Five
1284 Words
Sleep never came easily for Selene, but that night, it was impossible.
She lay in her small bed, staring at the ceiling, her body still thrumming with the aftermath of her conversation with Killian. His words played over and over in her mind, like a song she couldn’t forget.
“You still have power.”
“I want them to see me coming.”
She hated that a part of her wanted to believe him. That after years of being forced into silence, someone was finally telling her to fight back.
But was Killian really here to help her?
Or was he only using her as a weapon in his own war?
She didn’t know.
And yet, she had still made her choice.
When dawn broke, she forced herself to rise, dressing in the plain gray uniform all Omegas were required to wear. The fabric was rough, purposefully meant to remind them of their place. She had worn silk once. Fur-lined cloaks and delicate gold jewelry.
Now she had nothing but threadbare clothes and a name that meant nothing.
For now.
She stepped out of her small room, the hallways of the Packhouse eerily quiet. The Omegas would already be at work preparing breakfast, but her duties lay elsewhere.
Damian wanted her in his office.
She knew what that meant.
Her stomach coiled tight, but she kept her expression neutral as she moved through the corridors.
The guards standing outside the Alpha’s study barely spared her a glance as they let her inside.
Damian was already seated at his desk, sipping from a steaming mug of coffee. The room smelled of cedarwood and something sharp—his scent, the one her wolf still recognized no matter how much she wished otherwise.
His dark eyes lifted to hers, unreadable.
She hated the way her heart still reacted, even after all this time.
“You are nothing to him,” she reminded herself.
She forced herself to stand tall. “You called for me, Alpha?”
His gaze flickered at the title. He had once told her not to call him that, that he wanted her to call him by his name.
That was before he had cast her aside.
Before he had chosen Lilith.
“Sit,” he ordered, motioning to the chair across from him.
Selene hesitated before obeying, folding her hands in her lap.
Damian watched her for a long moment, as if assessing something he couldn’t quite name.
“You’ve been quiet lately,” he said finally.
Selene kept her expression blank. “I’ve learned that speaking too much gets me nothing.”
His jaw tightened. “And yet, you spoke with Killian last night.”
Her breath hitched, but she forced herself not to react. “I didn’t realize I was forbidden from speaking to members of the pack.”
Damian’s fingers tightened around his mug. “He isn’t a member of this pack.”
Selene tilted her head. “No? And yet, he’s here. Free to walk through the Packhouse as he pleases.”
A muscle in his jaw feathered, but he didn’t argue.
“Stay away from him,” he said after a moment, his voice low, controlled.
Selene clenched her hands together, nails digging into her palms.
She should have nodded. Should have agreed and given him the answer he wanted.
But something in her rebelled.
Something Killian had awakened.
“And if I don’t?” she asked softly.
Damian’s dark gaze flickered, something dangerous slipping into it.
“You don’t want to test me, Selene.”
Her breath came faster, but she refused to look away.
“I used to think that,” she whispered. “But now I’m not so sure.”
The tension between them was thick, a battle neither of them could name.
Damian exhaled, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “You’ve changed.”
She almost laughed.
Of course, she had changed.
Did he expect her to remain the same after what he had done? After the way he had thrown her away?
Selene rose from her chair with slow, deliberate movements, her pulse pounding in her ears. She could feel Damian’s gaze burning into her, but she refused to let it shake her.
You’ve changed, he had said.
As if he had expected anything else.
She met his gaze head-on, forcing herself to hold steady. “I didn’t have a choice.”
Damian leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping against the wooden desk. “And yet, you’re still here.”
Her stomach twisted at the truth in his words. She was still here, bound to the pack by an invisible leash.
He made sure of that.
But what he didn’t realize—what Killian had made her see—was that she wasn’t as powerless as he wanted her to believe.
Not anymore.
Damian studied her, his dark eyes unreadable. “Killian isn’t your ally, Selene.”
She stiffened but kept her expression neutral. “And you are?”
His jaw clenched, but she didn’t look away.
For two years, she had avoided confronting him like this. She had bowed her head, played her part, accepted her fate without resistance.
She had been a fool.
And she would not be one any longer.
Damian sighed, his fingers curling around his coffee mug. “I don’t want to fight you, Selene.”
A bitter smile tugged at her lips. “You already did. You just made sure I couldn’t fight back.”
His expression darkened, but before he could speak, the door to his office swung open.
Lilith stepped inside, her violet eyes flickering between them. She was dressed elegantly as always, her dark hair swept back into an intricate braid. The scent of lilacs and something far more unnatural clung to her, and Selene had to resist the urge to step away.
She had never trusted Lilith.
And she never would.
Lilith’s lips curled in a slow smile. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
Damian’s expression smoothed over as he leaned back in his chair. “We were just finishing.”
Lilith hummed, her gaze lingering on Selene for a beat too long.
“You really should be more careful, dear,” she murmured, tilting her head. “Some of us are not as forgiving as others.”
The words were light, almost playful, but the warning beneath them was unmistakable.
Selene refused to flinch.
“Then it’s a good thing I don’t need your forgiveness,” she said coolly.
Something flickered in Lilith’s expression—amusement, irritation—but she didn’t respond. Instead, she turned back to Damian.
“The council will be arriving soon,” she reminded him. “They expect an answer regarding Killian.”
Selene frowned but stayed silent. The council?
Damian exhaled, rubbing his temples. “I know.”
Lilith’s gaze flickered back to Selene. “And you should return to your duties, Omega.”
The title was meant to sting, to remind her of her place.
But for the first time, Selene didn’t feel small when she heard it.
She met Lilith’s eyes and smiled. “Of course, Luna.”
Something in Lilith’s expression faltered, but she said nothing as Selene turned and walked out of the room.
Her heart was racing, but she didn’t let it show.
She had learned something valuable just now.
The council was concerned about Killian.
And if they were involved, that meant whatever he was planning wasn’t just about revenge.
It was about something bigger.
Something dangerous.
And somehow, she was now a part of it.
Selene stepped into the hall, her mind whirling with possibilities.
She had made her choice.
Now, she just had to survive it.
- Writer
