The world came back to me in scattered pieces, like a puzzle slowly falling into place. First, there was darkness—soft, suffocating, and oddly comforting. Then came a flicker of something—light, maybe? A sensation brushing against my skin like a whisper. I wasn’t sure where I was or what was happening, but I knew one thing: I wasn’t dead. Not yet. I was coming back to life. The pressure of a mattress cradled my aching body. My limbs felt like they had turned to stone, each muscle screaming with fatigue. The weight of the blankets was oppressive and yet oddly reassuring. I could smell something faint—herbs and blood, maybe a hint of smoke? It grounded me, reminded me of the battlefield I had fought through, of the pain that had consumed me.My eyelids fluttered open with great effort, as though they were being pried apart by invisible fingers. Even in the dim lighting, it felt blinding. My vision was blurry at first—shapes swimming before me like ghosts. Slowly, the room began to shar
Pain was all I knew.It lived beneath my skin, it had been a constant companion, which had been whispering in my bones. I had forgotten what it felt like to exist without it. The bruises had faded into my flesh, with permanent reminders of a life that wasn’t my own. The scars—jagged, uneven—were stories I could never tell. Not with words. Not with a voice I no longer had. I sat in the iron cage, with my wrists shackled, the cold metal biting into my skin hurts. Looking up, I saw the rogues surrounding me laughing, their voices were thick with the scent of blood and whiskey, but I barely heard them. I kept my gaze low, as I focused on the filth-stained floorboards beneath me. Looking up only earned me pain and I couldn't bear that now.I kept my gaze down because looking up earned me more pain.“Think she’ll last long?” one of them sneered, his boot slamming against the bars of my cage. It hurt, but I endured it, I had been through worse.“She’s a fighter” another chuckled, from the
I woke up feeling warmth. For as long as I could recall, my body had known only the bite of cold metal, the sting of a whip, and that of the rough scrape of stone beneath my skin.But this… this was different, the softness of the bed, with my body covered with a thick blanket. For a second, I couldn't believe it was me.My mind panicked before my body could react to it.Where am I?Sitting up in the bed, my breath was hitching heavily and just in, the room door swayed open, and a wave of dizziness struck me like a blow as I gripped. I figured I was standing in there and for a second, I dare not raise my face up.Standing at the door post was Killian Blackwood.The Alpha.Memories of the night before slammed into me- the rogues, the blood, the cage, and then his golden eyes.I twisted, my heart was pounding heavily but for a second no words, so I raised my head.He stood near the window, with his back to me. His arms were crossed around his chest.I barely breathed, his presence was s
Pain had been my closest companion for as long as I could remember, so wrapping itself around me like a second skin had been me. But this was different. This was new.Not the sharp sting of a whip that I had always gotten every day.Not the dull ache of hunger I always endure every day.This was something else—something warmer, heavier. Something that made my chest feel tight.It was him, Killian Blackwood.I could still feel the imprint of his hands on my skin, as he pulled me on the bed. He had held me—not like an Alpha taking what was his, not like a man claiming ownership. But like someone who had no intention of letting me fall.And I didn’t know how to handle that, so I was frozen in his arms.I forced myself to breathe, to think about the incident and I made my conclusion.I needed to leave.Before I lost myself in whatever dangerous illusion Killian was offering to me. I was not okay with his act. I had not been treated that way before and adjusting to it would be dangerous fo
The word echoed in my head, over and over again, like a curse I couldn’t outrun even when I tried hard to.Killian Blackwood had just claimed me in front of his Beta, in front of his pack. He had spoken the words with conviction, with certainty, as if it was that simple.But it wasn’t.It never was.I had spent years surviving in the shadows, knowing my place. Rogues weren’t claimed. We were discarded, hunted, erased from packs.And yet, here I was.Under his protection.Under his name.Under his rule.A mistake.It had to be.“You’re insane,” Elara muttered to him, raking a hand through her hair.The Council will rip you apart for this and you know.”Killian’s expression remained cold and unyielding as she spoke.“Let them try.”Elara let out a bitter laugh. “You were always reckless, but this? Claiming a rogue as yours? She’ll bring nothing but war to your doorstep, Killian. You know that.”Those words send tenses over me.Not because he was mistaken.Because he was right.I was a p
The attack has shaken the entire pack. Rogues were never allowed in the pack nor becoming the Alpha mate—making me the Luna.I sat curled myself on the massive bed, my fingers were buried in the soft fabric of my dress. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.I squeezed my eyes shut, but it didn’t help as those words kept ranging in my head.The memory of the pack enforcer's snarling face flashed behind my eyelids. One moment, I was feeling the sun on my skin for the first time in years. The next, I was on the ground, the weight of what next Elara the beta would do.And then… Killian.The way he commanded the enforcers, making them back down as he still chooses me.I should have felt safe by those words he said.But all I could feel was terror.My body is still remembered. Bloodied hands. Harsh voices. The cruel laughter of those who had hurt me before. My mind couldn’t separate the past from the present.I had flinched when Killian turned to me, his chest rising and falling with fury writt
You could feel the forest air which was thick with tension filled in it, every breath was lanced with the scent of blood and battle. I barely had a moment to recover from Sebastian’s cruel grip before chaos erupted again, I turned abruptly. Killian was fast to lunge at Luther, their snarls and the clash of their fists breaking the suffocating silence of the night. My heart was pounding violently against my ribs as I stumbled backward, my vision was swimming with fear and desperation in it. Sebastian’s words still lingered in my mind as I stared at him, his sinister smirk was haunting me like a ghost I could never escape. I wanted to escape from it but it was clear I can't escape from it. The moment my body reacted, I realized I wasn’t just standing there anymore—I was running. Running away from Sebastian. Running away from being captured. Running toward my freedom to start a new life. My instincts were screaming at me to flee, to vanish into the darkness where I will never be seen ag
I woke with a start, my breath was coming in sharper than expected, the shallow gasps as the cold air bite of reality hit me hard. The scent of pine trees, and the earth dust filled my senses, but there was an unfamiliar sharpness to it which I didn't understand. My eyes flashed open, I was struggling to adjust to the dim lighting which was around me.I was in a room which was far too nice to be an old abandoned tent, but it didn’t have the comfort of home as expected. I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to make sense of my surroundings, but something was off for me. My pulse quickened as I noticed the figures which had gathered around me.There were faces I didn’t recognize, I hadn't seen before, their eyes were sharp and calculating at a time and they stared at me with suspicion which I didn't get. Some of them were wary, others were openly hostile toward. I didn’t need to be told that I wasn’t welcome here. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.“Where am I?” I
The world came back to me in scattered pieces, like a puzzle slowly falling into place. First, there was darkness—soft, suffocating, and oddly comforting. Then came a flicker of something—light, maybe? A sensation brushing against my skin like a whisper. I wasn’t sure where I was or what was happening, but I knew one thing: I wasn’t dead. Not yet. I was coming back to life. The pressure of a mattress cradled my aching body. My limbs felt like they had turned to stone, each muscle screaming with fatigue. The weight of the blankets was oppressive and yet oddly reassuring. I could smell something faint—herbs and blood, maybe a hint of smoke? It grounded me, reminded me of the battlefield I had fought through, of the pain that had consumed me.My eyelids fluttered open with great effort, as though they were being pried apart by invisible fingers. Even in the dim lighting, it felt blinding. My vision was blurry at first—shapes swimming before me like ghosts. Slowly, the room began to shar
Day seven arrived without warning. The night faded into gray, and morning didn’t feel like morning anymore. There was no chirping of birds outside my window, no warmth breaking through the glass. Only cold, still air pressing against my skin like a second, unwanted blanket. My body felt heavier than yesterday. My eyes flickered open but didn’t move to scan the room. It took too much effort. Even blinking felt like a decision.The scent of herbs was stronger today. It burned the inside of my nose and made my stomach twist. A part of me wanted to turn my head away, but that part no longer listened. My limbs felt like wet cloth—useless and slack.I heard Luca before I saw him. His soft footsteps entered the room, quiet but sure, followed by the faint clink of glass. He always tried not to make noise. He thought silence helped. Maybe it did. Maybe it didn’t. But today, it only made the room feel emptier."Selene," Luca whispered, his voice close to my ear. I didn’t turn to him. I didn’t b
Killian’s POVI walked away from the room slowly, each step heavier than the last. My boots echoed down the hallway, but the sound did little to distract me from the storm inside my head. My chest felt tight, like something invisible had its grip on me, refusing to let go. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. Not after seeing Selene like that—so still, so pale, her breaths barely there.The silence in the hallway didn’t match the noise in my mind. A thousand questions swirled like a hurricane. Was I doing the right thing? Could I save her? Could she survive this? And if she didn’t... what would I become?I remembered Elder Garrick’s words."If she dies before the moon rises, the pack will turn on you. The pack must have a Luna."He never said it aloud, but we both knew who he meant—Elara. My beta wolf. My most trusted warrior. She was fierce, loyal, and strong. Everything a Luna should be on paper.But Selene... Selene was different.She was broken, mute, and slowly dying.Yet somehow, she
Killian’s POVThe elder’s council room was cold and filled with heavy silence. I stood by the window, arms folded, jaw tight. The scent of incense burned low in the corner, but it did nothing to calm my nerves. Elara sat to my right, hands folded neatly in her lap. Chief Elder Garrick entered last, his long cloak dragging slightly behind him as he moved to his seat. He didn’t sit yet. He looked straight at me.“The Moonlight Celebration is five nights away, Alpha,” he said, voice low but firm. “Have you brought your mate-to-be forward for preparation?”I clenched my jaw before I answered. “That’s why we’re here.”He finally sat down. Elara turned her head slightly towards his direction and then back to mine, she was watching me like she was waiting for something, maybe waiting for me to say something.“I need more time,” I said in a cool dry voice. “Just a little.”Elder Garrick frowned. “Time is not something the moon waits for. The celebration date cannot be moved. It has been decid
The morning of day eight arrived like a ghost, silent and grim.There was no warmth in it, no softness from the rising sun. Just the dull light bleeding through the curtains and the weight in my chest pressing heavier than before. The scent of herbs filled the room, thick and cloying, but even that was faint to me now. I couldn’t lift my hand to wipe the sweat from my temple. I couldn’t ask for water. I couldn't even whisper.I hadn’t spoken a word in years—not since the trauma stole my voice—but now, even my hands refused to obey me. They trembled weakly whenever I tried to sign, and more often than not, my fingers just... gave up. It was like my body was already grieving the life it once had, before the poison began to eat away at what little strength I had left.Luca had finally said it aloud last night.“You’re not getting better, Selene,” he whispered, kneeling beside my bed, his voice barely hiding the tremble in it. “The poison is spreading too fast. Your heart is weakening.”A
The golden hue of evening spilled lazily through the tall windows, it was casting long shadows that danced across the marble floors . The room where I laid was quiet—too quiet. Only the soft ticking of the clock above the fireplace marked the passing time.I laid there, propped up by a few pillows, my limbs unmoving and cold under layers of blankets which lay on my chest. Luca had come in earlier, carefully adjusting my IV and murmuring soft words I barely registered in my head. My mind was wandering about as he spoke. I couldn't recall what he said but I knew for certain he said something, something encouraging. His presence was calming, but even that felt muted against the steady ache that had settled deep inside me. The poison had sunk its clue deeper inside of me. Every passing hour was becoming traumatic for me. The pain. I hadn’t been to class with Luca in days now. Not that I could move and he was also my healer. The lesson between us had been forced to pause everything con
The silence in this room isn't peaceful. It's suffocating me.It clings to the corners, presses into my lungs, and settles over me like the same heavy blankets I can no longer toss aside by myself. Morning has melted ever since Elara and Luca left and now we are into afternoon, but no one’s come in yet after then. Not Killian. Not Elara. Not even Luca.I stare at the ceiling, watching the faint patterns in the paint, like tiny rivers that move only when I blink too long. I try to shift, to sit up, to move anything below my waist. But the truth is brutal and unchanging—my body does not respond. I’m trapped in it.I swallow against the dry ache in my throat. My eyes flicker to the door. There’s a soft knock, and then it swings open.Luca steps in, his white coat wrinkled, dark circles bruising the skin beneath his eyes. He looks exhausted. I try to smile, but my lips barely twitch."You're late today," I murmured.He pauses at the foot of my bed. “Sorry, Luna. Things have been... tense.
Day Nine.It starts with silence. Not the comforting kind. Not the kind that cradles you gently and lets you drift into sleep. No, this silence is suffocating. Heavy. It presses down on me like a weight I can’t lift, reminding me that I’m no longer the girl who used to race through the woods, who used to lead warriors, who used to be Luna with fire in her veins.I stare at the ceiling, blank and white. It’s all I’ve seen for the last few hours. It mocks me.I will try again.My fingers dig into the mattress as I push, trying to lift myself, even if just a little. But nothing happens. My legs remain still. Dead. As if they’ve been replaced by something foreign—something that doesn’t belong to me.I scream into the silence, but it swallows the sound whole.Luca had checked on me earlier, his face carefully neutral, but I could see it. The flicker of fear in his eyes, the tightness in his jaw. He doesn’t know what’s wrong. No one does.I feel like a ghost trapped in a body that’s slowly
I hate this bed.The scent of sterilized herbs, clean linen, and distant antiseptics is suffocating. Most times I feel like throwing up.I can hear the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. Every tick reminds me of what I’m losing.I tried to get up this morning.I tried to swing my legs off the bed, place my feet on the floor, and stand like I always have.But nothing happened. It was so stuffed like a ribbon was tied in my legs.No sensation. No pain. No movement.Just dead weight. And my feet can't move.I was becoming afraid. What was happening to my feet I can't tell. Left with no option than to scream!I screamed, clawing at the sheets, trying to force my body to obey—anything but this helpless stillness. My legs… they wouldn’t respond.I couldn't feel them.A part of me was stolen overnight, and I didn’t even notice until I tried to move.Elara rushed in, panic veiled behind her usual cool expression. Luca followed her a heartbeat later. I saw it in their eyes—the fear, the u