The night air was heavy with the scent of rain, a storm on the horizon, but for now, the world was still. The moon hung low, casting a pale glow across the landscape. Selene stood at the edge of the camp, her gaze lost in the vast emptiness before her. The silence around them was unnerving, like the calm before a storm, and Selene couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to change—something that would alter everything they had fought for.Ronan was close, only a few paces away, his presence like a constant pull at her heart. They hadn’t spoken much since the last battle, the tension between them thickening with each passing day. He was there, always there, yet the distance between them seemed to grow by the hour. It was as though the unspoken words between them had created an invisible barrier—one she didn’t know how to break.She glanced over her shoulder at him, her heart catching in her throat when she saw the pained expression etched on his face. He was trying so hard t
The night air was heavy with tension, the kind that clung to your skin and made your breath feel shallow. Selene stood at the edge of the camp, her gaze fixed on the dark horizon. The fire crackled behind her, its warmth barely reaching her. Her thoughts were miles away, tangled in the web of her emotions and the weight of the truth Ronan had revealed.Can I trust him? That question had been gnawing at her ever since he confessed the truth about his past. The lies, the betrayal, the darkness he had carried with him—it was a lot to process, and she was still struggling with how to fit that new version of him into the space she had made for him in her heart.The camp was silent except for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. Her fingers absently toyed with the dagger strapped to her belt, the cool metal offering a strange comfort. There was a sharpness in the air tonight, something she couldn’t quite place, but it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.“Selene?”Her he
The weight of the decision pressed heavily on Selene’s chest. Every instinct told her to trust Ronan, to follow the path they had carved together. Their bond was strong—unbreakable, or so she had believed. But now, with the stakes higher than ever, doubt crept in like an insidious shadow, whispering in her ear.Ronan’s eyes were soft but determined as they met hers, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in the depths of his gaze. He knew what was at stake, too. The choice between taking the risk for the greater good or playing it safe, staying under the radar. The very foundation of their journey was being tested now, their trust, their commitment, everything they had worked for.“Selene,” Ronan murmured, his voice a mix of conviction and hesitance. “You know we can’t keep running forever. Sooner or later, we’ll have to face it. Face him.”She nodded, her heart hammering in her chest. Her brother. The man who had orchestrated the chaos in their lives, the one who sought power at any
The moon hung high in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the dense Blackwood forest. The annual Blood Moon Hunt had begun, and every young wolf in the pack was out proving their strength. Selene Rivers should have been among them, chasing down prey, testing her abilities. Instead, she was running not as a predator, but as a girl desperate to escape the fate that had been carved out for her since birth.Her father, Alpha Gideon Rivers, had made it clear she was to be mated to Damon Hale, the strongest warrior in the pack, a union meant to solidify Blackwood’s power. But Selene didn’t want power. She didn’t want Damon. She wanted choice.The chilly wind whipped through her long raven hair as she sprinted deeper into the forbidden parts of the forest, where even the bravest wolves dared not tread. The stories spoke of cursed rogues, wolves without packs, exiled for crimes too terrible to name. But she didn’t believe in fairy tales meant to keep children in line.That was until she saw h
The fire had burned low, its embers glowing faintly in the darkness. Selene sat with her knees drawn to her chest, watching Killian as he slept. His breathing had steadied, though his face remained tense, as if haunted by nightmares he refused to voice. The ruins offered them shelter, but she knew it wouldn’t be enough for long. Morning would come. And with it, questions. Selene ran a hand through her hair, exhaling softly. What the hell had she done? She had spent her entire life training to be a warrior, preparing for the day she would take her place beside Damon Hale as his mate, as her father’s obedient daughter. That was the future carved out for her. Safe. Predictable. But now, she was harboring a rogue. Not just any rogue—Killian, the last of the Moonfallen. If anyone found out, she wouldn’t just be punished—she would be executed. Selene shivered, hugging herself as the cold crept in. Was it fear? Regret? She wasn’t sure. All she knew was that something about Killian pu
The ruins were deathly silent, save for the faint crackling of the fire. Selene sat across from Killian, her heart pounding in her chest as the weight of his words settled over her like a thick fog. “I am the last of the Moonfallen.” She had heard whispers of the Moonfallen Pack in childhood stories—ghosts of a lost legacy, a pack wiped from existence by the High Council for crimes too terrible to speak of. Some said they had turned against the Moon Goddess. Others claimed they had harbored a monster so dangerous that the Council had no choice but to eradicate them all. But no one survived. No one could have survived. And yet… here he was. Killian’s silver eyes remained fixed on the fire, his face unreadable. The flames cast flickering shadows over the sharp angles of his features, but Selene didn’t need the light to feel the storm raging inside him. He was a man caught between life and death, between vengeance and survival. And now, she was caught in it with him. Selene exhal
The firelight flickered against the stone walls, casting shifting shadows as Selene paced the length of the chamber. The tension in her body refused to settle, her muscles coiled tight from the night’s battle. She had survived the ambush. Barely. But the true danger wasn’t behind her. It was standing in the doorway, watching her like a wolf cornering its prey.Ronan.She could feel his presence, the quiet intensity of his golden eyes fixed on her. The air between them was thick with something volatile, something she refused to name.“You’ll wear a hole in the floor if you keep that up,” he said, amusement lacing his deep voice.Selene halted mid-step, turning sharply to face him. “I should have left when I had the chance.”Ronan pushed off the doorframe and took slow, measured steps toward her. He moved with a confidence that made her blood hum with frustration—and something else she didn’t want to acknowledge.“And yet,” he said smoothly, “you didn’t.”Selene clenched her fists. She
Selene exhaled slowly, willing her pulse to steady as Ronan pulled away. His fingers had barely left her skin, yet the ghost of his touch lingered, igniting something she refused to name.She should say something-break the silence before it swallowed her whole. But the words tangled in her throat, and when she finally dared to meet his gaze, she saw something dangerous there.Not danger in the way Ronan's enemies feared him. No, this was different. This was the kind of danger that made her chest tighten, the kind that whispered of a fall she wasn't sure she could survive."You should rest," he said at last, his voice quieter now, rough around the edges."You lost more blood than you realize."Selene scoffed, rolling her shoulders as if that could shake off the lingering awareness between them. "I've survive the point.""Then what is?" she challenged.His gaze flickered to her lips for the briefest moment, a flicker so quick she almost convinced herself she imagined it.Almost.
The weight of the decision pressed heavily on Selene’s chest. Every instinct told her to trust Ronan, to follow the path they had carved together. Their bond was strong—unbreakable, or so she had believed. But now, with the stakes higher than ever, doubt crept in like an insidious shadow, whispering in her ear.Ronan’s eyes were soft but determined as they met hers, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in the depths of his gaze. He knew what was at stake, too. The choice between taking the risk for the greater good or playing it safe, staying under the radar. The very foundation of their journey was being tested now, their trust, their commitment, everything they had worked for.“Selene,” Ronan murmured, his voice a mix of conviction and hesitance. “You know we can’t keep running forever. Sooner or later, we’ll have to face it. Face him.”She nodded, her heart hammering in her chest. Her brother. The man who had orchestrated the chaos in their lives, the one who sought power at any
The night air was heavy with tension, the kind that clung to your skin and made your breath feel shallow. Selene stood at the edge of the camp, her gaze fixed on the dark horizon. The fire crackled behind her, its warmth barely reaching her. Her thoughts were miles away, tangled in the web of her emotions and the weight of the truth Ronan had revealed.Can I trust him? That question had been gnawing at her ever since he confessed the truth about his past. The lies, the betrayal, the darkness he had carried with him—it was a lot to process, and she was still struggling with how to fit that new version of him into the space she had made for him in her heart.The camp was silent except for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. Her fingers absently toyed with the dagger strapped to her belt, the cool metal offering a strange comfort. There was a sharpness in the air tonight, something she couldn’t quite place, but it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.“Selene?”Her he
The night air was heavy with the scent of rain, a storm on the horizon, but for now, the world was still. The moon hung low, casting a pale glow across the landscape. Selene stood at the edge of the camp, her gaze lost in the vast emptiness before her. The silence around them was unnerving, like the calm before a storm, and Selene couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to change—something that would alter everything they had fought for.Ronan was close, only a few paces away, his presence like a constant pull at her heart. They hadn’t spoken much since the last battle, the tension between them thickening with each passing day. He was there, always there, yet the distance between them seemed to grow by the hour. It was as though the unspoken words between them had created an invisible barrier—one she didn’t know how to break.She glanced over her shoulder at him, her heart catching in her throat when she saw the pained expression etched on his face. He was trying so hard t
The wind howled through the trees, the sound echoing through the silence of the night. Selene stood at the edge of the clearing, her back to the campfire that had long since dwindled to embers. The flickering light cast long shadows on the ground, and for a moment, she could almost pretend that the world outside of this small circle of warmth didn’t exist. But reality pressed in, and the tension hanging over them like a thick fog refused to be ignored.Ronan’s footsteps approached from behind, his presence as familiar as the rhythm of her own heartbeat. She didn’t turn to face him, even though she felt the pull of his gaze, the weight of his concern as he approached. His voice was low, measured, but she could hear the edge of worry beneath the calm exterior.“Selene,” he said her name with a quiet intensity, “we need to talk.”She finally turned to face him, her eyes searching his face for any hint of what he was thinking, what he was feeling. But his expression was unreadable, as it
The tension in the air was palpable as Selene paced near the edge of the camp. The flames from the fire flickered, casting long shadows across the ground, their orange glow illuminating the darkness of the forest around them. She couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at her stomach, the one that had only grown stronger since the confrontation with the mysterious forces the night before. Something was off. And it wasn’t just the danger lurking at their doorstep—it was Ronan.Her gaze flicked to him, sitting by the fire, his back stiff, eyes distant, as if trying to shut out the world. He’d been like that since the moment they arrived at this temporary refuge, his usual easy demeanor replaced with something hard and unreadable. He hadn’t spoken much since their escape, only giving curt responses when she’d tried to approach him.But it wasn’t just that. There was something more, something deeper she couldn’t quite put her finger on. The air between them had changed, become charged w
The air was thick with tension as the group sat around the flickering campfire, the flames casting long shadows on their weary faces. The remnants of their earlier confrontation with Elias’s forces still hung in the air, unresolved and raw. Selene couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at her gut. Cassian’s sudden reappearance was a complication they hadn’t needed, but now he was here, and they had no choice but to deal with it.Ronan, still recovering from the injuries he’d sustained days ago, was sitting quietly beside her. His face was pale, his eyes darker than usual. She could see the exhaustion in every movement, every slight grimace that crossed his features. He was trying so hard to hide it, but she knew him too well. He was weakening. And the weight of that realization was heavy on her chest.Every time her gaze flickered to him, she felt a pang of guilt. There were moments when she wanted to reach out, to pull him close, but the distance between them had grown—physically
The weight of silence hung over the camp as the sun dipped behind the horizon, casting long shadows over the land. Selene sat by the dying fire, staring into the embers, her thoughts far away from the present. The confrontation between Ronan and Cassian had left an ache in her chest, a wound she didn’t know how to heal. She had hoped that time would allow the tension to fade, that the events of the past few days would simply slip into the past. But the rift between them had only deepened, and no amount of silence could mask the reality that everything was beginning to unravel.Ronan was standing near the edge of the camp, staring out into the distance with his back to her. He hadn’t spoken since their argument—hadn’t really said much at all, in fact. She could feel the bitterness radiating from him, even from here. Every movement he made, every breath he took, seemed heavy with unspoken words.Selene exhaled sharply, pushing herself to her feet. She couldn’t let this linger any longer
The storm rolled in without warning.Selene stood at the cliff’s edge, her cloak whipping around her as the wind howled through the valley below. Lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating the jagged rocks and the dark sky that churned like an unsettled sea. The air was thick with tension—electric, crackling with power that wasn’t just from the storm.It was coming from them.Ronan stood a few feet away, his eyes glowing with restrained fire, his stance rigid with anger. The embers in his palm flickered, threatening to ignite into something uncontrollable.Cassian, on the other hand, stood at the opposite side, his gaze dark, the storm answering his call. The way the wind wrapped around him, the way his presence crackled like the impending downpour—it was clear he wasn’t holding back anymore.Selene’s heart pounded against her ribs. This wasn’t just another argument between them. This was the breaking point.“Both of you, stop this.” She took a step forward, voice steady despite
The wind howled through the trees, carrying the scent of rain and damp earth. The air felt thick, charged with something unseen but heavy enough to weigh on Selene’s chest. It had been days since they’d left the ruins behind, but the tension between them had only grown stronger, stretching like an unspoken thread ready to snap.Selene tightened her cloak around her shoulders, her mind clouded with too many thoughts. Ronan walked a few paces ahead, his broad shoulders rigid, his usual effortless grace dulled by exhaustion. Cassian trailed behind, quieter than usual, his sharp eyes scanning the darkened forest like a predator waiting for a sign of weakness.She didn’t know when it had started—this shift between them. Maybe it was when they barely escaped Elias’s latest ambush. Or perhaps it had begun long before, festering beneath the surface, only now rising to meet them like an inevitable storm.Selene hated this. The doubt. The uncertainty.She had always trusted her instincts, but n