3: MEETING AN ALPHA
SELENE
What in the hell just happened right now? There was a serious pounding in my head as I sat there on the floor, heart thumping in my chest, cloth soaked in blood.
Everything felt intense for no reason, the sunlight was too bright, and the birds were chirping too loud.
Even the breeze against my skin felt too harsh for my liking, it was like my sensitivity to everything had increased…
I gasped as my hands flew to my belly, my baby!
If I was brought back, what about my baby, what are the chances that my baby was saved too?
I anxiously felt around my stomach, trying to sense my child within me, was it still alive? I wanted so badly for it to be alive, please, Lunar!
“I told you, Lunar does not heed your requests!” a small windy voice whispered.
It felt more like a thought originating inside my head than an outside voice speaking to me.
I gasped and spun around, this was the second time I had heard it, but there was nobody around me, I was all alone, in a pool of my own blood.
“Who are you?” My voice was hoarse and very weak.
“Do you wish to know that or do you wish to know about your baby?” the internal voice answered.
I gasped and my eyes widened, “Please, tell me that my baby is alright, tell me my baby is safe too!” I prayed for it, I was wishing it into being, please Lunar, let my baby be alright!
“Your baby is dead!” there was no empathy whatsoever behind the voice, it said it as dryly as it said every other thing it said.
“Oh no,” I fell on my face and began to sob and whimper, tears poured down my cheeks as I clenched my bloodied stomach in both hands.
This could not be happening, my child was stolen from me, by the father of all people, how could Alpha Lucas be so wicked as to kill his own child?
The cold tip of a sharp blade pressed into my back and my entire body stiffened.
“Get to your feet… slowly!” a deep voice bellowed from behind me.
My cries caught in my throat and I stopped sniffling and suddenly opened my eyes wide. The last of the tear drops rolled down freely and dropped to the forest ground.
Carefully and slowly, just like the voice had instructed, I got to my feet. Who was it? Was Alpha Lucas back to finish the job?
“Turn around… slowly,” the voice commanded again.
I could still feel the tip of the blade pressing against my back as I slowly turned around, the pointy edge scraping softly against the fabric of my clothes as I spun.
As soon as I was facing forward, the blade moved quickly from my belly and went to my neck and pressed against it softly but firmly.
My eyes were bloodshot because of all the tears that I had shed and I was burning with anger when I finally looked up at my attacker.
The man was tall, roguishly handsome with a square jaw and long dark hair that fell all the way to the back of his neck.
His most striking feature apart from his face, which seemed to have been crafted by the goddess of beauty herself, was a pair of menacing blue eyes that held my gaze and stared at me with suspicion.
“Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?” he asked in that same deep voice that sent a tingle down my spine.
The blade that he was holding was long, about five inches in length, broad, and had teeth like a bread knife and it was pressed against my neck.
I could feel blood dripping from where the blade made contact with my skin, it was so sharp that just a gentle press was enough to nick me.
The aggression and anger never left my face, I didn’t know who the handsome stranger was but he was in my way, he was an obstacle that needed to go.
“Kill him!” the thin voice whispered.
He finally broke eye contact and looked me over, pausing slightly when he saw the blood stains on my clothes.
That was my opening, his momentary lapse in concentration, I waved up my left hand and knocked his knife-holding hand clean from my throat and then brought forth my claws and went straight for his eyes.
The man leaned backward agilely, stopping my claws from scooping out his eyes and he shoved me backward with his other hand, putting some distance between him and me.
I staggered before regaining my balance and then I snarled and came at him again.
I didn’t know what was going on but the instant we started fighting, the scent in the environment started to change.
The scent of dried blood and forest soil was replaced with the smell of Moon Flowers and raw hormones, combining together to create a very potent and stimulating scent.
I closed the distance between the both of us, swiping wildly with my claws, trying to peel the skin off his bones and hurt him for daring to put a dagger on me.
The man was agile too, weaving left and right, avoiding my attacks but at the same time, not trying to attack again.
I didn’t care, if he was not going to fight back, then he would die where he stood.
I leaped in the air and he abandoned his dagger and caught me, spun around and slammed my back into a nearby tree, and pressed closely onto me, pinning me to the tree.
The scent of raw hormones from up close was irresistible and I felt a sudden overwhelming urge to fuck this man and not kill him.
He held me firmly, as he leaned in close, his
nose sniffling my neck as he brought his face close to mine then he growled, “Mate!”
SELENE I walked into the hallway of the pack house on my way to meet Tibet, expecting nothing more than the same quiet but frustratingly futile research session that we had been having the past few days, but of course, the goddess had other plans.Just my luck, because right there at the end of the hallway, standing far too close for my liking, were Tristan and Nancy.She was brushing something, imaginary, I was sure, off his shirt and laughing like he had just told the funniest joke in the world. Her long fingers lingered on his chest, her glossy red hair falling to one side as she tilted her head and smiled up at him like she belonged there.They looked like they belonged together. Like the perfect power couple.The sight of them sent a sharp, bitter ache through my chest, but I brushed it off, pretending not to care.I kept walking, my chin high, my expression blank, and all I wanted was to pass them in peace.Please…I begged the goddess silently. Just let me walk past in peace.B
TIBETAs soon as I read the message, I muttered a curse under my breath and shot to my feet.“That’s not good,” I muttered, pacing a small line in front of Selene. “That’s… that’s really not good.” I stopped and turned to look at her. “Are you sure he was not just bluffing?”Selene shook her head. “No, Tibet…he was sure. He said if I don’t find the wolf before he regains his strength, my soul would be lost to Hel and…” her voice cracked. “And the baby. That’s how I found out I was pregnant.”My eyebrows drew together, confusion flashing across my features. “So he knew before you did?”She nodded slowly, her hand going to her stomach like she couldn’t help it. Like her body was trying to protect something her mind hadn’t fully grasped yet.She picked the phone back up, her fingers trembling as she typed something else, then handed it to me again.He’s still too weak to do anything, but that does not mean he won’t be watching and listening and paying close attention to find out who the
SELENE“It seems like Tristan doesn’t want you gone anymore.” He smiled and waggled his eyebrows at me. “I guess him finding out you were pregnant isn’t the worst thing that can happen, right? Who knew this was all it would take to solve this problem?” he teased with a chuckle.I didn’t laugh…in fact, something cold and heavy sank in my stomach at his words like a reminder.You’re right, that’s not the worst thing that can happen…not even close.My smile slipped, and I felt my expression darken. My hand subconsciously drifted to my stomach again, fingers brushing across the fabric of my nightshirt as if I could feel the life forming there. So small and fragile. And so, so vulnerable.Tibet noticed the change in my mood immediately. His smile faltered, and concern crept into his features. He leaned closer to me a bit, brows drawing together.“Selene… What's wrong? This is good news. Now we can concentrate our efforts on getting rid of…”I shot forward and slapped my hand over his mouth
SELENE Tibet pulled me away from Tristan's office like he was rescuing me from a fire, and honestly, I could not blame him. My brain wasn’t working anymore, my heart was in my throat, and every step I took felt like I was floating just a little outside of my body. We did not talk, we did not even look at each other, we just walked through the halls of the pack house like ghosts. Except unlike ghosts, we were not alone or invisible. I noticed the way people were pausing mid conversation to stare at us and whispers that we're being spread as we walked down. Their eyes flickered between Tibet and I, bouncing from what I was wearing to the fact that he was still fully dressed and walking beside me like we had just come from doing something…intimate. From the whispers I could hear, a lot of the wilder theories were being disproven on the spot by the more logical people, but it didn't stop anything. My arms were wrapped around my stomach by instinct, protective and tense, and I knew
TRISTAN Pregnant… The world stopped as soon as the words left Selene's lips. It felt like my world just imploded on me in that moment. “What?” I stared at her in shock, my breath catching midair, but Selene didn't answer me, she did not even look at me again, and with the pressure my order put on them lessening, she turned away, yanked Tibet with her, and stormed out. The door slammed shut behind them with a finality that rang in my ears and I was left standing there, staring at the empty space where she had been. My legs gave out and I sank back into my chair like the wind had been knocked out of me, leaving a hollow weight in my chest that would not go away. My thoughts filled with the words Selene had just uttered. Pregnant? She's pregnant? My mate… is pregnant. Was it mine? No. That was a stupid question. Of course it was. Unless…. A twisted thought snuck in…unless Tibet…. No. No, no, no. My hands curled into fists and I slammed one of them down on the table, rattling
TRISTAN“You want to know how much I know?” Tibet snapped, his hands curled into fists. “Enough to see you’re so far in your own damn head you can’t see that she’s dying inside. How do you even think about sending her away after everything she's been through? I can’t count how many times you’ve accused me of wanting Selene when all I've ever wanted was to see both of you happy together, and I’ve swallowed it every time because I thought you were hurting, and I thought it would pass. But this?”He shook his head and laughed bitterly. “Maybe I should have her for myself since it’s obvious you don’t want her anymore.”My blood ran cold, but Tibet continued talking, not soaring me a glance.“After all,” he added, “you never had a mating ceremony, did you?”His words hit me harder than I expected, and my hands were trembling with anger, my wolf pacing restlessly beneath my skin.“You ever say that again…” I growled, but before either of us could say or do something we would never be able t