Chapter three

Selene’s POV

The guest quarters were quiet except for the soft shuffle of pages as I carefully documented another entry in the leather journal hidden beneath my mattress. My hands shook slightly not from fear, but from anger.

Day 1,127 of captivity. Alpha Kael Ashborne threatened to increase security measures after discovering my pregnancy. Referred to the unborn child as "heir" and "pack property." Showed zero concern for the mother’s wellbeing.

I had been keeping this journal for eight months, ever since the night he struck me across the face for questioning his decision to punish a young wolf for “insubordination.” Every cruel word, every humiliation, every moment of deliberate mental torture all meticulously recorded in neat handwriting.

If I died here, at least there would be evidence of what he had done.

A soft, deliberate knock broke my focus. Three quick taps, pause, then two more our signal for Dr. Maris’ clandestine visits.

“Come in,” I whispered, sliding the journal back into its hiding place.

Maris stepped inside silently, carrying her medical bag in one hand and a thermos in the other. Her gray-streaked hair was pinned into a loose bun, and she wore the simple brown tunic of a pack healer rather than her usual coat.

“How are you feeling?” she asked softly, setting the thermos on my nightstand.

“Like a prisoner who just learned her execution date,” I replied, forcing a grim smile.

Her expression softened, filled with sympathy. “I brought you herbal tea. It should help with the morning sickness and…” She glanced toward the door. “…it should help with other things as well.”

Other things. I understood. The herbs would strengthen me for what was coming, give me the energy I would need for the escape I was planning.

“Maris,” I said quietly, “I need to ask you something. I need you to be completely honest.”

She nodded and perched in the chair beside my bed.

“If I stayed… tried to raise this child here… what kind of life would they have?”

The question lingered, heavy in the air. Maris was silent, fingers nervously twisting the hem of her dress.

“The Alpha would love the child,” she said at last. “In his way, he would protect them fiercely.”

“That’s not what I asked,” I replied, eyes narrowing.

She met my gaze, and I could see the truth before she spoke. “They would grow up watching their father destroy their mother. Learning that power is possession, fear is respect, love is control. They would become him or they would break under his shadow.”

The words confirmed what I had feared. My child deserved better than a father who was a monster.

“There’s something else,” Maris whispered, reaching into her bag and pulling out a small vial of clear liquid.

I took it, holding it up to the lamplight. The liquid shimmered faintly, almost alive.

“What is it?”

“I’m not completely certain. It’s in your bloodstream, but it’s not human, not werewolf either.” She leaned closer, urgency in her tone. “Selene… I think there’s more to your heritage than you realize. This might be why Kael was so determined to claim you.”

I felt cold sweat prickling my skin. “What do you mean?”

“Three years ago, when your father sold you to the pack, he mentioned your mother was… unusual. Different. He never went into details, but ”

“My mother died when I was five. From a fever. There was nothing special about her,” I interrupted.

“Are you sure? Think. Were there ever things about her that seemed… off?”

I closed my eyes, digging through memories my father had tried to bury. My mother had been beautiful, hair dark as midnight, eyes like mine, but there had been… oddities. The way plants thrived under her care, animals drawn to her, the vivid dreams she recounted before dying.

“She used to say wolves spoke to her,” I whispered. “That they warned her of things that would happen. My father called it nonsense.”

Maris’s eyes widened. “Luna bloodline,” she breathed. “Selene… you might descend from one of the original Luna families the ones who could influence Alphas, who could ”

A sound in the hall froze us both. Heavy footsteps, purposeful, deliberate. Maris quickly packed the vial and her supplies.

“They’re coming,” she murmured. “Be ready.”

Three hard knocks rattled my door. Beta Rylan Kane. Kael requested my presence.

I glanced at Maris. She nodded. “I’ll let him in,” she said at normal volume. “The Luna was finishing her examination.”

The door opened, revealing Rylan. He was so different from Kael. Where the Alpha radiated sharp edges and authority, Rylan exuded steady warmth, almost out of place among the wolves.

“Dr. Maris,” he said respectfully. “How is our Luna?”

“Physically stable, though she requires rest and proper nutrition. The pregnancy is proceeding normally,” Maris replied.

Rylan’s gaze shifted to me. Concern, yes but something deeper. Something like… guilt.

“I’ll leave you to escort the Luna,” Maris. said, gathering her things. As she passed, she squeezed my shoulder gently. “Remember what we discussed about your health.”

After she left, Rylan lingered, posture formal, expression troubled.

“The Alpha waits,” he said, but he didn’t move.

“Then we should go,” I said, steadying myself. Morning sickness had been brutal. I swayed slightly.

He reached to steady me, hand gentle. “Perhaps I could tell Kael you’re unwell?”

“You would?” I asked, shocked. No one had defied him for my benefit in three years.

A flicker of determination crossed Rylan’s face. “I would do many things to protect the Luna of this pack.”

“Why?” I asked softly.

He paused, hand still on mine. “Because I remember when this pack had honor. Before Kael… before he became what he is now.”

“What was he like, before?”

“Different. Hard, demanding, yes, but not cruel. He cared for the pack, for those who could not defend themselves. Elena’s death changed him. Broke him.”

Elena. My chest tightened. The first mate. The whispers of her death were known, but never spoken of openly.

“What happened?”

“She was murdered,” Rylan said. “Tortured by a rival pack while pregnant with his child. He found her three days later. After that… he became this.”

Everything clicked. His cruelty, obsession, control it all came from grief. I was living with a man haunted by ghosts, and those ghosts were destroying us both.

“He’s terrified,” I whispered, understanding. “Of losing another mate, another child.”

“Yes. But fear twisted him into someone Elena would not recognize. Someone horrifying.”

We walked in silence until Rylan straightened, expression formal. “We should go. Kael hates being kept waiting.”

As we walked, I studied him. Tall, not imposing like Kael, stride confident but unassuming. Dark hair mussed, shoulders tense he was as troubled as I was.

“Rylan,” I said softly, “can I ask something?”

“Of course, Luna.”

“If someone wanted to leave the pack hypothetically what obstacles exist?”

“Depends on who, and why.”

“A pack member who feels trapped. Someone in danger if they stay.”

We reached the hall outside Kael’s office. Rylan stopped. “If someone were planning something foolish, I would advise caution. Kael’s protection however suffocating comes from care.”

“And if that protection slowly kills the one it’s meant to save?”

He paused, jaw working silently. “Then they would need allies. Allies who understand the cost of staying versus the risk of leaving.”

Not a direct offer, but close enough. I might have more support than I dared hope for.

“Thank you,” I said simply.

“For what?”

“For remembering honor exists in this pack.”

His gaze softened. “Your child will be lucky to have you, Selene. Whatever you decide, remember that.”

We arrived at Kael’s office. He stood behind the desk, dark hair perfect, gray eyes cold as stone. Power radiated from him, yet I could sense the shadows the grief and fear driving his cruelty.

“You’re late,” he said.

“My apologies, Alpha. Selene was unwell.”

Kael’s eyes flicked to me, a trace of concern beneath his mask.

“Leave us,” he commanded.

Rylan bowed slightly. “Of course, Alpha.” He gave me a small, imperceptible nod a promise.

The door clicked shut. I was alone with the man who held my fate. But for the first time in three years, I didn’t feel powerless.

“Sit,” Kael said. I stood firm, chin lifted.

“I’d rather stand.”

His eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t asking.”

“Neither was I.”

We stared, two opposing forces acknowledging a war years in the making. Kael smiled cold, predatory, sending ice through my veins.

“Very well,” he said. “Let’s discuss your future, Selene. And our child’s.”

The words made my skin crawl, yet I remained neutral. Whatever torment he had planned, I would endure.

Tonight, when the pack slept and the guards rotated, I would disappear. This time, I had a plan.