Selena's POV
I struggled to open my eyes amidst a thick darkness. Around me was a brilliant halo of light, and at the center of it stood a figure. He faced me, silhouetted against the light. Though I couldn't see his face, I could sense that he was looking at me, smiling. "Xander?" I was not sure where I found the courage, but the question escaped me instinctively. The figure trembled slightly, yet didn't respond. Instead, he strode toward me, as though summoned by some silent command. Thud. The dull, heavy sound of his footsteps sent a wave of unease through me. Fear of Xander had only begun after we became Mates. Once, he had been full of life—a man in a white shirt standing in a moonlit field, gently taking my hand as we danced an elegant waltz under the gaze of the moon god. Sometimes, we'd sit quietly on the grass, surrounded by an endless sea of greenery, as if nature itself had painted the scene for us. I'd rest my head on his shoulder, eyes closed, listening to him hum a soft, romantic tune. Whether it was a sunny afternoon or a starry night, Xander's embrace had always been my warmest harbor. I could feel his love. Every touch was a silent expression of his deep affection; every glance was filled with tenderness. Our hearts were entwined like a blazing bonfire—warm and radiant. For a time, I believed I had found my true Mate. But all that beauty, as perfect as it seemed, was like a mirage—dreamlike and utterly unreal. "Selena." The person in front of me called my name softly. I slowly raised my head, and there, before me, was Xander's familiar face. But this Xander wasn't the same as before. He smiled as he slowly took my hand, his wide palm gently closing around my fingers. Feeling the warmth of his touch, I couldn't shake the sense that none of this was real. Especially his eyes, which were filled with a tenderness I had never seen before. No! This was all an illusion! As much as I wanted to surrender to this comforting dream, the unfamiliar Xander before me filled me with dread. "No!" I screamed with all my strength, and a searing pain ripped through my body. Suddenly, the ground beneath me vanished, and I fell into an endless abyss. "Help!" I cried out instinctively, my body thrashing violently for a moment before I realized the scene in front of me was changing. An exquisitely ornate chandelier appeared overhead, and the surroundings became increasingly familiar. It hit me—I was in my room. Everything that had just happened had been a dream. My throat was so dry it felt like it was on the verge of burning. As I tried to push myself up, I suddenly noticed someone sitting beside me. His presence was cold, his back like an iceberg that had been frozen for ten thousand years. "Xander..." My voice was weak and trembling, as if I was clinging to the last thread of hope. Xander didn't respond. His eyes were cold and distant, as if he were looking at a stranger. "I told you, a worthless thing like you wouldn't die so easily." His voice was cold and measured, utterly devoid of emotion. A wave of despair washed over me, chilling my heart as if it were being blown by a relentless icy wind. "Why are you still here?" I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. But the gentle smile Xander had worn in my dream still lingered in my mind. Facing his frosty, indifferent expression now was too much to bear. "You don't get to die until I say so." Xander's voice was sharp as he turned to glance at me. "Don't forget, I'm still your Mate, not your slave." I gathered all my strength to prop myself up on the edge of the bed, raising my head to meet Xander's gaze. "And you claim my father killed your parents, but where's the proof? There's not a shred of solid evidence. Who are you to smear his name?" Xander's expression grew colder with every word I spoke. "Don't think that the bond between us gives you power. Without me, you're nothing." His face twisted as he spat the words. "I hate your arrogance. I hate your self-righteousness. I hate how you twist everything. You're the one who rejected me, and now you're back, going back and forth. You blame my father for everything, he's carried that burden for years, and I've sacrificed my life for it. What more do you want?!" I glared at him, my frustration boiling over, every word filled with anger. As soon as my words left my mouth, my heart was already beginning to regret them. The last person who dared to speak to Xander like that probably had been long dead. "Heh." To my surprise, Xander did not show his anger. Instead, he laughed loudly. At that moment, my heart sank to the bottom of the abyss. The more Xander laughed, the more it indicated that his anger was on the brink of eruption. "There are consequences for wrongdoing, and both you and your father will pay the price." Xander stood up slowly, his tone calm and unwavering. "Do you think a few light words can erase the sins your father committed? Selena, you haven't changed at all. You're still as naive and foolish as ever." With a sneer, Xander leaned in close to my ear. "It's not just once, but today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life, you'll have to be a good girl and stay by my side to atone for your father's sins. He made me lose my parents, and I will make him lose his daughter forever." Xander's voice was cold and empty, his words piercing my heart like a poisoned dagger. I couldn't understand how the Xander who once gazed at me with such affection had become the man before me now. Tears streamed down my face once more, and I felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness and despair. After delivering his words, Xander turned away indifferently, no longer regarding my expression. His figure disappeared into the darkness, as if he had never been there at all. The moon was obscured by a thick layer of dark clouds, and in this shadowed world, I felt utterly lost, not knowing where to turn.Selena's POVThe night was silent, and when I woke up again, I realized that Xander was nowhere to be found in the empty room. I struggled to get out of bed, feeling the pain in my chest intensify. Earlier, before coming back from the hospital, I had refused Liam's offer of a simple painkiller. I still felt a little groggy and touched my forehead absently, finding it hot as hell."Crap," I sighed softly to myself. Maybe it was yesterday's rain shower that caused this sickness. My throat was dry, and I was short of breath. Just sitting on the edge of the bed made me feel like I was about to collapse."Xander was right. You always look for an excuse to be lazy. Get up and scrub the floor."A disgusting figure suddenly appeared in the doorway. Lisandra was leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded, looking at me with contempt."What?" The fever made my mind a little foggy, and I frowned at Lisandra."Why are you pretending again? Can't you remember who you are, you lowly woman?
Selena's POV"Stop... stop!"Sensing the situation spiraling out of control, I frantically covered my chest. Xander showed no intention of stopping; his pupils slowly contracted with greed as he surveyed my body.My voice trembled, but Xander's face remained expressionless. He playfully surveyed me, gently licking his dry lips, as if he'd just heard an erotic joke."Would anyone stop me from doing what I need to do with my own woman?" Xander spoke softly."I'm going to reject you!"Seeing my threats were futile, I repeated myself."That's funny."Xander's eyes filled with laughter. He lay on top of me, his rough breath invading my space. I could feel his chiseled stomach pressing against my chest. Though I wanted to look at his lips, I dismissed the thought.Without hesitation, Xander straddled me, and as he lowered his head, I felt my nipples harden. Xander noticed and covered my breasts with his wide palms, rubbing them vigorously without mercy."No, don't."I struggled to stop him,
Selena's POVThe cold war between Xander and me lasted for days, and Xander literally stopped bringing me food as he had shown. After a few days of starvation, my body seemed to reach its limit, and it felt like there was an endless abyss in my stomach craving sustenance.I realized I would starve to death if I continued like this, and the wolf inside me wailed weakly over and over again. However, my poor self-esteem kept me going because I didn't want to be like before, when the point of every day was to be a tail-wagging dog around Xander.Just as I was thinking that, a loud noise suddenly came from the doorway. Before I could react, I heard a loud boom, and the door to my room was kicked open from the outside. A tall and cold figure appeared in front of me."Drag her out of here. I don't want anyone dying on my turf; it's bad luck," Xander said, his eyes flashing with a hint of contempt. He waved his hand, and the dutiful werewolf soldiers on either side rushed over to grab me and
Selena's POVI thought about just walking away and not having to look Xander in the eye anymore, but the consequences of that might actually be what Xander said. My father's pack would fall apart overnight. I didn't doubt for a second that Xander had the power to do that. And I'd been living this groveling life with the ultimate goal of just wanting the best for my pack. So for the sake of the pack, I had to drop the high profile I had just taken and admit my mistake to Xander. Once this thought surfaced in my mind, all those sufferings and pains I once endured haunted my body like maggots in my wound, causing my soul to tremble."You did this?" I took a deep breath and turned my head to look at Xander. "Do I have to report everything I do to you now?" Xander gave me a cold look, a sneer on his lips. "It's fine for you to target me, but why target my father? What exactly did he do to piss you off?" I clenched my teeth and grimaced as I responded to Xander. "You're not even quali
Selena's POVI was a little confused to see Liam. I remembered that I was supposed to on the way to my mentor's hospital, so why was I here?"Don't think too much about it. I found you passed out on the floor on my way to work. What happened?" Liam asked with concern, noticing something unusual in my expression."Nothing, maybe it's just the aftermath of that awful illness." I struggled to sit up and lean against the hospital bed."Is he still asking you to help with the blood transfusion?" Liam asked seriously. He was serving a bowl of hot soup and froze when he heard my answer."Yeah, but I refused." I looked at Liam; he was pure, like a blank sheet of paper.We met on campus. Liam attracted a lot of attention with his excellent medical skills and outstanding appearance, becoming the dream guy of many girls. But over the years, even after joining the workforce, he hadn't shown any intimacy with other girls. If he hadn't repeatedly emphasized that he was straight, many people might h
Selena's POVWhen I arrived home in a muddle, I found Xander sitting in the hall, watching me teasingly. It seemed as if he had expected me to have little to no solution to my father's problem.I realized that even if I hadn't fainted on my way out the door and had followed my mentor to the Institute as usual, I would have been forced to leave soon after due to a variety of "accidents." That was Xander's style. If he wants to treat someone well, he can get them even the stars in the sky. But if he doesn't, even your every breath seems superfluous to him."How's the job search going?" Xander inquired without looking up, his head bent over his phone. It was a banal question that would represent concern in any normal conversation, but coming from Xander, it had only one purpose: to hear my embarrassing story."Xander, have you had enough? What do you want from me?" Recognizing Xander's true nature, I stopped pretending and questioned him with my head held high."Didn't you know all abo
Selena's POVHearing Xander's words, my eyes widened in disbelief. It turns out that everything he just did was to humiliate me."You really are as shameless as your disgraceful father. Get lost. I haven't had enough of toying with your father and his pathetic pack."Xander wore a mocking smile as he picked up his clothes and delivered a cold parting shot before turning to leave. I sat alone in my empty room, uncontested tears streaming down my face.I couldn't remember when it started, but Xander seemed to have suddenly developed a hostile attitude towards my father. I had tried to defuse it, but every time my father was mentioned, Xander became hysterical. Slowly, his hatred transferred from my father to me. That was the beginning of our split.The question then becomes: what did my father ever do to anger Xander so much? If I were to ask Xander directly, I can only imagine his face full of contempt. From what I understand, my father was just an old acquaintance of Xander's father,
Selena's POVI spent the next few days peacefully and quietly in the hospital undergoing Liam's treatment. The healing process was as difficult as Liam had warned me it would be. The Mate Bond between Xander and me was becoming extremely weak, and the excessive amount of blood consumption was completely depleting my strength."So what should I do?" I asked.I sat in the treatment room and watched as Liam rattled off a half-dozen analyses about my condition. The seriousness on his face was really testing my patience."I'll start by replenishing the losses in your bloodline, but I'm afraid I won't be using anesthesia-type drugs during the process to keep it pure and free of any impurities," he said."Uh, okay," I replied, giving Liam a gentle smile to ease the self-loathing he carried in his heart.The pain I've suffered over the past few years was far harder to bear than these physical tortures. I thought of a time when I had accidentally angered Xander. He made me kneel outside in a r
Selena's POVSure enough, after Xander finished his interview, word spread within the pack that he was going to hold a meeting in the evening to explain himself to the Council of Elders. With the future of the entire pack at stake, the meeting venue was already packed before noon. As the center of this event, I should have been nervous, but I wasn't.Looking at Xander's handsome yet indifferent face on my cell phone screen, I felt only a deep chill in my heart."Are you ready? We're the center of attention tonight. Come on, try on the dress I prepared for you."Gloria took out a red gown and paired it with a white tulle overlay, embellished with sparkling diamonds. As she gently swung it, it created a graceful arc."That's nice. You'll look great in this," Liam commented, nodding in satisfaction as he stood next to her."Trust my aesthetics. You'll surely catch their eyes tonight," Gloria said, folding her arms across her chest with a smug look on her face."So what do I need to do la
Selena's POVEver since Xander slapped me in the face at the packhouse, I'd been in the hospital for days, and Xander hadn't contacted me again as if I didn't exist. If this had happened before, I probably would have been demoralized and confused by useless treatments. But this time, I had Gloria with me, and she made me feel a lot better."You're suffering here while that bastard Xander is out there living it up. I'll contact a few media outlets to expose him so everyone can see his true colors," Gloria said, sitting on the edge of her bed, boredly checking the news about Xander on her tablet. The internet was abuzz with the incident; it had caused quite a stir.Lately, Xander had been bringing Lisandra to all the events he attended, with no sign of me. The media speculated that the last attack was likely due to a love affair."This skanky bitch makes me want to puke just looking at her. She's always rubbing her boobs against Xander's arm. Even though Xander's no slouch, he looks li
Selena's POV"Quickly, tell me what happened to you! We haven't seen each other for a few short years, and you've become so thin."Gloria was my best friend. After Xander and I became mates, she went abroad. In just a few short years, no one could have expected such a drastic change."No, it just happened naturally," I replied.Seeing Gloria still looking so innocent, I can't imagine how sad she'll be when she learns the truth."Are you kidding? Quickly pack up and get out of the hospital. These few years abroad have suffocated me! I'll come back, find a super handsome guy, and go completely crazy!" Gloria sat at the end of my bed with a big smile on her face.Watching this playful routine, I was in a trance, as if I had suddenly returned to our student days. Back then, Gloria and I agreed that if one of us got married, the other would follow within a year, so that our children would be about the same age. If they were both girls, they'd be good sisters, and if they were a boy and a g
Selena's POVWhen I woke up again, my head was aching almost to the point of exploding, and the air smelled strongly of disinfectant, which made me want to dry-heave. It looked like I was in a hospital room."You awake?" Liam, who heard the commotion, asked as he observed the data from the instruments."Sorry, I'm just..." I gently brushed my hair back, trying to clear my head."You don't have to apologize to me. Your body is your own, but I don't think you should have such an irresponsible attitude." Liam's eyes moved away from the instruments and met mine. His serious and earnest gaze made me a little uncomfortable, and I hung my head like a child who'd made a mistake."As I've told you before, the treatment is successful at this stage. As long as you can hold out for a few more sessions, it will slowly restore the activity in your blood," Liam continued, looking a bit angry this time."I'm sorry, but... some things are out of my control." I pursed my lips and slowly curled my knees
Selena's POV"Xander, you're finally back! I just asked Selena to clean the room; I didn't expect her to do such a thing."Seeing Xander return, Lisandra hurriedly jumped over and took his arm, making sure to squeeze out a few tears to appear pitiful."Selena, if you have any grievances, you can take them out on me. Why did you do such a thing? You know very well how important this is to Xander!"Lisandra cried her eyes out before turning towards me and blurting out her accusations.I was a bit speechless at Lisandra's false claims and just grunted coldly before twisting my face aside, lowering my body to clean the broken glass on the floor."Is that so?"Xander inquired coldly, his eyes cold and cruel, like he was looking at a dying prey.The air seemed to freeze in that moment, but I paid no attention to Xander, continuing to clean the glass before carefully putting the effigy of Xander's parents back in place."What did I ask you?"Xander's voice grew harsher as he walked quickly o
Selena's POV"Alpha, the area outside has been cleaned up, but……"Terry walked in, his expression as blank as the silence that followed the wailing outside."But what?"After the gruesome killings earlier, Xander's body bore shocking scars, but his coldness now seemed almost capable of freezing the air around him."They were all dead soldiers. Sensing defeat, they chose to take their own lives."Terry frowned as he spoke."They all died?"Xander's voice rose instinctively, causing everyone around him to suppress their reactions."Yes. We couldn't trace the source. But this incident was my fault, and I am willing to accept the consequences."Terry bowed his head respectfully towards Xander.Xander turned to look at Terry, remaining silent for a long time. No one could guess what was going through his mind.Then Xander's gaze shifted to me, scrutinizing my condition as if assessing my well-being. I couldn't shake the feeling that there was an ulterior motive behind his apparent concern
Selena's POVWhen I was attacked by the Rogues, my first thought wasn't panic. I knew I could never have attracted this much attention on my own; their targeting of the packhouse was clearly an attempt to threaten Xander by holding me hostage. What they didn't realize was that the relationship between Xander and me was already dead.When those vicious Rogues broke through the defense line, I felt no panic, only relief. Yet, deep down, I secretly hoped that Xander would arrive in the nick of time. So, when Xander did appear in front of me, I was filled with disbelief."Stop fidgeting and think about what to do," Via spoke up, reminding me of the critical situation. She understood the gravity of the moment as well."Xander, are you okay?" I couldn't help but ask as I looked at Xander, who was shielding me."These mongrels are delusional if they think they can take me down," Xander grunted coldly before turning back to scrutinize the Rogue in front of him.Looking at Xander's solid back,
Xander's POV"Alpha, the previous enemies have surrounded the packhouse. It's too dangerous to rush there now."I had just given the order when Terry immediately stopped me. Fresh blood covered his body, staining his white uniform a deep red, but there was no doubt that the blood came from the Rogue who attacked us earlier.As the Beta of the pack, Terry's strength was unquestionable, but this situation was much grimmer than we had faced before."They obviously planned this attack in detail, timing it perfectly to exploit your weakness and..."Seeing that I was unmoved, Terry continued, "There are just too many of them this time. Most of our people are at the camp. I've already notified them to head this way. There's nothing of importance at the packhouse, so when our larger force arrives…""Go back!"I grimaced, interrupting Terry. I didn't know why, but when he said there was nothing important at the packhouse, my heart felt like it had been violently stabbed. Selena's face unconsci
Xander's POVWith the coldness I'd shown Selena over the past few days, the people in the pack had gradually stopped treating her as the Luna. Coupled with the omega work I had arranged for her earlier, almost everyone looked at Selena with a hint of contempt. After all, no one in the pack had dared to disobey me yet.But I'd noticed that whenever I was about to lose control of my sanity, the wolf Sol inside me was always the first to come out against me."That's because Selena is your mate. The two of you are closely linked. If Selena gets hurt, you will also suffer accordingly. Not to mention, you're the one who initiated the trouble," Sol explained bitterly. "This is why the mate bond between you and Selena is getting weaker and weaker. The damage is mutual. You are now impaired in strength, and Selena, who has endured this for years, is definitely not as strong as she used to be," Sol said, letting out a soft sigh.This made my heart feel inexplicably heavy. Once, I was certain th