Are you worthy??

Ronan’s POV

 Dawn had barely broken when Mira walked into my office, hovering like a shadow by the door. I was seated at the edge of my desk, arms folded, eyes skimming through a weathered scroll that detailed rogue sightings near our borders.

 She didn’t speak. Not for a full ten minutes.

 “Mira,” I said without looking up, “you’ve been standing there like a statue. What is it?”

 She fidgeted, her hands wringing together. “Promise me you won’t get all mad about it.”

 That made me pause. I slowly lifted my gaze to her and arched a brow. “What have you done this time?”

 She stepped closer, guilt already etched into her face. “Jax and I were out on the northern patrol. We... we found someone.”

 I straightened slightly. “Found someone?”

 “A girl,” she nodded. “In the woods. She was half-conscious, injured, barely breathing. Looked like she hadn’t eaten in days.”

 My brows furrowed. “And you brought her here?”

 Mira flinched at the sharpness in my tone but held her ground. “We couldn’t just leave her there, Ronan. She was—she is in bad shape.”

 “I sent you on patrol,” I said, standing now, the scroll forgotten, “not a damn rescue mission. What if she’s a threat? A spy? You think it’s just coincidence she’s wandering near our borders, wounded and alone?”

 “She wasn’t a threat. I felt something,” Mira said, more softly now. “It wasn’t just pity. There’s something about her, Ronan. Something… different. I can’t explain it, but it didn’t feel wrong.”

 I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through my hair as the weight of her decision settled on me. “Where is she now?”

 “In the infirmary. Jax and I cleaned her up, made sure she’s stable. She’s still out cold.”

 I shook my head, not entirely convinced but too tired to argue. “I’ll come check on her later. Make sure she stays under watch until then.”

 Mira nodded once, relief softening her expression. Without another word, she turned and left the office.

 I remained still for a moment, the silence pressing in around me.

 A stranger, found at the edge of Ashfang. And Mira had brought her into our walls.

 Trouble had a way of finding us.

 And I had a feeling this girl was only the beginning of it.

  Selene’s POV

 The first thing I registered was the scent of herbs—bitter, earthy, and oddly calming.

 Then warmth.

 Soft sheets beneath me. A bandage wrapped around my side. Dull pain throbbed through my limbs like echoes from a brutal storm, but I wasn’t dead. Not yet.

 My eyes fluttered open slowly, adjusting to the dim, golden glow of lanterns on stone walls. I was… inside. Somewhere safe, it seemed. But not familiar. Definitely not home.

 Unfamiliar faces moved in the blur around me—two girls, one of them at my bedside, and a tall figure leaning against the far wall.

 “You’re awake,” the girl beside me said softly, brushing damp strands of hair from my forehead. Her voice was warm, her smile kinder than I deserved. “Don’t panic. You’re safe now. I’m Mira.”

 I blinked, still trying to place everything. “Where…?”

 “We found you outside the woods,” Mira said gently, pressing a cup of water to my lips. I drank greedily, only to choke a little from how parched my throat had been. “You were bleeding. Barely breathing.”

 “Could’ve been ripped apart by now,” came a playful voice. My gaze shifted to the side to find the tall, dark-haired boy—his arms crossed, a smirk dancing at the corner of his lips. “You’re lucky we found you before something else did.”

 I didn’t reply. I didn’t even know what to say.

 Before I could even gather my thoughts, the air changed.

 The door creaked open, and something in the room… shifted. The warmth dimmed. The very temperature seemed to drop.

 A man stepped in.

 Tall, broad-shouldered, carved like stone with scars tracing the edge of his jaw and one slicing through his brow. His dark hair fell messily over his forehead, and his eyes—moonlit silver and sharp as a blade—locked with mine.

 I froze.

 My breath hitched.

 Those eyes were hauntingly beautiful. Too beautiful for someone so cold. I gulped, the air thickening in my lungs.

 He didn’t say anything at first. Just stared, intense and unreadable.

 “Who are you?” he finally asked, his voice deep, rough, and commanding. “Why were you on our land?”

 I flinched at his tone, but I didn’t look away. I didn’t run. I’d done enough running.

 “I…” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I was exiled.”

 His brows twitched slightly. “Exiled? From where?”

 “My pack,” I murmured, eyes lowering.

 “No parents… the pack is ruled by my uncle and aunt.”

 “My uncle and aunt sent me away.”

 “Why?”

 I didn’t want to break down. I didn’t want to cry. Not in front of him. Not in front of these strangers.

 But a tear escaped anyway.

 I clenched my fists beneath the blanket and forced the words out, my voice barely above a whisper. “I spent a night with someone… someone from the enemy pack. I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t know until it was too late.”

 Mira gasped softly. “You mean… you’re pregnant?”

 I nodded once, ashamed. “That’s why they cast me out.”

 “That’s brutal,” she muttered, her eyes shining with sympathy.

 Ronan said nothing. He just stared at me, unreadable again. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Judgment? Pity? Rage?

 I sat up slightly, though it hurt. “I understand if you want me gone too. I won’t bring my shame here. I’ll leave before nightfall. Just… thank you. Thank you, both of you. For helping me.”

 I looked toward Mira and Jax, grateful even in my heartbreak.

 But then—unexpectedly—Ronan spoke again.

 “No,” he said.

 I blinked. “What?”

 “You can stay.”

 My lips parted in disbelief.

 “But… why?” I whispered.

 He didn’t answer.

 He turned and walked out the door like the words had cost him something, and maybe they had. But the decision was made.

 I wasn’t alone anymore.

 For now… I had a place to breathe.

  Ronan’s POV

 There was something about her.

 Even before I stepped into the infirmary, I could feel it—an invisible thread tugging at me, whispering warnings I didn’t understand. And the second our eyes met… I knew why.

 Power.

 It wasn’t just the way her eyes shimmered with defiance despite her pain. It was what simmered beneath her skin. Coiled magic. Raw, ancient… dangerous. A kind of strength that didn’t belong in someone so broken.

 She was hiding something. Or maybe she didn’t even know it was there.

 And that unsettled me more than anything.

 I should’ve told her to leave. Should’ve turned my back like every instinct in me screamed. But when she looked at me with those wounded eyes, bracing for rejection like it was all she knew—my jaw clenched.

 I didn’t want her to go.

 She reminded me of something buried deep. Something I didn’t have the luxury to feel anymore.

 So I said the words before I could take them back. “You can stay.”

 Now, standing just outside the infirmary door, I cursed myself silently.

 What the hell was I doing?

 “She stays under strict watch,” I said finally, my voice firm as stone. Mira and Jax stood across from me, exchanging glances. “She earns her place here. No handouts.”

 Mira’s brows furrowed. “She’s not just some lost wolf, Ronan.”

 “She’s… something else,” Jax added, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve seen plenty of rogues. She’s not one of them.”

 I knew that already.

 My gaze shifted back through the glass, landing on her.

 Selene.

 Sitting upright in the bed, silent but aware. Her aura rippled faintly, like a storm gathering behind calm eyes. She was still pale, still broken… but there was steel in her spine.

 She was more than just some runaway.

 “Fine,” I muttered. “Show her around. Let her get her bearings.”

 I turned away, the weight of my own thoughts dragging at me.

 “But keep your eyes open,” I added over my shoulder. “Power like that doesn’t come without a price.”

 And with that, I walked away—trying not to think about the feeling I got when I looked at her.

 Like fate was shifting.

 Like something bigger was coming.

 And she was right at the center of it.

  Selene’s POV

 It had been a few hours since Mira and Jax gave me the grand tour—though "grand" was a stretch considering half the places were filled with grumpy wolves and suspicious stares. Still, they'd been kind. Mira especially, always offering a warm smile like she could see right through the cracks in me and didn’t mind.

 Now, freshly showered and wearing actual clean clothes (thank goddess), my hair tied neatly into a ponytail, I wandered through the hallways alone. My own room. My own space. I hadn’t had that in what felt like forever.

 And I hadn’t seen Ronan since the infirmary.

 I chewed on my bottom lip, debating with myself before finally deciding. It’s just a thank you, I told my nervous self. Nothing more.

 I stopped in front of a tall, dark wooden door and took a deep breath before knocking gently. No answer.

 I knocked again. Still nothing.

 Maybe he wasn’t—

 Click.

 I peeked in cautiously, just planning to leave a quick word and bounce. But the second I stepped into the room, my jaw nearly hit the floor.

 The place was... wow. Dark wood, black accents, silver swords mounted on one wall. It was the kind of room you’d imagine a warrior king sleeping in. Broody, dramatic, absolutely not “can I borrow a cup of sugar” energy.

 But then, I heard something.

 Running water.

 My eyes snapped to the bathroom door just as it opened, and—

 Oh.

 Oh no.

 I froze.

 There he was.

 Ronan. Alpha of the Ashfang pack. Towering. Wet. Dripping. A towel slung low on his hips like it belonged there, casually disrespecting every ounce of self-control I had left. His abs were carved from stone. His waist? Unfair. A tattoo curled around his arm and crept slightly over his chest, like it had a story it was dying to whisper. I didn’t even want to think about how good he looked soaked and glistening like a forbidden rain god.

 “I—I—I saw nothing!” I yelped, clamping my eyes shut like that could erase what had just burned itself into my memory.

 He paused, probably amused, and I started fumbling for the doorknob like it was a life raft.

 “I just—I’ll go—I didn’t mean—I thought you weren’t in—”

 “Stay,” he said, voice like velvet and command.

 I froze mid-backpedal. Ughhh, Selene, why didn’t you just leave a thank you note like a normal person?!

 “I-I can come back later,” I said quickly, eyes still squeezed shut like a lunatic.

 “Only if you tell me why you came.” He sounded like he was smirking. I could hear it. The audacity.

 I turned slowly, eyes still closed, one hand up in surrender. “Just to say… thank you,” I muttered. “For, you know… not tossing me back into the wild like a raccoon.”

 I felt his gaze linger.

 “You’re welcome,” he said, and I finally cracked one eye open… only to look straight at the floor. Not the abs. Don’t you dare look at the abs again, Selene!

 “But,” he continued, stepping closer, “you’ll need to prove yourself worthy of staying.”

 My head snapped up. “Huh?”

 He folded his arms across his still very bare chest. “There’s a training tomorrow. You’ll be part of it.”

 My jaw dropped. “Training? Like… fighting?” I echoed, trying not to sound horrified.

 “Mhm,” he hummed with a devilish grin. “Sparring. Combat. Physical endurance. You know. Fun stuff.”

 I blinked at him, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. “I—I mean, sure, totally. Yeah. Fun. Definitely not terrifying.”

 He raised an eyebrow, enjoying every second of my internal meltdown.

 “Right! Training!” I nodded frantically. “Love that. See you there. Alive, hopefully.”

 And with that, I spun on my heel and ran—literally ran—out of his room, cheeks burning, brain fried, dignity left behind somewhere between abs and tattoos.

 Behind me, I swear I heard a low chuckle.

 And I may or may not have smiled the whole way back to my room.