Chapter 5

Selene POV

Once, I was a leader, a title given by blood and tradition. I had been Killian’s Luna, standing beside him as his equal—at least, that’s what I had believed. I had led by his side, trusted his judgment, and cared for our pack as if they were my family.

And they had thrown me away.

Riven leaned against a fallen log, his arms crossed, his sharp eyes assessing Caleb sternly. Dara sat beside him, flipping a dagger between her fingers, staring keenly at him.

Caleb knelt on the ground, watching me as if waiting for judgment.

I wasn’t sure when they had started looking at me for answers.

Maybe it had been the night I first stood my ground against a rogue attack. Or the day I refused to let any of us go hungry. Maybe it had been happening all along, and I had been too focused on surviving to notice.

Now, survival wasn’t enough.

Killian was preparing for war, and he wanted me dead.

But we had a choice.

I exhaled, stepping closer to the fire. “We can run,” I said, my voice even. “Disappear into the wilderness, let Killian take what he wants. None of the eastern packs helped us when we were cast out. We don’t owe them anything.”

Dara’s lips curled in a smirk. “That doesn’t sound like you.”

I met her gaze. “Because it’s not.”

I turned to face them fully. “I’m done running.”

I took a deep breath, “Killian thinks he’s unstoppable. He thinks we’re too scattered, too weak to stand in his way. He’s wrong.”

Dara’s smirk widened. “I love proving people wrong.”

I continued, “I won’t pretend this will be easy. We’re outnumbered. Killian has warriors, resources, and alliances.” My fingers curled into fists. “But I know him. I know how he fights, how he thinks. He wants me dead, and so we will make him think. He won't know that I’m still alive, and that will give us an advantage.”

“What exactly do you mean? How can we make him think that you are dead?” Caleb asked.

A smile formed on my lips as I looked at him. “You will make him think so. He doesn't know that you've betrayed him, and neither do I trust you. But you can prove yourself.”

“You want to fake your death. Nice.” Riven said, impressed by my idea.

Silas’s gaze flickered toward Caleb. “What exactly do you know about his forces?”

“He’s recruiting. Mostly mercenaries, but some packs have pledged loyalty in exchange for protection.”

My jaw tightened. We didn’t have much time.

Dara stretched lazily, tossing her dagger into the air and catching it. “Sounds like we need more fighters.”

“We do,” I agreed. “And I know where to find them.”

Riven raised a brow. “You mean the other rogues.”

I nodded. “Killian’s war won’t just hurt the eastern packs. He’ll come for the rogues too, eventually. We offer them something better—a place to belong.”

“You think they’ll listen to you? You are on a wanted list, with lots of reward attached to it.” Silas said.

I met his gaze. “I think they’ll listen to us. And I won't be approaching them as Selene.”

A moment of silence stretched between us, then Riven chuckled. “Well, damn. You really are a Luna.”

I had spent so long believing I wasn’t enough. That without my title, without my pack, I was nothing.

Now, I am building something new.

And I refused to let it be taken from me.

The next three days were spent preparing.

With Silas's special skills, he was able to dress me up in a disguise while Caleb returned to Killian with the news of my death and a proof to show it.

We traveled through the forest, seeking the scattered remnants of rogue packs, those who had been cast out, betrayed, or abandoned like we had.

Some refused to listen. Others challenged me, and I met every challenge head-on.

And slowly, they began to follow.

By the end of the third night, nearly twenty wolves sat around our campfire.

“Gather around,” I called, stepping onto the largest rock near the fire, looking down at the faces turned toward me.

I took a deep breath. “Some of you have lost everything,” I said. “Some of you have been betrayed, cast out, left for dead.” My gaze swept over them, steady. “I know what that feels like.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

“But I am done being a victim,” I said, “I am done letting others decide my fate. And I know that you are too.”

Dara nodded in approval, arms crossed. Riven grinned.

I continued. “Alpha Killian believes he can take what he wants. That no one is strong enough to stop him. That we will cower and hide while he burns everything down.” My claws extended. “He’s wrong.”

The murmurs turned to growls of agreement.

“We are stronger than he thinks,” I said. “Stronger than he ever was. And together, we will prove it.”

A roar of approval rose around me, voices lifted in defiance, in unity.

I lifted my chin. “Tomorrow, we begin training. We prepare. And when the time comes—we fight.”

The roar became deafening.

Riven smirked. “Well, looks like you’ve got yourself a pack, Luna.”

I turned toward him, meeting his gaze.

“Killian won't see what hits him.”