Chapter 2 – Bound by Fire

The moment stretched between them, thick with the ghosts of the past and the weight of unspoken truths. The grand hall of Bloodmoon Manor was deathly silent, every pair of eyes fixed on the two figures locked in a battle of will.

Kieran could hear the sharp intake of breath from his Beta, Damon Hunt, standing just a few steps behind him. The other wolves in the room remained still, waiting for their Alpha’s command.

Selene Vale had returned. And she had the audacity to stand before him, claiming what she had lost.

His jaw ticked. She always did know how to test the limits of his patience.

"You think I’ll just hand everything back to you?" Kieran said, his voice quiet but laced with unmistakable danger.

Selene held his gaze, unwavering. "I don’t think you’ll hand me anything, Kieran. I think you’ll fight me for it."

The words sent a ripple of unease through the room. A challenge. A declaration of war.

Kieran's lips curled into a slow, predatory smile. "Is that what you want, Selene? To challenge me for your place in this pack?"

Selene stepped closer, and despite the tension coiling in his muscles, he let her. She tilted her head, the glow of the chandelier catching the silver sheen in her irises.

"I want what was stolen from me," she said softly. "And if I have to fight for it, then so be it."

Kieran’s pulse thundered. Damn her. He didn’t know if he wanted to rip her apart or drag her into his arms.

Five years ago, he would have given her anything.

Now? Now he wanted to make her bleed for what she had done.

Damon cleared his throat, stepping forward. "Alpha, this isn’t the time. The summit is in three nights. If word gets out that she’s back—"

"Word will get out," Kieran interrupted, his gaze never leaving Selene. "And I want it to."

Selene raised a brow. "Using me as a warning?"

Kieran chuckled darkly. "You always were a useful weapon."

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but he caught the flicker of something in her expression. Not anger. Not fear. Anticipation.

She had expected this.

She had planned for this.

Kieran took another step, close enough now that her scent wrapped around him—embers and night-blooming jasmine, a dangerous mix of fire and temptation.

"You want back in?" he murmured, his voice a low growl meant only for her ears. "Then prove it."

Selene didn’t flinch. "Tell me where to start."

A wicked smile spread across Kieran’s face. "The south border," he said, knowing full well the danger lurking there. "A rogue pack has been pushing into our land. Take care of it. Alone."

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Sending her into rogue territory alone was a death sentence.

Selene, however, merely lifted her chin. "Consider it done."

Then, without another word, she turned and walked out of the hall.

Kieran watched her go, his body taut with barely restrained tension.

Damon exhaled sharply. "You just sent her to die, you know that, right?"

Kieran’s fingers curled into fists at his sides. If only it were that easy.

Because despite every ounce of fury in his veins, despite every reason he had to hate her…

A dark, dangerous part of him needed her to survive.

And that was the most unforgivable betrayal of all.

The heavy doors of the grand hall swung shut behind Selene, the echo of her departure lingering like the aftershock of an earthquake.

Kieran exhaled slowly, his muscles coiled tight with the storm raging inside him. Every fiber of his being told him to let her go, to let the rogues tear her apart as retribution for the past. But another part—one he despised—refused to believe that she would fall so easily.

She was still the warrior he had once fought beside. The woman who had once held his heart in her lethal hands.

And now, she was his greatest enemy.

Damon shifted beside him, his voice low and sharp. “Are you really going to let her do this? Alone?”

Kieran’s jaw ticked. “She wants back in? She’ll have to earn it.”

“You’re testing her.”

Kieran finally turned to face his Beta. “Wouldn’t you?”

Damon exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his dark hair. “I would. But Kieran—” he hesitated, his voice dipping lower. “What if she survives?”

Kieran’s eyes darkened. That was the real question, wasn’t it?

If Selene died, it would be over. The past would stay buried.

If she lived…

She’d be a threat all over again.

And this time, he wasn’t sure he could resist her.

---

South Border – Midnight

The scent of blood hung heavy in the air.

Selene crouched low behind a fallen tree, her heartbeat steady despite the danger surrounding her. The rogue wolves had set up camp just beyond the ridge, their voices carrying through the trees.

Five of them. Maybe six. She could take them.

A smirk played at her lips. Kieran really thought this would kill me?

Foolish man.

Selene drew a dagger from the sheath at her thigh, its silver gleam catching in the moonlight. She had fought worse than rogues. Survived worse than exile.

She was here for a reason.

To reclaim her place.

To make them all remember exactly who she was.

With a quiet breath, she moved, slipping through the trees like a shadow, her footsteps soundless against the damp earth.

The first rogue never saw her coming.

A flash of silver, a whisper of movement—then silence. He crumpled to the ground, the dagger buried in his throat.

The second barely had time to register the attack before her claws raked across his chest, sending him sprawling into the dirt.

The third and fourth lunged at her together, but Selene was faster. She ducked beneath one’s strike, twisting to drive a second blade into his ribs. The other tried to tackle her, but she rolled, using his own momentum against him.

They were fast.

She was faster.

The final rogue snarled, shifting mid-air, his massive black wolf barreling toward her. Selene didn’t hesitate. She met him head-on, flipping him onto his back before sinking her fangs into his throat.

Hot blood filled her mouth.

Then—stillness.

Silence stretched over the clearing, broken only by the rustle of the wind through the trees.

Selene rose, her chest rising and falling with slow, measured breaths.

Then she wiped the blood from her mouth and turned back toward the manor.

Your move, Kieran.

---

Bloodmoon Manor – Dawn

Kieran was waiting when she returned.

He stood at the entrance, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Behind him, the rest of the pack had gathered, waiting to see if she had survived.

Selene walked past them without pause, dropping something at Kieran’s feet.

A rogue’s severed head.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

Selene met Kieran’s gaze, her voice cool, controlled. “Satisfied?”

Kieran’s lips curled into something dark, something dangerous.

Not quite.

Because Selene had proven something tonight.

She wasn’t just back.

She was here to win.

And that meant war.