Chapter 4 A wolf in the dark

Selene didn't run.

Not this time.

She stood in the forest long after Kieran disappeared, the weight of his touch still lingering on her skin like an unshakable imprint. Every nerve in her body was taut, her breath unsteady. He had left her standing there with a choice-a false one, really.

Run, and he'd find her.

Stay, and she'd lose herself.

Her fingers curled into fists.

Kieran had won this round, but she wasn't broken yet.

Not even close.

With a final deep breath, Selene turned and headed deeper into the forest. If she couldn't escape him outright, she needed to be smart about this. Learn his weaknesses. Find a way to turn the game against him.

She just had no idea how much the game was about to change.

---

By the time she reached the outskirts of the rogue encampment, the sky had darkened to an inky black, the moon veiled behind thick clouds. The air smelled of damp earth and firewood, the distant hum of voices blending with the crackling of flames.

Selene pulled her hood up, masking her scent as best she could. She had spent years among rogues. she knew how to move unnoticed. Kieran may have marked her as his, but she wasn't bound to his pack. Not yet.

And if she had her way, she never would be.

She made her way to an old wooden cabin nestled between two large oaks. The place was quiet, abandoned-looking, but she knew better.

With a sharp knock, she waited.

A pause.

Then the door creaked open just enough for a pair of sharp, wary eyes to peer out.

"Selene?" The voice was low, cautious.

Relief loosened the tight coil in her chest.

"Let me in, Elias."

The door swung open, and she slipped inside.

Elias locked it behind her, arms folding across his chest. He was tall, lean but strong, with dark hair that curled at the ends. His face was sharp, his hazel eyes calculating.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked. "You know the Alpha has his men searching for you?"

Selene exhaled. "I need a place to think."

Elias narrowed his eyes. "And that's it? You don't need... protection?"

She hesitated.

Elias had been a friend once. Before she went off on her own. Before she decided she didn't want to be caught in the middle of rogue politics. He was part of a group that thrived in the shadows, wolves who answered to no Alpha.

But that was the problem.

Kieran wasn't just any Alpha.

He was the last of a massacred bloodline. A predator forged in blood and chaos.

And he had chosen her.

Selene shook her head. "No. I can handle myself."

Elias scoffed. "Right. That's why you showed up here, looking like you've just stared down the devil."

Selene's jaw tightened.

She had.

And worse-she had felt him.

Before she could respond, a loud crack split the silence.

Her blood ran cold.

Footsteps.

Close.

Too close.

Elias cursed, moving toward the window, but before he could reach it, the door burst open with a violent crash.

Selene's stomach dropped.

The room filled with a suffocating presence-raw, untamed power flooding the air like a storm about to break.

And then he stepped inside.

Kieran.

His golden eyes burned as they locked onto her, his expression unreadable. He didn't even glance at Elias. Didn't acknowledge his presence.

His focus was entirely on her.

Selene took a step back, her heart hammering.

Kieran tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over her as if committing every detail to memory. Then, in a voice dangerously calm, he said,

"Did you really think I wouldn't find you?"

Selene swallowed hard. "I don't belong to you."

The room went still.

Elias shifted beside her, tense. "Maybe you should leave, Alpha. She's not your property."

For the first time, Kieran's gaze flicked to Elias.

Selene barely had time to react before Kieran moved.

Faster than a breath, he was on Elias, slamming him against the wall with enough force to rattle the cabin.

Elias choked out a curse, struggling against Kieran's grip, but the Alpha didn't even flinch. His fingers curled around Elias's throat, his eyes darkening.

"You don't get to speak for her." Kieran's voice was a deadly whisper, thick with warning. "And you don't touch what's mine."

Selene rushed forward, grabbing Kieran's wrist. "Stop."

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then-slowly-Kieran turned his gaze back to her.

His grip on Elias loosened, and the rogue slumped against the wall, coughing.

Selene exhaled sharply, but before she could move, Kieran's hand shot out, grabbing her chin.

The air between them crackled, the heat of his touch searing through her.

"Do you think I don't see it, little wolf?" His voice was low, dangerous. "The way you run, the way you fight. But it's there-" His thumb brushed over her lower lip, his eyes dark with hunger. "You want this."

Selene's breath caught.

"I-"

He leaned in, his lips ghosting over hers-not quite a kiss, but a promise. A threat.

"You can lie to yourself all you want," he murmured. "But your body tells the truth."

Heat coiled deep in her stomach.

She hated him.

Hated that he was right.

Hated the way her heart pounded against her ribs, her skin burning where he touched her.

Kieran pulled back slightly, his gaze flicking to Elias, who was still gasping for breath. A slow, dark smile curled his lips.

"Stay away from her." The command was soft, but the weight behind it was lethal. "Next time, I won't be so forgiving."

Elias's jaw clenched, but he didn't argue.

Kieran turned back to Selene, his fingers tracing down her jaw before finally releasing her.

"I'll see you soon."

Then, just like that, he was gone.

Selene stood frozen, her breath coming fast, her pulse a frantic rhythm.

Elias groaned, rubbing his throat. "You really know how to pick them."

Selene didn't respond.

Because deep down, she knew something had shifted.

Kieran wasn't playing anymore.

The chase was over.

And the hunt had begun.