Once The Forsaken Luna, Now His Eternal Obsession

Selena's POV:

Kael Brooks is the Alpha of the Golden Moon Pack. I, Selena White, was his mate and the Luna in name only.

Every step toward the Golden Moon Group headquarters left a smear of blood behind me.

My body was barely holding together, yet my arms never loosened around the envelope pressed tightly against my chest. Inside it was the border territory transfer agreement from the Shadow Fang Pack.

For six long months, their Alpha, Afar Henderson, had refused to budge over the northern mining rights. Kael had sent one werewolf after another to negotiate, and every single one had returned defeated by Afar.

I had paid for that agreement with a bullet.

This would be the last thing I ever did as the Luna of the Golden Moon Pack.

Three years as Kael's mate had bought me nothing-not respect, not acceptance, not even basic dignity within the pack.

Instead, I endured one humiliation after another from Aria Smith. She was only an Omega, yet the entire pack treated her like a priceless treasure, a beloved celebrity everyone worshiped.

A sudden stab of pain ripped through my lower abdomen, dragging my thoughts back to the present.

For months, I'd been battling relentless nausea, crushing fatigue, and agonizing cramps that twisted through my stomach.

I already knew the cause. The silver poison I'd once drawn out of Kael's body had turned on me. It was eating away at me from the inside, and even if I hadn't taken that bullet, I didn't have much time left.

I stopped outside Kael's office door. From the other side came Aria's sweet, flirtatious voice, drifting into the hallway between soft breaths.

"Kael... that hurts. Take it easy."

"Just a little longer," Kael murmured, his voice unusually gentle. "I'm almost finished."

Without bothering to knock, I shoved the door open. Aria sat with the hem of her dress gathered above her knees while Kael crouched before her, carefully supporting her ankle as he spread ointment over the angry red swelling.

The instant they noticed me, Aria withdrew her leg and hurriedly tugged her skirt back into place. "Selena! Has no one ever taught you to knock?"

Kael rose to his feet, his eyes settling on me. His brows drew together. "Where the hell have you been?" His gaze swept over my disheveled appearance. "You look awful."

Without answering, I walked straight over and tossed the envelope onto the desk. "Afar signed it. The mining rights to the northern territories are ours now."

Kael wasted no time pulling out the agreement. His eyes swept across every page, checking each signature and seal. Once he was certain it was genuine, he looked up at me, bewilderment clouding his face. "How did you pull this off?"

Aria let out a mocking laugh. "Oh, come on. Afar would never hand that over so easily. Selena, don't tell me you climbed into bed with him-and the rest of his men-to make him sign."

A shadow fell across Kael's face. "You actually did that?"

Before I could answer, he seized my arm. His grip tightened as he bent close, his nose brushing the side of my neck. "I can't smell Afar's pheromones on you. What exactly did you do to force him into signing this agreement?"

My eyes settled on the man I'd spent the last three years loving.

Three years ago, I'd pulled the silver poison out of his body, and in return, my own wolf had been destroyed, leaving me with nothing.

He never learned what had really happened. In his mind, I'd simply seized the opportunity when he was at his weakest and manipulated him into marrying me.

"Believe whatever story makes you happy. You already got exactly what you wanted." Reaching into my pocket again, I took out a second document and held it up. "I've already signed the Rejection."

I met Kael's eyes without wavering. "I don't want a single thing from the Golden Moon Pack. Not its wealth. Not the Luna title. The moment you sign it, we'll be complete strangers."

"What are you scheming now?" Kael huffed, glaring at the Rejection. "Playing hard to get? Or is this another pathetic attempt to force me to send Aria away?"

Without a flicker of emotion, I retorted, "I'm not scheming, Kael. I'm exhausted. Just let me go."

Instead of answering, he ripped the document apart piece by piece, letting the scraps fall between us.

"Listen carefully, Selena." Closing the distance, he looked down at me, every word cold and domineering. "I decide whether this bond ends-not you. Until I give the order, you're not leaving the Golden Moon Pack."

A sharp wave of agony tore through the wound in my abdomen, nearly buckling my knees. I didn't have the strength to keep arguing. Getting my injury treated came first. As for ending this marriage... nothing he said was going to change my mind.

There was no point staying any longer. I turned and walked out, each unsteady step pulling at the injury in my stomach until it felt like it was being torn open all over again.

By the time I reached the exit, I was running on sheer willpower. I pulled out my phone, blocked Kael's number without a second thought, then cut off the mate bond connecting our minds.

An icy gust swept across the grounds, making my whole body tremble uncontrollably. The moment everything was finally done, the last of my strength gave out.

As I crumpled toward the ground, the last thing I saw was Damon Walsh speeding toward me on his motorcycle, swearing furiously as he came.

Kael's POV:

My eyes lingered on Selena's retreating figure long after she walked away. Something felt off.

The oversized black coat hung loosely on her small frame. Even beneath the heavy fabric, the sharp lines of her shoulders stood out. Since when had she become that skinny?

"Kael, don't be upset." Aria slipped to my side and gently hooked her arm through mine. "She's only getting more impossible to deal with. You've spoiled her for far too long."

Without responding, I looked back at the agreement in my hand. When Selena had thrown it at me earlier, all I'd cared about was what was written inside. I hadn't given the envelope a second glance.

Now, something caught my eye. The bottom edge was stained a deep, almost black red. I reached out and brushed the stain with my fingertips, only for them to come away damp and sticky. Blood?

Seeing the blood clinging to my fingers sent a sharp wave of irritation crashing through me.

The shrill ring of my desk phone shattered the silence.

The moment I answered, Afar's furious voice exploded through the line. "Kael, that Luna of yours is completely out of her mind."

A frown creased my forehead. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"I only meant to scare her a little. One shot to the stomach. That was it," Afar snapped. "But that woman didn't even flinch. She grabbed a knife and dug the bullet out herself. There was blood all over the damn place."

I was on my feet before I realized I'd moved. "What did you just say?"

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit." Afar let out a cold, mocking laugh. "You'd love it if she died on my territory. Then you'd have all the justification you needed to declare war and take over the Shadow Fang Pack. Too bad for you. I'm not handing you that opportunity. I signed the damn agreement and kicked her out. She'd already lost a terrifying amount of blood. So? Is she dead yet?"

A second later, the line went dead.

Silence crashed over the office, thick enough to choke on.

I stood frozen, my gaze locked on the dried smear of blood staining my desk as Afar's words echoed relentlessly through my mind.

Selena had been shot? And after taking a silver bullet, she'd carved it out of her own body?

Without wasting another second, I yanked out my phone and called her, but she had switched off her phone.

Then I tried to reach her through our mate bond, only to find that she had shut me out.

"Mason!" My shout thundered through the office.

The door flew open almost instantly as my assistant, Mason Brown, hurried inside. "Alpha? What happened?"

"Where's Selena?" I demanded.

"The Luna already left." Mason swallowed. "The guards at the exit said she rode off on a motorcycle. And the rider was a rogue wolf."

My eyes locked onto him. "A rogue wolf?"

"That's what they reported." Mason nodded nervously. "They said he was young, good-looking, and fast. From what they saw, Luna seemed to know him."

Aria suddenly chimed in, "Since when has Selena been acquainted with a rogue wolf?"

The moment those words landed, the last trace of worry inside me vanished, buried beneath something colder.

"Find her." The order scraped out through clenched teeth. "I don't care if you have to search every inch of this pack's territory. Tear the whole place apart if that's what it takes-but bring her back."

...

Selena's POV:

Pain ripped through my abdomen the instant I opened my eyes, so sharp it nearly forced a cry from my throat.

The slight movement caught Damon's attention. He was at my bedside in an instant. "You're finally awake?"

Still dazed, I blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings before looking at him. "What happened?"

"What happened? You've actually got the nerve to ask me that? If I'd shown up two minutes later, you'd have bled out right in front of Golden Moon Group." Damon slid a pillow behind my back, carefully helping me into a sitting position despite the anger in his voice. "The only thing you sent me was a text saying, 'Come pick me up.' I thought you'd finally come to your senses and decided to leave that bastard. Never crossed my mind that I'd be showing up just in time to keep you from dying."

"I got the agreement," I remarked.

His expression turned icy as he responded, "I know. And you nearly paid for it with your life."

I kept my mouth shut, saying nothing.

A knock broke the tension. The door opened, and a doctor stepped inside. I recognized him immediately. He was one of Damon's people-the same man who had treated my injuries more than once back when I was still taking bounty jobs.

After giving me a quick examination, he looked up. "The gunshot itself isn't the biggest concern. The silver bullet came out in time, so that's under control. But you already had silver poison in your body before this happened. Now that you've been wounded again, the toxin is spreading much faster. The Moonlight Grass can keep it suppressed for a while, but it's only buying you time. If you don't find a real cure soon, that won't last."

I responded with a slight nod. I'd already expected that answer.

Then I noticed the uncertainty lingering on his face, as though he was holding something back. My chest tightened. "There's more, isn't there?"

The doctor set a medical report on the bedside table. "Sorry. We couldn't save your baby."

For a long moment, the words meant nothing. "My... what?"

He handed me a box. "You were pregnant. Around seven weeks along. You really didn't know?"

My fingers trembled as I lifted the lid. Curled inside was a tiny pup, so small it hadn't even finished developing. Its little body was still bare, not yet covered in fur.

The constant nausea, the endless exhaustion, and the drowsiness that had plagued me for months-I had blamed every bit of it on the silver poison, never once realizing I was pregnant.

The doctor continued, "When you arrived, there were already no signs of life."

I had spent years believing I could never carry a child. Somehow, against all odds, I'd been given one. And before I ever knew that life existed, I'd already lost it.

"I'm so sorry, baby," I murmured, my voice cracking as the words escaped me. "I never knew you were there."

Cradling the box against my chest, I fought back another wave of grief. "Damon, I want to take him back to the Golden Moon Pack and bury him there."

Damon's head snapped up in disbelief. "Have you lost your mind? After everything that happened, you still want to go back?"

The doctor let out a weary breath before speaking. "She's not wrong. An unborn pup carrying an Alpha's bloodline who never received the pack's blessing must be laid to rest beneath the Moon Goddess Stone of the father's pack. If not, the Moon Goddess won't accept the child, and the pup's spirit will be left wandering the pack's borders forever."

My gaze fell to the tiny box in my arms, and I tightened my hold on it. "I won't let my baby become a lost soul with nowhere to belong."

Damon dragged a hand through his hair, frustration written across his face.

By nightfall, we had slipped into a secluded garden deep inside the Brooks estate.

At its heart stood the Moon Goddess Stone, the holiest place in the pack. For generations, every Brooks pup born with Alpha blood had been carried here, lifted beneath the moon while an Elder spoke the ancient blessing that welcomed them into the pack.

My hands trembled as I knelt and gently set the box into the grave I'd dug myself. One handful of earth after another, I buried him beneath the sacred ground. When it was over, every ounce of strength had drained from my body.

Before I could collapse, Damon caught me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "We have to leave. If we stay any longer, Kael's going to find you."

Selena's POV:

The moment Damon pulled me out of the Brooks estate, he brought me straight into the Gray Zone.

This was his world-the territory controlled by the Rogue King. Its entrance was concealed behind an ordinary-looking bar, hiding an entire underground domain from the outside world.

The packs above had their borders, their rules, and their hierarchies. The Gray Zone had its own order. There was no Council of Elders here. No one cared about bloodline or status. No one cared what kind of person someone had been before they stepped inside. As long as you had money, courage, or enough ability to make yourself useful, you could carve out a place to survive.

The Gray Zone thrived on everything the surface world tried to bury-drugs, bounties, fight rings, intelligence trading, and black-market auctions.

And Damon was the one who controlled it all.

Years ago, when I was still working as a bounty hunter, I had once accepted a mission to hunt him down.

Back then, he had nearly shot me dead. I had been only a breath away from opening his throat with my blade. Neither of us walked away as the winner. Instead, we ended up fighting side by side, our backs pressed together as we tore through the same ambush that had been meant to kill us both.

That battle changed everything. Afterward, Damon and I became genuine friends-the kind who trusted each other. He even knew how I lost my wolf.

Kael had spent years believing I was nothing more than a useless she-wolf who had schemed her way into the Brooks family.

He had no idea I was capable of far more than he imagined-I could shoot, dismantle explosives, track anyone I hunted, and stay alive in the Gray Zone.

Damon walked in with a bag of food. "The doctor said if we don't get the Moonlight Grass, you probably only have two months left."

The words barely stirred a reaction in me.

I had known this day would come. It had been inevitable from the moment I pulled the silver poison out of Kael's body and took it into my own three years ago.

I saved his life. I lost my wolf. And in exchange, I became the useless Luna everyone in the Golden Moon Pack despised and looked down on.

Yet Kael had spent all this time believing Aria was the one who saved him.

Damon slid a folder across the table and added, "This is your new identity. Forget everything else and focus on getting better. I've already found a lead on the Moonlight Grass. A stalk will be appearing at an auction in two months."

Looking up at him, I asked, "Is Kael still searching for me?"

"Of course he is." Damon let out an icy huff. "But don't be naive enough to think it's because he misses you."

I didn't bother arguing. That was Kael. He could push me aside. He could pretend I meant nothing and leave me behind without a second thought. But the moment I genuinely tried to walk away, his Alpha instinct to possess and control would awaken, despite the fact he had never truly treasured me.

My gaze dropped to my hands.

When I buried that little wolf pup, I had stood before the Moon Goddess Stone and given him a name.

William.

He deserved to have one.

I couldn't give him a family. I couldn't give him a place to belong. The only thing I could do was leave him a name, something that proved he had once existed.

Slowly, I removed the ring that represented my position as Luna and closed my fingers around it in my palm.

For three years, that ring had stayed on my finger, symbolizing my bond with Kael and my place as the Luna of the Golden Moon Pack.

But now, staring down at it, I felt nothing. It no longer meant anything to me.

"Finally, it's over," I muttered under my breath.

...

Kael's POV:

Mason placed a thick stack of reports in front of me, the papers landing against the desk with a heavy thud.

"Alpha, we identified the man who took Luna. It was Damon Walsh-the Rogue King of the Gray Zone."

I knew exactly what the Gray Zone was. The Golden Moon Pack had made a few shady deals with them more than once over the years.

And Damon... His name wasn't unfamiliar.

Everyone in our world knew him as the Rogue King, the man who held absolute control over the Gray Zone. The black market, underground trades, intelligence networks-everything flowed through his hands.

But Selena? How could she possibly have any connection to someone like him?

Mason pushed another photograph across the desk.

It had been taken from far away, capturing nothing more than a blurred silhouette. Damon was holding Selena as he helped her onto the motorcycle.

"Our people confirmed that Damon has been moving around the old district recently," Mason reported. "Alpha, I don't think Luna's departure was a decision she made on impulse. There's a chance she had connections to the Gray Zone long before this."

Something heavy pressed against my chest.

So she'd known Damon all along. The thought sent my mind back to the Rejection she had signed.

She had been willing to walk away with nothing. She had been ready to give up her position as Luna without hesitation.

She didn't need anything from me because someone else was already waiting for her.

A knock sounded at the door before Aria stepped inside. She set a cup of coffee beside me and spoke in a gentle voice. "Kael, Selena left so suddenly and so completely... Do you think she might have planned this from the beginning?"

I didn't answer.

After a quiet pause, Aria lowered her voice. "Or maybe... she's been involved with Damon for a long time."

Her eyes dropped, and she looked almost regretful, as though she had realized she had said too much. "I'm not trying to cause problems between you two. I'm just worried about you. Selena always seemed so obedient whenever she was with you. But who knows what secrets she was keeping from you?"

I turned my gaze away, unable to refute her words.

Deep down, a part of me had already begun wondering if Aria was right.

Selena had stood beside me as my mate for three years, yet I knew almost nothing about the things she'd done or the people she'd been connected to.

Inside the Golden Moon Pack, she had always been quiet-gentle, obedient, and willing to lower herself.

But the second she walked away, she seemed like an entirely different person.

Which version of her was real?