Chapter 11: Shadows and Betrayals
1293 Words
The moonlight made the corridor glow silver, casting Kael’s sharp features into something almost otherworldly. Selene kept her steps light as they followed the voices, her heart pounding so loud she was sure they would hear it.
They stopped outside the war council room. The door was slightly ajar, firelight spilling into the hallway. Kael motioned for her to stay back, but Selene ignored him and pressed close enough to hear.
“…she’ll be marked by dawn,” the voice repeated, urgent, angry.
“She is not ready,” another replied, lower and colder.
“She doesn’t need to be ready,” the first voice snapped. “She’s the Moon’s chosen. The packs are in chaos — rogues are circling like vultures. We don’t have time for her to figure out who she wants. We need her bonded, secured.”
Kael’s body went rigid beside her. Selene’s breath caught.
Bonded. Secured. Like she was some kind of weapon to be locked up and used at their convenience.
A third voice spoke then, one she recognized — Elder Malric. “The girl must choose. If she does not, the packs will tear each other apart fighting over her. You saw what happened in the courtyard tonight. Every wolf felt that power. By the next full moon, half the Alphas in the region will be demanding she stand before them.”
“She has until dawn,” the first voice said again. “After that, choice or no choice — we make her.”
Selene’s stomach twisted.
Kael’s hand closed over hers, his grip grounding her even as his jaw clenched so tight it looked painful. He leaned close, whispering so softly only she could hear.
“We have to leave,” he said. “Now.”
Selene pulled her hand free. “No. I’m done running, Kael. I want to hear every word they say about me.”
“Selene—”
Before he could argue, a new voice joined the others — smooth, commanding, one that made Selene’s blood turn to ice.
Lucian.
“Do you think forcing her will work?” he asked. “She nearly burned the courtyard down tonight without meaning to. Do you know what will happen if you try to mark her against her will? She could kill you all.”
The room fell silent for a beat.
“She won’t refuse me,” Lucian continued, and Selene could almost see the faint, cruel smile that must have curved his lips. “She trusts me.”
Kael stiffened, his gray eyes flashing with a dangerous storm. Selene felt a lump in her throat.
Trust.
She had trusted Lucian. He had been the calm voice when Kael rejected her, the one who told her she wasn’t cursed but chosen. The one who swore he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her.
And now he was standing in that room, offering her like a prize to be claimed.
Kael’s hand touched her arm lightly, pulling her back from the door.
“We can’t stay here,” he said again, his voice low and deadly now. “If they find you listening, they’ll move faster.”
Selene’s throat burned, but she nodded. She let him lead her away from the council room, her mind spinning.
When they reached the safety of her chambers, Selene turned on Kael.
“They’re going to force me,” she said, her voice shaking with anger.
Kael’s jaw tightened. “Not while I’m breathing.”
Selene sank onto the edge of her bed, her hands trembling. “I trusted him,” she whispered.
Kael crouched in front of her, his storm-gray eyes meeting hers. “Lucian’s not a fool. He’s doing what he thinks will keep the packs from war. But that doesn’t mean he’s right.”
Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “What do we do?”
Kael was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, “We make our own choice before they can take it from us.”
Selene’s breath caught. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying we make a public claim tomorrow before the council does anything.” His voice was calm, but his eyes burned. “I mark you before dawn. You become mine by choice, not theirs by force.”
Her heart stopped.
“You rejected me,” she said softly.
“I was a fool,” Kael said, his voice rough. “I thought pushing you away would protect you. It only put you in more danger. Selene, I’m not asking because of prophecy or politics. I’m asking because every time I see you run into danger, it feels like my lungs stop working.”
The tears finally fell, hot against her cheeks. “If I do this,” she whispered, “there’s no going back.”
“I know,” he said, and for the first time she saw fear in his eyes — not of her power, not of the prophecy, but of losing her.
The silence stretched, heavy and fragile.
Then Selene stood, wiping her tears. “Then teach me,” she said. “Tonight. Before dawn comes. If I’m going to choose you, Kael, I want to know what it means.”
Kael’s breath shuddered out. He nodded once, then offered her his hand.
“Then we start now.”
---
The rest of the night passed in firelight and moonlight. Kael trained her, teaching her to channel the wild energy inside her without letting it consume her.
“Breathe,” he instructed, standing behind her, his voice a steady rumble in her ear. “Feel the pull of the moon, but don’t let it drag you under. You control it — it doesn’t control you.”
Sweat beaded on Selene’s brow as she focused, the silver glow of her power sparking at her fingertips. Slowly, she pushed it outward, letting it spread across the room until the shadows shifted and danced, then reined it back in.
When she finally collapsed against him, panting, Kael caught her easily, holding her upright.
“You’re learning faster than I expected,” he said quietly.
“I have to,” she murmured. “By dawn, they’ll come for me.”
Kael’s arms tightened around her. “And they’ll find you ready.”
---
But dawn came sooner than Selene expected.
Before the first rays of sunlight broke the horizon, a hard knock echoed through her chamber door.
“Open up,” Elder Malric’s voice commanded. “The council demands the girl’s presence.”
Kael’s wolf growled low in his chest.
Selene straightened, her heart hammering — not from fear this time, but from resolve.
“Then let them in,” she said.
Kael shot her a look, but she held his gaze.
“I’m done hiding,” Selene said. “This time, they’ll hear me speak for myself.”
Kael’s lips curved into the faintest of smiles — fierce, proud — before he stepped aside and opened the door.
The elders filed in, grim-faced, Lucian among them. His golden eyes found hers immediately, unreadable.
“Selene,” Elder Malric said, his voice formal. “The council has reached a decision. By sunrise, you will choose which Alpha you will bond with, or the choice will be made for you.”
Selene stepped forward, her silver eyes glowing faintly in the growing light.
“No,” she said, her voice ringing with a power that made the flames in the room flicker. “I choose my own fate. And I choose it now.”
Every head in the room turned toward her.
Selene’s heart pounded, but she lifted her chin and met Kael’s gaze.
“I choose him,” she said.
- Writer
