019 ~ A mate's instinct ~

The council had ended hours ago, but every wall in the mansion still felt it. Servants lowered their voices whenever Selene passed, and guards who normally acknowledged her with quiet respect suddenly found reasons to look elsewhere.

Without doubt, news traveled faster than the air inside an Alpha's home, and by nightfall everyone had heard the same story.

She was my mate.

Four words that had unsettled an alliance before it had even begun.

Selene pushed open the doors leading onto the eastern terrace, stepping gently as the cool night air washed over her skin.

The silence outside was a welcome relief after the suffocating whispers inside. So much so, she rested both hands against the stone railing and stared toward the forest stretching beyond the estate walls.

"I should have expected this," the words rolled silently off her tongue, staring at the pale moon far out of reach

Footsteps approached behind her and she turned around. "My Lady."

One of the younger maids came close, bowing slightly. She didn't look up at her which was weird. But Selene remained calm.

"Alpha Victor asked if you've retired for the evening," her voice came out shaky, and from the corner of Selene's eyes, she saw her hide her trembling fingers.

The girl slowly raised her head, meeting Selene's gaze. She held the girl's gaze for a moment before answering. "Tell your Alpha I wanted fresh air."

"Luna..." The girl rubbed her arm, looking away for a second. "He didn't sound angry."

"Hmm," Selene let out a dry sigh. "That's exactly what worries me."

"I'll deliver your message Luna," the girl swallowed hard before hurrying away.

Selene remained where she was until the mansion had grown almost completely still. Sleep wasn't coming tonight. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Victor's expression inside the council chamber.

How he hadn't shouted or demanded explanations. And the Victor she knew, was never more dangerous than when he chose silence.

Unable to bear the walls closing around her, she wrapped a cloak over her shoulders and slipped through the eastern gate unnoticed. The guards recognized her and offered respectful nods but asked no questions. She had walked these paths often enough that no one thought twice about it.

The forest welcomed her with a darkness she couldn't be scared of. No wolf meant no night vision or sharp senses but she couldn't care less.

She had walked this path a thousand times at hours later than this. There was no saying, the darkness wasn't a part of her now... Something she found amusing.

Inside her was a darkness that consumed her alive, and outside was a darkness that offered comfort.

"Hmmm," a sigh a long sigh as though it could just take away the pains she felt within in an instant

Moonlight broke through the branches in scattered patches, scattering silver against the earth. The night smelled of damp bark and wild grass, carrying none of the tension that had poisoned the mansion.

For the first time all day, she breathed without feeling the weight in her chest. When suddenly, a voice came from somewhere ahead. "You've picked a terrible place for a walk."

Selene's heart stopped first, for a second, before she paused, turning around. "Who's there?"

There was no answer, only the low rustling of leaves.

For the first time since she took this forest as a place of comfort, fear crept into her heart. And unlike the fear she lived with in the mansion, this one pressed hard against her chest.

Her hand disappeared beneath her cloak and closed around the small dagger strapped against her thigh. "I won't ask again."

A man stepped from behind an oak tree, his face was hidden beneath a black cloth.

Then another emerged behind her.

A third.

A fourth.

They had positioned themselves carefully not surrounding her. Instead, they made a curve, with the only opening leading deep into the forest. She was trapped and the thumping in her chest couldn't agree less.

"You've mistaken me for someone else," Her grip tightened around the dagger.

The tallest among them laughed quietly. "No."

His voice had a roughness that came with age and experience. Which meant this wasn't his first time for him and at that moment, she knew there was no way they attacking her was a mistake.

"Wait, did Victor send them?" The thought crossed her mind for a split second.

"We found exactly who we were looking for," the man's rough voice jolted her out of her thoughts.

"What do you want?"

Another masked wolf answered before the leader could. "Well... Our orders were simple."

He drew a curved blade. "Bring her, alive."