Chapter 2 The Awakening

Darkness.

Then pain.

Selene's body ached, her limbs heavy as if she were sinking into the earth itself. The air smelled of damp wood, blood, and something else-something wild. She tried to move, but sharp pain flared through her ribs, forcing a gasp from her lips.

"She's waking up."

A voice. Deep, commanding.

Her eyes snapped open.

She wasn't in the forest anymore. She was inside a cave, the flickering glow of a fire casting long shadows on the stone walls. A heavy fur covered her body, but it did little to chase away the lingering cold.

Footsteps.

Selene turned her head and saw him.

A man stood over her, tall and broad, his dark hair falling past his shoulders. His eyes were piercing-a predator's gaze. Scars lined his arms, proof of countless battles. Behind him, figures lurked in the shadows, their movements silent, controlled.

Rogues.

She was in a den of rogues.

The man crouched beside her, his sharp features illuminated by the fire.

"You're lucky we found you first," he said, his voice edged with amusement. "Another minute, and those wolves would've torn you apart."

Selene swallowed, her throat dry. She tried to sit up, but her body protested.

"Who...?" Her voice was hoarse, barely a whisper.

"Alaric," he said simply. "Leader of this pack. And you... you're Crescent Moon."

The air in the cave shifted. The others tensed. Crescent Moon. The name alone was enough to stir hatred among rogues.

Selene braced herself, expecting them to kill her then and there.

But Alaric only studied her.

"You were exiled," he guessed.

Selene clenched her jaw, the memory of that night flashing through her mind. The betrayal. The loss. The cold slam of the gate.

"Yes."

A slow smirk tugged at Alaric's lips. "Then we have something in common."

He stood, towering over her. "You have two choices, Crescent Moon. You can die here, weak and broken. Or..." His eyes gleamed in the firelight. "You can learn to survive. Become stronger. Become something they fear."

Selene's fingers curled into the fur beneath her.

Weak.

That's what she had been. Weak enough to be thrown away. Weak enough to be cast aside like she meant nothing.

Never again.

She lifted her chin, ignoring the pain burning through her body.

"Teach me."

Alaric's smirk widened. "Good choice."

Training began the moment she could stand.

Alaric was merciless. He forced her to run through the dense forest, faster than she ever had before. He taught her to fight without rules, without hesitation. She learned to move like a ghost, to use the terrain to her advantage.

"You've spent your life following orders," he told her one night as she lay panting in the dirt, bruises covering her body. "That's why you lost. Crescent Moon made you soft."

Selene grit her teeth and pushed herself up. "Not anymore."

And she meant it.

The weak girl she had been-who had begged for mercy, who had pleaded for her mate's love-was fading. In her place, something sharper, deadlier, was being forged.

She would never beg again.

Months passed. Selene had become faster, stronger. She could fight three rogues at once and win. She could move through the forest unseen.

But then, one night, she heard the rumors.

Crescent Moon was thriving under Lucian's rule. Her father, once the proud Beta, had lost favor with the Alpha. And Darius...

Darius had taken another mate.

Selene stared into the flames of the campfire, her heart pounding.

She should have felt nothing.

She should have been over it.

But the fire inside her roared to life, hotter than ever.

They had moved on like she had never existed. Like she had never mattered.

Selene flexed her fingers. Her nails had grown sharper, her muscles stronger. The girl they had cast out had died in that forest.

Now, it was time for them to meet the thing they had created.

The Crescent Moon warrior never saw her coming.

He was alone, patrolling the northern border, a smug look on his face as he sniffed the air.

Selene struck like a shadow, silent, ruthless. She moved behind him, her blade flashing in the moonlight. A clean cut across the throat. Quick. Efficient.

He dropped to the ground, gasping, choking on his own blood.

She watched him die, waiting for the guilt to come.

It never did.

The warrior twitched on the ground, blood pooling beneath him, soaking into the earth. His eyes were wide with shock, his hands grasping at the deep gash across his throat, as if he could hold in the life slipping away.

Selene crouched beside him, watching. Not with pity. Not with regret.

With certainty.

The girl they had thrown away was dead.

This was who she was now.

The warrior made a final, strangled sound before his body stilled. The only noise left was the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Selene wiped her blade on his tunic and rose to her feet. The night stretched before her, endless and dark, but she felt no fear. Only purpose.

She turned and disappeared into the forest, leaving behind the first of many bodies.

Back at the Rogue Camp

The scent of blood still clung to her as she stepped into the clearing where the rogues gathered. Alaric stood near the fire, sharpening his blade. He glanced up as she approached.

"You're back early," he remarked.

Selene tossed something onto the ground between them.

A Crescent Moon warrior's insignia. Stained with blood.

The rogues watching let out low whistles and approving murmurs. Some looked surprised. Others looked at her with newfound respect.

Alaric smirked. "I take it he didn't put up much of a fight?"

Selene met his gaze, her voice steady. "He never had the chance."

Alaric chuckled, a deep, satisfied sound. He sheathed his knife and crossed his arms. "You're learning."

She didn't respond. She didn't need to.

She had taken her first life. And she had done it without hesitation.

The weak girl Crescent Moon had exiled no longer existed.

She was something new now.

The next morning, Selene sat sharpening her knife when a rogue scout rushed into the camp. His face was pale, his breathing ragged.

"They found the body," he announced.

The air shifted. Selene felt it immediately-the way the rogues leaned in, the way Alaric's eyes gleamed with interest.

"Crescent Moon?" Alaric asked.

The scout nodded. "They know one of their warriors is dead. And they don't know who did it."

Selene's lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile.

Perfect.

Let them wonder. Let them search.

Because she wasn't done. Not even close.

Tonight, she would strike again.