Chapter 6

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Selene stood frozen in the dimly lit study, the air heavy with the scent of leather and alpha musk.

Kael’s piercing emerald eyes bore into her, his gaze a storm of barely restrained fury. Her heart pounded in her chest like a drum and her palms sweated.

The memory of her dance with Kieran at the ball—his possessive grip, the heat of his breath against her ear—still lingered on her skin, a dangerous secret she couldn’t shake.

She gulped, her throat tight, and she darted a nervous glance at the man who was once her fated mate. Never was. But Kael wasn’t hers anymore. He never truly had been.

Not with Lyra, his chosen mate, draped across his lap like a queen claiming her throne.

Lyra’s red lips curved into a smug smile, her fingers tracing lazy circles on Kael’s chest as she stared at Selene with thinly veiled disdain. Lyra always did that whenever kael wanted to see Selene or if they’d ere alone for some political reasons.

Lyra always tried to show Selene her place. To show that she was the queen that selene could never be.

It broke her heart.

It was reminder of her position in Karl’s world. Selene’s heart twisted, but she forced herself to stand taller, even as Kael’s anger crackled like a live wire between them.

She did not want this all to hurt her anymore. It’s been happening for years so why was Selene not over this all yet ? But what could she even do? He was the only one she could look at as a man. He was her mate but ……

“What did you talk with him?” Kael’s voice was low, each word edged with a growl that made her wolf whimper inside her.

Selene gasped. A soft sigh escaping her lips and her lips parted, but no sound came. Her heart raced, torn between the truth and the risk of igniting Kael’s wrath further.

Should she tell him about Kieran’s whispered invitation to dinner, the way his dark eyes had claimed her as if she were already his? Before she could decide what to answer, Kael’s fist slammed onto the oak desk, the sound reverberating through the room like a thunderclap.

“I sent Brian to you,” he snarled, his eyes flashing with betrayal. “Why would you fucking let another man touch you?”

Selene’s breath hitched, a pang of defiance cutting through her fear. Karl’s loud outburst scared her.

Brian, Kael’s loyal beta, had no claim to her. His touch, offered under the guise of protection, had felt like an intrusion. But Kieran… Kieran was different.

Different now.

Whether she wanted it or not, his mark pulsed beneath her skin, a dark tether that named him her mate. He wasn’t just another man—he was her curse, her destiny now.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Kael’s voice wasn’t the one that broke the silence.

“Don’t you think Alpha Kieran is taking an interest in Selene?” Lyra purred, her tone dripping with malice.

She leaned closer to Kael, her crimson nails grazing his jaw.

“The ruthless alpha of Shadow Claw has never danced, never been seen close to anyone in public. Maybe he wants to fuck you, Selene—”

Kael’s fist crashed onto the desk again, the force rattling the crystal decanter nearby.

“Do not fucking let those words out of your mouth again,” he roared, his dominance flooding the room like a tidal wave.

Lyra flinched, her smug facade cracking, and Selene’s eyes widened. Kael’s outburst on Lyra was …… a shock. Kael had never spoken to Lyra like that—never let his control slip in her presence. The air grew thick, charged with his fury, and Selene’s pulse pounded in her ears.

Kael’s gaze snapped back to Selene, pinning her in place. My body trembled slightly as I avoided his fuming gaze.

“Selene,” he said, his voice quieter now but no less dangerous. “Speak.”

Her throat tightened, but she forced the words out, her voice barely above a whisper. “H-he didn’t say anything. He just… invited me for dinner.”

Lyra’s frown was immediate, her eyes narrowing.

“Why would he invite you for dinner alone?” she spat, rising from Kael’s lap to stalk closer. “It’s clear. He wants this bitch—”

“Enough!” Kael’s snarl cut her off, but his eyes never left Selene.

A slow, unsettling smirk curled his lips, and the sight sent a chill down Selene’s spine.

“If he wants a dinner,” he said, his voice deceptively calm, “you’ll have dinner with him. But… it’s going to be a dinner night he never imagined.”

Selene’s stomach twisted, a sense of dread settling over her.

Kael’s words carried a hidden edge, a plan forming behind his calculating gaze. Of course kael would never agree to something which did not benefit him.

His frustration was palpable, etched into the hard lines of his jaw, but why? Why did her dance with Kieran bother him so deeply when Lyra sat in his arms, her scent mingling with his? The questions swirled, unanswered, as Selene excused herself, her heart heavy with unease.

Later that evening, Selene stepped into the pack’s secluded garden, the moonlight casting silver shadows across the roses and ivy.

Kieran had sent Lucas, his stoic beta, to escort her, and she’d followed in silence, her nerves fraying with every step.

Her silver gown shimmered under the moon’s glow, her long hair dancing in the cool breeze, and her blue eyes sparkled with a mix of fear and defiance.

She looked like a vision, a Luna carved from starlight, but inside, her heart pounded like a trapped bird.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of what kael was plotting. Was he gonna hurt Kieran ? The thought made her Chest to clench as she fought with her own overwhelming emotions for him.

The garden opened into a clearing, and there he was—Kieran.

His towering figure stood beneath an ancient oak, his broad back to her, the black fabric of his shirt stretched taut across his shoulders.

Her breath caught, her mind blanking as her wolf stirred, drawn to the raw power radiating from him. As soon as she stepped inside, He turned, and his dark eyes locked onto her instantly, burning with an intensity that made her knees weak.

She froze, unable to look away, yet too afraid to meet his gaze fully.

Lucas bowed slightly. “I’ll take my leave, Luna,” he said, his voice formal, before vanishing into the shadows.

Selene’s heart skipped as Kieran stepped forward, closing the distance with predatory grace. His one step was big enough to reach closer to her in three steps.

She took a hesitant step, then another, her hands trembling at her sides.

The cold wind making her shiver. He moved faster, erasing the space between them in a heartbeat, his presence overwhelming.

She stopped, her breath shallow, and then—without warning—his arm hooked under her hips, lifting her effortlessly off the ground.

A gasp tore from her lips as she clutched his shoulders, her fingers digging into the hard muscle beneath his shirt. Her eyes widened, finally meeting his, and the raw hunger in his gaze stole her breath.

His smirk was slow, dangerous, a wolf savoring his prey.

“Don’t avoid looking at me,” he murmured, his voice a low growl that vibrated through her. “It drives me crazy.”

Her grip tightened, her body pressed against his, and the mark on her chest pulsed, a traitor to her racing heart.

The garden, the moonlight, the world—it all faded, leaving only Kieran’s heat, his scent, and the undeniable pull of the bond she couldn’t escape.