Chapter Three

Arthur and his sons stormed into the Vanderbilt manor, their footsteps echoing across the marble floors. His voice boomed through the hall as he called out for his wife and daughter.

“Tanya! Isabella!”

When Tanya appeared, her hands wringing nervously, Arthur barely paused to catch his breath.

“Everyone, you must make haste. The North Riverbed pack has invaded our territory!”

Tanya’s eyes widened. “Dear, what about the Alpha? Did he agree to give Isabella another chance to prove herself?” Her voice was hopeful, but her fingers twisted against each other in restless fear. She could not bear the thought of their family name stained further.

Arthur’s jaw tightened. “Not now, my love. That matter can wait. There is something far more urgent—we must prepare for war.”

He turned sharply to his eldest. “Basset, tell your sister to pack her things at once. We have to put her somewhere safe. Quickly!”

Then to his second son, his tone like iron: “Drillan, ready the guards. The manor must be secured.”

Tanya’s voice rose, sharp and trembling. “My dear, what are you saying? Are they declaring war because of the shame Isabella has brought upon us?”

Arthur’s eyes flashed, his patience worn thin. “No, Tanya. This is not about Isabella—and do not even dare to place the blame on her! What happened is not her fault.” He stepped closer, lowering his tone, though the weight of it was no less heavy. “You and Selina must be moved to safety. I will not risk either of you falling into the hands of our enemies.”

Selina's POV

I couldn’t stop the tears as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. All because of one man’s foolish decision, my family had been dragged into disgrace, and now even my own mother laid the blame at my feet.

All I ever wanted was a simple life. I never asked to be molded into someone I was not, forced into the rigid shape society demanded of me. To strive so hard only to be rejected—it felt as if all my efforts had melted away like wax dripping from a candle.

I had never truly desired to become a Luna. But knowing my entire family pinned their hopes on me—that was a different kind of weight, a responsibility that had shackled me since childhood. I had pressed myself into that cruel mold of perfection, even when it suffocated me.

“Selina, open the door—sister!” My brother’s urgent voice broke through my thoughts.

I rushed to open it, and Basset pulled me into a tight embrace. Despite the stern façades he and Drillan wore before others, I had always known how deeply they loved me. I buried my face against his chest, my sobs shaking my body as he held me firmly.

“Sister, listen to me,” he said, his tone grave. “You need to pack your most important things. We have to get you out of here.”

My tears blurred my vision. “Why, brother? It wasn’t my fault he rejected me. I didn’t do anything wrong—I can prove it!” My voice cracked as I trembled in his arms.

Basset cupped my shoulders, forcing me to meet his steady gaze. “No, Selina. This isn’t about that. The North Riverbed pack has already breached our territory. The war has begun, and we must ensure that you and Mother are safe.”

Without waiting, he began rifling through my room, pulling out my luggage and shoving clothes into it. My hands moved to help him, clumsy and hurried, though my mind swirled in confusion and dread.

As I descended the staircase, Papa’s arms were the first to greet me. His embrace was warm, steady, and unyielding, and the moment I felt his strength, I broke down, my tears soaking into his shoulder.

“You don’t need to force yourself to be loved by someone who cannot see your worth, my princess,” he murmured firmly. “Do not waste another tear on his foolish decision. One day, he will regret it."

“Arthur, do not encourage her disobedience,” Mama cut in sharply, her voice trembling with both fear and bitterness. “We’ve had enough disgrace brought upon us.”

Papa pulled me closer, his tone suddenly like iron. “Tanya, enough. It was never Selina’s fault.” He turned to me with a commanding voice. “Pack your belongings. You must be taken somewhere safe.”

Mama’s composure cracked, and she clutched at Papa’s arm, sobbing. “I don’t want to go anywhere, my love. Please, don’t send me away. I can’t bear to leave your side.”

My heart ached at the sight of her, torn between desperation and devotion.

“Arthur,” she pleaded, her tears falling freely, “let me stay. Even if it means standing with you on the battlefield, I will not abandon you.”

Papa’s face hardened with conflict as he weighed her words. At last, Mama’s voice softened, almost breaking. “If you must send Selina, then… relocate her to the world of humans until this war is settled. But let me remain here with you, whatever comes.”

Her plea shattered me. To see the love between them, so fierce even in the face of war, broke me in ways rejection never could. My own chest burned with the thought of leaving them behind.

“Papa, I—” I began, but his voice cut through mine, sharp and final.

“My love,” he said, looking at me with eyes filled with both sorrow and strength, “you must save yourself. Escape this war. Live your life in the land of humans. I will miss you every day, but I would rather you be alive than see you fall victim to this cruel, unjust bloodshed.”

His words lodged deep inside me. As much as I wanted to scream, to refuse, I knew he was right.

“But I love you all so dearly,” I choked out, clutching both my parents’ hands. “I don’t know if I can survive without your presence.”

“You will, Selina,” Papa whispered, his voice gentler now, though it carried the weight of command. “You will survive, and our love will guide you. Even from afar, it will be your light. Hold onto it, my daughter—and one day, you will find your strength.”

And with those words, I knew. As much as it tore me apart, I needed this escape. The ground trembled beneath us, a low rumble rising through the stone floors of the manor. At first, I thought it was thunder—until the shouts came. The metallic clash of steel against steel, the bone-rattling howls, the screams of men being torn apart.

The war had arrived.

Windows shattered under the weight of sudden impact, and the once-peaceful glow of our chandeliers flickered wildly as shadows darted across the walls. Guards rushed past us in a blur, their weapons drawn, their eyes sharp with the knowledge that many would not live to see the dawn.

“Arthur!” Mama cried, clutching Papa’s arm as another earth-shaking roar split the night.

Papa’s voice cut through the chaos. “Tanya, take Selina! Now!”

“I won’t leave you!” she screamed, but he was already pushing us toward the servants’ passageway.

The heavy doors burst open behind us—Drillan barely managed to slam them shut before the enemy poured in, the force of their claws scraping across the wood. Splinters rained to the floor as Basset shoved me forward, his sword already drawn.

The manor that had always been my sanctuary now echoed with death and destruction. Smoke curled from the east wing. Somewhere, someone was crying out a name I didn’t recognize. My heart hammered against my ribs, desperate, frantic.

We turned a corner, rushing toward the hidden tunnel that would lead me away, but before we could reach it, an explosion of wood and stone ripped the hallway apart.

The North Riverbed wolves had breached the manor. One of them leapt into the hall, its monstrous form silhouetted by firelight, snarling as its glowing eyes landed on me.

Basset moved faster than thought, blade raised. “Selina, run!”

And as I stumbled back, the sounds of clashing steel and guttural growls filling my ears, I knew—this was the moment everything would change.

I stumbled backward as Basset’s sword clashed with the beast’s claws, the sound shrieking against my ears. Smoke stung my eyes, and every breath burned in my chest. Drillan seized my arm, dragging me down a narrow passage hidden behind a tapestry.

“This way!” he barked.

The secret door slammed shut behind us, muffling the chaos but not erasing it. The walls trembled from distant impacts, dust falling from the stone ceiling as we hurried down the steep, twisting stairway. My legs shook, but I forced them to move, clutching my skirts as I ran.

“Where are we going?” I gasped.

“The escape tunnel,” Drillan replied, his voice tight with urgency. “It leads beyond the borders of our pack—close to the human lands.”

The words made my stomach knot. Humans. I had only heard stories of their world—peaceful, fragile, blind to ours. And now I was being cast into it, ripped from everything I knew.

The tunnel was dark and narrow, the damp air suffocating. Shadows pressed against me with every step, and the echo of our footfalls made it feel as though we were being chased by invisible predators. I dared to look back once, and in the dim light of the torches, I saw it—claw marks gouged into the stone, fresh and wet with blood.

“They’ve been here,” I whispered, horror twisting in my throat.

“Hurry!” Drillan snapped. He shoved me ahead of him, his hand never loosening from the hilt of his blade.

My breath quickened as we pressed deeper into the tunnel, the air growing colder, thinner. My mind screamed at me to stop, to turn back, but there was no turning back. Not anymore.

At last, we reached the final gate—a rusted iron door etched with runes of protection, barely holding against the violent scratching on the other side. The sound was unmistakable. They had followed us.

“Selina, listen to me.” Drillan gripped my shoulders, his eyes blazing with the weight of an unspoken goodbye. “Beyond this door lies their world—the humans’ world. Once you cross, you must not look back. Do you understand?”

Tears blurred my vision, but I nodded, my heart pounding.

The door groaned as he forced it open, the ancient magic flaring with light. A gust of cold, foreign air rushed in, carrying with it the scent of rain and earth unlike anything I had known.

For the first time, I saw it—the faint outline of another world, waiting just beyond.

But before I could step through, a deafening snarl echoed behind us. Shadows surged in the tunnel, and glowing eyes pierced the dark.

“Go!” Drillan roared, shoving me forward.

I stumbled across the threshold, the world of humans only a breath away—when something cold and clawed brushed against my ankle.