Chapter Two

Selina’s POV

I should have left.

The moment Kieran rejected me, the moment the entire pack turned their backs on me, I should have run.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I let the numbness seep into my bones, let my feet carry me through the halls of the packhouse, up the grand staircase, past the portraits of Alphas who had come before. Their golden eyes seemed to watch me, judging.

I didn’t stop until I reached my room—a small, tucked-away space meant for someone of my status. A servant’s daughter. An orphan.

Not an Alpha’s mate.

Not a Luna.

The moment I closed the door, the dam inside me broke. My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath.

I had always known I wasn’t meant for greatness. That no matter how much I loved Kieran, no matter how much I wished for more, I would always be just Selina.

But for one fleeting moment, the Moon Goddess had told me otherwise.

For one second, I had been chosen.

And he threw me away like I was nothing.

Tears burned down my cheeks. I pressed a hand against my chest, right over the spot where my heart felt like it was shattering into a thousand jagged pieces.

I had heard stories of rejected mates. How the pain of rejection could drive wolves mad. How some never survived it.

But I didn’t get the chance to grieve.

Because just as I sucked in a shaky breath, I heard something outside my window.

A rustle. A shadow.

And then—

A scream.

Muffled. Panicked.

Lilith.

My body reacted before my mind could process it. I scrambled to my feet, ripped the door open, and ran.

The halls were eerily empty. The celebration downstairs had drowned out any other noise. No one had noticed that something was wrong.

But I had.

I followed the sound, my heart pounding with every step. The moment I turned the corner, my blood ran cold.

Lilith was there. Or rather, her unconscious body was.

A hooded figure dragged her down the dimly lit hallway, their gloved hand covering her mouth. She was limp, completely out cold.

For one breath, I hesitated.

Lilith had gotten everything I wanted. Kieran. The pack’s love. The future I had been robbed of.

And yet—

I couldn’t let her die.

My wolf surged forward, growling, forcing me into motion.

“Let her go!” I shouted.

The figure froze, turning toward me.

For a split second, I saw their face beneath the hood.

A scar ran from their temple to their jaw. Their eyes—wolf eyes—glowed an unnatural silver.

Then, before I could react, they threw Lilith aside like she was nothing. She hit the ground hard, but I barely had time to check if she was breathing before the attacker lunged.

I barely dodged.

Claws sliced through the air, missing my throat by inches. I stumbled back, heart hammering, my wolf roaring inside me.

But I wasn’t a fighter. I had never trained like Kieran or the warriors.

And I was losing.

The attacker struck again, and this time, I wasn’t fast enough. A sharp pain ripped across my side, hot and searing. I gasped, falling to my knees as blood stained my dress.

This is it, I thought.

This is how I die.

Then—

A roar shook the hallway.

Not a growl. Not a snarl.

A full, guttural roar.

And suddenly, the attacker was gone.

One second they were in front of me, and the next, a blur of muscle and fury tackled them to the ground.

Kieran.

I had never seen him like this before. His wolf was only half-shifted, his claws extended, his fangs bared. But it was his eyes that shook me to my core.

They weren’t just angry.

They were murderous.

The attacker struggled beneath him, but Kieran was relentless. His fist crashed into the man’s face once, twice, three times. Blood splattered against the floor.

“Kieran, stop!” someone shouted.

Beta Dorian.

Other warriors stormed the hallway, but none dared to interfere. They knew. They felt it.

The future Alpha had snapped.

But it wasn’t until the attacker coughed—blood pooling from their mouth—that Kieran finally pulled back. His breathing was ragged, his hands shaking.

“Take him to the dungeons,” he growled, his voice unrecognizable.

The warriors obeyed, dragging the nearly unconscious man away.

And then his gaze found me.

For one heartbeat, I thought I saw concern flash in his eyes.

But then his expression hardened.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he snapped.

I flinched. “I—I was trying to help—”

“You could have gotten yourself killed.”

His anger hit me like a physical blow. Not because of what he said.

But because he cared.

Even after everything, even after rejecting me, there was something raw in his voice.

He didn’t wait for me to respond. He turned away, kneeling beside Lilith instead.

His true mate. The one he had chosen.

I swallowed hard, pushing down the ache in my chest.

Lilith stirred, her lashes fluttering. The moment she opened her eyes and saw Kieran, she whispered, “You came for me…”

And just like that, I knew.

I was nothing to him.

I had never been.

Even as my side bled, even as I fought to stay conscious, I wasn’t the one he held.

I wasn’t the one he cared about.

I was just the girl he threw away.

The unwanted mate.

And I was done being weak.