The Warning
1279 Words
Selena’s POV
As the gown slipped from my hands, Isadora flinched and stepped back instinctively.
“Selena… what is that?” she asked, her voice tight with unease.
The metallic scent reached her, sharp and unmistakable.
Her expression changed immediately.
“Is that… blood?”
I didn’t answer.
My eyes remained fixed on the gown lying on the floor, my chest rising and falling unevenly.
The air felt heavy.
Too heavy.
Isadora swallowed hard, forcing herself to step closer despite the tension in the room. Her gaze scanned the fabric carefully… until something caught her attention.
“Wait…” she said slowly, pointing. “Selena… what’s that?”
I followed her gaze.
There hidden within the folds was something small.
A piece of paper.
It had been stitched into the gown.
My heart skipped.
Isadora hesitated for a brief second before carefully pulling it free. The edges were stained, the paper slightly damp from the blood.
She turned toward me and held it out.
“Take it.”
I shook my head immediately, stepping back as if the paper itself could burn me.
“I—I can’t,” I whispered. “You read it.”
For a moment, she didn’t move.
The silence stretched, thick and suffocating.
Then slowly… she unfolded it.
Her hands trembled slightly as her eyes moved across the words.
And then… Her expression changed.
“What does it say?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
She hesitated.
Then read aloud.
“You dared to speak of our defect to the children.”
My breath caught.
My face went pale as the words sank in.
“What you have done cannot go unanswered.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
Isadora’s grip on the paper tightened as she continued.
“Come to the Northern Forest alone tomorrow night.”
Her voice trembled now.
“Or we will come for your beloved children… and for you as well.”
Silence fell.
Heavy. Crushing.
My knees nearly gave way as the meaning hit me fully. I pressed a hand to my mouth, trying to steady my breathing.
The children…
Nyra… “No…” I whispered.
Isadora stepped closer quickly, her voice firm despite the fear in her eyes.
“Selena, listen to me. This is serious. Whoever sent this… they mean it.”
“I can’t…” My voice broke. “I can’t let anything happen to them.”
She grabbed my hands gently, grounding me.
“Selena. Breathe.”
I tried. Slowly. Unsteadily.
“The Northern Forest…” she continued quietly. “You know what that place is. Wolves go in… and they don’t come out.”
I nodded weakly.
My mind was racing.
“If I don’t go…” I whispered, my throat tightening, “they’ll hurt the children.”
Fear twisted painfully in my chest.
Isadora’s gaze softened slightly, though something unreadable flickered in her eyes.
“They’re trying to trap you,” she said.
I opened my mouth to argue, but she raised a finger to stop me.
“Don’t say anything,” she added gently. “Just listen.”
Her voice became calmer, more controlled.
“Leave everything to me. I’ll handle it. You just need to rest.”
I hesitated.
Every instinct in me screamed that something was wrong… but I trusted her.
I had always trusted her.
Slowly, I nodded.
“Okay…”
She gave me a small smile.
“Good.”
I walked toward the bed, my body feeling heavier with every step. The weight of the threat pressed down on me, making it hard to think clearly.
I picked up the note and folded it carefully before placing it beside me.
As I lay down, I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts refusing to quiet.
Isadora moved toward the door.
Then she paused.
“Selena?”
I turned my head slightly.
“Yeah?”
“Promise me you won’t go to the forest.”
Her voice was soft… but there was something else beneath it.
Something I couldn’t quite place.
I swallowed.
“I promise,” I said.
She smiled. Satisfied.
“Good.”
Then she left, closing the door behind her.
That night, sleep never came.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the gown… the blood… the words.
Your beloved children…
My chest tightened.
I turned in bed, restless.
Waiting. Dreading.
Morning came too quickly.
I woke with a sharp gasp, my heart pounding as the memory of the note rushed back to me.
The forest. The warning. Tonight.
I moved toward the window, hoping for a moment of calm and froze.
Another note hung there.
Right at the top of the window.
My breath caught.
My hands trembled as I reached up and pulled it down.
Slowly, I unfolded it.
Two words stared back at me.
You’ve got only tonight.
A cold chill spread through my body.
My grip tightened on the paper.
This wasn’t a warning anymore.
It was a countdown.
Panic surged through me as I rushed out of the room.
“I need to find Isadora.”
“Selena.”
I stopped instantly.
That voice.
I turned.
Alpha Kael stood a few steps away, his golden eyes fixed on me.
For a moment, everything else faded.
The note.
The fear.
The forest.
All of it.
The way he looked at me… it stirred something deep inside me something I didn’t understand.
Something I couldn’t control.
“Are you ready for tonight?” he asked.
I blinked, confused.
“Tonight? What’s happening tonight?”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“The mating ceremony,” he said.
My eyes widened.
“Oh no—”
I covered my mouth.
“I forgot! I completely forgot!”
He chuckled softly.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “There are still things you and I need to do before then.”
Then I felt it the way the space between us kept shrinking, like something was quietly pulling us together. Every glance lingered a little longer than it should have, and my heart wouldn’t slow down no matter how hard I tried to stay calm.
It was getting dangerous… not in a bad way, but in a way that made me feel like I might lose control.
For a second, I almost let it happen. Almost let myself stay in that moment, close enough to hear his breathing, close enough to forget everything else.
But I couldn’t.
“I… I have something to do,” I said quickly, my voice softer than I intended. I didn’t even wait to see his reaction.
I just turned and walked away.
Each step felt heavier than the last, like I was leaving something unfinished behind. And maybe I was. But staying would’ve meant facing feelings I wasn’t ready to understand yet.
So I kept walking… until the distance between us felt safe again.
My hand slipped into my pocket, brushing against the note.
Reality crashed back.
The threat.
The forest.
The children.
Before I could think further, a group of children ran toward me, laughing as they called my name.
They hugged me tightly, their warmth surrounding me.
“Selena! Tell us another story!” they begged.
I forced a small smile.
“Later,” I said gently.
They laughed and ran off again.
I watched them go.
Their happiness.
Their innocence.
My chest tightened.
Isadora doesn’t understand…
I can’t let anything happen to them..Not even for a second.
My eyes hardened.
A quiet determination settled inside me.
“No matter what’s waiting in that forest…” I whispered to myself.
“I will go.”
Even if it costs me my life.
- Writer
