CHAPTER FOUR
1332 Words
The midday sun cast a golden sheen over the pack square as the main gates creaked open. Two warriors emerged from the shadows beyond, their movements slow and heavy. Between them, they carried a stretcher—on it, a girl wrapped in white linen, skin pale as ash, lips trembling.
The pack stirred. Heads turned. Whispers flared like sparks across dry grass.
Poor thing…”
“She must’ve seen her whole pack die.”
“Rogues? The girl’s lucky to be alive.”
“She survived?”
" Yes, she's a strong woman"
" she looks weak and pale"
"i heard the rogue pack was burnt down, where was she found"
“She was found at the shrub beyond the ridge.”
“She looks confused like she doesn't remember anything.”
Selene stood a little apart from the rest, eyes fixed, posture straight. She said nothing, yet her presence felt like steel wrapped in velvet.
Her gaze locked on the frail figure.
Lia.
She was back.
she would recognized that face anywhere. The girl who had once been Damon’s light and the pack's favorite, the one who destroyed everything she ever had and loved.
She remembered the fake smiles, the crocodile tears, the way Lia had stood beside Damon as if she were entitled to everything—Selene’s bond, her status, her future.
And now she was here. Being a stranger to everyone and but a devil she could never forget.
---
Inside the healer’s hut, Lia was cleaned and settled on a soft bed. She barely spoke. When she did, it was with a fragile softness that drew compassion.
“I don’t remember... I think there was fire,” she whispered. “My family... they’re gone.”
She stared blankly at the wall, voice barely audible.
Luna Miren comforted her, offering soft words and warm broth. The healers believed she needed rest.
Damon had returned from a border patrol earlier that day, his shoulder still sore from a deep gash.
He was taken to the healer's hut to receive treatment
He had yet to be told about the Lia’s full story. He hadn’t gone to see her.
His focus had remained solely on Selene.
Her rejection lingered in his mind.
so he didn't really see Lia but she saw him.
---
At the community dinner that evening, long tables stretched beneath the glowing lanterns. The scent of roasted meat filled the air. Laughter and chatter echoed through the trees.
Selene sat beside her parents, her plate barely touched. She was quiet, her expression distant.
Lia arrived with Luna Miren, not with Damon.She wore a soft blue dress, her hair braided in a single, innocent plait over one shoulder. Her steps were hesitant, head lowered.
But every eye turned to her.
She radiated fragility, She kept close to the elders, moving carefully, her presence soft and subdued. A few pups greeted her, curious and gentle, and she responded with a shy smile.
Her composure drew murmurs.
“She’s so polite.”
“Grateful, despite all she’s lost.”
“Who is she really?” Selene’s brother, Marcus, muttered under his breath as he watched the scene unfold.
Selene replied evenly, “Someone who knows how to play her part.”
Her father glanced at her. “You’ve seen her before?”
“No but i know her type,” Selene said. “She’s the type who survives by appearing harmless.”
Her mother gave her a quiet look. “Careful. Not everyone sees what you see.”
“That’s the problem,” Selene said. “They don’t see until it’s too late.”
Lia was introduced publicly.
Alpha Grayson stood and addressed the pack.
“This is Lia,” he said. “A survivor. A guest under our protection. Until she recovers—and decides what she wishes to do next—she will be treated with respect and kindness.”
Selene noticed the shift in the room. She had seen this before and it's all happening again—kindness turning into silent weight, sympathy into slow favoritism.
And all Lia had done was be present and manipulating behind the scene.
---
Later, as the moon climbed higher, Selene left went out to receive fresh air because she felt trapped and suffocated. she sat down at the clearing near the pack training ground and looking at how beautiful the moon was. when she had footsteps approaching she turned and saw Lia coming towards the clearing edge where she sat and stood beside her.
“Selene right,” she said, voice low, “I wanted to say thank you for… everything. You don’t know me, but you’ve given me a place here.”
Selene turned to face her like she's seen a joke. “I didn’t give you anything, i have never spoken to you and i don't want to talk to you.”
Lia blinked. “Oh… I didn’t mean to offend. I just—”
“ First of all you did not offend me, i never offered you a place, You’re not here because of me. You’re here because the Alpha allowed it. Don’t, and don't say such words again people will think i am the Luna which I'm not.”
Lia bit her lip, bowed her head slightly, and retreated.
---
The next day, Selene trained in the field alone. Her blade danced in the wind, her footing sharp, her movements fluid. The ache in her chest dulled only with action.
She sensed Damon before he spoke.
“You’re avoiding me,” he said.
She stopped, turned, eyes unreadable. “I’m training.”
“You haven’t said a word to me since the rejection.”
“There’s nothing to say.”
“Then explain why. are you seeing someone else?”
Selene's lips twitched into something like a bitter smile. “You think i will cheat?”
“I don’t know what to think,” he said. “You just walked away. Broke the bond. Without a warning.”
“Because I realized,” she said, stepping closer, “that loving someone who doesn’t see you will always be a losing battle.”
“ you are making me confused,” he said quickly. “I didn’t—”
" you did nothing i just don't deserve your love,” Selene whispered. “I'm correcting the mistake that should have been corrected long ago.”
---
Back near the packhouse, Lia sat by the fountain, smiling gently at the pups who played near the water. She was alone, quietly present. Not asking for attention. Not seeking it.
Yet still, the pack’s gaze leaned toward her.
Selene saw it. So did another.
High in the trees, Elder Mira watched from beneath the shelter of oak branches. Her eyes, aged and knowing, followed Lia’s every move.
The older woman stood at the edge of the forest, humming to herself as she gathered moon blossoms for a ritual.
The girl claims she has forgotten her past she walks like someone born in court. Eats like someone trained to pretend hunger. Smiles with her teeth hidden—like someone who knows the power of expression. she was not lost. She was sent.
She had seen wolves like this before, quiet but dangerous.
she has seen packs destroyed, Alphas turning into puppet, with no mind to protect their pack.
Just presence. Just silence.
And somehow, it would be enough for disaster.
Later that night, she left a folded parchment on the Alpha’s doorstep:
Watch the one who says little. There’s more in silence than in screams.
--
That night, Selene stood before her mirror, brushing her long silver hair.
Her reflection stared back—calm, calculating.
The girl everyone once knew was gone.
But the world hadn’t learned that yet.
Now, with Lia’s presence stirring the past, Selene would do more than survive.
She would rise.
And when the time came… she would burn away every lie.
Even Damon, if he stood in her way.
- Writer
