Chapter 4

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Selene’s eyes widened and her breath catching as a deep, velvet voice slithered into her mind.

“Again.”

The single word echoed, dark and possessive, sending a shiver racing down her spine. She could not believe it. Her heart pounded, a wild drumbeat in her chest, as the realization hit her like a tidal wave.

Kieran—Alpha of the Shadow Claw pack—was mind-linking with her.

That sacred connection was meant for mates… or those bound by pack and proximity. But she wasn’t his mate. She wasn’t part of his cursed pack. So how…?

Her blue orbs quivered. They showed fear, panic. Kieran’s eyes ferociously scanned her state and something erupted inside his chest.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and her pulse roaring in her ears. She could not come to a conclusion of whatever this was happening.

The grand hall of the packhouse buzzed with tension, the air thick with the scent of pine and alpha pheromones. Everyone present, had eyes on them now specifically on Kieran who was the center of attention for today.

Kael’s voice cut through her spiraling thoughts, steady but laced with formality.

“Alpha Kieran, we welcome you.”

Selene’s gaze flickered upward, only to collide with Kieran’s piercing stare. His eyes, a storm that pinned her in place, stripping away her defenses. She blinked and her hands clammed.

Heat crawled up her neck, and she quickly averted her eyes, focusing on the polished floor. She could not focus on anything nor her mind could process anything under his intense gaze.

Her skin prickled under his unrelenting scrutiny, and she sensed Kael’s instincts flare beside her.

His arm slid possessively around her waist, pulling her close. The gesture was a silent claim, a wolf’s way of marking his territory. Kael’s lips curved into a tight smile, his gaze locked on Kieran, daring him to challenge it.

“She’s mine,” his body language screamed.

Selene forced a trembling smile, her voice barely steady. She could not bear it anymore. She needed to get away, to process her mind and find the reason.

“E-excuse me.”

Kael’s brow furrowed, confusion flashing in his emerald eyes as she slipped from his hold. Her heels clicked against the marble floor, each step faster than the last as she fled the hall.

The weight of Kieran’s stare burned into her back, and her chest tightened with panic. She could feel his eyes still lingering till She darted into a dimly lit hallway, her breath hitching as she pushed open the door to a small study and stumbled inside.

The door clicked shut behind her, and Selene pressed a hand to her chest, gasping. Her hands trembled slightly as she closed her eyes in panic. If anyone found out , she was dead.

No one had ever accepted her in this place and If they found out what she had committed, she knew for sure she was gonna get kicked out of this place which she now called her …… home.

It was her only shelter. An only shelter for her own pack and if she was discarded, she knew her pack and her wouldn’t be alive.

“What have I done?” Selene whispered, her voice trembling. Mind-linking with Kieran—Alpha of the Shadow Claw pack, a beast cursed by ancient blood—was impossible.

Unthinkable.

His pack was notorious, whispered to be feral, their wolves more monster than any normal wolves. And yet, his voice had invaded her mind, as real as the mark she could still feel pulsing beneath her skin from that reckless night at the club.

Her body trembled, and she clutched the edge of a table for support.

The memory of Kieran’s fangs sinking into her flesh flashed through her, a mix of pain and forbidden heat. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the panic to subside.

Selene’s breathing ragged and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down  But then, the air shifted—a primal, electric charge that made her wolf stir.

Heavy footsteps echoed in the hall, deliberate and unhurried. Her breath caught, and she spun toward the door just as it creaked open.

A massive figure filled the doorway, broad shoulders blocking the dim light.

Selene’s heart stuttered as her blue eyes met Kieran’s darkened ones, glowing with predatory intent. How could he come here- why? The thoughts invaded her mind.

He stepped inside, his presence swallowing the room, and the door clicked shut behind him with a finality that made her stomach lurch. She stumbled back, her back brushing the cold wall, her eyelashes fluttering in fear.

“A-Alpha,” she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. “W-why are you here?”

Kieran didn’t answer. He prowled closer, each step deliberate, his gaze never leaving hers. Selene’s pulse raced as he closed the distance, his towering frame trapping her against the wall.

He bent his head, bringing his face level with hers, his breath warm against her cheek.

“Selene,” he murmured, her name rolling off his tongue like a caress, dripping with possession. The sound sent a jolt through her, her stomach twisting with an unfamiliar, dangerous heat.

How could he had such effect on her? Why did her body seem to lose itself, wanting to submit to him? Why? She waned answers.

All of a sudden,

His finger grazed her cheek, slow and deliberate, tracing the curve of her jaw. Her breath hitched, and she squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head away. Selene did not want to feel anything but her heart raced with every touch, every caress.

She wanted to just run out of there But there was no escaping him—not his scent, like cedar and storm, nor the pull of something she did not understand.

Kieran’s lips curled into a smirk, dark and knowing. “This scent,” he growled, his voice low and rough. He dipped his head, his nose brushing the bare curve of her neck, inhaling deeply.

Selene trembled, her hands instinctively gripping his shoulders, fingers digging into the hard muscle beneath his shirt.

His warmth seeped into her, and a soft whimper escaped her lips as his tongue flicked against her skin, hot and deliberate.

The sensation was electric, igniting a fire she’d never felt before—a need that warred with her fear. Her knees buckled, and Kieran’s arm snaked around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

She rose to her toes, her body pressed to his, every curve molded to his unyielding strength.

“A-Alpha,” she gasped, her voice shaking. “L-let me go—”

He tightened his hold, a low hiss escaping him as he drew her closer still.

“Selene,” he commanded, his voice a dark velvet that made her shiver.

“Look at me.”

Her body obeyed before her mind could resist.

Her eyes fluttered open, meeting his, and the raw hunger in his gaze stole her breath. His smirk deepened, predatory and triumphant.

“How can I let you go,” he murmured, “when you’ve been marked by me? When you belong to me now?”

Her eyes widened, her heart plummeting. The words sank into her like claws, tearing at her reality. She couldn’t process them—not until Kieran’s hands guided her, turning her to face a gilded mirror on the wall.

He stood behind her, a dark shadow enveloping her smaller frame.

His fingers brushed the neckline of her dress, and before she could react, he tugged the fabric down, exposing the skin above her chest.

Selene gasped, her hands flying to cover herself, but her gaze locked on the mirror—and the mark.

There, just above her heart, was a crescent-shaped scar, pulsing with an unnatural shimmer.

Her heart raced, the truth crashing over her.

Kieran’s mark wasn’t just a claim—it was a chain, binding her to him.

His lips brushed her earlobe, his warm breath sending a shiver through her as he whispered, “You’re my Luna now. Mine.”

But how? They were …… cursed beasts. How could she …… just accept her fate now? What about her mate, her Kael ?