Chapter 3: Hot gossip

Selene's POV 

I take my luggages to the car, however, even as I'm stuffing my box in the boot, I could hear gunfire, screams, howling of my pack, calling, and all I could do was gasp and hold onto my chest, knowing I couldn't help them. He didn't allow it. 

So unable to bear it anymore, I shut the car and entered back into the house.

But just as I passed the staircase, two guards entered through the back entrance, both of them tall and serious, scanning the place like it was a war zone already.

“Luna,” one of them nodded politely.

The other added, “We were instructed to stay close to… Miss Mira.”

Of course you were.

I offered them a tight smile and said nothing. What was the point? Arguing would only make me look petty, that's if they haven't already tagged me as one. 

As they moved toward the bedroom that used to be mine and Lucian's, where Mira was now resting, I slowly followed.

One of the guards knocked softly on the door before entering. I stayed by the doorway, leaning slightly against the wall, my arms folded as I listened.

Inside, she was sitting up now. Her voice was soft and sweet, the kind that made people drop their weapons and offer her tea.

“I heard the pack is under attack. Is Alpha Lucian okay?” she asked weakly.

I didn’t miss the way her voice trembled, perfectly timed, like it was rehearsed.

“He’s fine,” one of the guards answered. “He’s out securing the eastern perimeter.”

“Tell him… tell him to be careful,” she whispered. “Please.”

I rolled my eyes before I could stop myself.

The guard glanced at me, maybe catching the expression on my face, but said nothing.

I turned and walked away, heading upstairs. If I stayed there any longer, I might’ve said something I’d regret.

Let her play the helpless damsel. Let him fall for it.

I wasn’t going to beg for a place in his heart. Not anymore. 

I stepped out onto the balcony, needing air. 

From up here, I could see smoke curling above the tree line. The faint glow of fires flickered between the shadows. Every so often, a sharp crack sounded, so loud it's deafening, of course it's gunfire and somewhere beneath it, the low rumble of snarls and the chaos of a fight.

I gripped the railing, leaning forward until the cold metal bit into my palms.

“Moon Goddess…” I murmured, my breath misting in the air, “please… protect them. Protect us. Don’t let any more die tonight.” Even if I'm going to be gone for good tomorrow. I don't want to leave behind a dead pack.

I swallowed hard and kept my eyes fixed on the woods.

But all of a sudden, I heard a loud cry, so loud that I froze. 

Of course I’d heard wolves cry out in battle out of pain, loss, desperation. But this one… this one cut straight into me because it was made by Lucian himself! I couldn't be mistaken, not when I could feel it in my chest, sharp and aching, as if someone had reached inside and pulled at my heart.

He was in trouble.

I gritted my teeth and shook my head. No. He told me to stay. He told me to protect her. 

I turned away from the railing, but my legs didn’t move. 

While the pain in my chest throbbed with every beat of my heart. I could feel him through the bond, hurt, struggling, and the longer I stood there, the worse it got.

What if he… what if he didn’t make it?

I didn’t want to care. Not after everything. But the thought of him lying out there, bleeding out alone, made my stomach twist.

I didn’t remember making the decision. One moment I was gripping the railing, the next I was swinging my legs over it. The drop wasn’t far, but my hands scrabbled for support against the wood panelling. A plank gave way with a sharp crack, and I fell the rest of the way, landing hard enough to send pain shooting up my leg.

I sucked in a breath through my teeth, staggering. For a moment I thought I’d broken something, but then the pain shifted, dulled, and I felt the telltale snap and burn of my bones resetting.

I didn't even wait for the healing to be fully done as I ran. Past the garden, past the outer walls, toward the smoke rising from the trees. I didn’t think about the danger. I didn’t think about his orders.

I just knew I had to get to him.

I didn’t notice how far I’d gone. Considering the facts that all I could focus on was that pull in my chest, the bond, guiding me straight to him.

The sounds of the fight grew louder. My breath came in short bursts as I kept running.

Then, finally I broke through the treeline… and stopped.

They were there.

Figures in black, their faces hidden under hoods. 

And merely glancing at them, they have no air of rogues. Not lycans. Their movements were too sharp, too coordinated... Like they are .. 

My eyes darted past them, 

And my stomach dropped when I saw Lucian was on the ground.

He wasn’t shifting. And when I see the silver bullet wounds dotted his chest and shoulders, the metal burning through his skin. I know there's no way he would've been able to.

“Lucian!”

I cried, throwing myself at the closest one without thinking and slashed his throat with my claws, taking him down.

The second came at me from the side, and I drove my knee into his gut before raking my claws across his arm. Two more tried to surround me, but adrenaline kept me moving, as I duck, and slashed, kicking and clawing.

Four were down before I even realized it. My lungs burned, my muscles screamed, but I refused to stop. Heck, I couldn't, not until I kill them all and get him to safety.

But then, something slammed into my back, forcing me to the ground. My face hit the dirt, and I tasted blood. Hands gripped my arms and legs before I could get back on my feet, pinning me down. My claws scraped uselessly at the soil.

“Get off me!” I snarled, twisting, but there were too many.

I caught one last glimpse of Lucian, still on the ground, before someone yanked my head back and slapped my cheek so hard I tasted blood in my mouth. 

“You bastards!” I gritted. But, 

I froze when one of the hooded men stepped toward Lucian.

His boot connected with Lucian’s ribs, and the sound that came out of him was nothing like the Alpha I knew. It was a weak, broken cough, followed by blood spilling from his lips.

My chest tightened.

How many times had they shot him? How much silver was burning inside him right now to leave him this… this powerless?

Two of them grabbed him by the arms and hauled him upright onto his knees. He barely resisted as his head hung low,

“This is the Alpha? This is the great Moonflower Pack leader?” One of them jeered, clicking his tongue as the rest laughed. 

I wanted to tear them apart. Every single one of them. But the hands pinning me to the ground were like iron. And my own limbs felt heavier with each passing second.

Then I heard some movement,

I turned my head and my stomach lurched.

They were dragging someone else into the clearing.

Her hair was a tangled mess, her dress ripped at the hem. She was sobbing so hard her whole body shook, snot mixing with tears as she cried Lucian’s name over and over like a prayer.

Mira.

“Has the rest of the storage and Warehouse been set on fire?” the one dragging Mira forward asked. 

“Yes. And who is this Karen?” The one who'd kicked Lucian pointed at her.

“There's this gossip that the Alpha of moonflower pack has only one Luna. Just as they also said he has a mistress. Who happens to be this Karen." He said, throwing her beside Lucian and went to stand between them, 

“Then why don't you just kill her on sight?” another one said.

He cocked his gun lazily and pointed at the ground. “What's the fun in that? So here’s how this works,” he said slowly, like he was talking to children. “How about you getting to save one. Alpha. Who is it going to be? Your Luna, or your mistress.” 

My blood ran cold.

Lucian’s head lifted slightly, and for the first time since I got here, his eyes found mine. My heart leapt, stupidly, foolishly, because some part of me still thought maybe he’d say my name.

But then Mira stepped forward, 

“You can take me!” she cried, almost stumbling in her rush to speak. “Just...don’t hurt Lucian. Please. He’s the Alpha… please.”

She looked at him like he was the air she needed to breathe.

She was doing it again. Acting weak and hopeless. 

And I… I just stood there. My throat felt tight, but I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. I wanted to scream, Don’t you dare choose her. But my voice was gone.

Lucian’s gaze shifted between us, and something flickered in his eyes. 

Then it was gone.

“You’re the Luna,” he coughed, 

“Three... ” The one holding the gun began the countdown.

“Two.”

“Lucian...”

“And...”

“Mira! Let Mira live!” Lucian roared her name, cutting him off and my world went silent.

I didn’t hear the mocking laughter. I didn’t hear Mira’s pitiful sobs or the rustle of movement as they pulled her away from the center of the clearing.

All I heard was that choice.

And all I saw was the man I’d loved for five years, my mate, looking right at me as he decided I wasn’t worth saving.

Something inside me cracked so loud I swore the forest should have heard it.

They could’ve shot me right then and I don’t think I would’ve felt it.

Because Lucian had already killed me in every way that mattered.

And when the invader finally squeezed the trigger, I could only stare as the bullet hit me and I fell to the ground. 

That day, I died.