CHAPTER 11: THE BREAK IN THE BOND

Selene's POV “Arden—don’t move—” “I’m not leaving you,” he growled, dragging himself upright even though his legs shook violently. “Selene, get behind me.” But I couldn’t move. Not because of fear—because the thing standing at the edge of the clearing was staring at me like it already owned the air I breathed. Arden followed my stare and stiffened. “What the hell is that?” The stranger let out a quiet laugh. “Your replacement.” “Shut up,” Arden snapped. “Selene, don’t listen to anything he says.” I wanted to answer him. I wanted to take one step back, just one, but the silver-veined creature held my gaze like a hand around my throat. Not choking—just… holding. Claiming. A low hum rose in my chest, a pulse that wasn’t mine, wasn’t Arden’s, and felt too close to the energy that had burst out of me earlier. Arden noticed. “Selene,” he whispered, voice breaking, “your eyes—” “I know,” I whispered back. “I feel it.” The stranger tilted his head at me, amused. “She’s finally hear

Last Updated : 2025-11-19

CHAPTER 12: THE NAME I CAN'T FORCE OUT

Selene's POV Arden’s hand cupped my jaw before I could stop trembling. “Selene. Look at me.” I lifted my eyes to his, and everything else blurred—the room, the cold air, even the echo of that voice in my head. Only his face was solid, his stare sharp enough to slice through the panic squeezing my chest. “You’re here,” he said. Not a question. A command to my breath. “Stay with me.” “I’m trying,” I whispered. “Then try harder.” His forehead touched mine. “I’ve got you.” My fingers curled into his shirt, twisting it. I didn’t even realize I’d done it until his heartbeat thudded against my knuckles. Arden covered my hands with his own. “Tell me what happened.” “I… I heard him,” I said. “Not outside. Not in the room. In my head.” Arden’s jaw flexed. “What did he say?” “I don’t know if I can…” My voice cracked. Something in my throat locked every time I tried to say it. “Selene,” he murmured, “don’t be afraid to use your voice.” “I’m not afraid,” I shot back—too fast, too defe

Last Updated : 2025-11-21

CHAPTER 13: ALMOST

Selene’s POVArden’s grip tightened around my wrist the moment the footsteps echoed down the hall—fast, sharp, purposeful.“Selene,” he breathed, voice low and urgent, “come here.”Before I could ask what was happening, he pulled me toward the darkest corner of the abandoned room—a narrow space behind a broken wooden cabinet, just big enough for the two of us to fit.“Arden—”“Quiet.”He pressed a hand gently over my mouth, not harsh, not forceful—just enough to steady my breathing. His body boxed me in completely, warmth and scent enveloping me until the outside world felt distant.The door was shoved open with a single brutal kick.Arden pressed closer against me, effectively caging me in. His heartbeat vibrated against my chest.“Someone’s here,” he mouthed.No.Not someone.A hunter.A blade was unsheathed—metal dragging across metal, cold and deadly.The hunter’s voice cut through the darkness.“Alpha Arden? I know you’re here. And the girl—you brought her with you, didn’t you?”

Last Updated : 2025-11-21

CHAPTER 14: BREAKING POINT

Selene’s POVArden pulled me through the hallway like the building was collapsing behind us. His hand was burning against mine, his breath sharp with urgency. The air outside the abandoned room was colder, filled with the scent of wet pine and something sour beneath it—like rot trying to hide under fresh leaves.The earth trembled again.“Arden—what is that thing?” I asked, struggling to match his pace.He didn’t answer at first. I could feel the tension coiled inside him—like every step was a countdown he was trying to outrun.“It isn’t a wolf,” he said finally. “It’s older. And it knows you woke up.”A chill slid down my spine. “It’s after me?”“Yes.”A tree outside snapped in half like a twig. The crack echoed through my bones.I swallowed hard. “Because of my bloodline?”“Because of your power,” he corrected. “And because something in you called it.”I didn’t know which answer was worse.We burst out the back door just as another tremor ran through the earth. The forest ahead seem

Last Updated : 2025-11-24

CHAPTER 15: THE ONES WHO SAW TOO MUCH

Selene’s POV The moment we stepped out of the treeline, the air shifted. Not the forest’s usual hush—this was different. Voices. Dozens of them. A low, tense hum. Arden’s hand shot out across my stomach, stopping me before I stepped into the open clearing. “Stay behind me,” he murmured, but his voice wasn’t sharp. More… unsettled. I peeked around him. There were people—wolves—gathered near the half-collapsed cabin by the ravine. Lanterns flickered against their silhouettes, illuminating drawn weapons and wary eyes. “Who are they?” I whispered. Arden exhaled slowly. “Rogues. But not the usual kind.” Before I could ask what he meant, a woman stepped forward from the group. Tall, lean, with dark braids and a scar slashing across one cheek. Her yellow eyes glowed even without shifting. When she saw Arden, her lips parted in genuine surprise. “You?” she said softly. “I thought you were dead.” “Disappointed?” Arden replied dryly. She barked a short laugh. “Actually? Relieved.”

Last Updated : 2025-11-25

CHAPTER 16: BLOOD AND SHADOWS

Selene’s POVI froze, my limbs trembling as the Shade’s voice slid through the clearing like smoke curling around the trees.“Your blood remembers me… even if you don’t,” it whispered again, low, deliberate, almost savoring each word.Arden’s hands clamped over my shoulders, anchoring me. His body pressed close behind me, muscles taut. “Selene… don’t speak. Don’t even breathe in its direction.”“I… I can’t just—” My throat felt dry, as if even a word might call it closer.“You will,” he growled under his breath. “Do not respond. Do you understand?”“Yes,” I whispered, though my voice shook.A low hiss came from the shadows, and I could feel the weight of its gaze on me. Cold. Possessive. Wrong. My chest tightened.Arden’s jaw clenched. “It knows you. Selene. And it doesn’t care about anything else.”“I… don’t understand. How can it—how can it know me?” My voice cracked.“You’re Luna-blood,” Arden said, his tone sharp, urgent. “That’s not a question. It remembers the line. It senses it

Last Updated : 2025-11-26