Chapter 2 Meeting Riven

CHAPTER 2

Selene POV

The rogue stepped into view - tall, lean, his dark hair rough and unkempt. His clothes were ragged, but he looked relaxed, as if he had been watching me for a while.

"Didn't think a Luna could last the night out here alone," he said, his voice low and rough.

I wondered how he knew about my identity and just like he seemed to have read my thoughts, he grinned. "Heard information about a Luna lurking in the woods alone and thought to come take a look.'

I stiffened, memories of that day replaying in my head. "I'm not Luna anymore."

His gaze flickered to my wrists, where the faint burns from the silver still showed.

As a werewolf, a mark is left as an identification for those banished or exiled.

He nodded in understanding, "Ah. Banished." He tilted his head. "What's the crime?"

I didn't answer. Not like I owe him anything.

He chuckled. "Fair enough. My name's Riven."

I hesitated. Giving my name felt dangerous, but it was pointless to hide.

"Selene."

Riven nodded, stepping closer. "You look half-dead, Selene."

I lifted my chin. "I'm fine."

His lips twitched, "Sure you are. But out here? You won't last a week alone."

Before I could respond, another figure emerged from the trees - a woman.

She was smaller than Riven but had a cold stare and an unfriendly gesture.

"Riven, who is she?"

"She's banished," Riven replied "Which means she's got nowhere to go."

The woman's gaze swept over me. Then she sighed. "We don't take in strays."

"I didn't ask for help," I snapped, surprising even myself.

The woman smirked. "Good. Then let's see how long you make it on your own."

She turned, disappearing back into the forest. Riven waited for a second, then shrugged. "Try not to die, Selene." And with that, he followed her.

I stared after them, wondering if it was a great idea to have refused his help.

It was clear that he was a Rogue, but some rogues weren't all mindless beasts. At least from what I've heard. But I couldn't trust anyone at this point.

The next few days went on with hunger and exhaustion. I had to learn how to find edible plants and how to move quietly through the forest.

Then on a fateful day, I made a mistake. I ate something that made me sick for an entire night.

On another day, I went searching for woods to make fire and fell into a shallow ravine, cutting my leg open on a jagged rock. The wound burned, but I tore fabric from my dress, binding it as best as I could.

Every night, I curled up in whatever shelter I could find, willing my body to heal faster. My wolf was weak, injured, I could feel it. Thus, rendering my healing process slow.

Killian had cast me out so easily. He hadn't hesitated. Hadn't doubted.

I replayed it over and over - the way he had banished me without a second thought.

The urge to keep moving on and to survive fuels each time I remember Killian's betrayal.

It should have broken me.

Instead, it hardened me.

The first time I saw the rogues again, I was too weak to fight them.

I had gone days with nothing but berries to eat, my body growing sluggish and weak. The hunger made me careless, made me slow. I didn't hear them approaching until it was too late.

Riven stood at the head of the group, watching me with a grin.

"Still breathing, I see," he mused.

I forced myself to stand, ignoring the way my vision swayed slightly. "What do you want?"

"Funny. I was going to ask you the same thing." Riven said

The woman with cold eyes crossed her arms. "You're starving," she said.

I hated how easily she could see through me.

They came with another rogues this time.

A rogue whose name I came to know as Silas, he tossed something toward me. A small cloth-wrapped bundle landed at my feet. I eyed it warily before bending to open it.

Meat. Dried and salted.

I hesitated. "Why?"

Silas shrugged. "Because you need it."

Riven grinned. "And because we're not monsters. Contrary to what pack wolves like to think, we don't just kill for sport."

I swallowed hard.

Then I dug into the food.

They didn't leave after that.

For days, Riven, the woman, Dara, and Silas would appear and disappear, sometimes bringing food, sometimes just watching. They never tried to hurt me, never tried to force me into anything.

And I didn't know why.

Finally, after a week of this strange back-and-forth, Riven sighed dramatically and crossed his arms.

"Alright, I'm bored," he declared. "You're obviously not dying anytime soon, and you've got some fight left in you. So tell me, Luna-what's next for you?"

I hated being called that title.

"I don't know," I replied. The words tasted bitter on my tongue.

Riven raised an eyebrow. "Not much of a plan, is it?"

I clenched my fists. "I wasn't given much of a choice."

"Then make one." Dara said from behind.

I turned around and frowned at her. "What?"

She shrugged. "Make a choice. You're not dead. You've lasted longer out here than most pack wolves would. But if you keep wandering aimlessly, something will kill you eventually. So decide-do you want to die, or do you want to survive?"

It was such a simple question.

I wanted to survive.

I would survive.

And I couldn't deny that I will be needing help to do it.

So, for the first time since being cast out, I swallowed my pride.

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

Dara and Silas exchanged glances, then looked at me.

"We've all been cast out," Silas said. "Each of us lost a pack, just like you. But we didn't die. We adapted."

"You could do the same," Dara added.

Jax leaned in slightly. "Join us."

My brows furrowed confused, "Join you?"

"Not a pack," he clarified. "Not in the traditional sense. But a unit. A group of wolves who watch each other's backs. You wouldn't be alone anymore."

Alone.

The word dug into me, wrapping around my heart like vines.

I had been alone since the moment Killian turned on me. I had been alone since my pack had rejected me, my mate choosing another over me.

The idea of having something again, even something small, was tempting.

But trust was not something I could give so easily.

"How do I know you won't turn on me?" I asked. In a way, the rogues were the cause of my predicament. So, trusting another rogue easily was something I couldn't do.

Riven shrugged. "You don't." and he smirked. "But you'll learn."

I studied their faces, their expressions. There was no deceit in them, not like the other rogues I encountered that led to my banishment.

"Fine," I said. "I'll stay."