As soon as Ronan said, "Now," I began walking slowly toward Elias, the dagger tightly in my hand, a cruel look on my face. But this time, I wasn’t just planning to hurt him—I wanted to kill him. For good.But deep down, Ronan was smiling inside.He hadn’t taken the blast of Elias’s power for me because he still cared, or because he regretted what he had done. No. He did it because of what the Moonseer told him—to get close to me, slowly drain my power, and then kill me.Ronan didn’t want Elias to take my power because he knew that if Elias had it, killing me would be pointless. Even if he managed to do it, the power would be in Elias’s hands, and nothing could stop the destruction of the world—unless the Moon Goddess herself intervened and took the power before Elias did.Even if the Moon Goddess took it instead of Ronan, the destruction would be averted. She might force me to follow her will if it's possible, or pass the power on to another heir. But Ronan knew he would still suffer
“Selene, don’t do this,” Faye’s voice whispered urgently in my mind, soft but firm. “Elias is playing you.”I stood over Ronan, the silver dagger trembling slightly in my hand, but not because I was afraid of him. No—I was furious at myself for even thinking about listening to Elias’s offer.Ronan groaned beneath me, his body still weak from absorbing the blast Elias had thrown at him. His eyes fluttered open slowly, locking onto mine with a mix of pain and something else—something that made my chest tighten, even now.“Don’t listen to him,” Ronan rasped, coughing as he tried to sit up. “He’ll use your power, Selene. He’ll destroy everything.”I don’t understand why Ronan still cares about me this much.I thought he didn’t want to see me again—that he hated me and regretted ever meeting me. So why is he doing all this for me?It’s making me feel things I thought I’d buried the moment he rejected me.I don’t know if I should be happy he came back or not. Honestly, I don’t know how to f
Ronan is going to die.“Selene, he won’t die. We’ll protect him. He’s our mate—stronger than Elias. He’s fine, and nothing Lyria said is going to happen to him,” Faye told me firmly.Her voice made me finally breathe, but it didn’t calm the storm in my chest.“He’s not our mate anymore, Faye!” I snapped back, my voice sharp.She hissed in my mind like I was being difficult again, like I was the one who didn’t understand.She's right. Of all the threats I would face, Elias is the weakest. That dark power alone shouldn’t have been enough to kill Ronan.The only reason Elias has survived this long is because of the Moon Goddess. But now that I’m doing things my own way, today… death is something he can no longer avoid.“Ronan!” I called out, grabbing his arm and pulling him slightly to look at his face.The sight made me gasp. His face was pale. His strength had drained away. It seemed Elias’s power wasn’t meant to kill him—just to weaken him. But even that was terrifying enough.Then, L
“Elias?” I called out knowingly with a smirk, watching as the worry on his face disappeared in an instant, replaced by pure shock.“Wait! What?..."“What are you saying?”“Why are you suddenly calling me Elias? I’m Owen…”“Can’t you see that Elias was the one standing right in front of you, pretending to be weak?”“Why are you suddenly turning to me?” Elias stammered, still trying to fake Owen’s identity.I smirked again, seeing the stunned look on his face.He was so shocked that I saw through his stupidity so quickly. I couldn’t believe I had actually thought he was Owen just moments ago and I didn’t even listen to Faye before, and now I feel bad about it.But at the same time, I was glad Faye was with me, helping me see the truth. If not, I would’ve made a terrible mistake—one I could never forgive myself for.If I had killed Owen with my own hands, knowing he cried and showed me signs, it would have haunted me for the rest of my life. I’m so glad I didn’t, because I’d be living wi
Ronan and Adrian walked side by side back to the pack house. As they passed through the grounds, pack members bowed in respect, but the moment Ronan was out of sight, whispers began to ripple behind his back. He didn’t hear them, but Adrian noticed — and didn’t miss the cautious glances thrown their way.Without wasting time, they headed straight to the Alpha's office. Adrian reached for the door, opened it, and let Ronan step in first. But the moment Ronan crossed the threshold, he stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide in shock.“What the hell!” Ronan gasped, his voice sharp and full of disbelief.Adrian chuckled behind him, clearly not surprised by Ronan’s reaction. “Why are you so shocked, Alpha Ronan? This was Kieran’s office, remember? You shouldn’t expect anything less. And trust me, this isn’t even the worst of it.”Ronan’s jaw dropped again as he took in the disturbing sight before him. “Is he insane?! This is supposed to be an Alpha’s office — a place of respect, leadership,
My rage burned like fire in my chest. The sight of Owen—who I believe was Elias—standing there with blood dripping from his hands and pack members dead around him, was too much. I could barely think straight."You monster!" I said furiously. "You killed them all!" Then, with a cruel scoff, I added, "But you’ll die today too, Elias. This is your day. You’ve been running from death—but not anymore."Owen looked at me with desperate eyes. His mouth moved, but no sound came out. He reached toward me, his face full of pain and confusion. But I didn't see any of that. All I saw was the man who had already destroyed everything—and still wanted to destroy more."Selene," Elias said from behind me, his voice shaking, even though it was all fake. "He's dangerous. You need to be careful."I turned to look at Elias. Blood still covered his clothes, and his face was pale. But there was something in his eyes—something that should have made me stop and think. Something that didn't belong."I'm not a