CLAIMED THEN CAST ASIDE

🌕 Chapter Nine: Bloodlines and Bargains

Selene couldn’t breathe.

Richard stood there, the doctor’s letter still open in his hands. His eyes, normally cold and calculating, were now burning.

Not with rage.

With something tighter. Deeper.

Control slipping.

“You lied,” he said.

Selene swallowed, her mouth dry. “Richard—”

He stepped forward. “The child isn’t mine.”

His voice wasn’t loud. He didn’t shout. But the air around him changed. Sharp. Heavy.

Selene stood frozen, heart hammering in her chest. She had no plan. No excuses ready. Nothing to offer.

“I gave you a home,” Richard said slowly. “Shelter. Food. Safety. And in return, you gave me… someone else’s child?”

“I didn’t know,” Selene whispered. “I wasn’t sure—”

His hand slammed against the counter.

She jumped.

“Don’t insult me.”

He looked at her like she was a problem to solve.

Like she was a contract gone wrong.

“I should throw you out.”

Selene’s throat tightened.

“I should drag you out and let whoever gave you this child deal with you. Let the world have you. Let the board know I took in a stray, a liar—”

He stopped.

Looked down.

His fingers tightened around the paper.

Selene stepped back, her body trembling.

But then Richard laughed.

Quiet. Low.

Like he remembered something she didn’t know.

“Unless…” he said.

He turned toward her again, eyes narrowing. “You’re not just some girl from nowhere, are you?”

Selene blinked.

“What do you mean?”

“You said you didn’t have family. No past. But that mark on your shoulder—” He stepped closer. “That wasn’t from me. That wasn’t from a human.”

She flinched.

His smile was slow. Cold. “You’re not human.”

Her wolf stirred beneath her skin, twitching.

It had been quiet for so long—curled up deep inside, hiding.

But now it shifted. Stretched. Alert.

Richard leaned in, eyes glinting. “Tell me the truth.”

Selene stayed silent.

But her silence said enough.

“I knew it,” he said. “I knew there was something strange about you. The way you healed. The heat in your skin. The way you moved.”

He stepped back.

And then smiled wider.

“You’re a wolf.”

Selene didn’t respond.

Couldn’t.

He was right.

And now he knew.

Richard folded the paper, tucked it into his pocket, and turned away.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it wasn’t your business.”

“Everything under this roof is my business.”

She clenched her jaw.

He poured himself a drink, slow and precise. Then turned back to her.

“So. The child isn’t mine. But it’s a wolf child.”

Selene’s heart dropped.

Richard wasn’t angry anymore.

He was… thinking.

Calculating.

That was worse.

“This changes things,” he said.

“How?” she whispered.

Richard walked toward her again. Slowly. Calmly.

“Because my enemies don’t just want money. They want power. Legacy. Bloodlines.”

He reached out and touched her stomach again, softer this time.

“You’re carrying something more valuable than a Russell heir,” he said. “You’re carrying a wolf.”

Selene tried to step back.

He didn’t let her.

“I can use this,” he murmured. “I can use you.”

Her voice shook. “You said you didn’t want a child.”

“I don’t,” he said plainly. “But I need one.”

His eyes darkened.

“And now I have one… even if it’s not mine.”

---

Selene didn’t eat that day.

She sat in the bedroom for hours, curled up on the window seat, staring at the city lights without seeing them. Her thoughts spun in every direction, but her wolf was quiet now. Watching. Waiting.

Richard had calmed.

Or at least, he acted like it.

He told the staff not to disturb her.

He told Selene to rest.

She didn’t believe a word of it.

When night fell, she locked the door to the bedroom. For the first time in weeks, she actually turned the key.

But it didn’t matter.

He had the spare.

At midnight, he came in anyway.

“Don’t lock me out,” he said softly.

Selene sat up. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Keeping me. Watching me. Threatening me.”

“I’m protecting what’s mine.”

“I’m not yours,” she snapped.

His eyes flicked to her stomach. “But you carry something that can belong to me.”

Selene stood, hands clenched.

“I won’t let you take my baby.”

Richard smiled slowly. “You don’t have a choice.”

And then he turned, walked into the bathroom, and closed the door.

Selene’s legs nearly gave out.

The next morning, she woke with a fever.

Not a normal one.

This wasn’t flu or stress or pregnancy.

It was heat.

From deep within.

Wolf heat.

Her senses buzzed. Her heart beat faster. Her skin felt too tight for her bones.

Her wolf was waking up.

Selene stood in front of the mirror, breathing hard, staring at her reflection.

Her eyes looked different.

Too bright.

Her skin glowed faintly.

The last time she felt this way, she was in Duskvale.

The night Kael marked her.

The night she became his.

“No,” she whispered. “I’m not going back.”

But her wolf didn’t care.

It stretched again, like it had been sleeping and now remembered who it was.

Selene pressed her hands against the sink.

She had to hold it down. Had to stay calm. If Richard saw this side of her—if he knew her strength—

He would never let her leave.

That afternoon, Maya texted her from an unknown number.

> Are you okay? You haven’t called.

Selene stared at the message, heart aching.

She couldn’t respond.

Couldn’t explain.

She didn’t know if Richard read her messages.

Didn’t know if the phone was bugged.

Instead, she typed:

> I’m trying.

Then deleted it.

Typed again:

> Things are changing.

Deleted that too.

Finally, she sent:

> I miss you.

And nothing more.

That evening, Victor came.

Selene wasn’t allowed in the room while they talked, but she lingered near the hallway, ears sharp.

“You sure it’s not yours?” he asked.

Richard’s voice was cold. “I’m sure.”

“And you’re keeping her?”

“She’s valuable.”

He snorted. “She’s dangerous.”

“She’s obedient.”

“Until she isn’t.”

“She will be. I know how to keep her in line.”

He went quiet.

Then he said, “Your father won’t approve.”

“I don’t care.”

He laughed.

“You’re playing with fire, Richard. I hope you know how to burn.”

Later that night, Richard came to the bedroom with a box.

Selene tensed.

He set it on the bed gently.

“Open it.”

She didn’t move.

“Go on,” he said.

She reached out and lifted the lid.

Inside was a necklace.

Thin. Silver. Elegant.

With a pendant shaped like a crescent moon.

Selene stared at it.

“I don’t want this.”

“It’s not a gift,” he said. “It’s a symbol.”

“A symbol of what?”

“Loyalty,” he said softly. “Yours.”

She swallowed. “And if I don’t wear it?”

“Then I’ll take it as a rejection. And I’ll treat you like an enemy.”

Selene’s heart dropped.

Richard leaned closer.

“But if you wear it, you stay safe. You get everything you need. The best doctors. The best food. A future.”

Selene’s wolf snarled inside her.

She forced herself to stay still.

“I’ll think about it,” she said.

Richard smiled.

“That’s all I ask.”

That night, Selene didn’t sleep.

She sat by the window, the box still beside her, the necklace untouched.

The city lights blinked far below like fireflies, and the moon hung low and full, glowing like it remembered her.

Her wolf stirred again.

Stronger.

More present.

It prowled beneath her skin, restless and alert, no longer content to hide.

Selene clenched her fists, whispering under her breath, “Stay down. Not now.”

But her body felt different. Stronger. Like the pregnancy was amplifying what she once had. Her senses were sharper. Her ears picked up every vibration in the air. She could even smell the rain coming before the clouds moved in.

It had been too long since she felt like this.

Too long since she remembered she was not weak.

Not prey.

But Richard had boxed her in so tightly, she’d almost forgotten.

Almost.

Now her wolf was waking—and it wasn’t going back to sleep.

Morning came.

Selene found herself downstairs before Richard was up, moving quietly through the penthouse like a shadow. She needed to plan. She needed a way out. Something real. Something that wouldn’t cost her life—or her baby’s.

She stepped into his office.

The scent of leather and expensive ink hit her nose.

Her wolf immediately noticed something new—someone had been here recently. Probably Victor, again.

She approached the desk.

Locked.

She crouched and tried the drawers.

Locked.

But one was slightly off-track. She tugged gently.

It gave way with a soft click.

Inside was a single folder.

And a photo.

Selene pulled it out with shaking hands.

It was a surveillance photo.

Blurry. Black and white.

Of her.

From weeks ago.

In Crescent City. The night she ran. The night she arrived at Club Nocturne.

She flipped it over.

A name was written in red ink:

Selene Draven.

Her blood ran cold.

He knew her name this entire time.

She grabbed the folder and kept flipping.

There were old medical records. A clipped article about a “mysterious wolf territory” called Duskvale. And a list of names.

One of them was crossed out.

The next one was circled.

Kael Draven.

Selene’s stomach turned.

He knew.

He knew everything.

And he was playing dumb this whole time.

She heard footsteps upstairs.

Quickly, she put everything back, heart racing, and shut the drawer just before the door opened.

Richard appeared, shirtless, hair wet from the shower.

He looked at her with a small smile.

“You’re up early.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, forcing calm.

“Still thinking about the necklace?”

Selene nodded.

“Well,” he said, stepping closer. “You should decide soon. I have an important guest coming tonight. A family friend.”

“A friend?”

Richard’s eyes sharpened. “Someone who’ll help… secure your position.”

Selene’s wolf bristled.

“What do you mean?”

He stepped close, cupping her jaw gently.

“I mean it’s time to make things official. If you’re staying, you’ll need a title. Something that tells the world you’re not just a girl I found on the street.”

Her breath caught.

“You want me to pretend to be your… what? Partner?”

He didn’t answer.

Just kissed her forehead.

And walked away.

Selene spent the rest of the day preparing.

Not for his guest.

For escape.

She went through her closet. Packed a small bag. Only the essentials. Clothes that wouldn’t slow her down. A burner phone she bought secretly weeks ago. A power bank. And the last few bills she could find.

She tucked it all under the bed.

Her hands were shaking.

Her wolf kept nudging her thoughts, growling low.

Run. Before it’s too late.

But she had to wait for the right moment.

Dinner.

That’s when Richard would be distracted.

That’s when the guest would arrive.

That’s when the guards would be focused elsewhere.

She could slip out.

Disappear.

Find Maya.

Find safety.

Just one more hour…

The doorbell rang at six.

Richard opened it himself.

Selene peeked from the hall.

The man who stepped in was tall, dark-skinned, and dressed in a crisp white suit. He had cold eyes, a cane, and a sharp scar across one cheek.

His presence was heavy. Not loud—but powerful.

And Selene’s wolf reacted immediately.

She didn’t know him.

But her wolf did.

The man glanced around the penthouse—and his eyes landed directly on her.

They held for too long.

Selene felt her throat dry up.

Richard stepped between them.

“Selene,” he said, “This is Mr. Adrien Vale. He’s in charge of certain… investments.”

Adrien Vale.

She’d heard that name once.

Years ago.

In Duskvale.

In whispered warnings.

"He funds human-wolf alliances. Owns land on both sides. But don’t trust him. He works with anyone who’ll pay him."

A broker of secrets. A collector of power.

And now he was here.

Looking at her like she was a prize.

“A pleasure,” he said.

Selene forced a polite nod.

Adrien tilted his head. “Wolf, aren’t you?”

Richard chuckled like it was a joke.

Selene didn’t smile.

Adrien stepped closer, holding out a hand.

“May I?”

She didn’t move.

Richard gave her a sharp look.

So she reached out slowly, letting Adrien take her hand.

His fingers were cold.

His grip too firm.

But the worst part was what he said next.

“Strong bloodline. Very rare.”

Selene yanked her hand back.

Adrien just smiled.

Dinner was a blur.

They sat at the long black table, with soft jazz playing, and cold plates of food untouched in front of them.

Richard drank wine.

Adrien barely ate.

Selene forced herself to nibble.

The conversation danced around business, territory, heirs, alliances, power.

Adrien asked quiet questions.

Richard gave polished answers.

Selene stayed silent.

But every time she looked up, Adrien’s eyes were on her.

At one point, he said:

“Have you considered marking her?”

Richard didn’t answer.

Selene’s stomach turned.

Marking?

Her wolf snapped inside her.

She couldn’t let that happen again.

She pushed her plate away and stood. “Excuse me.”

She left the table before they could stop her.

Upstairs, she went straight for the bag.

Grabbed it.

Slipped her shoes on.

Heart pounding.

Now. She had to go now.

She moved quickly down the hallway, past the guest bathroom, down the back stairs—

Only to find the back door sealed shut.

Digitally locked.

She entered the code.

Wrong.

Tried another.

Wrong again.

Behind her, footsteps.

She turned slowly.

Richard stood at the end of the hall.

Adrien was beside him.

Selene’s heart stopped.

“I told you,” Richard said calmly, “Don’t lock me out.”

Selene gripped the bag tighter.

“I’m leaving.”

“No,” Richard said. “You’re not.”

Adrien looked amused. “She’s a fiery one.”

Selene didn’t hesitate.

She dropped the bag, crouched low, and let her wolf rise.

Just a little.

Just enough.

Her eyes flashed gold.

Her nails lengthened.

Her skin rippled.

Richard took a step back.

Adrien didn’t move.

“I’m not yours,” she growled.

Richard looked almost proud. “There she is.”

Adrien smiled wider. “Impressive.”

Selene bared her teeth. “Let me go, or I swear—”

“Or what?” Adrien asked, voice calm.

Selene stepped forward.

But then she felt it.

A sharp sting in her neck.

She turned.

One of Richard’s men stood behind her.

With a syringe.

Her limbs went heavy.

Her vision blurred.

Richard caught her before she fell.

He held her gently.

Like she wasn’t just collapsing.

Like he hadn’t ordered it.

“You’ll thank me later,” he said.

She woke in the bedroom.

Hands tied softly with silk.

Bag gone.

Window sealed.

Her wolf was numb.

Weak from the drug.

She tried to sit.

Her head spun.

The necklace was around her neck.

Richard had put it on.

She clawed at it.

It didn’t come off.

No clasp.

No break.

Just metal.

And cold control.

Then she heard it.

A voice from the hallway.

Female.

Sharp.

“Where is she?”

Selene’s heart jumped.

She knew that voice.

The door opened.

A woman stepped inside.

Long blonde hair.

Icy blue eyes.

A scar on her lip.

Selene whispered the name.

“Zara.”