Chapter 2
1349 Words
(Whispers of the Blood Moon)
Selene's POV
My eyes yanked open.
I felt like I was drowning, my breath coming in short, haggard gasps. My body jolted upright, sweat beading down my temples. Strands of hair stuck to my clammy face, my skin turning pale.
For a moment, I remained on the bed, the heavy silence in the room pressing down on me.
My gaze darted around the room, my eyes still wide in horror. The violent throbbing of my heart did nothing to calm me down.
“It was just a dream, Selene,” I whispered to myself. I tried to convince myself that whatever I saw was just a nightmare, that none of it was real, but a part of me was convinced that it was real. It felt like it.
No matter how hard I repeated the words, my body wouldn't believe it. My skin had turned cold, blood drained from my face, and still my heart wouldn't slow down.
The images were still branded in my brain.
I'd walked down the sacred chambers, my red veil fluttering behind me as the wind kissed my skin. In my hands, a blade shimmered under the crimson glow of the blood moon.
I’d moved with poised elegance, my hips swaying under the light satin fabric which hugged my frame like a second skin.
My feet had carried me gently to the Alpha's room, and I'd halted beside his bedstand. I'd watched him sleep peacefully, his chest rising gently. He was oblivious of my presence.
I'd smirked to myself, slowly placing the blade on his neck, the smile on my lips widening.
“For my sisters,” I’d whispered, slowly dragging the sharp edge of the blade across his throat.
His eyes had widened in horror, and I watched him gasp for breath as the blood rushed out of his throat. He'd struggled for a while before giving up the ghost.
Goosebumps crawled across my body, and I swallowed hard. That was an abomination. I wouldn't dare murder Alpha Ethan, even if my life depended on it.
Of course, he'd been a prick, but ending his life was extreme.
I let out a shaky breath, trying to calm my racing mind. I took a deep breath, my eyes shooting to the wall clock.
“s**t!” I growled. I was late for class, and worst of all, I hadn't done Amber's assignment, which meant one thing: more bullying.
Dad wasn't at home; he'd passed the night at the hospital and would be going for his morning shift soon, so I didn't bother to check on him.
After I was done with chores and breakfast, I left for school, hoping for the best while expecting the worst from Amber and her minions.
My thoughts were still tangled in the nightmare when I stumbled into something solid. The force knocked me backward, books slipping from my arms and scattering across the polished floor.
Pain rippled through my body, and I sucked in a sharp breath. Slowly, I lifted my head.
My pulse quickened.
Damian.
The smirk already tugging at his lips told me exactly how this would end.
“I—I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice breaking. But apologies meant nothing to him. If anything, they fed him.
In an instant, his hand tangled in my hair, yanking me upward. Pain seared across my scalp, forcing a cry from my throat. My knees nearly buckled, but he held me upright like a rag doll.
“Pathetic,” he muttered, shoving me hard against the lockers. The metal groaned from the impact. My chest tightened as the sting spread across my back.
Every instinct screamed at me to fight, to claw at him, to push him away. But this was Damian, that was enough reason not to fight back.
He leaned close, his breath hot against my ear,
“Watch where you’re going, Selene. One day, your clumsiness will cost you more than bruises.”
His words echoed in my ears and just as I was about to plead as always, something happened. The air shifted, my heart plummeting. The noises in the background turned muffled and just then, I heard it.
“Mate.”
My eyes widened in shock, the air freezing instantly in my lungs. That voice came from within me and I was damn sure it was my wolf.
After years of silence, of waiting, of praying beneath the cold glow of the moon, she had finally awakened. And the very first word she spoke was one that shattered me.
“Mate,”
Damian.
My mind spun around violently and I couldn't think. My mind had weirdly ignored the pain which I felt.
Of all the people in the world, the goddess had bound me to him? The boy who had made my life a living hell? The monster who thrived on my pain?
Disgust clawed at my chest. Rage twisted my stomach. This wasn’t fate. This was a curse.
My wolf whimpered again, the word softer this time around.
“Mate.”
I was still trying to understand what was going on when I felt his hand loosened in my head and I whirled around, just to look him in the eyes.
I saw it — the flicker in his eyes. His smirk faltered and he took a step backwards. And for a moment, there was no cruelty in the way he stared at me.
He heard it.
He let his gaze linger on me, my eyes meeting his hazel eyes and finally, he turned around and left without another word.
I pressed my trembling hands against the locker behind me, struggling to keep my knees from giving out. My breath came ragged and uneven, my chest aching with every gasp.
It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.
But the bond pulsed inside me, undeniable, unbreakable.
“Luna goddess…” My whisper cracked into the silence. “Why would you do this to me?”
I had begged her. Worshipped her. Dreamed of the day my wolf would awaken, of the day I would finally be whole. For many years, I prayed for this gift. And now? Now she had cursed me with the one person I hated most.
The betrayal was unbearable.
“Selene!”
The shrill voice broke through the storm in my head. Lizzy.
She came running, her curls bouncing, her smile wide as she flung her arms around me. I staggered from the force of her hug.
“Happy birthday!” she squealed. “Finally eighteen!”
Birthday.
The word sounded foreign. I had forgotten.
Eighteen—the age every werewolf awakened. The age their bond revealed itself.
And today… mine had awakened in the cruelest way possible.
Damian had known. He was three years older. That meant he had carried this truth all along, while he tormented me, broke me, laughed at my pain.
The thought made bile rise in my throat. Was that why I never truly hated him? Why some invisible thread kept pulling me back despite everything?
I shook the thought away violently. No. It didn’t matter. He was still my enemy. My tormentor. My mate.
Lizzy pulled back, her grin faltering when she saw my face,
“Why aren’t you smiling? It’s your birthday, Selene! You should be—wait, your hair’s a mess… did someone—”
“I’m fine,” I lied quickly, forcing a plastic smile. “I just… stayed up all night helping Mom at the hospital. I’m exhausted.”
Her brows knitted together with concern. “You’ve got to stop pushing yourself so hard.”
I only nodded, clutching my books tighter, the truth burning on my tongue. But I couldn’t tell her. Not yet. Not until I faced Damian.
Not until I forced him to answer the question that was tearing me apart:
Why?
Why me?
We walked together to class, Lizzy chattering cheerfully beside me. But I heard nothing. My thoughts were trapped in an endless loop, circling back to his eyes, his silence, the echo of that cursed word.
- Writer
