Chaos. Real chaos. Pure suffocating chaos.
And I caused it.
The throne room hums with it—the weight of shifting loyalties, the murmur of hushed whispers,
the sharp inhale of wolves sensing a storm about to break. Every breath I take feels too shallow,
trapped between the pull of two forces—one claiming me by right, the other by something far
deeper.
Cassian's fingers press into my waist, his grip firm, possessive. A silent command. Mine. But his
touch doesn't extinguish the fire searing through my veins, the inferno that urges me to break
free—to go to him.
To Kieran.
I can feel him. Even without looking, I know exactly where he stands. The bond hums beneath
my skin, inescapable, suffocating. My body betrays me, muscles tensing at his presence, my
heart hammering a traitorous rhythm.
But I will not yield.
I can't.
"You think you can walk in here and make claims?" Cassian's voice is a blade, sharp with fury,
each syllable humming with unspoken violence. His golden eyes lock onto Kieran, unrelenting.
"Then prove it. Fight me. Right here, right now."
The throne room shatters.
Gasps. Murmurs. A challenge.
A fight for dominance. For power.
For me.
Kieran doesn't move at first. I feel his eyes on me, searing through my barriers. Then—he
smirks. Slow. Deliberate. Like he was waiting for this.
"I thought you'd never ask."
A thrill—dark, wicked—races down my spine.
This isn't just a fight. It's a claim.
And the winner... owns me. Typically.
Cassian's grip tightens around my waist. A silent warning. A desperate plea. I know what he
wants—he wants me to say something. To stand beside him. To choose him.
But I can't.
I remember the night Cassian pulled me out of the wreckage. The storm had swallowed
everything, my body broken, my wolf too weak to shift. But he had been there. He had carried
me, his voice the only thing keeping me awake. I've got you, Selene. I'll always have you.
I believed him then.
But now his touch feels wrong.
Because my soul is reaching for another.
My heart slams against my ribs.
Say it. Say it.
But I can't.
Kieran exhales a soft chuckle, dark and knowing. "You can lie to him all you want, kitten."
My breath catches. Not that nickname. Not now.
His gaze flicks lower, to the faint bruises along my collarbone—his marks, still imprinted on my
skin. A reminder of last night.
His voice drops. "But you can't lie to yourself."
The world tilts.
Cassian stiffens beside me, his grip crushing, his fury palpable.
And then, everything shatters.
Cassian lunges first.
A golden blur of raw power, his claws unsheathing mid-motion.
But Kieran doesn't flinch.
In a single, fluid movement, he sidesteps, forcing Cassian to skid to a halt, inches from his
throat.
Tension crackles in the air, thick enough to choke. Wolves press back against the walls, their
instincts screaming at them to stay out of a fight that could tear this room apart.
"You dare to claim what's mine?" Cassian's voice is barely human, his wolf standing at the edge
of his control.
And that's when I realize.
They're not just fighting for the pack.
They're fighting for me.
I don't know who moves first.
Maybe it's Cassian, his rage blinding. Maybe it's Kieran, his smirk daring. Maybe it's
me—breaking first.
But then there's chaos.
Cassian lunges again, golden energy flaring. Kieran meets him head-on, silver light clashing
with gold, two forces of nature colliding. Wolves stumble back from the sheer force of it.
I should run. I should let them destroy each other.
But I don't.
I do the worst thing possible.
I step between them.
"Stop!"
Cassian freezes.
Kieran stills.
The pack goes silent.
And I make the biggest mistake of my life.
Cassian's grip doesn't tighten. It loosens. Just for a second. His golden eyes flicker—not with
rage, but something worse.
Hope.
A quiet, desperate plea. One I used to answer.
The last time Cassian held me like he loved me, it was raining. His forehead pressed to mine,
his hands gentle at my waist. I'll never let anything happen to you. That was before I met Kieran.
Before I felt what real gravity was. What a mate was.
I don't hate Cassian but—
Fuck.
And then I turn my back on him.
I turn my back on Cassian.
And I face Kieran.
For a split second, he looks at me like he knew. Like I was always going to stand in front of him.
Cassian's voice is low, dangerous. "Selene."
I don't turn.
I can't.
Because Kieran takes a step forward, and the world around me ceases to exist.
You felt it," he murmurs, only for me to hear.
I swallow hard. "No."
His eyes flicker with something unreadable. "Liar."
My hands curl into fists. "I belong to Cassian."
Kieran's jaw tightens. "Say that again, and I'll prove you wrong."
Heat coils low in my stomach.
And that's the most dangerous thing of all.
I shouldn't feel this way. I shouldn't want him.
Not when Cassian is watching.
Not when the pack is waiting.
Not when my heart is betraying me with every pulse. Not when I feel my wolf for the first time in
forever.
Kieran's fingers brush my wrist. A whisper of a touch.
And my body reacts instantly.
Cassian sees it.
The entire pack sees it.
And in that moment, everything falls apart.
Cassian exhales sharply, then turns to Kieran, his molten gold eyes burning.
The fight isn't over.
It's just begun.
And the worst part is, no matter who wins, I still lose.
"I am Luna. His Luna.