was screaming at me to act, to protect, to run but this time, it wasn’t just about me.
It was about him.
“Can you stand?” I asked quickly, turning to Justice.
He pushed himself up without hesitation, though I could see the strain in the tight set of his jaw. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“No,” I replied. “You don’t.”
A faint breath of something like amusement left him. “Good. I prefer it that way.”
I shot him a look. “You’re impossible.”
“And yet you’re still here.”
That again.
That quiet confidence.
That certainty that I wouldn’t leave.
It irritated me.
Because he was right.
“Stay close,” I said, moving toward the entrance of the broken shelter. “And don’t make a sound.”
“I’ll try not to ruin your plan.”
“This isn’t a plan,” I muttered. “It’s survival.”
I pushed the vines aside just enough to look out.
Shadows moved between the trees.
Fast.
Controlled.
Familiar.
My pack.
I recognized two of them immediately..hunters. Skilled. Relentless.
They weren’t just searching anymore.
They were tracking.
My heart pounded harder.
“They’re here,” I whispered.
“I assumed as much,” Justice replied behind me.
I glanced back at him briefly. “If they find you..”
“They won’t,” he said.
I frowned. “You sound very sure of that.”
“I am.”
Before I could question him,
A twig snapped just outside.
I froze.
So did he.
Footsteps.
Right outside.
“Spread out,” one of them said. “He’s close. I can feel it.”
My stomach dropped.
He’s close.
Not they.
He.
They were still focused on Justice.
For now.
But that wouldn’t last.
It never did.
I turned quickly, grabbing Justice’s wrist and pulling him deeper into the shelter, toward the far corner where the shadows were thicker.
“Stay here,” I whispered. “Don’t move.”
“And you?” he asked quietly.
“I’ll handle this.”
His eyes locked on mine.
“You can’t fight all of them.”
“I don’t need to,” I said. “I just need to distract them.”
“That’s risky.”
“So is breathing right now,” I snapped.
He didn’t argue further.
Instead, he did something unexpected.
He reached for my hand.
Gently.
Deliberately.
The moment his fingers brushed mine,
That spark hit again.
Stronger than before.
Clearer.
It sent a sharp, unfamiliar feeling through me, like something deep inside me was waking up.
I inhaled sharply.
“Selene.”
My name.
Soft.
Close.
I looked at him.
For a second,
Everything else faded.
The forest.
The danger.
The voices outside.
All of it.
“You don’t have to do this alone,” he said.
I swallowed.
“I’m not,” I replied quietly.
He held my gaze for a moment longer.
Then he let go.
And just like that..
The world came rushing back.
I turned away quickly before I could think too much about it.
“Stay here,” I repeated.
Then I stepped out.
The cool air hit my face instantly as I moved away from the shelter, making sure to step loudly enough to be noticed.
It worked.
“Selene.”
I turned.
One of the hunters Lira stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as they locked onto me.
Of course.
If anyone was going to find me, it would be her.
“You’re far from the gathering,” she said.
“I could say the same to you,” I replied calmly.
Her gaze sharpened. “We’re on orders.”
“So I heard.”
Her eyes flicked past me briefly, scanning the area.
Searching.
My heart stayed steady.
My expression unreadable.
“You’ve been out here a while,” she continued. “Find anything?”
I shrugged slightly. “Just the usual. Nothing worth reporting.”
She didn’t look convinced.
Of course she didn’t.
Lira never trusted easily.
“You picked up a scent earlier,” she said. “We followed your trail.”
My pulse quickened but I didn’t show it.
“And?” I asked.
“And it led us here.”
Silence.
Thick.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
I tilted my head slightly. “Then maybe your tracking isn’t as good as you think.”
A flicker of irritation crossed her face.
Good.
That meant she wasn’t fully certain.
Yet.
“You’re lying,” she said.
“And you’re accusing without proof,” I replied smoothly.
Behind her, the other hunter stepped closer.
“We should search the area,” he said.
My body tensed.
“No need,” I said quickly. “I already did.”
Lira’s eyes locked onto mine again.
“You’re protecting something.”
There it was.
The moment everything could fall apart.
I stepped forward slightly, closing the distance between us.
“You’re imagining things,” I said, lowering my voice. “Maybe you’re just desperate to find something before the Alpha asks questions.”
Her jaw tightened.
That hit.
Good.
But not enough.
“Move,” she said suddenly.
My breath caught.
“What?”
“Move aside,” she repeated, her voice colder now. “We’re searching.”
No.
No, no, no.
If they went any closer,
If they found him,
Everything was over.
I didn’t think.
I didn’t hesitate.
I stepped directly into her path.
“No.”
The word came out firm.
Unyielding.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Not in surprise.
In realization.
“You are protecting something,” she said again, softer this time.
Behind her, the other hunter tensed.
“Selene,” he warned.
But I didn’t move.
I couldn’t.
Because this,
This was it.
The line I couldn’t uncross.
“Last chance,” Lira said. “Move.”
I shook my head slowly.
“No.”
Silence.
Then...
“Fine.”
She moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
But I was faster.
I blocked her instantly, grabbing her arm and pushing her back before she could reach the shelter.
“Don’t,” I said, my voice low now.
Dangerous.
Her eyes flashed.
“You’ve lost your mind.”
“Maybe,” I replied. “But I’m not moving.”
Behind her, the other hunter stepped forward again.
“Selene, stand down.”
I didn’t.
I couldn’t.
Because the moment I did,
They would see him.
And the moment they saw him,
He would die.
Everything inside me screamed at me to stop.
To step back.
To fix this before it went too far.
But something stronger,
Something deeper,
Held me in place.
“Selene…” Lira said slowly.
And then,
“You’re choosing him.”
The words landed like a blow.
Because this time,
There was no denying it.
No pretending.
No running from it.
I met her gaze.
Steady.
Certain.
“Yes,” I said.
Silence fell.
I didn’t just protect a human.
I betrayed my pack.
And as Lira’s expression hardened, her voice turning cold and final..
“Then you’re coming with us,” she said.
- Writer
