“Why do you barge into my room like that?” Selene pushes Rouse back slightly to stand face to face with Inés. The size difference is evident, but Selene doesn’t intend to show fear; in fact, she feels none. If she came looking for a fight, she will get one. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you?” Inés replies with another question. Selene raises an eyebrow at her angry gestures while swinging the dagger near her. “You stole my dress, my design, the one I was going to wear for my birthday. It’s not fair!” “How dare you accuse me when you were the one who destroyed my wedding dress and even tried to poison me? You should be begging for forgiveness on your knees right now,” Selene retorts, but her calm voice only serves to anger Inés further. “You’re a filthy, mangy bitch!” A sharp slap lands on her left cheek, and Selene’s hand trembles from the impact, but she suppresses her discomfort to avoid backing down in front of her. Rouse's sharp intake of breath echoes in the room, and a
Selene slowly comes out of her lethargy. She opens her eyes gradually and can see Rouse, her parents, and Connor talking a few meters from the bed. Her face still burns, and her arm tingles as if something is digging into her bones.Gathering the little strength she has left, she tries to sit up slightly. Alpha Connor notices the movement and walks over to her."Sister..." Rouse calls, but Ragnar takes her hand to stop her, allowing her mate to assist Selene."Rou..." Selene's jaw is tense, and her tongue feels heavy. She's dizzy, but she immediately recognizes the touch of Alpha Connor."She needs the doctor," says a voice she can't fully recognize. "Her wound needs to be healed.""The doctor is treating Inés," that grave voice could only belong to her mother-in-law. Hearing it sends shivers down her spine. All of this could only be the work of that woman. Connor’s growl is his only response."Calm down, stay calm, everything will be fine," says Alpha Connor, but the first thing Sele
Selene is crying, and Connor is hurting as he watches her. All the fury he felt earlier about what happened has faded into the background. Now, he feels the need to comfort and protect her."Peace? Really?" She doesn’t know whether to laugh or keep crying. How does he expect her to have peace with his mother and that young woman constantly harassing her?"Yes, believe it or not, that’s what I want most, Selene. To live in peace with you." He manages to reach her and take her into his arms, but she is so angry that she doesn't hesitate to vent by slapping him.Connor watches her closely. His face stings where their skin made contact; he has to admit she’s not as weak as she appears—no wonder Inés’s face is so messed up."This isn’t the way," he says, trying to gently brush his fingers against her cheek, but Selene lands another blow, this time with a closed fist directly to his nose. How dare he touch her after what he just said? After blaming her like always? Does he think she’s his p
The strange noises coming from the bathroom make Connor quite nervous. His temples are throbbing, and his breathing is so heavy that he struggles to stay calm. Does she really prefer to pleasure herself rather than be with him?"Open the door, right now," the alpha demands, pressing his forehead against the thick wood, but Selene doesn’t even bother to respond. "Seleneeee! You can’t do this!"Selene holds back a laugh at his comment. Connor has said the same thing about ten times since she locked herself in the bathroom."Why?" she asks with a stifled gasp. "Is it forbidden to pleasure oneself?""You know what I’m talking about," Connor growls. "You have no idea what you’re provoking. If Sorem comes out, he’ll break down that door, and you probably won’t like what’s going to happen.""Oh, I think I might," Selene finally opens the door, her body completely wet and wrapped in a towel as she walks to the closet. "I think I might like what he does to me, but since I’m punished, he and yo
"No!" Inés grabs Carla's hand, and she turns to look at her with eyes filled with malice. "We need to come up with something; I can't lose Connor. We need the heir."Carla manages to stabilize her temper, but her blood courses through her veins, threatening to burn her flesh. She’s fed up with that young intruder. She can’t keep failing like this, or she’ll end up pregnant with Connor's child, and that would be a disaster. She needs a plan, a perfect and meticulous one, so that this time, she’ll be gone for good."Her family is there," Inés says again when Carla chooses not to speak. "We can't act impulsively again, or it will be too suspicious. You told me once, and you were right; we need to handle this calmly. Connor already saw her attack me, which was what we wanted. We’ll plan everything well so that next time, there will be no doubt that she's guilty, and he'll kill her.""She won't succeed; she won't stay with the pack," Carla says, leaving the room. But once in the hallway, s
"Have you lost your mind?!" Carla raises her voice in protest at what the alpha has just announced. Connor growls as she stands up and confronts him. "How long does she plan to question your authority?" "No counselor will accept such a thing. Inés can't leave the pack; her birthday is in two weeks. This is unacceptable!""I'm not asking for your opinion, Mother, I'm decreeing her punishment. What is unacceptable is that she tried to poison my mate, her Luna, the night before, and today, she entered our room to attack her, which ended in that brawl between them. I won't allow that to happen again.""Inés came out more hurt than Selene, and there's no evidence of any of the accusations you're making," the elder responds. All the elder women begin to murmur among themselves, something the alpha dislikes greatly. He knows about his mother's influence over those women and that they prefer to do as she says, making it not easy to convince them. However, he promised his mate something he int
"Luna..." Clarisse sits beside Selene on the bench. "My brother told me I could find you here. I came to see if you needed anything.""You don't have to call me Luna, Selene is fine," Selene replies, her gaze fixed on the field where a group of three children are playing. There's a fourth child watching the game from a few meters behind, sitting on the grass. He looks pale and downcast, his expression quite lifeless."My brother is the alpha, and you're his mate, my Luna. I can't call you anything else.""Formalities aren't necessary between us, Clarisse. I consider you like a sister. Besides, you're one of the few people who’ve treated me well since I arrived here," Selene responds.Selene's eyes don’t leave that little boy. He looks about eight years old. She saw him in one of the photographs in the mansion and recognized him quickly when she took this seat half an hour ago, although, to be honest, all those children look quite similar.A middle-aged woman walks up to the boy and gr
The days pass with excruciating slowness in Redwood Wolves. Connor has spent most of the week working with Jackson and Beltrán, while Selene has been helping with administrative tasks at the clinic and the daycare.She hasn't heard anything from Inés since the last time she left that note in the bush, and Selene still hasn't told the alpha about it. She’s not sure if she should go to that place or not. It could be a trap, but it could also be the truth, and it’s gnawing at her mind."We should tell your grandfather," Saya says in her mind, but Selene disagrees. The last time they spoke, two days ago, he was very agitated, even worried about something she didn't know. Burdening him with this seems unnecessary.Selene walks through the training field, heading toward the border. Some of the guardians glance at her, but they don't say anything or stop her. Taking care of the children at the clinic has been her main task these days, and fighting with the doctor and nurses, who think they'r