Chapter 3

Selene's POV

I can’t sit still.

The ceremony ended over four hours ago and Damien is yet to be home. He left with Cicilia way before the ceremony came to a close. He didn’t even get to show his wolf.

"Selene, you should sit," Bea says. I shake my head at her. I’m too anxious to sit.

"Landon and Alex will bring him back. Look, Alyssa isn’t worried so..."

We have a saying between us that if Alyssa is calm, then all is good. If she panics, we have to panic with caution. She’s an overreactor. Well expected for a witch though. They sense everything.

I glance at her now, but she looks too exhausted to be worried. Bea notices too and groans, her point moot.

She leaves me to resume pacing and goes to sit next to Alyssa. I hear her ask Alyssa if she’s okay, but I don’t hear the reply.

Landon returns first, in his wolf form. No Damien. He walks past me, into the house. Bea and Alyssa watch him go, then look at each other. Alyssa follows him. Bea walks up to me.

"Water?" she asks like she’s out of breath.

"You sound like you need it," I reply, watching her. There was something going on, and asking them about it might have brought answers I didn’t want to know. Waiting for Damien to come home was the safe option.

"Right. I better go get it then."

I watch her go and return my eyes to the path outside. Every shadow. Every subtle movement gives me hope, then slams my heart against my ribs. Teasing me about Damien’s absence.

The wind doesn’t though. It says nothing. Quiet, like it’s holding its breath for my sake. I wish it wouldn’t, its whooshing would be welcomed now.

I hear the unclear words in my head and bear the gnawing at where the link between my wolf and I is yet to materialize. I can’t wait to meet her. I wonder what her name will be and the color of her fur.

I wonder if she’ll be ordinary enough to be allowed to mate with Ashur. That’s if Cicil...

Oh, moon goddess, is that...

No way.

Is Cicilia trying... no, she can’t... can she?

"Landon!" I scream. My friends come running.

I look at Landon. "Is Cicilia... Are they..."

I can’t make out the words but I don’t have to. Landon’s face says it all. Bea’s slight head shake fills me in.

"No... no... no..." I rush in and grab my jacket. I feel the dread and excitement that warns me of...

"You need to leave ShadowCrest," Alyssa says as I put on my jacket. I ignore her, wrapping a scarf around my neck.

I may be wolfless for now, but I’m not letting Damien go without a fight. If Cicilia wants him, she has to fight me for him.

"Don’t go to the Draxmore mansion, Selene," Alyssa warns.

"It’s a little late for that."

Devlin walks in, flanked by four soldiers from the Draxmore Delta army.

He grins. "Her Alpha summons her." He walks in, straight to me. "I wanted the honor of seeing the dread look on your face, so I volunteered to pick you up. Nice of me, right?"

He winks and gives me that smug look I hate. Landon stands tall by my side, growling. And somehow, that worries me. My friends are cool-headed; they’d rather comfort me after any run-in with Devlin than stand up to him in the heat of things.

One person being bullied by Devlin is enough. The whole group coming under his radar would be worse. Who’ll comfort who if we’re all bleeding?

Alyssa stands by my other side, her hand seeking mine. I look down at our interlinked hands and know, death is coming.

Devlin chuckles. "You guys finally grow guts?"

I look up from our hands to Alyssa’s face and I see the panic. She’s trying to suppress it, but I’ve lived with Alyssa since my parents died, and I can tell.

"Aly, what’s going..."

"We have orders from Alpha Roland to escort Selene to the Pack house," one of the soldiers speaks. I look at them, not sure which one spoke. They’re all wearing the ridiculous masks the Delta Elite wear.

"Or use force if need be," Devlin adds.

The undecipherable whispers flood my brain. I feel where the link between my wolf and I will be spark, then dim. Like my wolf is trying to reach out. My instinct tells me to run. I look at my friends, the fight in them revealing that the end has come.

Maybe I should run. But with no wolf, I stood no chance against Devlin, his ridiculously fast legs and the four elite delta soldiers. 

The pack house has changed numerous times in my seventeen years of existence. This time it’s smack at the center of the five cities of ShadowCrest. Close to Bloodfang Keep, ShadowCrest’s military base.

*****

I’ve never been to any of the pack houses or outside of Lunaris Haven. There’s no time to sightsee as I’m escorted straight to a bare room to wait.

I don’t know how long I pace the room, worried about Damien, thinking about death, and pondering what Alyssa said as I was dragged away.

The door opens. A soldier stands by it. No one comes in; he says nothing but looks at me. It takes me a while to understand. I walk towards him and he leads me to another room. He stops at the door and I walk in.

If ShadowCrest were a kingdom, this would have been the throne room. There’s a set of royal chairs on a podium. Alpha Roland, Luna Silver, and Devlin all sit in one. Alpha Roland looks the same as always, cold and distant. The Luna looks fierce. And Devlin grins at me.

I have no idea why I am here or how to address this situation. Do I bow? Greet? Or wait to be spoken to?

I scan the room for familiar faces. My friends followed behind us. Maybe they could give me a hint in this situation. But there aren't here. I see Mr. Adercrest, Landon’s father, sitting amongst the council members on another podium to the left of where the Royals sit.

There’s a handful of people in the room, standing. My friends are nowhere to be seen.

"Begin."

Mr. Adercrest stands, leaves the council table, and approaches the throne. And it dawns on me. I’m in a court session, unprepared, not represented, and unaware of my crimes.

"I have one question for Miss Caelum. Are you aware that moon oaths are against the law of ShadowCrest?"

Of course. Who doesn’t know? But how do I answer? I scan the crowd for clues. A blink. A nod. A shake of the head.

"Miss Caelum?" Devlin taunts.

I look at him. And in this moment, I want to know why he hates me. Was this his doing? Is this...? What’s happening?

"Caelum," the Luna calls impatiently.

"The... I... moon..."

"A simple yes or no will suffice, Miss Caelum."

"No." I say the first thing I think I should say.

"No? You didn’t know moon oaths were forbidden?"

"No. I mean, I know they are."

"Unreliable," the Alpha says, like he’s taking notes.

"So why did you force Mr. Blackthorn to swear one with you?"

I’m sorry. What?

I forced Damien?

To do what?