I wake to the scent of smoke and pine.
My body aches in the most sinful way, my skin still tingling where his hands had been. The room
is dim, the golden glow of dawn filtering through sheer curtains, and for a moment, I let myself
exist in this haze.
The silk sheets are unfamiliar. The mattress beneath me is firmer than my own. And the weight
of the night before crashes into me like a tidal wave.
The ballroom. The stranger with the silver mask. The way his hands fit against my waist, his
breath against my neck. The way I let him consume me.
The way I wanted it.
I sit up too fast, the room tilting. My dress is pooled on the floor, torn in places, my mask
discarded on the nightstand. I clutch the sheets to my chest, my breath unsteady.
He's gone.
The space beside me is empty, but his scent lingers, wrapping around me like a ghostly
reminder of my mistakes.
I slept with a stranger.
On the night of my engagement announcement.
A choked sound escapes my throat. What have I done?
I force myself to move, to scramble out of bed, my limbs stiff as I gather my things. My reflection
in the mirror makes me flinch. My lips are swollen, my collarbone darkened by the evidence of
his mouth, my hair a wild mess. I look wrecked.
I look claimed.
No. No one can know.
I shove my dress back on, smoothing the fabric over my flushed skin. I rip the sheets from the
bed, balling them up, erasing any trace of what happened here.
This was a mistake.
And no one will ever know.
I slip out of the room, keeping my head down as I navigate through the unfamiliar corridors of
the estate, praying no one sees me. The air outside is cool against my feverish skin as I make
my way back to my own chambers, my heart thundering in my ears.
Cassian is probably already awake. Waiting for me.
Waiting to announce to the world that I belong to him.
But last night, for the first time in my life—
I belonged to someone else.
—
The throne room is suffocating.
Wolves from every corner of the Moonveil Pack have gathered, the tension in the air thick and
unyielding. I stand beside Cassian, my hand resting lightly on his arm, my fingers numb. He
hasn't noticed anything. No one has.
I am the picture of perfection.
Even as my body betrays me with the memory of another.
Cassian's voice is smooth and commanding as he addresses the crowd, his golden eyes
gleaming with triumph. "Tonight, I stand before you not just as your Alpha, but as a man who
has found his Luna."
The pack erupts in cheers. I force myself to smile.
He turns to me, lifting my hand to his lips. His touch is warm, but it doesn't send heat through
my veins. It doesn't steal my breath.
Not like him.
"Selene," Cassian says, voice rich with possession. "Will you stand by my side, rule by my side,
and accept me as your mate?"
I open my mouth. The words are rehearsed, expected. Yes, my Alpha.
But before I can speak, the doors slam open.
The guards try to touch him but he pushes them back with force.
The air shifts, a violent crackle of energy rushing through the room. A scent hits me—smoke
and pine.
My blood runs cold.
No. No, no, no—
A figure strides into the throne room, tall and commanding, his presence alone sucking the
breath from my lungs. His presence.
Dark hair, sharp cheekbones, storm-gray eyes that pin me in place.
He's unmasked now. And I know him.
Everyone does.
Gasps ripple through the crowd, murmurs turning into shouts of disbelief. Because the man
standing before them isn't just anyone.
He is the rightful heir.
The Alpha who was exiled.
Kieran is alive.
And, and..
And I slept with him.
Of all people.
Cassian stiffens beside me, his grip on my waist tightening. "Impossible." A deep growl rumbles
from Cassian's chest. His arm tightens around my waist, fingers pressing into my skin like a
warning—like a claim.
This is a trick,"he snaps, golden eyes flashing with barely restrained fury. "Some pathetic
attempt at rattling my pack."
But his grip on me says otherwise. He feels it too—the shift in the air. The way my body betrays
me.
He turns his gaze on me, sharp and questioning.
'Selene…'
It's not a question. It's a demand. But I can't answer. Because Kieran's eyes are still on mine, a
silent challenge hanging between us.
"You were killed." He turns back to Keiran.
Kieran's lips curl into a smirk. "Clearly, you were mistaken."
The tension is razor-sharp.
I am silent. Frozen.
Kieran's eyes find mine. Hold mine.
My heart hammers against my ribs, my lungs constricting as if the weight of the world is
pressing down on me. He can't be here. He shouldn't be here. And yet, here he is, standing in
the throne room, eyes locked onto mine like a predator stalking its prey. Does he know?
And something flickers across his face. A realization. A recognition that makes my stomach
plummet.
I clutch Cassian's hand tighter.
He knows.
He knows exactly who I am now.
Knows that the woman he spent the night with is the one standing beside his enemy.
I take a shaky breath, but it's too late.
Kieran takes a step forward, gaze never leaving mine.
Then, with a voice that cuts through the stunned silence like a blade, he declares—
"I have come to reclaim my throne."
And just like that, my entire world shatters.
Cassian's grip on me tightens, his body going rigid. His golden eyes flick between me and
Kieran, a suspicion darkening his gaze.
"Reclaim?" he repeats, voice low and dangerous. "You lost your claim the moment you were
exiled."
"You sit on my throne," Kieran says, voice as smooth as silk but laced with steel. "But you and I
both know it was never yours to keep."
"Your throne?" Cassian scoffs, but the pack murmurs. They know Kieran has a legitimate claim.
Everyone does. But still of course no one would admit that. "You died years ago."
"But here I am, in front of you." Keiran smirks as he moves closer.
My pulse spikes, a visceral pull thrumming beneath my skin. It's instinct, primal and undeniable.
My body recognizes what my mind refuses to accept.
A heat blooms in my chest, spreading like wildfire through my veins. My breath stutters, my
body lurching toward him before I even realize it. It's not just attraction—it's something deeper,
something ancient. A force woven into my very being. A pull.
My wolf—who has been silent for so long—stirs.
My fingers dig into Cassian, desperate to anchor myself. But it's too late.
He knows. He turns to look at me.
He senses the shift too, making him really suspicious. His brows furrow and I bite my lips.
Keiran's voice interrupts the silence. "And to prove it," Kieran continues, his storm-gray eyes
flicking to Cassian, then back to me. "I'll take back what's mine—starting with her."
My breath hitches. The words are a blade, cutting through whatever fragile illusion I had left.
Cassian tenses. His grip on me becomes bruising. But Kieran doesn't care.
He takes another step forward, closing the distance between them. His gaze flicks down—just
for a second—to the darkened marks along my collarbone. His smirk sharpens.*
'Tell me, Cassian—' he muses, voice smooth as silk. 'When you kissed her, did she taste like
me?'
The throne room erupts. Gasps, whispers, stunned silence.
Cassian snaps.
What the fuck have I done?