HIS RUIN, HIS QUEEN

INTO THE ABYSS

Chapter Four:

Selene should have left.

After the crowd dispersed, after Lilith had been dragged away in shame, she should have walked away from Darius.

But she didn’t.

Because the Alpha King wasn’t letting her go.

Darius sat on his throne, one leg lazily draped over the other, his golden eyes locked onto her like a predator eyeing its prey.

“Come here, little mate.”

His voice sent a shiver through her, low and filled with undeniable command.

Selene stayed still. This was dangerous.

His lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk. “Do I need to come get you?”

Something inside her twisted. Why did his voice make her knees weak?

She forced herself to move forward, stopping a few steps from his throne. “What do you want?” she asked, hating how breathless she sounded.

Darius leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I want to know what you’re thinking.”

Selene stiffened. “About what?”

His gaze darkened. “About how good it felt to ruin her.”

Her breath caught.

Darius chuckled, deep and smooth. He reached out, brushing a single finger over her wrist, right where her pulse raced.

“You liked it,” he murmured. “Didn’t you?”

Selene swallowed hard. She shouldn’t answer.

She shouldn’t let him pull her into this.

But she had liked it. Seeing Lilith fall. Watching her break.

And Darius knew it.

“You don’t have to pretend, Selene,” he continued, his voice almost gentle now. “They pushed you down for years. Used you. Betrayed you. Didn’t it feel good to finally strike back?”

Selene clenched her fists. He was dangerous.

Because he understood her too well.

Darius tilted his head, studying her like he could see straight into her soul.

“You think I’m the monster,” he mused. “But I see the truth.”

His fingers brushed up her arm, slow and deliberate. “There’s a monster inside you, too.”

Selene shivered. “I’m not like you.”

Darius smirked. “Not yet.”

Heat burned through her. She should pull away. She should leave.

But she didn’t.

Because some part of her—a dark, hungry part she didn’t recognize—wanted to hear more.

Darius leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“I can show you how powerful you really are.”

Selene’s heart pounded.

His breath ghosted over her skin, sending fire through her veins. “Let me teach you, little mate.”

She should say no.

But the way he looked at her—**like she was the most dangerous, beautiful thing he had ever seen—**made it impossible.

Darius smirked, sensing her hesitation. Sensing his victory.

“Let me make you unstoppable,” he murmured.

And just like that, she started to fall.

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