Chapter2
1093 Words
Chapter 2
A dull ache spread through Selene's body as she stirred awake, her senses sluggish but sharp enough to recognize one thing—she was no longer in the forest.
The scent of rich wood and burning embers replaced the damp earth and blood she last remembered. Beneath her was a bed, too soft, too warm. This wasn't the ground she had collapsed on.
Her eyes snapped open.
She sat up instantly, muscles coiled for a fight, but the moment she moved, a sharp pain shot through her ribs. She gritted her teeth, her mind catching up to her body's injuries—bruised, battered, but alive.
The room around her was nothing like the cold prisons she had been thrown into before. It was grand, almost absurdly so. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a dim golden glow over the polished floors. The bed she sat on was draped in dark silks, and the fireplace in the corner flickered, illuminating the stone walls.
But no matter how luxurious it seemed, it was still a prison
Where am I?
Her body ached. The pain was dull now, muted by what she assumed was her wolf's attempt at healing. Her side throbbed where the Alpha's claws had cut her, but she was alive.
That was the only thing that mattered.
Slowly, she pushed herself up on her elbows, her head spinning from the movement. Her heartbeat quickened as she took in her surroundings. This wasn't the rogue camp. This wasn't anywhere she recognized.
And then—she heard it.
The low, steady breathing of someone else in the room.
Selene stiffened.
Her gaze snapped to the far side of the room, where a figure sat in a chair, watching her.
The firelight illuminated the sharp angles of his face—the strong jaw, the high cheekbones, the hauntingly familiar silver eyes. His dark hair was slightly damp as if he had been out in the rain. He was dressed in black, the fabric stretching over broad shoulders and a powerful build.
Even without his scent, she would have known who he was.
Alpha Killian.
"Finally awake." His voice was deep, and smooth, carrying the weight of authority.
Selene swallowed hard, forcing herself to remain still, to keep her expression unreadable. She wouldn't show fear. Not in front of him.
Not in front of the monster who would destroy her life.
"Where am I?" she asked, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her.
His silver eyes remained locked on hers, unreadable, calculating. "My territory."
Her stomach twisted.
His territory.
She was in his domain now, far from the rogue lands, far from any hope of escape.
"You brought me here?" she pressed.
He nodded once. "You would have died out there."
Selene's jaw clenched. "Maybe I wanted to."
A flicker of something crossed his expression—something dark, unreadable. Then, just as quickly, it was gone.
"You don't get to die," he said. "Not yet."
A shiver ran down her spine.
"What do you want from me?"
For the first time, something dangerous flickered in his gaze.
"You already know the answer to that."
Selene's breath caught.
She knew.
She was his mate.
And if the prophecy was true if fate was as cruel as she had always believed—
He would be the death of her.
She clenched her fists beneath the sheets. "If you know what I am to you, then you know what happens when you claim me."
Killian didn't flinch. He held her gaze with an eerie calm. "Yes."
Her nails bit into her palm. "Then why keep me alive?"
A muscle in his jaw twitched. "I haven't decided what to do with you yet."
Selene scoffed, forcing herself to sit up fully. "How thoughtful."
The moment she moved, pain lanced through her side, sharp and unforgiving. She hissed under her breath, pressing a hand to the wound.
Killian's gaze flickered to the injury.
"You should be grateful I stopped the bleeding," he said, his tone unreadable.
Selene glared at him. "Oh, should I thank you for that?"
She refused to acknowledge the part of her that was surprised he had helped her at all. If he truly was the monster everyone claimed, he could have left her to die in the woods.
Killian leaned forward slightly in his chair, his elbows resting on his knees. "You think you know me, rogue?"
She didn't respond.
"Tell me," he murmured, his voice low, almost contemplative. "Do I seem like a man who doesn't know how to control his instincts?"
Selene swallowed. He didn't.
That was the terrifying part.
He wasn't some rabid beast who killed without thought. He was measured, calculated, and dangerous in ways that went beyond brute force.
He could decide her fate with nothing more than a whisper.
"I don't care what kind of man you are," she said, tilting her chin up defiantly. "You don't own me."
Something dark flickered in his eyes, but he didn't rise to her challenge. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, watching her in a way that made her feel like a specimen under a microscope.
"Your pack left you to die," he said after a long silence. "Why?"
Selene stiffened.
"Or did you betray them first?" he continued, his tone laced with mock curiosity.
Rage flared inside her. "I didn't betray anyone."
A flicker of something cruel—or amused?—crossed his face. "That's the thing about betrayal," he murmured. "It's never as simple as we tell ourselves, is it?"
Selene clenched her jaw. "You don't know anything about me."
His gaze darkened. "Oh, but I do."
He stood.
Selene's muscles tensed instinctively, but he didn't approach her. He only moved toward the window, staring out at the storm beyond.
"I know you were never meant to survive," he said. "I know your kind turned on you. I know that even now if I let you walk out of this room, you'd have nowhere to go."
Selene's chest rose and fell rapidly, fury and helplessness warring inside her.
"I know you're mine, Rogue."
The words were soft but absolute.
A declaration. A sentence. A curse.
"The name is Selene, you arrogant bastard!" she screamed as he walked away.
Selene's heart pounded. She refused to accept it. She refused to be another name on his list of dead mates.
She had escaped death once and she would do it again.
No matter what it took.
Even if it meant killing the Cursed Alpha before he could kill her.
- Writer
