CHAPTER 14: TheTaste of Freedom
1067 Words
For the first time in her life, Selene woke up to the sound of laughter instead of orders.
The early morning sun poured through the open window, warming her skin as she lay tangled in the soft sheets of her new room. The air smelled of pine and something faintly sweet—fresh bread, maybe.
No one was forcing her awake. No one was demanding she fall in line.
It was strange.
Freedom.
She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes as the sounds of the bustling courtyard below drifted in. Xander’s pack was nothing like the rigid, suffocating rules of Blackthorne. There was life here, genuine joy that wasn’t tainted by the expectation of submission.
And for the first time, she wasn’t looking over her shoulder, waiting for someone to punish her for stepping out of place.
Slipping out of bed, she padded to the window and leaned against the wooden frame, watching as warriors sparred in the training ring. Children ran between them, giggling as they dodged playful swipes from the fighters. A woman stood nearby, hands on her hips, barking orders—but there was no cruelty in her voice, only encouragement.
Selene’s chest ached at the sight.
This was how a pack was supposed to be.
She had never known this kind of warmth.
Her fingers traced the windowsill as she let herself breathe it in, let herself believe—just for a moment—that maybe she could belong here.
A knock on her door startled her from her thoughts.
“Selene?” a familiar voice called.
Xander.
Her pulse skipped as she turned, glancing at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a mess from sleep, her oversized tunic slipping off one shoulder.
Why did she suddenly care?
Clearing her throat, she crossed the room and opened the door.
Xander stood there, dressed in a simple black shirt and pants, but somehow, he still looked every bit the powerful Alpha he was. His silver eyes swept over her, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face before he leaned against the doorframe.
“Sleep well?”
Selene nodded. “Better than I expected.”
His lips twitched. “Good. Because today, I’m stealing you.”
She blinked. “Stealing me?”
Xander’s grin widened. “You’ve spent your entire life under someone else’s control. It’s about time you learned what it feels like to live.”
Her stomach fluttered. “And how exactly do you plan to teach me that?”
“You’ll see.”
—
The village was alive with energy.
Selene followed Xander through the winding cobblestone streets, her senses overwhelmed by the sheer vibrancy of it all.
Vendors called out cheerful greetings, the scent of roasted meat and fresh fruit filling the air. People moved freely, unburdened by fear or oppression.
Everywhere she looked, there was something new.
Children playing, lovers stealing kisses beneath shaded awnings, warriors laughing over mugs of ale.
No one bowed in submission. No one cowered in fear.
She had never seen anything like it.
Xander kept a steady pace beside her, hands tucked into his pockets. “This is what it means to be part of a real pack,” he said, as if reading her thoughts.
“Strength doesn’t come from fear. It comes from trust.”
Selene swallowed past the lump in her throat. She wanted to believe him.
“Come on.” He nudged her forward, steering her toward a small market stall. “Ever had honeycomb before?”
She shook her head, watching as the elderly vendor sliced off a golden piece and handed it to her with a kind smile.
Tentatively, she brought it to her lips.
The first taste exploded on her tongue—rich, sweet, dripping with warmth.
Her eyes widened. “It’s… incredible.”
Xander chuckled. “Told you.”
Selene licked a drop from her thumb, a small, genuine smile forming before she could stop it.
For the first time in a long time, she felt something light inside her.
Not just relief.
Not just survival.
Something more.
Something dangerously close to happiness.
—
Hours passed in a blur of stolen moments.
Xander took her to the riverbank, where the water shimmered like melted silver beneath the afternoon sun. He showed her the best place to skip stones, laughing when she nearly hit him with a stray rock.
She let herself laugh too.
It felt foreign, strange—like she was rediscovering a part of herself she had forgotten.
Later, they found a quiet clearing beyond the village, where the trees whispered in the wind and the world felt still.
Selene sat in the grass, leaning back on her palms as she watched the clouds drift above.
Xander sat beside her, close enough that their arms brushed.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then—
“I saw you smile today,” Xander murmured, his voice low, almost teasing. “Twice, actually. Might be a record.”
Selene rolled her eyes. “Don’t get used to it.”
“I already have.”
Something about the way he said it made her stomach tighten.
Silence settled between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.
If anything, it felt… right.
Selene let out a slow breath. “I don’t know who I am without someone telling me what to be.”
Xander turned his head, his gaze piercing. “Then maybe it’s time you decide for yourself.”
She met his eyes, her heart pounding against her ribs.
For the first time, she realized she wanted to.
And that scared her more than anything.
—
As the sun dipped below the horizon, they made their way back toward the packhouse. The quiet between them was different now—charged, electric.
When they reached her door, Selene hesitated. She turned to Xander, her pulse unsteady. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“For today.”
Xander studied her, his silver eyes dark in the dim light. “You don’t have to thank me.”
But she did.
Because, for the first time, she had felt like something more than a pawn in someone else’s game, she felt alive.
As she stepped inside, closing the door behind her, she couldn’t shake the feeling that today had changed something.
Not just between them—but within herself.
And tomorrow, when Xander faces Killian, that change will matter.
Everything would.
- Writer
