Chapter 23

Selene’s POV

There it was again.

I stopped walking.

Completely still.

The air shifted. It was subtle and also get extremely wrong

My fingers curled slowly at my sides as I focused.

Trying to catch it and to also understand it.

This was Magic, but it wasn’t mine.

A slow breath left my lips.

“…so it begins.”

I closed my eyes briefly, letting the energy brush against my senses.

It wasn’t controlled, neither was it refined. It was raw, wild and unstable.

And it was coming from her.

My eyes snapped open.

Sharp and Cold.

“Hannah.”

The name tasted bitter on my tongue.

I turned slowly, walking back into my chamber.

The candles flickered violently as I passed, reacting to the shift in my mood.

“She survived the ritual…”

I murmured.

“…and now this.”

That wasn’t normal.

Not even close.

I moved toward my table, where my herbs and vials were carefully arranged.

My fingers hovered over them, but I didn’t pick anything up.

Because for the first time

I wasn’t sure what I was dealing with.

“She’s not human.”

The realization settled heavily in my chest.

But instead of fear

I felt irritation.

No I felt more than that.

I felt threatened.

My jaw tightened. The way the alphas looked at her, the way they were starting to shift…

I saw it even when they tried to hide it, and I hated it so much.

“They were never supposed to change.”

My voice dropped, and it was extremely dangerous .

“I was enough.”

Silence filled the room.

But deep down, I knew the truth even though I didn’t want to admit it.

That wasn’t true anymore.

I turned toward the mirror slowly.

My reflection stared back at me.

Perfect, powerful and unmatched.

And yet, She’s affecting the bond.

That was the problem.

Not just her existence.

But what she was doing to them.

I stepped closer to the mirror, my gaze darkening.

“If she stays…”

Everything I built

Everything I planned

Would fall apart.

And I wouldn’t allow that.

My fingers brushed lightly over the surface of the mirror.

Cold and still .

“Then I remove her.”

Simple and Clean.

That was my final decision.

I turned away, already thinking and already planning.

But something stopped me.

A feeling.

Faint.

But there.

I looked down at my hand slowly.

Magic flickered around my fingers

Unstable.

My expression changed.

Just slightly.

“…no.”

That had never happened before.

Not to me.

I clenched my hand tightly.

Forcing the magic back under control.

But the feeling remained.

That same presence.

That same interference.

“She’s disrupting everything.”

My voice dropped into something colder.

More dangerous.

Which meant one thing.

I couldn’t wait anymore.

The longer she stayed, The stronger she would become and the more threatened I’ll become.

And if that happened…

Even I might not be able to stop her.

A slow smile spread across my lips.

Dark.

Decisive.

“Then I’ll act first.”