Chapter1
903 Words
Selene
The night was thick with the scent of pine and rain, the air cool against my skin as I walked through the quiet streets of the small town I had called home for the past four years. The cobblestone paths glistened under the glow of streetlights, the rhythmic sound of my boots against the damp ground the only thing keeping me grounded.
I adjusted the strap of my bag, my fingers unconsciously grazing the worn leather. The weight of its contents—a few medical books, patient notes, and a worn-out journal—felt heavier than usual tonight. Maybe it was the exhaustion from my shift at the clinic, or maybe it was the nagging feeling that something was about to change.
I hated that feeling.
For four years, I had built a life here, away from the past, away from him. I had convinced myself that I was safe, that the nightmares of my old life had finally faded into nothing more than distant echoes. But tonight, as the wind carried an all-too-familiar scent to me, my heart stilled.
No.
I sucked in a sharp breath, my grip tightening on my bag. The scent was faint, but unmistakable. Cedarwood and smoke. Dark and consuming.
Kieran.
My chest constricted, an old wound threatening to split open. He couldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be here. I had buried that part of my life, sealed it behind steel walls, and sworn never to look back.
I forced my feet forward, quickening my pace. I wouldn’t let this shake me. He was probably passing through, a cruel trick played by the universe just to remind me of what I had lost.
But then, the shadows shifted.
A figure stepped into the dim glow of the streetlamp ahead, his broad shoulders and imposing stance unmistakable even after all these years. My stomach dropped.
He wasn’t passing through.
He had come for me.
The world tilted for a moment as my mind struggled to reconcile the man standing before me with the boy I had once loved. His dark hair was slightly tousled, strands falling over stormy gray eyes that hadn’t softened with time. The sharp cut of his jaw was more defined, his body even more powerful than I remembered. But it wasn’t his appearance that stole my breath—it was the raw intensity in his gaze, the way he looked at me like he had been searching for years and had finally found me.
I swallowed hard, willing my voice to be steady. “Kieran.”
His name on my lips felt foreign, heavy with memories and regret.
“Selene.” His voice was deep, rough, as if speaking my name physically hurt him.
I wanted to turn away, to put as much distance between us as possible. But I couldn’t. Not when the mate bond still hummed between us, a silent thread refusing to be severed.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my tone sharper than I intended.
His lips pressed into a thin line, his hands clenching at his sides. “I had to see you.”
A bitter laugh bubbled up before I could stop it. “After all this time? You suddenly had to see me?”
Kieran’s gaze darkened, a storm brewing in his eyes. “I didn’t have a choice before, Selene. You know that.”
I shook my head, the old pain resurfacing too quickly. “I don’t know anything, Kieran. I only know that you left. That you chose them over me.”
Something flickered across his face—guilt, regret, something I wasn’t ready to name. “I never stopped looking for you,” he said, voice quiet but firm.
I stiffened. “Well, congratulations. You found me.” I gestured around at the sleepy little town, at the life I had built. “But it doesn’t change anything.”
He took a step closer, and I instinctively moved back. He noticed, his jaw tightening. “You’re still my mate,” he said, the words holding a quiet desperation.
My heart clenched, but I ignored it. “Not anymore.”
Kieran exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “That’s not how it works, Selene. The bond doesn’t just disappear.”
I knew that. I felt that. Even after all these years, my soul still recognized his, still ached in ways I wished it wouldn’t.
But I had spent too long learning how to live without him.
“I moved on,” I said, even though the words tasted like a lie.
His gaze flickered, his expression unreadable. “Did you?”
I hated how easily he could see through me. But he didn’t know the whole truth. He didn’t know what I had kept from him, the secret that had kept me tethered to the past even when I tried to run.
I needed him gone.
“There’s nothing for you here, Kieran,” I said, my voice steady this time. “Go back to your pack. Go back to the life you chose.”
For a long moment, he didn’t move. Then, slowly, he nodded. But the look in his eyes told me he wasn’t done.
“This isn’t over, Selene.”
I turned away before he could see the way my hands trembled.
It was never over. It never would be.
And that terrified me more than anything.
- Writer
