Chapter 5

Selene’s POV

Two days.

It had been two days since I last saw the break of dawn, two days since I heard the voice of my little princess calling me "mommy." I was weak and unwilling to let my faith die.

My body sagged on the floor, unable to stand anyone. I had bruises on every inch of my body, an impact of hitting the metal gate so much that my head had bruises as patches of dried blood.

I had cried, I had prayed, I had begged and fought for two days with no hope of coming out of here. Alexander meant it when he said he was going to punish me for a crime I didn’t commit.

He meant it when he said he was going to make my life miserable.

I refused to let the idea sink in, as I forced myself up again, my sore knees crawling on the floor  while I dragged myself to the gates of the dungeon, my bloody hands wrapped around the rusty bars of the cell room.

“Is anyone there! please… just get the Alpha for me. I need to know where my baby is." 

I couldn’t cry or yell, but I knew they could hear me from over there. The guards placed in charge of securing the dungeon were at the end of the cell, I could see their shadows flickering on the floor with the aid of the lamp placed on the walls of the dungeons

“Please, my baby, she’s sick... I just want to know how she’s doing.”

My plea didn’t even break their chatter.

This was sheer betrayal. I’d given my all to this pack. I wasn’t the strongest Luna, no. But I’d been kind. Just. I’d cared for every single wolf in this pack like they were my family. I’d earned their love. Or so I thought.

Now? Forgotten.

I sat back on the floor, unable to say another word, because my lungs felt so dry, two days without water had weakened my wolf, my body felt like a piece of crumbled paper in a busy street, and all I could imagine to keep me afloat was the laughter of my little girl.

The memory of her kept me alive. 

I wanted to see her again.

It didn’t make any sense why Alexander chose to torture me.

He should just kill me if he wanted to be solely satisfied with himself.

A new scent waved into the room; it exudes the aroma of a well-cooked meal, one I haven’t tasted in a while. It fueled my mouth with saliva, making my belly rumble.

I heard the sound of a lady who I assumed to be the maid who had brought food for the guards.

They teased and played with each other, but one thing caught my ears.

“The coronation will happen in a day,” the lady said.

“The Alpha would be inviting other pack members; did you know that?”

“It’s going to be wild! The new Luna promised so many changes; we would be swimming in abundance of food and enjoyment after her coronation; I can’t help but adore her.”

“I heard she wants to open the cellar and the treasury and share the pack wealth with everyone!”

My chest tightened. It had only been two days, and everything I’d worked for was already being torn apart. This “new Luna” was promising everything that would ruin the pack in the long run. Did Alexander care? Of course not.

The voices faded, and silence settled over the dungeon once more.

Then, footsteps. Slow, deliberate. Coming closer.

Like a damn slave, I crawled to the rusted bar, my face stuck in between the tight bars of the cell bars, when my nose picked up a scent.

It was different from the usual scent of the workers of the pack.

A clean, earthy smell, like the forest after a rainstorm. 

It was a familiar scent that filled me with a sense of denial and dread.

“No… it can’t be.” My wolf stirred, her voice laced with disbelief.

My breath caught when I saw the figure standing there.

“Lucian?” I whispered.

Alexander’s older brother. The man who should’ve been Alpha. The man everyone thought was dead!

He pressed a finger to his lips, silencing me. His face was partially hidden in shadow, but I could see enough. His dark hair fell messily over his brow, framing a face that had hardened over time. Yet, even in the dim light, there was a haunting allure to him, a dangerous magnetism that made it impossible to look away.

Lucian was alive.

But why now? Why here?

A frown sat on his face as he stared at me in disgust or shock, but I could not tell apart as the light wasn’t in my favour.

Was I seeing a wolf ghost? 

Alex had accused me of sleeping with him. Was that the reason why I was reminded and seeing this face again? The man that I’d rather forget... for the past six years. 

Without a word, he crouched and slid a plate of food through the bars. A simple plate of meat, but to me, it might as well have been a feast.

“Eat,” he said, his voice low, commanding. “You’ll need your strength.”

The sound of his baritone voice had me in a haze of confusion. I hesitated, torn between disbelief and hunger. Was this real? Or was I hallucinating, driven mad by starvation?

My stomach won. I snatched the plate and began to eat with my hands, shoving the food into my mouth as if it might vanish if I stopped.

The illusion seemed so real.

A bottle of water appeared next, rolling toward me. I grabbed it, uncapped it with shaking hands, and drank greedily. The cool liquid burned down my parched throat, but I didn’t care.

Whatever was going on, I was happy about it. 

I hoped it never ended.

“What are you doing here?” I looked up at him and finally asked, my voice trembling. “You’re supposed to be... dead.”

“How are you feeling?”

I didn't respond; I was staring at the man before me.

The sharp lines of his jaw, the scar running from his mouth to his eye.

Aside from that, he hadn’t changed much—still composed, still the same charming man who had once been everything to me. 

But now... I was ashamed. Embarrassment washed over me as I realized I was letting him see me in this pitiful state, broken, far from the woman I once was.

Then, suddenly, it hit me. My mind snapped to the present, and I grabbed the cold bars of the cell with desperation.

“Lucian! My daughter, Ella—please, you have to help her! Is there any chance you can save her? Please, she’s in danger. She will die if no one tends to her, especially now that Natasha is Luna... I just want her safe! I promise I’ll do anything you want. Just make sure she’s safe, please...”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I reached out to touch his coat, my hand trembling. He flinched, as if my touch was unwelcome.

I hadn’t seen him in years—not after he chose to hide away from me rather than run away with me, just on the eve of my wedding. He’s the one who broke our naive promise. He’d abandoned me once. He’d left me to this fate.

Yet he’s the only one here I could rely on.

I must have irritated him with my desperation, because he didn’t answer right away. Instead, I saw him stiffen, his expression unreadable.

I retreated a step, clasping my hands tightly together, and begged again. My voice was raw with pleading.

“Please, Lucian. You must have a way. Could you help her? Please… please…”

I was begging him without any pride left. I had nothing left but this desperate hope.

Lucian’s eyes mixed with something I couldn’t understand; he spoke slowly, “I could help your child, Selene. If that’s your wish. I could even get you out of here, but it won’t come without a cost. I need you to do one thing for me later.”

Before I could get any more clarity, footsteps echoed in the hallway outside, pulling our attention. And just like that, before I could stare back at him, he was gone like the wind.

I slumped to the ground, my heart pounding.

Had he really been here, or was it just a dream?