Chapter 4

Selene's POV

Victor was standing in front of me, his eyes colder than I had ever seen them. His voice was sharp, like broken glass. “I found her,” he said. “My fated mate. You were never meant for me, Selene. I don’t love you. I never did.”

I tried to scream, but nothing came out. My mouth opened, but my voice betrayed me. I reached for him, but he stepped back, his eyes like steel, his hand wrapped around Camilla’s waist.

Then I woke up.

I gasped and sat up in bed, my skin damp with sweat. My heart slammed against my chest like it wanted out as I looked around the room, trying to remember where I was. The nightmare felt so real, like it had just happened.

But I wasn’t in that mansion. I wasn’t standing in front of Victor. I was back in my old room. At home.

The silk sheets wrapped around me smelled like lavender and sunlight. The pale gold curtains moved gently with the breeze from the open window. I could see the mountain tops from here, the ones that touched the clouds.

I was safe.

I pressed my palm to my chest and whispered, “Thank you, Moon Goddess. Thank you.”

But my peace didn’t last long.

The door suddenly swung open.

I jumped, almost falling off the bed. My father stood in the doorway like a storm that had just burst through the sky. Alpha Mason. King of Werewolves. His presence filled the room before he even stepped in.

He was wearing a dark shirt with the royal crest, and his jaw was tight. Very tight. His eyes, silver like mine, were sharp and full of fire.

“Where on earth have you been, Selene?” His voice shook the walls. “Do you even know what you put this family through?”

I opened my mouth, but he kept going.

“I sent warriors. Messengers. I called you every damn day. You ignored them. You avoided every single one of them.”

“I… I wasn’t ready,” I whispered.

He stepped closer. “You weren’t ready? So you disappeared and left us to wonder if you were dead in a ditch somewhere? You were hiding. From me.”

“I know,” I said, looking down. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

He laughed, but there was no joy in it. “Even after all my warnings, you still stayed with him. Alpha Victor. A man so spineless he let you suffer under his roof while he openly kissed another woman in front of you.”

I winced.

My father’s hands clenched. “You disguised yourself. Lived like an omega. You, my daughter, the firstborn of the Royal Line, heir to the Northern Throne, you chose him over your blood.”

“I loved him,” I said quietly.

“And he destroyed you!” My father roared. “I should rip out his heart and feed it to the wolves.”

“Don’t,” I said, lifting my head.

He blinked.

“Please, Father. Don’t hurt him. I've already left him. I walked out. I’m done with that chapter.”

He stared at me. For a second, I thought he would keep yelling. But then his shoulders dropped just a little.

The door opened again, softer this time.

“Easy, Father,” Ethan said, stepping into the room. “You’re scaring her.”

My brother was really taller now. Broader too. His blond hair was longer than I remembered, and his voice held the quiet calm that made him such a strong Alpha. He crossed the room in three long steps and pulled me into a hug.

“You’re safe now,” he whispered against my hair. “You’re home.”

I closed my eyes, letting myself sink into the warmth of him.

When he pulled back, he faced our father. “You wanted her home. She’s here. Please stop shouting.”

“I’m not shouting.”

“You are.”

My father scowled. “She needs to understand…”

“She understands. She’s not a child anymore.”

“She acted like one.”

“I made a mistake,” I said quickly. “I made a hundred. But I’m here now. Please stop fighting.”

Ethan nodded. “She deserves peace now.”

There was silence for a moment. The kind that holds a lot of unspoken pain.

Then Ethan smiled at me. “We’re throwing a banquet.”

“What?”

He chuckled. “To welcome you back. Every pack will be there. It’s time they see their future Queen again.”

“I’m not…”

“You are,” my father said. “You were born for this. That throne belongs to you.”

Ethan grinned. “Also, I might have called your old tailor. The one who made those pink dresses you loved when you were ten? He’s back in town and he made you a new collection.”

I blinked. “You did all that already?”

He shrugged. “Had to be sure you didn’t try to run away again. I know how fast you are when you panic.”

I laughed a little, even though my chest still felt tight.

Ethan sat on the edge of the bed. “One more thing.”

“More?”

He leaned in. “Do you want to invite Victor?”

I stared at him.

My father growled low. “Don’t even think about it.”

Ethan held up a hand. “Let her speak, Father.”

I thought about the dream. About how cold Victor had been. But then I remembered the way he looked when I walked out. Lost and hollow.

I had spent so long being afraid of what he would say or do. But now… I wasn’t that girl anymore.

“If he wants to come,” I said softly, “let him come.”

Ethan raised a brow. “You sure?”

I nodded. “I need to face the people I ran from. I need them to see me. Not the girl who was scared to speak. But the woman who walked through fire and came out alive.”

My father sighed and rubbed his temples. “This is madness.”

“This is power,” I said.

They both looked at me.

“I lost myself. For four years, I forgot who I was. But now I remember. I’m not just a mate. I’m a daughter. A sister. A wolf with royal blood in her veins. And I’m not running anymore.”

The wind outside howled, almost like it heard me.

Ethan smiled. “Now that’s the Selene I remember.”

“Let him come. I can face him.”