Silence answered her.
Not the kind that brought peace—but the kind that crawled beneath the skin, coiled in the ribs, and waited.
Lena stood at the center of the chamber, feigning poise while her pulse drummed like war.
The chains creaked again.
Ronan's. Always Ronan's.
Then a voice—his voice—cut through the stillness. Low. Rough. Soaked in venom and something far more primal.
"What brings you here?" Ronan's voice curled with mockery, as he questioned her. "Didn't think we'd see you again—figured the great Selene Ravencourt had moved on to bigger conquests. Or did the world finally stop bowing?"
"She probably ran out of kingdoms to burn." Kael, the Fae, chimed in, his voice a lazy drawl that barely masked the hate underneath.
Although their words dripped with mockery, the sound of them—gods, the sound of them—slithered down her spine like a promise. It settled deep, dangerously deep, making her knees threaten to buckle.
She gritted her teeth and straightened her spine.
No. Not now. Not here.
But the bond didn't care about timing. It ignited beneath her skin like wildfire, threading through her veins and clawing at her resolve.
It wasn't just one of them—it was all of them. Four distinct currents of heat and power, all pulling toward her with a magnetic force that felt ancient, primal, and utterly inescapable.
She couldn't help but wonder—how had Selene ever managed to resist them? Even though she had written Selene, even shaped her will, Lena was struggling.
Worse still, she knew the men would smell it on her. They'd know something was off—different. Selene Ravencourt had been untouchable. Impervious. But Lena… Lena wasn't.
She hadn't really thought it through before coming here, but Selene—at her core—had only ever held one true weapon over them: the mate bond.
She could control it. Master it. Lena had written it that way. But now? Now her body was betraying her, and if they sensed her arousal, they'd know. They'd know something had changed. And worse—they might try to turn the bond against her.
An idea suddenly clawed its way into her mind—just as she noticed the glow in their eyes. All of them, except the human. Even in the dark, the others' eyes shimmered with an otherworldly light, predatory and unblinking. And gods help her, that only made her more aroused.
She clenched instinctively, but it was useless. It wouldn't stop them from smelling it—feeling her arousal.
"I came to rescue you all" Lena blurted out, the words tumbling out and temporarily cutting through the charged, unbearable pull between them.
The men were all stunned. That was not something they ever expected to hear from Selene's lips. They couldn't even picture it.
Whenever Selene visited the tower, it was always for a reason—and it never ended well for them. Sometimes she came dressed to captivate, wearing the most stunning, revealing outfits just to stir their arousal and use it against them. Other times, she came simply to laugh in their faces, detailing the destruction she'd unleashed on their people with a smile.
But showing up to talk? And then blurting out something about a rescue mission? That was new. That was unsettling.
Was it another ploy?
It was too soon to tell—and none of them wanted to risk pushing her. Not when the slightest misstep could mean the end for what remained of their clans.
Well—except Elias.
The hunter didn't flinch. He was the only one who had nothing left for Selene to use against him. No blood ties. No lingering loyalties. No weaknesses — except the mate bond— she could twist to her advantage.
Elias stepped forward, the iron chain at his ankle clanking as it yanked him back.
"So by rescue, you mean… kill us, Selene? Good. Because if you don't finish the job now, I will—once I get out of these chains."
His tone was dry, almost casual—but the steel behind it was unmistakable.
Lena blinked. Right. That was her cue.
She straightened, trying to sound confident even as the wildfire of the mate bond still burned under her skin.
"Selene?" she said slowly, as if testing the name. "Selene is dead. I killed her."
Lena liked the idea of her words being a white lie because she did kill Selene. Only with her pen and imagination.
None of the men moved, but something shifted in the air. Tension uncoiled like a drawn bowstring. Confusion flickered across their faces.
The news of Selene's death wasn't new to them—not exactly. Kael, the rogue fae, had already heard the rumors carried on raven wings, sent by one of the few remaining members of his clan. It was why he had agreed to join Ronan in mocking her when she entered—if she was weakened or dying, they deserved the chance to see it.
But this? Her confirming it—declaring it—while standing right in front of them?
Lena, on the other hand, felt a flicker of pride at her own performance. Her delivery was on point—just enough confusion, just enough sass. Maybe, just maybe, it would make them hate her a little less.
She pressed on, tone breezy. "Why do you all keep calling me Selene? If I didn't know any better, I'd think I looked like her or something. Honestly, the guards should've been thanking me for killing their greatest enemy—not chasing me through the damn woods. You know, something you four couldn't manage."
Lena mentally patted herself on the back. Her performance was definitely Oscar-worthy.
"And now I'm here, risking life and limb to save your sorry asses and restore balance to the kingdom—and you're being jackasses?" she huffed, exasperated.
She couldn't help but think back to her exes from the real world. The way they'd gaslighted her had, ironically, taught her how to use their techniques to manipulate the situation to her advantage now.
Lena could only hope they bought her play, but deep down, she knew they were smarter than that. If only there had been a mirror nearby to make her act more believable—maybe then the lights would've aligned perfectly with her performance.
Just then, the flickering lights caught her attention, and she jumped in alarm.
She watched, breath held, as the lights finally flickered on, casting an eerie glow. Her gaze settled on the four most breathtaking men she had ever laid eyes on.
"Which one of you did that?" she asked in a near-panic, though part of her suspected it was her own doing.
But she wasn't about to let that slip—not when she was so close to playing the Heroine's role in the villain's body.