CHAPTER 35
1144 Words
(Selene’s POV)
The scent of pine and smoke lingered in the air long after Dexton slammed the door. My hand trembled slightly, but I didn’t let Lucian see it. I had vowed to never let anyone see me weak again—not even him.
Lucian stood across from me, still watching the door like Dexton might return. He wouldn’t. Not tonight. Not ever, if it meant swallowing the pride he wore like armor.
“He’ll come around,” Lucian muttered, though his voice lacked conviction.
I turned to face him fully. “I don’t want him to come around,” I said sharply. “Not if it means tolerating this… this constant humiliation.”
Lucian’s gaze softened as he walked toward me, slowly, deliberately. “You don’t deserve that. None of this. I know it’s been… chaotic. And painful.”
My lips twitched into a cold smile. “Painful? Try dehumanizing.”
He brushed a strand of hair from my face, his fingers featherlight. “Selene,” he said softly, “there’s something I need to tell you.”
I stiffened. “What is it?”
“I went to the Council this morning,” he said, stepping back, his expression shifting—now tense, dangerous. “I confronted them.”
My eyes widened. “Lucian—”
“I had to. Someone sent rogues after you. And it wasn’t Dexton. He admitted that much. Which leaves only one group with enough power, enough hatred, and enough stupidity.”
“The Council,” I breathed, heart pounding.
He nodded once. “They didn’t confess, of course. But I know it was them. The moment I mentioned your name, the air turned venomous. I saw the disgust in their eyes, Selene. They hate that I chose you.”
“They think I’m unworthy.” My voice was quiet, but the bitterness laced every syllable. “A she-alpha, rejected, humiliated. And now… Queen.”
“Exactly,” Lucian muttered. “They said I was insane. One of them even called it ‘disgusting’—that I would mate with my son’s ex-mate.”
My stomach turned.
“And you know what I told them?” His eyes locked on mine, fierce and unwavering. “I told them if they so much as looked at you again with disrespect, I’d burn their entire line of heirs from the record books.”
My breath hitched. “Lucian…”
“I don’t care about their rules, their traditions, their judgment,” he growled. “They’re obsolete. They cling to power like it’s divine, but power belongs to those willing to protect what matters. And you matter, Selene. To me. To this pack. To this kingdom.”
I swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking into my bones.
He stepped closer, placing a hand on my shoulder. “But I need you to understand something.”
“What?”
“This isn't over. They won’t stop. You’re a threat now—because your very existence challenges everything they believe about power, hierarchy, and purity.”
A cold fire lit in my chest. “Then let them come.”
Lucian smiled, just slightly. “I knew you'd say that.”
I drew in a slow breath, grounding myself. “I want to address the court.”
Lucian blinked. “Today?”
“Yes. Tonight, if possible.” My voice held no hesitation. “If they hate me, let them see me. If they think I’m weak, let them look into my eyes and know I’m not.”
Lucian studied me for a long moment, pride flickering in his golden gaze. “Then let me dress you like the queen you are.”
Hours later, I stood in front of the mirror, my reflection almost unrecognizable.
Harper had chosen a gown of deep emerald silk that clung to my body like water, crowned with silver threading across the shoulders and sleeves. My hair was pinned up in sleek waves, exposing the mark Lucian had placed on my neck—a symbol of defiance, of bond, of strength.
“Ready, Your Grace?” Harper asked, her voice gentle, her eyes warm.
I nodded once, turning away from the mirror.
When we entered the grand hall, the whispers began.
The nobles lined the marble floor in formal black and gray, their gazes slithering across me like knives. Some with curiosity. Some with disdain. Many with veiled hatred.
I felt every stare. Every judgment. Every inch of invisible rope was trying to pull me back into the pit they had once left me in.
But I walked forward.
Lucian’s hand was on my lower back, steady, grounding me.
At the front, the Council members stood together, watching with masks of civility—but I saw the rage behind their eyes. The Chairman, an older Alpha named Severin, stepped forward as we neared the throne.
“King Lucian,” he greeted stiffly. Then he turned to me. “Lady Selene.”
I arched my brow. “Not Queen Selene?”
Gasps fluttered in the crowd. Severin’s jaw tightened.
Lucian stepped in before I could speak again. “I called this meeting,” he said, voice booming through the hall, “to make one thing absolutely clear.”
He turned toward me, then looked back at the crowd. “Selene is not just my mate. She's your Queen. She will be respected, honored, and obeyed.”
A pause.
“And if anyone here dares plot against her, or harm her in any way, you will not only answer to me—but to a war you cannot win.”
Silence.
Then I stepped forward.
“Some of you believe I’m unworthy,” I said, my voice clear. “Some of you whisper that I rose too high, too fast, that I’m nothing more than a rejected she-alpha with a new title.”
I let the words hang.
“You’re right about one thing—I was rejected. I was humiliated. But I rose anyway. And now I stand here not because I clawed my way in… but because the Moon Goddess chose me. The same one you claim to serve.”
Several nobles shifted uncomfortably.
“So let me warn you, as your Queen,” I continued, my gaze fierce, unwavering. “I forgive nothing. And I forget even less. If you hurt me again, if you raise a hand or a claw or a word against me—know that I will return it tenfold.”
I smiled, cold and regal.
“This is not the weak girl you left bleeding in the woods. This is your Queen. You will bow, or you will fall.”
Lucian stepped beside me, raising my hand to his.
The hall was silent.
Then, slowly… a few alphas dropped to one knee.
And one by one… the court followed.
- Writer
