The Healer's Fall
1085 Words
"The future Alpha chose me. The pack deserves to see who truly deserves to stand beside him."
Mia's words echoed through Selene's skull like a war drum as she stumbled through the darkened corridors. Her gown dragged through puddles of spilled wine. Her hair had come loose from its elegant twist, silver-blonde strands sticking to her tear-streaked cheeks.
She needed to leave.
Now.
Before the announcement. Before, the entire pack watched her crumble.
But the castle seemed determined to trap her. Every corridor led to another corridor. Every door opened to another room full of laughing wolves celebrating a festival she could no longer face.
A familiar voice stopped her cold.
"There you are, Selene! I've been looking everywhere—"
Selene turned slowly. Martha Everwyn, the head maid, hurried toward her with a tray of untouched pastries balanced on her hip. The old woman's hazel eyes sparkled with the warmth of a grandmother who had watched Selene grow from a clumsy pup into a skilled healer.
Then Martha's smile faltered.
"Goddess above. Child, what happened? Your face—"
"Nothing." Selene's voice cracked. "I need to go."
"Go where? The ceremony is about to begin. Lucien specifically asked that you be—"
"I know what Lucien wants." The bitterness in Selene's tone made Martha's eyes widen. "He wants me humiliated. He wants everyone to see me fall."
Martha set down the tray with a clatter. "Selene, speak plainly. What has that boy done?"
The healer opened her mouth. Then closed it. How could she speak the words aloud? How could she admit that her own sister had stolen her mate? That the bond—that sacred, unbreakable bond—had been shattered like cheap glass?
"Three months," Selene whispered. "In my bed. Mia and Lucien. For three months."
Martha's face drained of color. "That little—" She caught herself, pressing a wrinkled hand to her chest. "Child, you must be mistaken. Mia would never—"
"Mia was never the sweet sister she pretended to be." Selene laughed—a hollow, broken sound. "She wanted everything I had. And now she has it."
The castle bells began to chime. Deep. Resonant. Summoning the pack to the main courtyard for the announcement.
Selene flinched like she'd been struck.
"Don't go," Martha pleaded. "Stay here. I'll send for Alpha Kael—"
"No." Selene's voice turned sharp. "Please, Martha. I need to face this. I need them to see that I won't run."
She was lying. Every instinct screamed at her to flee into the Blood Moon Forest and never look back. But some stubborn, wounded part of her refused to give Mia the satisfaction of hiding.
Selene walked past Martha toward the main courtyard. Each step sent agony through her shattered bond. Her wolf whimpered, pressing against her ribs like a caged animal desperate for escape.
The courtyard blazed with silver lanterns. Hundreds of wolves gathered beneath the open sky, their faces upturned toward the platform where Lucien stood beside her father and mother. Mia waited in the shadows, her golden hair cascading over a gown of deep crimson—the color of the Luna.
She planned this. Every detail.
Selene's fingers curled into fists. The crowd parted as she approached, whispering behind their hands. Their pity felt worse than their mockery. They'd known. Somehow, they'd all known.
Lucien's cold blue eyes found her. For a moment—just a moment—she saw something flicker across his face.
Guilt.
Then Mia stepped out of the shadows, took his hand, and the guilt vanished.
"My people!" Lucien's voice boomed across the courtyard. "Tonight, under the blessing of the full moon, I stand before you to make an announcement that will shape the future of the Silver Crescent Pack."
Selene's wolf howled. Run. Please, just run.
But her feet were rooted to the stone.
"For years, I was bound by a bond I believed was destiny." Lucien's gaze swept over Selene without stopping. "But the Moon Goddess does not always reveal her true intentions immediately. Sometimes, it takes time to find the one who truly completes you."
Mia stepped forward. "Lucien and I have been blessed by the Goddess herself. Our bond is stronger than any arranged match. Stronger than any obligation."
Arranged match? Obligation?
Selene swayed on her feet. The words stabbed deeper than any blade.
"I reject Selene Ashcroft as my fated mate," Lucien declared. "And I claim Mia Ashcroft as my true Luna. The Moon Goddess has spoken through our hearts!"
The crowd erupted.
Gasps. Shouts. Some cheered. Others stared at Selene with open-mouthed horror. Her mother pressed a handkerchief to her lips. Her father turned away—unable to watch his eldest daughter fall.
Selene's knees buckled.
But before she could hit the ground, strong arms caught her.
"Don't you dare fall," a gravelly voice whispered in her ear. "Not in front of them. Not tonight."
Darius Thorn—the pack's loyal Beta—held her upright. His dark eyes burned with barely contained fury. He'd been her childhood friend. Her protector. The one person who'd never treated her as a future Luna, but simply as Selene.
"Darius, please—"
"On your feet," he growled. "Look at them. Let them see you standing."
Selene forced herself to straighten. Her legs trembled. Her wolf raged. But she met Lucien's eyes across the courtyard and held his gaze.
He flinched.
Good.
"Selene," Darius lowered his voice. "I need to tell you something. Alpha Kael requested you personally. He needs a healer at the manor. He's asked for you specifically."
Selene's world tilted. The Alpha. The great Kael Draven—legendary ruler, feared by enemies, respected by allies—had asked for her?
"He knows what happened?" she whispered.
"He watches everything." Darius's grip on her arm tightened. "He saw you fall. He saw you stand. And he wants you away from here. Away from them. Somewhere you can heal."
Heal. The word felt foreign. How could she heal when everything she'd ever loved had been ripped away?
But somewhere deep in her chest—beneath the grief, beneath the rage—something stirred.
Revenge.
What if she became the one thing Lucien could never bear? What if she became the woman his father could never resist?
Selene looked toward the balcony above the courtyard. There, standing in the shadows with golden eyes that saw everything, was Alpha Kael Draven.
His gaze met hers.
And for reasons she couldn't explain, Selene smiled.
- Writer
