Chapter 2
871 Words
"Selene Pov "
Everything was a blur.
Pain throbbed at the back of my head as I slowly regained consciousness. My mouth tasted like metal, my hands numb, and my head—my head felt like someone had cracked it open and poured the weight of a mountain inside.
I tried to move. Chains clanked.
Cold. Iron.
My eyes fluttered open.
I wasn’t in my room.
This wasn’t the wedding hall.
My heart jumped.
Stone walls surrounded me, the room dimly lit by torchlight. The air smelled of blood, smoke, and something else—something rotten.
Then I saw them.
Dozens of girls—my people—tied, bound, silent. Their once-elegant gowns were torn, their faces stained with dirt and tears. Some whimpered softly, others stared blankly like broken dolls. Their eyes found mine, and I could see it. Confusion. Betrayal. Fear.
Where were the guards? The elders? My parents?
And why were we—
Then it hit me.
The wedding.
Kairo.
I sucked in a shaky breath.
No… please, no.
I forced myself to sit up, though my body screamed in protest. My vision spun, but I caught sight of the door creaking open.
Boots.
Several men entered. Warriors. Dark leather, cruel eyes. Not ours.
Behind them, he walked in.
Kairo.
The man I was supposed to marry.
The man who had looked me in the eyes and promised forever.
And now he looked through me like I was nothing.
“What is this?” I choked out. My voice cracked. “What’s happening?”
He didn’t flinch. Didn’t soften.
His gaze was cold. And cruel.
“This is justice,” he said.
I stared at him, feeling the earth tilt beneath me.
Justice?
“I trusted you,” I whispered, barely audible.
He knelt in front of me, fingers brushing my cheek—but there was no warmth in his touch. “Your people murdered my parents. My entire bloodline was erased in one night. You knew nothing of it?”
“I—” My voice faltered. “No. That can’t be true…”
Kairo scoffed, standing again. “Spare me your innocence. Your kingdom is drenched in blood. And now, we cleanse ours with yours.”
No. No, this had to be some twisted mistake. My parents would never—
They were kind. Proud. Honourable.
Right?
But… the look in his eyes—he believed it. Fully. Completely.
Could it be true?
Could the people I loved… the people I trusted… be responsible for his pain?
My stomach churned. My heart twisted. I didn’t know what to believe.
“Why didn’t you just kill me?” I asked, tears blurring my vision.
He paused.
“I was going to,” he admitted. “But I told my Alpha we could use you. Your women can serve. You especially…”
I flinched as he looked me over like I was a thing. Not a person. Not the girl he once kissed beneath the moonlight.
A slave.
“Besides,” he added, a cruel smirk tugging at his lips, “you were useful. Opened every gate for us.”
My stomach dropped.
So it was all a lie.
Every moment. Every touch.
Everything was a plan. A setup.
I was just a pawn.
The tears came fast now, hot and angry. I wanted to scream, to claw at him, to tear down everything he'd built on the ruins of my trust.
But I couldn’t even stand.
“I loved you,” I whispered brokenly.
He didn’t answer.
He turned and left.
---
That night, the drums started.
I curled against the wall of the cell, knees pulled to my chest as the sound of celebration echoed through the stone halls. Cheers. Laughter. Music.
They were celebrating.
We had become their victory.
Our home destroyed, our people slaughtered, our women taken.
And Kairo… the man I’d wanted to spend my life with… was the monster who led it all.
I stared into the dark, heart pounding against the silence that followed each beat of the drum.
And the words replayed in my mind:
Your people murdered my parents.
This is justice.
You were useful.
But how could that be true?
My mother—Lady Elira—had taught me compassion. My father was never cruel, never filled with hate. Would they really have ordered a m******e?
I couldn’t make sense of it.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Had I been blind my entire life?
Or was this all just one giant lie to justify the s*******r?
I didn't know.
And the worst part was, there was no one left to ask.
No one to believe.
No one to help.
---
The chains dug into my wrists as I shifted. My head throbbed. My body screamed. But none of it hurt as much as the ache in my chest.
Betrayal doesn’t bleed.
It burns.
And as the fire of their celebration danced across the walls of my prison, I realized one thing…
This nightmare wasn’t ending.
And I had no idea if I’d ever wake up from it.
Or if I was meant to live like this—caged, forgotten, used—until there was nothing left of me to remember.
- Writer
