Chapter 5

The attack has shaken the entire pack. Rogues were never allowed in the pack nor becoming the Alpha mate—making me the Luna.

I sat curled myself on the massive bed, my fingers were buried in the soft fabric of my dress. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

I squeezed my eyes shut, but it didn’t help as those words kept ranging in my head.

The memory of the pack enforcer's snarling face flashed behind my eyelids. 

 One moment, I was feeling the sun on my skin for the first time in years. The next, I was on the ground, the weight of what next Elara the beta would do.

And then… Killian.

The way he commanded the enforcers, making them back down as he still chooses me.

I should have felt safe by those words he said.

But all I could feel was terror.

My body is still remembered. Bloodied hands. Harsh voices. The cruel laughter of those who had hurt me before. My mind couldn’t separate the past from the present.

I had flinched when Killian turned to me, his chest rising and falling with fury written over his face.

And he had seen it.

I immediately took a brief look at him under my lashes. He stood by the window, staring into the night, with both hands crossed in his back.

I should thank him for standing by my side. I should say something.

But my throat was still broken.

The door opened, and my heart stilled for a moment before I saw who it was.

Luca.

His steps were quiet and unthreatening, as he carried a tray inside. The scent of herbs wafted toward me.

“She needs to drink this,” he said to Killian, who didn't look back.

Killian didn’t move. Didn’t speak. But Luca understood.

Luca came closer, kneeling beside me. His eyes were kind, filled with an understanding I didn’t deserve.

“Just a few sips, Selene,” he murmured. “You don’t have to, but it will help.”

I hesitated. My hands clenched my dress tighter.

Then, slowly, I reached for the cup.

It was warm in my grasp. I took the smallest sip before setting it down.

Luca smiled, but there was something unreadable in his gaze before he stood and turned toward the door.

“I’ll check on her later,” he said to Killian over his shoulder.

Killian only nodded.

When the door closed, silence stretched between us again.

I curled deeper into myself with my head wrapped under my thigh.

Then, Killian exhaled sharply and turned.

“I won’t let them take you.” His voice was low, almost a growl, as he stared into my eyes.

A tremor shot through me as I heard those words.

I would rather not be afraid of him. But I couldn’t stop it.

 Maybe because I was used to it.

Another silence erupted between us.

Then, softer this time, he said, “I need you to trust me.”

My chest ached hearing those words.

 I had heard them several times, it was all a bad idea.

 Killian had proven reasons I should trust him.

I wanted to trust him. I wanted to believe that he wouldn’t hurt me. That he wasn’t like the others.

But trust had been beaten out of me long ago.

Killian sighed and turned toward the door, his frustration heavy in the air as he walked past me.

It is unclear to me why I did it.

Perhaps it was the quiet way he stood there, looking like he didn’t know how to fix something for the first time in his life. It could be it was the way he had stood up for me without hesitation.

But before I could stop myself, my fingers moved.

I grasped the sleeve of his shirt. Just. 

Just enough that he felt it.

His entire body was tense.

I saw his fists clench, and his breathing hitch.

But he didn’t move. Didn’t turn to look at me.

I wanted to say something.

I wanted to tell him that I was trying. That I wasn’t ungrateful. That I just didn’t know how to be anything besides this—silent, broken, afraid.

However, words weren’t mine to give.

So instead, I let go of his shirts slowly.

Killian stayed there for another long moment without a word.

Then, slowly, he walked out of the door.

I pressed my fingers against my lips, trying to steady my breathing, which was hitting faster.

Yet, the unease in my chest wouldn’t leave.

Something felt wrong.

Wrong inside of me.

A breeze shifted the curtains by the window. The scent of pine and rain drifted in. Although beneath it, there was something else.

Something rotting.

My pulse spiked as the smell sent waves and my stomach churned.

I turned my head, slowly, toward the open window to know if I could see what it was.

And my heart stopped, crouching my breath.

A shadow stood in the darkness beyond the pack house.

It was not moving. Not blinking. Just watching me with a fixed glance and a smirk on the face.

The wind carried a single whisper through the night as he spoke.

“You are mine, little mouse and I Sebastian would get you soon, don't think you had fled from my grip”

The voice was familiar

That voice has haunted me for years.

It was Sebastian.

How did he get in here, and now he wanted to take me back? The whisper in the wind isn’t just in my head. Sebastian is already inside Blackwood territory.