Chapter 4 The Alpha's Bargain

Selene's breath came fast and shallow, her pulse thundering in her ears. Damien was searching for her.

The realization hit like a punch to the gut.

Her hands instinctively went to her stomach. Would he try to take the pup? Would he kill her if he found out the child was still alive?

Killian's sharp golden gaze never left her, as if he could hear every frantic thought running through her mind.

"You're shaking," he observed, voice low and unreadable.

Selene forced herself to stand straighter. "I'm not afraid of him."

A lie.

Killian stepped closer, the heat of his body radiating through the small space between them. "You should be."

Selene clenched her fists. "Why do you care?"

His lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smirk, wasn't quite a sneer. "Because you're under my protection now."

A scoff left her lips before she could stop it. "Protection? And what's the price for that, Alpha?"

Killian's expression didn't change. If anything, there was something colder beneath his gaze, something assessing.

"Everything has a price."

Selene's stomach twisted. She had learned that lesson the hard way.

Her voice was quiet, but steady. "Then name yours."

For a long moment, he didn't speak. Then-

"Be mine."

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

"What?"

Killian took another step forward, forcing her to tilt her chin up to meet his gaze. "Stay here. Become part of my pack. And in return, I'll keep you and your pup safe."

The air between them crackled with something dangerous.

Selene couldn't stop the bitter laugh that bubbled in her throat. "So that's it? A rejected Luna for an Alpha without a mate? Is this some power play against Damien?"

Killian's gaze darkened.

"This has nothing to do with him." His voice was sharp. "This is about you. About that pup you're carrying. You're strong, Selene. Stronger than you realize. But out there?" He nodded toward the window, where the rogue warriors lurked just beyond the borders. "You won't last. You know that."

Selene's nails bit into her palms.

He wasn't wrong. If she left, Damien would find her. And this time, there wouldn't be a last-minute rescue.

But could she really trust Killian?

Could she really belong here?

She swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way his presence seemed to pull at something deep inside her.

"And if I say no?"

Killian's jaw tightened. "Then you're free to walk out of here. But you won't make it past the border."

A challenge. A truth.

Selene felt the weight of his words press down on her.

Damien's men were out there, hunting for her. Killian was offering her a choice, but it wasn't much of one.

Her freedom. Or her survival.

Selene exhaled slowly. "Fine."

Killian arched a brow. "Fine?"

She lifted her chin. "I'll stay. But I won't be yours."

For the first time, something flickered in his gaze-something that looked dangerously close to amusement.

"We'll see...."

Killian's gaze lingered on her, golden eyes gleaming with something unreadable.

Selene had expected him to argue, to push back against her defiance. Instead, he simply tilted his head slightly, lips curving in something that almost looked like amusement.

"We'll see?" she echoed, narrowing her eyes. "That sounded a lot like a challenge."

Killian didn't deny it. "I don't deal in challenges, Selene. I deal in reality." He took a step closer, his sheer presence suffocating. "And the reality is, you are mine, whether you want to be or not."

Selene's nails bit into her palms. "I don't belong to anyone."

Killian's smirk deepened, but he didn't argue. Instead, he leaned against the edge of his desk, his casual stance contradicting the sharp intensity in his eyes. "Tomorrow, you'll meet the pack. They'll want answers. So will my Beta."

Selene swallowed hard. She hadn't thought that far ahead.

The pack.

Would they even accept her? A rogue. A rejected Luna. A woman carrying another Alpha's pup?

She crossed her arms. "And what exactly do you expect me to say?"

Killian arched a brow. "The truth."

Selene laughed dryly. "Which truth, Killian? That I was thrown away like trash? That I'm here because I have nowhere else to go?"

Killian studied her, his expression unreadable. "Say whatever you want. But make them believe you're here to stay."

Her stomach twisted. "And if they don't?"

His jaw flexed. "Then I'll handle it."

Selene shivered. She didn't doubt him. There was something about the way he carried himself, the absolute confidence in his voice, that made it clear.. Killian didn't ask for respect. He took it.

She hesitated. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me."

Killian's eyes darkened. "Good. Then fight."

The words struck a nerve.

Selene had spent her entire life fighting against Damien, against the whispers of the pack that never truly accepted her, against the cruel fate that had marked her as a rejected mate.

And now, she had one more fight ahead of her.

One that could cost her everything.

She exhaled, shoulders tightening. "Fine. I'll convince them."

Killian nodded once, as if he had expected nothing less. "Good. Because the moment you step outside this door, there's no turning back."

His words sent a chill down her spine.

But Selene lifted her chin. "I never turn back."

The next morning....

The sound of voices echoed through the grand hall as Selene stepped into the gathering space. Warriors lined the walls, their expressions ranging from curiosity to suspicion.

At the front of the room, a tall man with dark hair and sharp features stood beside Killian. His piercing blue eyes locked onto her with a mixture of caution and intrigue.

"So, this is her?" His voice was calm, but edged with something unreadable.

Killian nodded. "Selene, this is my Beta, Marcus."

Selene met Marcus's gaze head-on. "I assume you already have questions."

A flicker of surprise crossed Marcus's face before he smirked. "I do. But the pack has more."

Selene's stomach clenched as she glanced around. Dozens of pairs of eyes were on her, some filled with curiosity, others with outright hostility.

A woman stepped forward, her silver-streaked hair pulled into a tight braid. "You're carrying the child of another Alpha. Why should we trust you?"

Selene swallowed hard.

She had expected the question.

But that didn't make it any easier to answer.

She squared her shoulders, her voice steady. "Because I had no choice in this. Because I was thrown away, just like so many others have been before me. And because, whether you trust me or not, I'm not leaving."

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

Marcus's gaze flickered to Killian, as if gauging his reaction.

But Killian said nothing.

He was waitingfor her to prove herself.

Selene's heart pounded, but she didn't back down.

"I don't need your trust," she said firmly. "But I do need a place to survive. And I will fight for that, whether you accept me or not."

For a long moment, silence stretched.

Then..

A single warrior stepped forward, nodding slightly.

Then another.

And another.

It wasn't full acceptance.

But it was a start.

And for now, that was enough.

Killian's gaze met hers across the room, something unreadable flickering behind his golden eyes.

Selene wasn't sure what it meant.

But she had a feeling she was about to find out...