Chapter 5
872 Words
“Selene…”
My name fell from his lips like something sacred.
Forgotten.
Buried.
Impossible.
My entire body went rigid.
No.
That wasn’t possible.
Not after five years.
Not after everything that had been taken from him.
Slowly, I pulled my wrist from his grip, forcing my expression into cold indifference even as my heart threatened to break through my ribs.
“You’re mistaken, Your Majesty.”
Kael didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
Didn’t breathe.
His golden eyes searched my face like he was trying to peel back years of time and find the girl he once knew.
“I never make that mistake,” he said quietly.
I turned away from him immediately, reaching for fresh gauze just to give my hands something to do.
“You’re injured,” I said sharply. “Focus on that.”
But Kael stood instead.
The sudden movement sent a jolt of alarm through me.
“Look at me.”
It wasn’t a request.
It was an Alpha command.
Power rolled through the room like a storm.
The nurses outside the door whimpered faintly.
Even my wolf stirred uneasily beneath my skin.
Five years ago, I would have obeyed instantly.
Now?
I had learned how to survive kings.
“I said—look at me, Selene.”
I turned slowly.
Not because he commanded it.
But because I refused to show fear.
Our eyes met.
And the world narrowed to just us.
“You died,” Kael said.
The words hit harder than I expected.
“I watched them bury an empty grave in your name.”
My breath caught despite myself.
“They told me you ran,” he continued, voice rougher now. “That you couldn’t handle the rejection.”
Anger sparked through my chest.
“Oh, I handled it,” I replied coldly.
His jaw clenched.
Something dark flashed across his face.
Then he stepped closer again.
Too close.
“You disappeared without a trace,” he said. “No scent. No trail. Nothing.”
Of course not.
I had made sure of that.
“You shouldn’t concern yourself with a wolf you discarded.”
The words came out sharper than intended.
But I didn’t take them back.
Kael flinched.
It was subtle.
Almost invisible.
But I saw it.
Good.
Let him feel something.
Even if it was only a fraction of what he had done to me.
“I didn’t discard you,” he said lowly.
The lie ignited something dangerous inside me.
“You rejected me before the entire kingdom.”
His eyes darkened.
“I had no choice.”
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“There is always a choice.”
Silence stretched between us.
Heavy.
Tense.
Then Kael said something that shattered everything I thought I knew.
“I don’t remember doing it.”
The world stopped.
I stared at him.
“You what?”
His voice dropped, almost like he didn’t trust the words himself.
“My memories of that night…” He shook his head slightly. “They don’t align.”
My heart pounded violently.
“What are you talking about?”
Kael ran a hand through his hair, frustration bleeding into his expression.
“In my memory—you left me.”
The room spun slightly.
“No,” I whispered.
His gaze locked onto mine intensely.
“You walked away before the ceremony even began. You said you didn’t want the bond.”
“That’s not true.”
“It’s all I remember.”
Cold dread crept through my veins.
This didn’t make sense.
None of it made sense.
Because I remembered everything.
Every word.
Every look.
Every moment he destroyed me.
“You stood beside Lyra,” I said slowly. “You chose her.”
Kael’s expression hardened immediately at her name.
“Lyra arrived after you were gone.”
My stomach dropped.
“No… that’s not what happened.”
“It is in my memory.”
We stared at each other, both shaken.
Two completely different truths.
Two completely different nights.
Impossible.
Unless—
The thought hit me like lightning.
Memory manipulation.
My hand trembled slightly.
The Lycan King’s words echoed faintly in my mind:
“Once the truth surfaces…”
Kael took another step closer, his voice lower now.
“What really happened that night, Selene?”
I swallowed hard.
Because for the first time…
I wasn’t entirely sure.
Before I could answer, the door burst open suddenly.
A guard rushed inside, breathless.
“Your Majesty!”
Kael turned sharply, irritation flashing across his face.
“What is it?”
“There’s been another attack at the northern border. Worse than before.”
The Lycan territories.
Kael’s expression darkened instantly.
“How many casualties?”
“Dozens. And…” the guard hesitated, glancing briefly at me. “There are reports of something else.”
“What?”
The guard swallowed.
“Survivors claim they saw a child during the attack.”
My blood ran cold.
Kael frowned. “A child?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. They said the boy was surrounded by silver light… and the rogues couldn’t get near him.”
The room fell silent.
Slowly…
Kael turned back toward me.
Understanding flickered dangerously in his eyes.
My heart stopped.
Cassian.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD