Chapter 6
941 Words
Exiled Under The Full Moon
The first streaks of dawn broke across the Crescent Moon Pack, but Alpha Kingston hadn't slept.
He stood alone on the balcony of the Alpha House, his piercing blue eyes fixed on the dense forest beyond the pack borders.
The same forest where Selene had disappeared.
His wolf paced restlessly inside him.
"Find her."
Kingston clenched his jaw.
"I've already sent search parties."
"Not for the pack."
His wolf snarled.
"For us."
Kingston ignored the voice.
A sharp knock echoed from behind him.
"Enter."
Beta Ethan stepped into the room, his expression grim.
"We've searched the northern, eastern, and western borders."
Kingston turned around.
"And?"
"No sign of Selene."
Kingston's heart sank.
"She couldn't have gone far."
Ethan hesitated.
"Actually... she could have."
"What do you mean?"
"The forest beyond our borders connects to the Ancient Forbidden Forest."
Kingston's expression darkened.
"No ordinary wolf survives there."
"Exactly."
Silence filled the room.
For the first time since the rejection ceremony, genuine fear flickered across Kingston's face.
His wolf growled again.
"She's alive."
"I can still feel her."
Kingston pressed a hand against his chest.
The mate bond was weaker than before, but it wasn't gone.
Somewhere...
Selene was still alive.
---
Before either man could speak again, the doors burst open.
Vanessa stormed inside without knocking.
"You've sent nearly half the warriors to search for her?"
Kingston met her furious gaze.
"Yes."
Her eyes widened.
"For her?"
"For the former Luna candidate."
Kingston's expression hardened.
"Watch your words."
Vanessa stared at him in disbelief.
"You rejected her."
"I know what I did."
"Then why are you wasting the pack's resources?"
Ethan quietly stepped between them.
"Vanessa, this isn't the time."
"No."
She pointed accusingly at Kingston.
"Tell me the truth."
"Are you beginning to regret your decision?"
The room fell silent.
Kingston didn't answer immediately.
Instead...
He remembered the tears in Selene's eyes.
The way she'd looked at him as though her entire world had collapsed.
His chest tightened painfully.
Finally, he spoke.
"I need to know she's safe."
Vanessa took a slow step backward.
She had expected denial.
Excuses.
Anything but that.
Without another word, she turned and left, slamming the door behind her.
Ethan released a quiet sigh.
"This won't end well."
Kingston looked back toward the forest.
"No."
His voice was barely a whisper.
"It already hasn't."
Vanessa stormed out of the Alpha House, her heels striking the marble floor with sharp, angry clicks.
She refused to believe what she had just heard.
Kingston was regretting it.
The man who had publicly rejected Selene was now searching for her.
Vanessa's hands curled into fists.
"No..." she muttered. "I didn't come this far to lose."
She turned the corner and found two familiar faces waiting beneath the stone archway.
Lydia.
And Marcus.
Her closest allies.
"What happened?" Lydia asked.
Vanessa's expression darkened.
"The Alpha has sent warriors to find Selene."
Marcus frowned.
"Didn't he reject her?"
"He did."
"Then why bring her back?"
Vanessa's eyes flashed with jealousy.
"Because his wolf still wants her."
Silence settled over the three of them.
Marcus finally spoke.
"What do we do?"
Vanessa's lips curved into a cold smile.
"We make sure Selene is never found."
---
Inside the Alpha House...
Kingston entered his private study.
The room was quiet except for the crackling fireplace.
He walked to the large wooden desk where an old leather journal rested.
It had belonged to his late father.
The former Alpha.
Kingston opened it absentmindedly.
A folded letter slipped onto the floor.
He frowned.
He had never seen it before.
Picking it up, he unfolded the faded parchment.
His father's handwriting filled the page.
> "My son, if you are reading this, then you have already become Alpha.
> There is one lesson I failed to teach you.
> Power alone can never protect a pack.
> Choose a Luna who possesses kindness as well as strength.
> A cruel ruler destroys a kingdom.
> A compassionate ruler builds one."
Kingston's grip tightened around the letter.
His father had loved Selene.
He used to call her the kindest girl in the pack.
A painful memory surfaced.
"Take care of her, Kingston," his father had once said.
"One day, she'll need someone to stand beside her."
Kingston slowly closed his eyes.
"I failed."
His wolf spoke again.
"Then fix it."
---
Deep within the Forbidden Forest...
Selene and Kael sat quietly beside the fire.
The rain had finally stopped.
Soft sunlight streamed into the cave.
Selene stared at the dancing flames.
"It's strange," she said.
"What is?"
"I've known you for only a few hours..."
She smiled faintly.
"...but talking to you feels easy."
Kael's heart skipped a beat.
For centuries, no one had spoken to him so honestly.
"Perhaps," he replied, "some people are meant to meet."
Selene looked at him thoughtfully.
"Do you believe in fate?"
Kael held her gaze.
"More than anything."
Before Selene could answer, Commander Ronan suddenly appeared at the cave entrance.
He bowed respectfully.
"Kael..."
His voice was careful.
"There is urgent news."
Kael immediately understood.
Something had happened in the Lycan Kingdom.
He rose to his feet.
"I'll return shortly," he told Selene.
She nodded.
"I'll be here."
As Kael stepped outside, Ronan lowered his voice.
"Your Majesty..."
"The Crescent Moon Pack has entered the Forbidden Forest."
Kael's golden eyes turned icy.
"Who leads them?"
"Alpha Kingston himself."
Kael looked back toward the cave where Selene sat, completely unaware of the danger approaching.
His aura exploded with overwhelming power.
The surrounding trees bent beneath the pressure.
"No one," he said coldly,
"...will take her from me."
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