SELENA"No," I whisper, voice cracking. "Please... no, Stephen."The air in his office is thick with something cold and expensive leather, cologne, power. My back sinks into the arm of the deep brown sofa, its edges pressing into my spine. His hand already unforgiving tightens between my thighs.He doesn’t respond.Three fingers now in my pu**y.I choke on a sob as my body jerks violently. Pain slices through me like glass, raw and sudden. My legs tremble. My breath catches.I taste blood.Stephen’s expression doesn't change. His eyes are glassy, almost bored, like he’s tuning a piano. Perfecting the sound of my agony."You shouldn’t have let him touch you," he murmurs, like he’s teaching me something.Because Desmond held my hand.That’s why this is happening.Tears drip onto my blouse. I try to push him, but my hands feel like feathers against stone. My voice cracks, breaks, disappears.Why can’t I fight him? Why can’t I scream?Because some part of me is listening to him. Some shat
SELENA The door clicked softly behind me as I stepped out of Stephen’s office, the taste of him still bitter on my lips, the echo of his whisper Don’t leave me haunting my steps. And there she was. Julia. Her heels clicked against the marble like a warning bell, her expression sharp and venom-laced. She stopped short when she saw me, eyes narrowing. "What are you doing here?" she snapped, folding her arms like a smug queen. "Shouldn’t you be in class?" Moongoddes, her voice grated on me. I smirked. Just a little tilt of my lips, nothing more. But it was enough to make her stiffen. She had no idea. No clue about the storm she helped set loose. If it weren’t for her, Stephen wouldn’t have chained me like an animal in the woods. He wouldn’t have looked at me with those dead eyes and called me a traitor. My mother… Adam… All gone. Because of her. I took a step forward, closing the space between us, the cold in my eyes making her falter. "Can’t I visit my brother?"
JULIAVictoria’s gaze clung to Selena like poison, her lips curled in open disgust as Selena strutted away, her head held high as though nothing had just happened. Typical. That girl never flinched not even when the world was crumbling around her.I watched them both, heart thudding. There was no love lost between Victoria and me. I hated her arrogance, the way she always tried to insert herself into conversations like she mattered. But in this moment, I saw an opportunity. A crack in the glass. She'd been itching to get close to me for weeks, and I’d ignored her like the pest she was. But maybe it was time to let her in. Just a little. Just enough to use her.“Hello, Victoria,” I said, my voice smooth as silk, but cold beneath the surface.Her eyes lit up like a child unwrapping a long-awaited gift. “Hi, ma’am!” she chirped. The excitement in her voice was embarrassing. She didn’t even try to hide it.“Don’t you have a class to be in?”“I do,” she said quickly, shifting on her feet.
SELENAI hadn’t spoken to Stephen since… that day.Every time I saw him, my pulse stumbled. So I avoided him at the academy, at home, even in my thoughts. But thoughts are traitors. They sneak in when you're weakest, whispering lies that feel like truths.I hated him.I hated how part of me still wanted him."Selena!" Elizabeth’s voice rang out, muffled through the bathroom door. "You're running late! Don’t forget it’s the first day of summer training. Hurry up!"I blinked at my reflection in the mirror. Water dripped from my hair, trailing down my neck. My eyes looked haunted darker than they used to be. I pulled my towel tighter around myself, willing my thoughts to go quiet.Summer training.Every year, the Bloodfang Pack ran a full-month camp deep in the woods. And this year… I was finally allowed to go. Not because I earned it, but because Stephen dragged me back to the pack literally. I didn’t even know if Alpha Kingsley was aware I was going.My fingers trembled as I reached fo
SELENA"Hello, Desmond," I said the moment he jogged up to my side, slightly out of breath and wearing that playful grin he always had.He tilted his head. “Is that how you greet your childhood friend now?”I smiled, a little flustered. “Maybe. But you’re also my teacher now, remember?”I kept my tone light, but the truth sat heavy in my chest. If only he knew Stephen hated seeing me with him. Hated it with a passion he didn’t bother to hide anymore.My eyes drifted. Across the field, Stephen was locking the black SUV, every movement tense and controlled. Julia stood beside him, lips curled in a satisfied smirk as if she’d just won some invisible game.I straightened, pushing down the flutter in my stomach."So," Desmond said, snapping me back. "What training team are you thinking of joining?"I blinked. “That’s... a tough one.”I hadn’t really thought about it. Everything had moved too fast since I arrived. My goal was to stay under the radar, not to stand in the center of some train
SELENA“Stephen,” I whispered, voice trembling. “You’re hurting me.”But it was like I didn’t exist anymore not to him, not to Desmond. The two of them stood frozen, locked in a silent war. Their eyes glowed faintly gold, the telltale shimmer of wolves barely restrained. Desmond’s jaw ticked. Stephen’s nostrils flared as if he were sniffing for blood.Then Stephen’s hand slid lower, fingers curling around my waist. His claws, no longer fully retracted, punctured the fabric of my shirt and began digging into my skin. The sting made me gasp.“Stop.” I pressed my hands against his chest. “You’re losing control.”But his gaze had already shifted no longer human. They were golden and wild, filled with something primal. Something terrifying.I could feel his wolf was close. Too close.Pain flared in my side as his claws went deeper, and panic surged through me like ice water. I could see it unfolding already two powerful shifters clashing in the middle of camp. Blood. Teeth. Fury. And me, c
JULIADesmond’s retreating figure disappeared into the trees, his shoulders tight with anger, fists clenched like he was holding back a storm.Good. Let him be angry.He was in love with her. The same girl I planned to wipe off the face of the earth. Sweet, innocent Selena. Fragile, soft-hearted Selena. Ugh.How could the next Gamma of our pack be so blinded by that pathetic excuse of a werewolf? My jaw clenched just thinking about it. She wasn’t even strong enough to defend herself in a spar. She flinched at raised voices. And yet… she’d wrapped Desmond around her finger like a ribbon.I was still seething when I felt a tap on my back.Turning, I came face to face with Victoria grinning like a fool, her eyes practically glowing with excitement.“Ma’am! I’m so happy to see you here at camp. If only you knew how long I’ve been looking for you…” She gave me a mock-pout, hands clasped together in exaggerated pleading. “You would’ve pitied me.”The sight turned my stomach.That pity face
STEPHENSomething’s wrong with me.It started the moment we arrived at the camp yesterday. A tightness in my chest. A low hum of agitation in my veins. My control already thin during the full moon is splintering, but the moon hasn’t even risen yet.One more day. That’s all that’s left. But my wolf is clawing beneath my skin like it wants out now.And every time I get near her… near Selena… Kael, my wolf, loses it.I pace along the tree line bordering the camp, hands clenched into fists. My breath fogs slightly in the early morning air, heart pounding like I just finished a run. This isn’t normal. Not for me. Not for Kael.Why now?I close my eyes and try to center myself, but Kael snarls in my head, restless, irritated.“Kael,” I whisper through the bond. “What’s happening to you?”His growl rumbles back at me like thunder rolling over the mountains. “I don’t know,” he snaps. “But I’m not calm. I haven’t been since we got here.”“It’s not the moon,” I tell him. “You know that. This fe
STEPHENSomething's off with Selena.She’s hiding something I can see it in the way her eyes flicker, in how she won’t meet my gaze. Her hands tremble slightly as she speaks, and her voice carries a strain she doesn’t realize is there."I'll take care of it," she says quietly, her eyes dropping to the floor.She’s avoiding me. Again.My jaw tightens. “Selena”But she’s already turning away, slipping past me as if being near me burns her.“I need to join the others at the training ground,” she says quickly, barely sparing me a glance.I nod, watching her retreat. She doesn’t look back.As soon as the tent flap falls closed behind her, I move. My steps are quick, driven by the urgency crawling beneath my skin. I grab my phone from the table and dial my father’s number.He answers on the first ring.“Son,” he says, his voice low, knowing. “You felt it, didn’t you? The Healer Wolf has awakened.”I press the phone tighter to my ear, staring at the tent entrance. “Yes,” I say. “I’ve felt it
SELENAStephen's eyes cut toward the tent flap like a blade sharp, cold, calculating. His body tenses beside me, the shift so subtle most wouldn’t catch it. But I do. It’s the way a soldier listens when the battlefield goes quiet... right before the bloodshed.And in that instant, I understand something bone-deep.I’m not the soldier. I’m not the prize. I’m the war.He’s angry. I see it now, rolling beneath his skin like thunderclouds barely held in check. His jaw tightens, his fists clench and unclench at his sides. Through the warped reflection in the tent’s polished mirror, I watch him. Watch the storm building.I whisper, barely able to form the words. “Stephen… talk to me. Tell me what’s happening. What should I be afraid of?”His breath is slow, heavy, like it’s carrying the weight of generations. He doesn’t look at me at first just stares into the mirror, as if trying to see through time itself.Finally, his voice cracks the silence. “There’s a story,” he says, low and quiet
STEPHENShe’s tangled in the sheets, her cheek pressed to my chest, breath rising and falling in a rhythm that anchors me. Selena. The chaos and calm I never saw coming.She stirs slightly, a soft sigh leaving her lips as she snuggles closer. She has no idea what she's awakened in me. No clue of the beast that now bows only to her.Let them come.Let every damn pack in the realm rise against me. Let the Council roar, the Elders panic, and the traitors bare their fangs.They’ll all learn what I did tonight.Selena doesn’t tame monsters.She owns them.And I’ll scorch this entire realm before I let it take her from me.I slip from the bed silently and step outside the tent. The air is thick with the weight of the full moon, silver light spilling across the treetops like a blessing and a curse. Normally, by now, I’d be on the ground, writhing, bones snapping, rage boiling to the surface.But I’m calm. Too calm. Staring at the moon like it’s the first time I’ve ever really seen it. Maybe
SELENAHe doesn’t answer with words.Instead, he leans in, his lips brushing mine with a slowness that feels reverent.Soft. Controlled.Like a promise sealed beneath years of tension.The kiss deepens, and it’s nothing like the ones before those rough, possessive collisions that used to steal my breath.This... this is different.Gentle. Searching.His mouth moves over mine as if tasting a part of himself he thought he’d lost.A breath escapes me, sharp and unsure, as his body presses against mine.Then, close to my ear, his voice drops deep and husky.“I want you. Now.”My heart stutters. That’s new. Stephen doesn’t ask. He takes. That’s the way it’s always been.What’s happening?Before I can find the words, his mouth claims mine again but not like before.It’s not a conquest.It’s... worship.My lips tremble beneath his, and my body betrays me. Heat coils in my belly, and all at once, I’m aching for his touch like it’s oxygen.He drags his lips down the curve of my jaw to the side
SELENAMy eyes flutter open to a dull ache pulsing through my skull. The room swims into focus slowly, shapes blurring before sharpening, and for a moment, I can’t breathe.Where… am I?The air feels wrong too cold, too still. A thick silence cloaks the space, broken only by the sound of my own shallow breaths. I try to sit up, but something burns against my wrists. Rope. My arms are bound.Panic claws at my chest.Then it hits me. Victoria. Her voice echoes through my head like a curse: "You won’t see tomorrow."What did she mean? Why am I no longer in the weapon tent?I twist against the restraints, my skin scraping against rough rope. My pulse drums in my ears as I scan the room and realization punches the breath from my lungs.This place… no. It can’t be.Stephen’s tent.I know it by the sharp scent of cedarwood, the familiar gray curtains brushing the windows, the worn leather chair in the corner.Terror ripples through me.Stephen had warned me. "Don’t leave your tent tonight, n
STEPHENSomething’s wrong with me.It started the moment we arrived at the camp yesterday. A tightness in my chest. A low hum of agitation in my veins. My control already thin during the full moon is splintering, but the moon hasn’t even risen yet.One more day. That’s all that’s left. But my wolf is clawing beneath my skin like it wants out now.And every time I get near her… near Selena… Kael, my wolf, loses it.I pace along the tree line bordering the camp, hands clenched into fists. My breath fogs slightly in the early morning air, heart pounding like I just finished a run. This isn’t normal. Not for me. Not for Kael.Why now?I close my eyes and try to center myself, but Kael snarls in my head, restless, irritated.“Kael,” I whisper through the bond. “What’s happening to you?”His growl rumbles back at me like thunder rolling over the mountains. “I don’t know,” he snaps. “But I’m not calm. I haven’t been since we got here.”“It’s not the moon,” I tell him. “You know that. This fe
JULIADesmond’s retreating figure disappeared into the trees, his shoulders tight with anger, fists clenched like he was holding back a storm.Good. Let him be angry.He was in love with her. The same girl I planned to wipe off the face of the earth. Sweet, innocent Selena. Fragile, soft-hearted Selena. Ugh.How could the next Gamma of our pack be so blinded by that pathetic excuse of a werewolf? My jaw clenched just thinking about it. She wasn’t even strong enough to defend herself in a spar. She flinched at raised voices. And yet… she’d wrapped Desmond around her finger like a ribbon.I was still seething when I felt a tap on my back.Turning, I came face to face with Victoria grinning like a fool, her eyes practically glowing with excitement.“Ma’am! I’m so happy to see you here at camp. If only you knew how long I’ve been looking for you…” She gave me a mock-pout, hands clasped together in exaggerated pleading. “You would’ve pitied me.”The sight turned my stomach.That pity face
SELENA“Stephen,” I whispered, voice trembling. “You’re hurting me.”But it was like I didn’t exist anymore not to him, not to Desmond. The two of them stood frozen, locked in a silent war. Their eyes glowed faintly gold, the telltale shimmer of wolves barely restrained. Desmond’s jaw ticked. Stephen’s nostrils flared as if he were sniffing for blood.Then Stephen’s hand slid lower, fingers curling around my waist. His claws, no longer fully retracted, punctured the fabric of my shirt and began digging into my skin. The sting made me gasp.“Stop.” I pressed my hands against his chest. “You’re losing control.”But his gaze had already shifted no longer human. They were golden and wild, filled with something primal. Something terrifying.I could feel his wolf was close. Too close.Pain flared in my side as his claws went deeper, and panic surged through me like ice water. I could see it unfolding already two powerful shifters clashing in the middle of camp. Blood. Teeth. Fury. And me, c
SELENA"Hello, Desmond," I said the moment he jogged up to my side, slightly out of breath and wearing that playful grin he always had.He tilted his head. “Is that how you greet your childhood friend now?”I smiled, a little flustered. “Maybe. But you’re also my teacher now, remember?”I kept my tone light, but the truth sat heavy in my chest. If only he knew Stephen hated seeing me with him. Hated it with a passion he didn’t bother to hide anymore.My eyes drifted. Across the field, Stephen was locking the black SUV, every movement tense and controlled. Julia stood beside him, lips curled in a satisfied smirk as if she’d just won some invisible game.I straightened, pushing down the flutter in my stomach."So," Desmond said, snapping me back. "What training team are you thinking of joining?"I blinked. “That’s... a tough one.”I hadn’t really thought about it. Everything had moved too fast since I arrived. My goal was to stay under the radar, not to stand in the center of some train