From His Luna to His Rival's Mate

Chapter 3

SELENE

The morning air was cool as I stepped onto the dew-covered training fields of Silverwood University. My muscles still ached from yesterday, but I welcomed the burn because I needed it.

I moved through the combat drills with a focus I’d never had in my first life. When the instructor called for partial shifts, I let my claws extend and struck the training dummy hard, imagining it was the rogue who had cut me open.

Every punch, every kick carried the memory of ropes biting into my wrists and that jagged blade slicing my skin.

I pushed harder, sweat dripping down my back, because if I stopped moving, the images of my dying baby would flood in again.

By the time the session ended, my chest heaved and my wolf felt more awake than she had in years.

In the afternoon, I sat near the front of the oak-paneled lecture hall, pen flying across my notebook as Professor Hale spoke about ancient pack alliances.

The room smelled of old books and polished wood and I wasn’t distracted by thoughts of Calder or wondering why he barely looked at me, the way I would have been then, this time, I was here for me.

When the lecture ended, I gathered my things quickly and slipped out before the usual gossip circles could form.

I didn’t want to hear who was crushing on whom or which pack had the strongest heirs, that life wasn’t mine anymore.

Back at the dorm that evening, I had just stepped out of the shower when I heard Elara’s bright laughter in the common lounge. I paused in the hallway, towel-drying my hair, and peeked in.

Calder was there, he sat on the couch like he owned the room, tall and commanding in a black button-down that stretched across his broad shoulders.

Elara leaned against his side, showing him something on her phone, giggling softly. The sight sent a familiar ache through my chest, but this time it wasn’t envy, it was clarity.

I tried to walk past quietly. “Selene,” Calder’s deep voice called out, stopping me in my tracks.

I turned, his silver-gray eyes locked onto mine and for a moment, the rest of the room seemed to fade. There was something new in his gaze... intense, searching, almost hungry. Like I had suddenly become someone worth studying.

Elara glanced between us, her smile sweet but her eyes sharp for just a second. “Everything okay?” she asked lightly.

“Perfectly fine,” I replied, keeping my tone neutral. I continued toward my room, but I heard his footsteps behind me.

In the quiet hallway, Calder caught my arm gently but firmly, his touch was warm, and for a stupid second, my body remembered how it used to crave even the smallest bit of contact from him.

“Talk to me,” he said, voice low. Rain had started pattering against the windows outside. “That night at the hotel… the slap. The way you rejected me in front of everyone. Why?”

I turned to face him fully, water from my wet hair dripped onto my shirt, making the fabric cling to my skin, but I refused to feel small or embarrassed.

“Because I spent years believing that if I loved you hard enough, you would eventually love me back,” I said softly, but my voice didn’t shake.

“I waited for scraps of affection while you gave Elara the whole world. I won’t do that again. I deserve better.”

Something raw flickered across his face... pain, maybe, or the first spark of real obsession and his jaw clenched.

“You don’t get to decide that,” he murmured, stepping closer. His scent, woodsmoke and dominance wrapped around me. “You’re mine, Selene.”

I looked him straight in the eyes and pulled my arm free. “No,” I whispered. “I’m not.”

I stepped into my room and closed the door in his face, the second it clicked shut, I leaned back against it, eyes closed, breathing shaky.

My heart hurt, not because I still loved him, but because the girl I used to be had loved him so much it nearly destroyed her.

***

The next few days fell into a tense rhythm, during combat class one morning, I felt his eyes on me the entire time as I sparred. Later in the cafeteria, he saved a seat for me at his table.

I politely declined and sat alone with my tray. That evening, he showed up at the library under the excuse of “helping Elara study,” but his gaze followed me wherever I moved.

Every encounter left me more certain: ignoring him wasn’t pushing him away. It was pulling him closer.

One rainy afternoon, I was walking across the central courtyard, umbrella in hand, when I finally saw him. Kael Voss.

He stood alone near the large stone fountain, scrolling through his tablet, dark hair slightly damp from the mist.

Even from a distance, his presence felt different... quiet arrogance mixed with something sharper and dangerous.

My heart beat faster, this was it, my chance. I walked straight up to him, close enough that he had to look up, his dark eyes narrowed in recognition, then a faint, familiar smirk tugged at his lips.

“Well, if it isn’t the former runner-up,” he said, voice smooth and teasing. “Heard you caused quite the scene with Vance the other night. Bold move, Selene.”

I held his gaze, ignoring the nervous flutter in my stomach. “I’m done with old patterns. Including our ranking wars. I need to talk to you, privately.”

Kael studied me for a long moment. His expression was hard to read, part suspicion, part curiosity, and something deeper I couldn’t name. He slipped his tablet into his bag.

“Interesting,” he said. “You never sought me out before. What changed?”

“Everything,” I answered honestly.

He watched me carefully, then gave a small nod. “Tonight. The old observatory on the east hill. Don’t be late.”

As he walked away, tall and confident, I stood there in the light rain, feeling the first real spark of hope since waking up in this second life and underneath that hope… danger because the game had truly begun.