Selena POV:
My cheek was pressed up against his chest and I could hear his rapid heartbeat. Our hands were still joined at our sides as my other was pinned to me by his arm around me.
Our emotions swirled in my head, fighting for dominance as our bodies remained motionless. My anger. His confusion. It didn’t matter that our physical contact brought us a certain calm. We were both fighting it as neither of us wanted to give in.
“Selena,” Duncan said quietly, his breathing strained.
“Yes?” I whispered back.
“Why did you run? Can you be honest?” he asked. I knew that he meant our mating and not this morning.
“Because…” I was even quieter than before.
“Because why?” he pressed.
“I don’t want to say.”
He moved his hand up my back and to my neck, pressing so that I would look up at him. He was intently looking down at me, waiting f
Selena POV:“Selena, wake up,” I heard Duncan’s voice calling me from far away. I felt myself being gently shaken and I reluctantly opened my eyes to see Duncan’s handsome face above me. “It’s time for bed. Go get ready while I close up the house,” he whispered as he ran his hand down my arm to my hand to help pull me from my slumped position on the couch. “Close the house?” I asked softly, still groggy. He smiled. “Yes.” He didn’t mention that he wanted to be alone and free from interruption from the pack members. After he helped me to stand, I watched him sleepily for a moment as he made sure to mark my spot in the book and place it on the coffee table. I turned and made my way into the bedroom, hardly aware of my surroundings, since all I could think of was getting into the big bed and going back to sleep. As quickly as possible, I changed into my sleep clothes. I brushe
Selena POV:The rest of the day was spent in peace. We talked as little as possible, which was probably a good thing, since any type of conversation that we attempted led to some sort of battle. I also sensed that neither of us wanted to talk, so the silence was welcomed. After breakfast, we lay on the couch together for a few hours. I read while he watched television. Our physical contact brought that hum of calm and we both accepted it, letting it wrap its tranquility around us. The only time we moved away from the couch was if it was necessary.While we appeared calm, and for the most part, felt each other’s calm through the bond, there were sparks of other emotions that came through occasionally. I knew Duncan could feel the tension in my body every time we had to speak as I could feel his wariness when I saw he was lost in thought and he didn’t see me looking at him. Then there was the strange warmth coming from him when I caugh
Selena POV:I changed into better clothes and went downstairs. Despite this, I tried to keep some distance between Duncan and me because I was acutely aware of the level of intimacy in our relationship. If one could even call this a relationship. What did you call someone who was considered your spouse when you weren’t on the same level as them? Or didn’t really know them? He thankfully didn’t say anything as we waited for Meredith to come. We both tried to keep our emotions as calm as possible to try and avoid talking about what just happened. Finally, I mustered up the courage to talk about something that had been at the back of my mind since I found out about this pack meeting. “Can we talk about something?” I asked. “Talk?” he responded. “What do you want to talk about?”I sucked in a deep breath. “Is there something you want to talk about before I say my piece?” I ask
Selena POV:Duncan took me to the clearing where everything was set up. As we approached, I noticed that there were lights hanging from the trees to illuminate the park. They weren’t switched on yet, but by the time the meeting started, they would be. There were chairs and a table with a velvet cloth that held various items, which I assumed would be for the meeting later. “The meeting will happen here?” I asked him as he continued down the path towards it. “Yes. It will start soon,” he answered simply. “We are coming early to set it up for the others.”I heard voices in the forest as we entered the clearing. Automatically, we looked towards the sound to find the Sentinels rushing around, directing each other with the trays of finger foods.They looked like miniature works of art and too pretty to eat. “Do you guys need any help?” Duncan called loudly. They twisted slightly to l
Selena POV:He led me to the head of the clearing where a few chairs were kept. I sat down and Duncan finally ushered over a person. He was an incredibly big man. I was a little afraid of him. As he neared, the man looked directly at me. His eyes narrowed in study. I felt a shiver go down my spine from his look. After a few tense moments, he gave me a smile that said he was pleased with what he found. I released the breath that I was holding, gulping in a lungful of sweet air. “Selena, let me introduce you to Lamont. He is a Water Witch and a half-breed like you.”“Hello, Selena,” he said with a strong voice. “Hello,” I replied, holding my free hand out for him to shake. He took it between his two large calloused ones and gave a gentle shake. “I have been hearing about your progress from Duncan and Meredith. I understand that you are training to channel Earth and Fire at the moment?” he asked.
Selena POV:I couldn’t say I was surprised that Duncan followed me. He walked beside me and waited for me to stand still. His focus had just fallen on me, but mine had never wavered for him. I was too afraid of witnessing anything but devotion for me in his eyes. He turned me to him slowly and his face slowly started to lose some of its hardened expression as he searched my eyes. I could feel a trickle of concern flow towards me through our bond. “Are you okay?” he questioned. “I’m fine,” I said. Both of his hands moved up to cup my face, but I couldn’t give a thought to the tender gesture as my mind whirled with all the possibilities that Ruth had presented. I knew she was trying to get back at me for speaking against her, but why would she sink so low? What was wrong with her?“Selena, if I ask you to go back to the cleaning and wait for a bit without questioning anything, would you do it?” he aske
Selena POV:A few moments of silence and tacit understanding later, I quickly fixed my appearance so we could return to the meeting happening at his house. I was concerned that we had been absent too long and didn’t want to supply fuel for gossip in any form. As we made our way back, hand in hand, I saw Neo standing on the porch, waiting. The dull thud of my shoes on the stairs did he look straight at us. “You’re needed in the library,” Neo said calmly.“Ruth?” Duncan asked beside me, his emotions giving off sparks of anger. “Yes.”“Thank you,” Duncan said. Nervousness slowly crawled into my stomach as I thought about what would be expected of me in regards to Ruth. Would this be another meeting like I had with the fire incident?“Selena, relax,” Duncan whispered to me as he led me to down the empty hallway. I took a deep breath and released it, trying
Selena POV:Weighing the alternatives in my head, about ordering a banishment and letting her stay here, I needed to know more of the reality of the situation. If Ruth was thrown out, where would she go, exactly? How would she support herself? Could she support herself?“Does she have any family living outside pack land?” I asked. “Yes. She has an older brother. He lives with his mate in her pack. Once a wolf is asked to leave, it is usually a permanent situation. You are not allowed to contact that person. She would be considered a threat to another pack and would not be welcome. A wolf is on their own in that case,” he explained. “I see,” I said, going into my thoughts. I remembered what it was like to be alone in the wilderness, knowing that I had no one to protect me. To be cut off from everything that I knew. The security that a family brings or the pack had in a twisted way was taken away. I had gotten lucky fin