Selene’s Game

Selene’s chambers glowed with candlelight, but the warmth did nothing to soften the chill in her heart. She paced the marble floor like a caged predator, every step sharper than the last.

The humiliation still burned her. Kael had defied her publicly — not once, but twice. First by shielding that girl at the feast, then by declaring before the pack that his very breath was tied to hers.

Selene clenched her fists, nails digging crescents into her palms. *That human. That nothing.* How could the goddess be so cruel? How could Kael, a man carved from duty and power, falter over someone who didn’t even belong to their kind?

No. She would not allow it.

Selene moved to her desk, pulling a velvet pouch from a hidden drawer. Inside, nestled among scraps of parchment, was a vial of black powder. Her lips curved. It was a gift from an ally in the Bloodfang pack, one who had whispered of herbs that clouded the bond between mates — herbs that could twist instinct, confuse the senses, even weaken wolves.

“Let us see how strong this bond really is,” Selene murmured, her voice dripping venom.

---

Meanwhile, Kael had forced Aria into the pack’s stronghold.

Her protests had been relentless, but her body betrayed her with every step away from him. He had grown tired of watching her gasp for breath, tired of seeing her stubbornness drag her to the edge of collapse. Now she sat in a room high in the keep, the walls of stone and firelight pressing close.

“This isn’t a prison,” Kael said, though his stance was all authority. “It’s protection.”

Aria glared at him, hugging her knees to her chest on the bed. “Protection feels a lot like being trapped.”

Kael’s golden eyes softened slightly, though his voice remained firm. “If the bond is real, then neither of us can afford distance. You suffocate. I weaken. And the pack cannot have a crippled Alpha.”

Aria’s throat tightened. She hated how his words made sense. Hated how her lungs betrayed her by easing the longer he lingered in the room.

“I don’t want this,” she whispered.

“Neither do I,” he admitted.

Their gazes locked, a storm of denial and truth swirling between them.

Kael finally exhaled and turned away, his back a wall of restraint. “Rest. Tomorrow we’ll train. If you’re tied to me, then you’ll need to defend yourself.”

Aria blinked. “Train? I’m not a wolf.”

Kael glanced over his shoulder, his expression unreadable. “A wolf or not, something in you made rogues hesitate. I need to know why.”

Aria’s stomach twisted with unease. She wanted to argue. But deep down, she knew he was right. Something had happened in that battle — something she couldn’t explain.

---

Later that night, Selene made her move.

She slipped into the kitchens, her silver cloak hiding her face, her vial clutched tight. The feast preparations for the Alpha’s table were underway, steaming platters filling the air with savory scents. It was easy enough to scatter the black powder into the pitcher of wine destined for Kael’s chambers.

When she emerged into the cool night, her heart pounded with anticipation. Soon, the bond would falter. Soon, Kael would see the girl for what she truly was: a weakness.

---

Kael poured the wine hours later, standing by the fire as Aria watched him from the bed.

“You should sleep,” he said without turning.

“I can’t,” she muttered. “Not when I feel like a prisoner in your keep.”

His jaw tightened. He poured himself a glass, the crimson liquid catching the firelight. “You think I want this? You think I wanted to find my breath in someone who despises me?”

Her heart lurched at his words, though she masked it with defiance. “Despises is a strong word.”

“Is it wrong?” he asked, finally facing her.

Aria looked away, biting her lip. “I don’t despise you. I despise this.” She gestured to her chest, the tether between them. “I despise needing you to survive.”

Kael’s throat worked as he swallowed, his grip tightening on the glass. “Then we are the same.”

He drank deeply.

Aria’s lungs seized.

Her hand shot to her chest, panic rising as if the air itself had thinned to smoke. She gasped, struggling for breath, her vision swimming.

Kael dropped the glass instantly, shattering crimson across the stone. He staggered, his body buckling under the same invisible weight. His hands clawed at the wall, his chest heaving.

“What—what’s happening?” Aria choked.

Kael snarled, forcing himself toward her. “Poison.”

She trembled, eyes wide. “But how—”

He collapsed beside her, dragging her against him, their breaths ragged, erratic. The closer they were, the more the crushing weight eased, though not enough to free them.

Selene’s poison was working.

Kael’s golden eyes burned into hers, fierce and desperate. “Don’t let go,” he rasped. His hand gripped hers with crushing strength.

Aria’s tears streaked her cheeks as she clung to him. “I don’t understand—”

“Then don’t think. Just breathe with me.”

Their bodies pressed together, hearts racing, their bond thrumming in agony and need. For the first time, Aria realized just how inescapable it was — not a curse, but a lifeline.

She buried her face against his chest, inhaling his scent, forcing air into her lungs with his. Slowly, painfully, the poison’s grip loosened, undone only by their closeness.

When at last Kael could draw a full breath, he held her tighter, his forehead resting against hers.

His voice was low, dangerous. “Someone tried to sever us.”

Aria shivered, her breath mingling with his. “Who would do that?”

Kael’s eyes hardened with fury. “Someone who doesn’t understand — if she kills you, she kills me too.”

Aria froze at the weight of his words, her heart pounding wildly.

And somewhere beyond the keep’s walls, Selene smiled in the shadows, believing her plan had only just begun.

---