Selene unlocked the door to her apartment, her mind swirling with everything Lykos had told her. She dropped her bag by the door and walked into the living room in a daze, barely registering Ivy sitting on the couch with her legs curled up, scrolling through her phone.
"Hey, there you are," Ivy said, glancing up. "I've been waiting for an hour. You okay?"
Selene blinked at her. "Oh, Ivy. Sorry, I didn't realize you were here."
Ivy raised an eyebrow. "Clearly. You look like totally disturbed. What's going on?"
Selene hesitated, rubbing her temples. "It's nothing. I'm just… tired."
"Selene," Ivy said, setting her phone down and crossing her arms. "You're the worst liar I've ever met. Spill. What's wrong?"
Selene sighed, flopping onto the armchair across from her. She stared at her hands for a moment, her mind still tangled in the whirlwind of Lykos's revelations.
"I don't even know where to start," Selene muttered.
"Start with what's making you look like you're about to faint," Ivy said, "Come on, Sel. What happened?"
Selene took a deep breath, her voice shaky as she began. "There's this… guy."
Ivy's eyes widened, and she sat up straighter. "A guy? Who? And why didn't you tell me about him before?"
"It's not like that," Selene said quickly, holding up a hand. "It's… complicated. He showed up at my office yesterday, and today, he was in my lecture hall. And then—" She hesitated. "We met tonight."
Ivy frowned. "Wait, what? You met him? Sel, you don't even do blind dates, and now you're meeting some random guy who just shows up out of nowhere?"
"It wasn't a date!" Selene said, exasperated. "He found me, Ivy. He's… he's not normal."
"Not normal how?" Ivy asked, leaning forward. "Creepy? Stalker vibes? Do I need to call someone?"
"No, it's not like that," Selene said, shaking her head. "He's… different. He knows things about me, about my past. He says there's some kind of prophecy, and I'm supposed to marry him before the next 4 blood moons."
Ivy stared at her, her mouth slightly open. "Okay, wow. That's a lot to unpack. Who is this guy? And why does he think you're his bride?"
Selene looked away, her voice barely above a whisper. "He said his name is Lykos. And he's not… human."
Ivy blinked, her expression shifting from shock to disbelief. "Not human? Sel, you're scaring me. What are you saying?"
"He said he's a Lycan….. a werewolf," Selene said, her voice trembling. "And that there's a mating bond between us. He claims we have two months before the blood moon, and if we don't… accept it, something terrible will happen."
For a long moment, Ivy just stared at her. Then she burst into nervous laughter. "A werewolf? Selene, come on. You don't actually believe this guy, do you?"
"I don't know what to believe!" Selene said, her voice rising. "But there's something about him, Ivy. Something… real. When he's near, it's like I can feel him—his emotions, his thoughts. It's like there's this invisible pull between us, and it's driving me insane!"
Ivy's laughter faded and it was instantly replaced by concern. She reached out and placed a hand on Selene's knee. "Okay, let's take a step back. This guy…. Lykos, he just shows up, tells you all this crazy stuff, and you feel… connected to him? That's not normal, Sel."
"You think I don't know that?" Selene said, burying her face in her hands. "None of this makes sense. But it's happening, Ivy. And I don't know what to do."
Ivy sighed, leaning back against the couch. "Alright. First thing's first, if this guy is legit, he's got to prove it. Werewolves don't exist, Sel. But if he's claiming to be one, he better show some receipts."
Selene looked up at her, frowning. "Prove it? How?"
"Make him shift or howl at the moon or whatever werewolves do," Ivy said with a shrug. "If he's for real, he should have no problem proving it. And if he's not…"
Selene nodded slowly, the idea settling in her mind. "You're right. If he wants me to believe him, he has to show me."
But even as she said it, a part of her dreaded the answer. Deep down, she already knew Lykos wasn't lying… and that was far more terrifying than any fantasy she'd ever imagined.
As Selene settled in for the night, her mind refused to quiet down. She paced the living room, her thoughts running in circles.
A werewolf? she thought, shaking her head. "It's insane," she whispered to herself.
It was already overwhelming trying to wrap her head around Kael's magic and the strange encounter with the boulder in the temple, but now this? The idea of Lykos being a werewolf… or Lycan, as he called it… was too much to fathom.
She thought until she started feeling lightheaded. She downed a glass of water and a pill of painkillers because her head beginning to feel like it was about to explode. With that she decided it was about time she went to bed.
The next day, she threw herself into her routine, hoping to find some normalcy. She resumed her duties as a professor, lectured her classes, and tried her best to focus. But deep down, a small part of her secretly hoped Lykos would show up, so she could get answers.
When he didn't appear all day, she was surprised to feel a twinge of disappointment.
'Good,' she told herself quickly, catching herself feeling a twinge of disappointment. 'He's unpredictable and too full of himself. I don't need him barging in again.'
When she got back to her apartment that evening, she didn't bother reaching out to him. She refused to give him the satisfaction. Instead, she curled up on the couch, trying to make sense of everything.
She was so deep in thought that the sound of his voice nearly made her jump out of her skin.
"I could feel your yearning through the mate bond," Lykos said, his tone teasing.
Selene screamed, spinning around to see him standing casually in the corner of her living room.
"Apologies," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"Are you insane?" Selene hissed, clutching her chest. "What are you even doing here?"
"I told you, I could feel it," he said, smirking. "All day, your emotions were practically screaming for me. It was hard to ignore."
"That's ridiculous," she snapped. "And I wasn't—ugh, never mind! Just… just keep your distance."
Lykos tilted his head, his smirk widening. "This isn't quite the welcome I was expecting. All day, I felt your curiosity. Your confusion. Even a little want, maybe?"
"You're impossible," Selene muttered, crossing her arms. She glared at him for a moment, then suddenly said, "Fine. Prove it."
"Prove what?" Lykos asked, slightly confused.
"Prove that you're… that you're a werewolf or Lycan or whatever," she said, gesturing vaguely at him.
His smirk faded, replaced by a more serious expression. He stepped back, moving to a clear space in the living room.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice edged with warning.
Selene nodded, though her heart was pounding.
"Don't be afraid," he said softly. "I won't hurt you."
Before she could respond, she heard a sickening crack, like bones shifting. Her eyes widened as hair began to sprout from under his skin, spreading like wildfire across his body. His limbs elongated and reshaped, his jaw extending into a muzzle. Within seconds, there was no trace of the man who had been standing before her.
Instead, a massive black wolf with glowing gold eyes stood in her living room, its head a couple inches from the chandelier above it.
The wolf didn't move. It stood still, watching her intently, as if sensing her fear. Slowly, it bent its head, lowering itself slightly, a gesture that seemed almost submissive.
Selene's breath hitched. She couldn't move, couldn't think. She was frozen in place, her mind screaming at her to run. Yet she gathered some courage and walked slowly towards him, watching it's every move. But just as she almost neared it, the wolf let out a low growl, almost a purr, and that was it. Selene bolted.
With a speed she didn't know she possessed, she darted out of the living room and into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She locked it and leaned against it, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst.
For two minutes, the only sound she could hear was her ragged breathing. Then came a knock at her door.
"Selene," Lykos's voice came, "It's me."
She didn't respond.
"Come on," he said, knocking again. "I'm back to my human form."
Selene hesitated, her hand trembling as she reached for the lock. Finally, she opened the door a crack and peeked out.
There he was, fully clothed and human again, his expression unreadable.
"Now do you believe me?" he asked quietly.