Chapter 5 The cost of reclamation

Selene stood at the edge of the clearing, the weight of the night pressing down on her. Her heart was still pounding from the confrontation with Enzo, her breath shaky as she stared into the dark woods ahead of her. The moonlight filtered through the trees, casting a silvery glow on the ground, but the quiet was suffocating. The world felt too still, too heavy.

She could hear the distant calls of the pack-wolves communicating with each other, their voices blending into the night. But it wasn't their calls that she listened for. It was the sound of him-the Alpha, her Alpha, her betrayer.

Her pulse quickened as she turned away from the clearing, stepping back into the dense trees. The sound of her boots crunching through the underbrush was the only thing that seemed real, the only thing that seemed to remind her she wasn't completely swallowed by the past.

She felt the bloodstone still warm in her hand, its power thrumming against her skin, calling to her. The stone had given her strength. It had reminded her of the power she had been born with, the power that had been taken from her. But the price of that power-was it worth it?

Her wolf was restless inside her, pacing, growling, demanding action. The feeling of betrayal gnawed at her-her body, her mind, her spirit, torn between anger and grief. The void the Alpha had left inside her had been consuming, but now that void was filled with something more dangerous-desire for vengeance.

But even as the fire within her burned brightly, a small voice whispered at the edges of her mind, a voice she didn't want to hear. What happens after?

As she pushed forward through the trees, the rogue's words echoed in her mind again. "Revenge doesn't bring peace. It brings destruction. And you'll have to live with that."

The weight of them was heavy, pressing down on her chest, but she ignored it. She couldn't afford to stop now. There was no turning back.

She emerged from the dense woods into the clearing, where the packhouse loomed ahead. It looked different in the moonlight, almost alien in its cold grandeur. The walls were silent, but she knew the pack was inside, watching, waiting.

She wasn't ready to face them. Not yet. But she couldn't stay hidden forever. She had to make them see what they had ignored for so long-the true Luna they had abandoned, the woman who would fight for what was hers.

She could feel the eyes of the pack on her, even from this distance. The whispers began almost immediately-low murmurs, hushed voices. The Alpha had ruled this place with authority, his power absolute. But now... there was something else in the air. A shift. A break.

Selene felt it too. The pack had been torn apart, fractured. The Alpha had turned them all into pawns-his pawns-and now, they were left wondering who to follow. The Alpha had broken the trust they once had in him, and though they were loyal to him by tradition, Selene knew they were beginning to question his authority.

The sudden voice behind her made her freeze.

"You're back."

She didn't have to turn to know who it was. His scent was unmistakable. Rocco.

The rogue stepped out from the shadows, his presence a silent force beside her. His eyes studied her, unreadable, as if measuring her, trying to discern just how far she had fallen into the darkness of revenge.

"You shouldn't be here," he said, his voice low. "You don't have to do this."

Her heart clenched, the fire inside her flaring at his words. "I don't have a choice," she said, her voice sharp. "He's taken everything. I'm not going to let him keep it."

Rocco watched her carefully, but didn't speak right away. His gaze moved over her face, assessing her. He knew. He knew the weight of what she was carrying-the weight of the fire she had chosen to embrace.

"You think this will bring you peace?" he asked quietly, his voice a soft but firm question that seemed to cut through the pounding storm in her chest.

She clenched her fists. "I don't need peace," she said, her voice thick with determination. "I need to take back what's mine. He doesn't deserve to lead. He doesn't deserve anything."

Rocco took a step closer, his posture unyielding, but there was a glimmer of something in his eyes-something gentler than the hardness she had expected.

"You're going to lose yourself if you keep going down this path," he said, his words calm but heavy with meaning. "The Alpha was wrong. But you're wrong too if you think destroying him will heal you."

Her chest tightened at his words. Heal me? How could she heal? The Alpha had taken everything from her. Her trust. Her heart. Her soul.

"I don't need healing," she whispered, the words thick and bitter on her tongue. "I need him to pay."

The rogue didn't say anything at first, his eyes still locked onto hers. Then, he spoke softly. "The pain you're carrying will not end when you take him down. You'll be left with an emptiness that revenge won't fill. Only you can fill it."

Her jaw clenched. He didn't understand. He had no idea what it felt like to have the ground ripped out from under you. To have your world shattered. The pieces of her past-the pieces she had once cherished-were scattered like broken glass, and now all she had left was a desire for destruction.

"I know what I'm doing," she snapped, her voice a quiet storm. "I'm not going to be broken anymore. Not by him. Not by anyone."

Rocco's eyes softened as he stepped even closer. "Then let me show you how to build yourself up again. Don't let the rage consume you."

But Selene was already shaking her head. She couldn't afford to lose herself now. The rage was the only thing that would keep her going. The only thing that would keep her from falling apart completely. Revenge wasn't just her path-it was her lifeline.

"I don't need you to show me how to fight," she said, her voice icy with finality. "I know how to fight. I know how to survive."

Rocco stepped back, his expression unreadable. "Then fight, Selene. But remember what you're fighting for."

The words echoed in her mind long after he had disappeared into the shadows. What was she fighting for? Was it really revenge? Or was it something deeper? A desire to prove to herself that she was worthy of the pack she had been promised? The pack that had rejected her?

The fire inside her burned hotter as she turned her gaze back to the packhouse. She would take it back. She would take the Alpha's place. She would reclaim everything he had stolen from her. And nothing would stop her.