Two

Selene

I didn't wait for dawn. My shoes slapped the stones, echoing sharp in the corridors as I stormed toward Kaelen's wing. The guards I passed straightened but didn't move to stop me. They'd obvously heard the scene in the hall and knew better than to get in my way when fire still smoked in my veins.

The bond hit me before I reached the doors. A pulse of heat low in my belly, sharp and foreign, not my own. My steps faltered and I braced myself against the wall, teeth clenched as the sensation of lust rolled through me.

It was Kaelen's.

Goddess damn him. He was buried inside her, and the bond made sure I felt every thrust, every flicker of his hunger, every ounce of pleasure that should have been mine but never would be again.

I gagged as bile scorched my throat. My nails clawed against stone until the tips split. No. I would not let this break me. I shoved the bond's current into a box inside my chest, slammed the lid, and locked it down tight. If I had to feel it, then I'd carry it like a brand, not a chain. But I would not let him see me stagger under it.

Dorian. Focus on Dorian.

My son's sweet laugh. His tiny hands tugging at my braids. The way he pressed his face to my neck when he fell asleep. He was the reason I kept moving. The reason I didn't fall apart right there on the flagstones while Kaelen's rutting burned through me.

Every step I took was for my boy with eyes too big for his face and hair soft as crow feathers. Kaelen could marry ten princesses and then crown himself a god if he wanted, but he would never take my child.

When I reached the Alpha's chambers, two warriors crossed their halberds before the doors. Their eyes glanced to me, then away just as quickly.

"Move," I ordered.

They shifted uneasily but didn't budge. One cleared his throat. "The Alpha gave orders, Lady Selene."

"Don't you dare call me that." I stepped closer, close enough to smell the iron polish on their armor. "Open these doors, or I'll tear them down myself."

They shifted uncontrollably but still didn't move. My nails bit crescents into my palms as I shoved against the wood. The doors didn't budge. They'd been barred from inside.

Then I heard it. A soft sickening moan. Laughter muffled through walls. The bed creaking. The sound of Kaelen rutting his new princess like a wolf in heat while my son sat locked inside that chamber.

My stomach turned to stone. Fury licked up my throat until I could barely breathe.

I pounded the door with both fists, each strike cracking the silence of the corridor. "Kaelen!" My voice ricocheted down the hall. "Bring me my son!"

No answer. Just more muffled laughter and more bedframe groans, mocking me with every thud.

The guards kept their eyes straight ahead. Useless bastards.

I kept pounding the door until finally, silence fell inside. The bed stopped and the cursed bond steadied. The door creaked open slowly, and there Kaelen stood, sweat-slicked and hair mussed with his tunic gaping open..

My eyes darted past him. Dorian's cradle sat by the fire. He stirred in his sleep, innocent, safe for the moment.

"Selene," Kaelen drawled, leaning against the doorframe as if nothing was wrong. "You should learn patience. Interrupting your Alpha's wedding night is beneath you."

I ignored the obvious taunt. "I've come for my son."

Dorian woke up just then, and made his way to me. "Papa? What's happening?" he asked Kaelen even though his tiny frame clung to my leg.

Kaelen's eyes softened for a moment, but it passed. "Go back to bed, Dorian. This is between your mother and me."

"No," I snapped, my tone protective. "You don't get to dismiss him like that. Or me."

He took a step closer and the guards shifted, hovering but not advancing. "You're making this harder than it needs to be. Dorian is my heir, the next Alpha of Bloodfang. He stays here with me. That is nonnegotiable."

"With you?" I laughed bitterly. "While you parade your new Luna and her gold? He needs his mother, not your politics."

Kaelen's jaw tightened, his Alpha aura pressing against me, commanding submission. But I stood tall, fearless. I'd faced down rogues, storms, starvation. His aura wouldn't break me.

"You're not thinking clearly," he said. "You can't raise him alone. The bond ties you to me, Selene. You leave, and you'll feel every moment of my life with Lysandra. Every touch, every night. It'll drive you mad."

The bond pulsed again, reminding me of the truth in his words. "I'd rather go mad than live under your mercy," I retorted. "And Dorian comes with me."

"No, he doesn't." His voice was final. "He's Bloodfang's future. You're not taking him."

I glanced at Dorian, his wide eyes were darting between us in confusion.

Don't scare him, Selene. Keep it together.

I took a deep, calming breath and said, "Kaelen, think about what you're doing. He's five years old. He needs his mother. You can't rip him away just to spite me."

"It's not spite," he said, stepping closer, lowering his voice. "It's duty. The pack needs a strong heir raised here, not in some wilderness with a scorned woman."

"Scorned?" I could barely believe the words. "You scorned me, Kaelen. You stood on that dais, marked her, and threw our bond in the dirt. And now you think you can dictate my son's life?"

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I don't want this fight, Selene. I meant what I said in the garden. Stay. Be my second wife. You'll have a place and honor. And you'll get to see Dorian every day."

"Honor?" I spat the word. "You call that honor? Living as your concubine while she wears the title I earned? Feeling you with her through this cursed bond? I'd rather chew glass."

Lysandra's voice came from the hall. "Let her go, Kaelen. She's embarrassing herself."

I whirled, spotting her leaning against the doorway, her golden hair loose, her silk robe barely concealing her curves. The bond flared again, a sickening confirmation of their intimacy, and I had to clench my fists to keep from lunging at her.

"Stay out of this," I told her, my voice low and lethal. "This is between me and him."

She smirked, unfazed. "Oh, but it involves me, huntress. I'm Luna now. And that boy is my stepson."

"Oh, is he now?" I asked, stepping in front of Dorian. "Come claim him then. Come on. I dare you."

Kaelen raised a hand, silencing her. "Lysandra, enough. Go back to our chambers."

Our chambers. I tried not to flinch at the words no matter how much they cut. She pouted but obeyed, her robe swishing as she retreated.

I faced Kaelen again, trying to keep my voice steady. "Let me take him. You've taken everything else from me... my place, my pack, my bond. Don't take my son. Please I beg you, Kaelen."

For the briefest moment, there was a flash of emotion across his face. But it passed just as fast as it came and he shook his head. "Dorian is the heir to Bloodfang. I can't let you take him."

The words landed like a blow, but I didn't waver. My mind raced... thinking of tunnels, distractions, anything. "You think you can keep him from me? I'm his mother. I'll burn this stronghold down before I let you."

He narrowed his eyes then. "You'd risk war for him?"

"For him, I'd risk everything," I shot back, my voice fierce. "You know that."

Dorian whimpered behind me, and I knelt, pulling him close. "It's okay, love. Mama's here."

Kaelen watched for a while, then tightened his jaw. "Guards, escort her out."

They moved, but I stood, placing myself between them and Dorian. "Touch me, and I'll break off your arms and feed them to the dogs."

Bram hesitated, his hand still on his sword. "Selene, don't make us."

"Make you?" I let out a bitter laugh. "You're choosing to follow a coward who breaks sacred bonds. Bram, you owe me. Step aside."

He looked to Kaelen, torn, but the Alpha nodded. "Do it."

They grabbed my arms, their grips bruising. I fought and twisted, but they were stronger, dragging me toward the door.

Dorian cried out, "Mama!" and I nearly broke free, desperation fueling me.

"Kaelen, stop this!" I shouted, my voice raw. "You'll destroy him!"

"He'll be stronger for it," he replied, standing over Dorian now, his hand on the boy's shoulder. "He's Bloodfang."

I kicked at the guards, landing a solid hit on one's shin, but they held firm, pulling me into the hall.

Just before we got to the door, I shouted, "I'll come back for you, Dorian. I swear it." And then the door slammed shut and Dorian's cries muffled behind it.

"Let me go!" I snarled, thrashing. They didn't answer, just dragged me toward the main gates.

My mind screamed but the bond burned strong. He was with Lysandra again, I could feel it, the echo of their closeness twisting in my chest.

The guards shoved me into the great hall, where more pack members lingered, their eyes avoiding mine. "Cowards," I hissed as I passed. "You let this happen."

No one responded. The gates loomed ahead, iron and unyielding. I needed my bow, my pack, but there was no time. The guards pushed me forward, and I stumbled onto the cold earth outside.

"Stay out," one said, not meeting my eyes.

Then the gates slammed shut on the only life I knew.

I stood there, alone in the night, the stronghold's walls towering behind me. My son was inside, trapped by his father's greed and my own pack had turned their backs on me.

But I wasn't broken yet.

I'd get Dorian back. I'd make Kaelen pay. And the pack would see what their silence cost.

My thoughts churned in circles.

Where do I go now? The neutral lands to find allies?

I looked ahead and saw the wilderness stretched before me. It looked dark and unforgiving, but I'd survived it before. I'd survive it now.

I took one step, then another, and another, fury fueling me. Kaelen thought he'd won, but he'd only lit the spark.

He'd said Dorian was Bloodfang's heir and that I'd never take him.

He was very wrong.

I'd take my son back, and when I did, Kaelen would kneel.