Jealous
1042 Words
CHAPTER 20
SELENE'S POV
The moment Kieran stopped running, the world seemed to hold its breath as bombed straight into his arms.
His bare chest heaved, his silver eyes wild and uncertain. The moonlight painted his skin in shades of blue and silver, highlighting the scars. Old and new, that marred his body.
My fingers still tingled where I had touched him, as if some invisible thread had snapped between us, binding me to him in a way I didn’t fully understand.
But before I could process it, Lira’s voice cut through the night like a blade.
"Kieran" She called.
Kieran tensed, his muscles coiling like a wolf ready to strike. I stepped closer to him, my body instinctively shielding his from Logan’s mocking gaze.
It was a battle of rough stare —His eyes were rocking all over my body and mine was just fixed on his lips waiting for the next word he would say.
Mira, still catching her breath from the chase, shot me a questioning look. "Selene, what the hell is going on?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but Kieran spoke first.
"You guys shouldn’t have come here" His voice was rough, raw, as if speaking pained him.
"Logan, can you let us go back to the clearing? We have a lot to do and talk about. Time is really closing down on us" Lira asked, sounding like she is the priestess of the Moon.
The moment we stepped back into the hunters' lodge, the air thickened with tension.
Logan's men stood like shadows along the walls, their weapons still drawn, their eyes flickering between us with wary suspicion as though he was going to transform again. But I didn't care. My focus was on Kieran—his bare shoulders tense, his jaw clenched, his silver eyes darting like a caged animal searching for escape.
Lira had given him her vest, and though it barely covered him, it was something. He clutched the fabric around his waist, his knuckles white.
Why won’t he look at me?
The question burned in my chest, but before I could voice it, Lira was already at his side, her fingers brushing his arm.
"Kieran" she murmured, her voice soft with concern. "You're still bleeding. Let me help" she said in the most tender voice ever. She wrapped her arms around him and closed the distance between them.
He flinched, barely noticeable, but I saw it.
He doesn’t want her touch.
Yet he didn’t pull away.
A strange, hot coil twisted in my stomach.
I detested Kieran. Yes, I do. But he was once my mate and it was only normal for me to feel a tiny shred of something when I saw another woman around him.
*I was jealous!*
I recognized it instantly, and it shamed me. Lira had been the one to stay by his side when he was a beast, the one who fought to keep him alive. She had earned her place beside him.
But that didn’t stop the irrational sting when she leaned closer, her golden eyes searching his face.
"Are you in pain?" she asked.
Kieran shook his head, but the lie was obvious in the tightness of his voice. "I'm fine."
"You're not," Lira insisted, her fingers tracing the edge of the wound on his side. "You need proper treatment. Let me......."
"I said I'm fine." His voice was sharper than intended, and Lira recoiled slightly.
An awkward silence settled over the room.
Mira, ever observant, shot me a knowing look. "Trouble in paradise?" her raised eyebrow seemed to say.
I ignored her, stepping forward. "Kieran....... "
But Logan cut me off with a derisive snort.
"How touching" he drawled, rolling his eyes. "The beast has a fan club."
Kieran’s gaze snapped to him, a low growl rumbling in his chest.
Lira, however, was faster. She spun on Logan, her teeth bared. "One more word, and I’ll rip out your tongue."
Logan smirked but wisely shut up.
I took the opportunity to close the distance between Kieran and me. His scent my lungs, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
"You ran," I whispered, my voice barely audible.
His shoulders stiffened. "I had to."
"Why?"
Finally, he looked at me. His silver eyes were stormy, filled with something raw and unspoken. "Because you shouldn’t have to see me like this." He responded.
Like what? Broken? Vulnerable?
The words lodged in my throat.
Before I could respond, Lira was back, pressing a damp cloth to his forehead. "You're burning up," she fretted. "You need rest," she added.
Kieran exhaled, his exhaustion evident, but he didn’t argue.
I clenched my fists.
Why does she get to fuss over him? Why does she get to be the one he leans on?
The thought was petty, childish even, but it clung to me like a second skin, like a stupid teenager in love.
Lira guided him to a chair, her hands lingering on his shoulders. "Sit. I’ll find something for the pain."
Kieran hesitated, his eyes flicking to me briefly before he sank into the seat.
I wanted to scream as I was getting tired of her s**t.
Instead, I forced myself to turn away, busying myself with checking Mira for injuries. But my mind was elsewhere—on the way Lira’s fingers brushed his skin, on the way he allowed it.
Does he prefer her now?
The doubt slithered in, unwelcome.
Then, a hand touched my arm.
I turned, startled, to find Kieran standing behind me. His expression was unreadable, but his voice, when he spoke, was rough with sincerity.
"Selene," he said quietly. "We need to talk."
My heart leaped.
But before I could answer, Lira reappeared with a bowl of herbs in her hands. "Kieran, you shouldn’t be standing!"
He didn’t look at her. His eyes stayed locked on mine.
"Later," he murmured to me.
"What?" I asked but he took the bowl of herbs from her and reluctantly, he let Lira lead him away.
And I was left standing there, torn between frustration and longing.
Later was the word and was a promise—one I intended to hold him to. No matter how many times Lira tried to get in the way.
- Writer
