008: Exile in silk

Selene’s POV

The engine’s low hum filled the night, steady and hollow like a heartbeat in a crypt.

“Where to, Luna?” the driver asked, glancing at me through the rearview mirror. His tone was careful—deferential—but I caught the flicker of pity in his eyes.

Where to?

For the first time in my life, I had no answer.

The city beyond the glass blurred into ribbons of light—wolves laughing outside taverns, children chasing each other through alleys, mates walking hand in hand beneath the silver moon. Ordinary lives. Lives untouched by thrones, by bonds, by betrayal. Lives I had never known.

My father’s voice echoed through my head:

I can’t shelter you, Selene. I swore fealty to Queen Ivana.

Translation: You’re on your own.

The truth hit harder than claws to the heart. I had no den. No pack. No plan. Every part of my existence had been curated by rank and bloodlines—my path written in moonlight ink long before I was born.

Was I foolish to walk away? Reckless?

Maybe.

But the thought of Damon and Lyra parading their pups through the packhouse halls—their laughter echoing where my silence had lived for years—

No. Staying would’ve been the real madness.

I pressed my palms into my lap, forcing my wolf to stay silent beneath my skin. She was restless, pacing. Angry. Free.

The car rolled to a stop at a red light. The silence pressed against me until I thought I might shatter beneath it.

Then the driver’s phone rang.

He answered quickly, voice low, reverent. “Yes, Your Highness.”

My breath hitched.

He listened for a while, murmuring a few quiet words, then ended the call and slipped the phone away.

I leaned forward. “Where are you taking us?”

He hesitated. “You haven’t given me a destination, Luna.” His tone grew cautious. “Lord Aric ordered that I take you to his private estate. He said you’ll be safe there.”

My pulse faltered.

Aric.

Of course.

I sat back slowly, staring at the dark glass until my reflection blurred. Relief wasn’t what I felt. Not gratitude either. Something sharper. Something that made my chest ache.

Because once again, he had stepped in to save me.

Why?

Why would he risk himself for me?

The Alpha Regent’s estranged mate hiding in the King’s enforcer’s home—what would the packs say when they found out? The scandal alone could ignite another Bloodmoon war.

And Aric—unlike Damon—was no fool. He avoided politics like plague, moving through shadows and silence. Untouchable. Unclaimed. A wolf who bowed to no one but the King himself.

So why me?

Why now?

The memory of his words came unbidden—words that had burned themselves into me.

If I touched you, you’d never go back to him.

I swallowed hard.

Now that I’d left the packhouse, there was nothing standing between us. No oaths. No guards. No gilded walls. Nothing but the night…and whatever lived inside us.

A traitorous part of me wanted to know—

What if he was right?

What if one touch from him was enough to destroy every law I’d ever followed?

I clenched my fists, trying to crush the thought before it grew roots. This was dangerous. Reckless. Aric was Damon’s brother—the wrong wolf, the forbidden one.

And yet my body betrayed me. My heartbeat stuttered, quickened. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, scenting him on the air as if distance meant nothing.

The driver turned down a narrow forest road lined with silver pines, their branches brushing against the car like whispers. The city faded behind us.

Diana sat quietly beside me, hands folded neatly in her lap. Ever loyal. Ever calm.

“Say something,” I whispered. “Anything.”

Her gaze lifted, soft and steady. “What would you like me to say, Luna?”

“That I’m not insane. That I haven’t just traded one cage for another.”

She smiled faintly, eyes reflecting moonlight. “You made a choice, Selene. That’s not madness. That’s freedom—though it rarely feels like it.”

Her words steadied me, if only slightly.

Then the iron gates came into view.

They loomed high and black, etched with the Bloodmoon sigil, flanked by two stone wolves. The driver pressed a button, and the gates swung open with a low growl.

The estate beyond was sprawling—stone and glass wrapped in silver vines. Lanterns flickered along the path, pools of gold lighting the night like fallen stars.

The limousine slowed to a stop.

I didn’t move. My hand hovered over the door handle.

Diana touched my arm gently. “We should go in.”

I exhaled, stepped out, and the cool night air kissed my flushed skin. My heels clicked softly against the cobblestone drive, each sound echoing louder than the last.

The house stood before me—silent, powerful, patient.

As the driver carried our bags toward the entrance, my wolf pressed against my ribs, uneasy and alert. Every step closer felt heavier.

Why was he doing this?

Why me?

And worst of all—what if I didn’t want him to stop?

The front door opened before I reached it.

And there he was.

Aric.

Leaning against the doorframe, half-shadowed, half-light, dressed in black that made his silver eyes burn brighter. His scent hit me first—pine, smoke, rain on stone. It sank into my lungs before I could resist.

His gaze found mine, slow and deliberate, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Welcome home, Selene.”

My pulse thundered. “Don’t call it that.”

His smile deepened. “Then call it what it is.”

I stared at him, heart stuttering between fear and something far more dangerous. “And what’s that?”

He stepped closer, voice low, rough silk.

“Mine…for now.”