She had always known there was more to Ronan than he let on, but this… This was something she had never imagined.
As the moments stretched on, she finally pulled herself away, retreating silently into the shadows. But her mind wouldn't let go of the conversation she'd overheard. What was the truth about Ronan's past? And what would it mean for her future?
Selene felt the walls closing in on her, the weight of Ronan's unspoken fears and the growing power within herself. It was all coming to a head, and she wasn't sure she was ready for what was about to break.
She couldn't shake the image of Ronan's cold resolve, the way he had spoken about destruction, about control. His silence after Kealen's question about his family haunted her—there was something raw and desperate in it. But more than that, it terrified her.
She had always known she was trapped, but now it felt suffocating. The fortress walls, which had once seemed like an imposing barrier meant to keep enemies out, now felt like her prison. If Ronan was right—and if the seer had seen the future in Selene's power—she was a ticking time bomb, and everyone was waiting for her to explode.
Her heart pounded as she crept through the dark halls of the castle that night while her thoughts raced. Staying here was not an option anymore. Every step she took seemed to weigh heavier than the last. She felt that her resolve was being weakened with each passing second.
She was aware about escaping; almost impossible they have set eyes everywhere, but if not tried, she would end up joining another piece of Ronan's game.
She arrived at the back side of the fortress, her heart drumming hard, the cool night air pitched in conspiratorial silence, just a taste of liberty within reach. Her hand brushed the cold metal handle; her breath caught in anticipation
. "Going somewhere?" The voice cut through silence like a knife. Her heart stopped. Ronan. She didn't even have to turn to know it was him. His presence was like a storm that followed her always, constant and inexorable.
Her hand froze on the door, but she didn't turn. If she did, she knew it would be over. "Ronan," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper, caught between fear and defiance. He moved slowly, deliberately, his bootfalls echoing in the stillness, coming up behind her close enough for her to feel the heat radiating from his body.
She gripped the door handle tighter, her knuckles turning white. "You think you can escape?" His voice was low and cold but had a dangerous edge to it that sent shivers down her spine. "You're mine now. You don't get to run away." She swallowed hard, but her anger flared. "I won't be your prisoner forever."
Ronan's breath was just behind her ear, and she flinched at the way he spoke next, his words like ice. "I know you're scared. But don't think for a second that I'm going to let you leave without a lesson."
Before she could react, he grabbed her arm, spinning her around so fast that her body slammed against the cold stone wall. She gasped, her breath knocked out of her. Ronan's grip was unyielding, his fingers digging into her skin.
"Selene, you are under my control," he said, voice hard as steel. "And I will break you until you understand."
She gazed into his eyes, defiance burning within her even as she fought to breathe. She couldn't lose him- not now, not ever.
Ronan's lips curled into a cruel smile. "You think you can resist me? Let me test the length of time you last during my trials."
Ronan's challenge was far crueler than anything Selene could imagine. The entire pack was gathered in the training grounds, murmuring away as they witnessed what was going on. Selene stood at the center with her fists balled at either side, just off the edge stood Ronan, his expression unreadable as he watched her.
Beside him stood Kealen, the ever-present shadow, arms crossed, a faint smirk gracing his lips.
"Selene," Ronan's voice came in sharp and demanding tones, "today, you'll prove yourself. Everything was given to you, yet you still act superior. You think defying me has no aftereffects?"
Selene's jaw tightened. She knew what was coming. The humiliation.
"You've got two choices," Ronan continued, his eyes never leaving hers. "You can kneel before the pack, beg for their forgiveness, and prove you can be submissive Or..." He paused, letting the words hang in the air like a weight. "You can take on a mission. One that will push you to your limit. You'll prove that you're willing to fight for your place here."
The choice felt like a cruel joke. Her pride screamed at her to refuse, to defy him in front of everyone. But she had been through enough to know that Ronan wasn't playing by the rules.
"Kneel before them?" Her voice was steady, though the storm inside her raged. "You want me to beg for forgiveness like some weakling?"
Ronan's eyes were glinting with malice. "I offer you a chance. Don't mistake it for anything else."
Her breaths grew shallow. She was not weak. She was not some plaything that he could play with. However, she was not stupid. She would break under crucifixion before the pack—this must not happen.
"I'm choosing the mission," she said. "I'll win my right to be here by fighting. Not begging."
There was a fleeting flicker that crossed Ronan's face, but it was gone too quickly for Selene to decipher. "So it shall be," he replied, dripping with contempt. "Tomorrow, you go. You are not to expect any mercy of any kind. You show, and this world will decide whether or not you are strong enough to survive therein."
Her heart was pounding in her chest as she stood before Ronan, the weight of the mission heavy on her shoulders. He had given her no choice or any room to refuse-only the cold, sharp command of an Alpha who was never questioned.
She was to penetrate Magnus Greer's domain, gather intelligence from his swelling power, and return with information. The stakes were much, and Selene realized failure meant much more than punishment; it would compromise all she had worked hard to safeguard.
Ronan's eyes moved to hers as he spoke-voice low, deliberate, with the customary harshness laced with an edge something she couldn't quite place.
"You realize just how important this is, Selene," he said, his tone firm but lacking the usual venom. "Magnus is a threat, and I need you to get close enough to learn what he's planning. Do not trust anyone-especially him."
His eyes seemed as though they were penetrating to look for any signs of hesitation but all she could do was nod. It was not an option for her. She could not afford to show fear, even if every part of her wanted to flee, to run far away from all this.
As she turned to leave, Ronan's voice called her back.
"Selene," he said, his voice softer now, quieter, almost hesitant.
She glanced over her shoulder. There was a strange almost imperceptible change in his expression, a fissure in the cold mask he always wore.
"Be careful," he continued, words clipped but laced with something else, "Magnus wants more than just power, and you're part of that. Don't let him get to you. Do what you need to do, but always be in control."
Selene didn't know how to reply. She had never heard Ronan talk like this-his voice had an edge of authenticity, a tenderness he shielded from everyone else.
Her breath hitched as their eyes locked, and she saw a flicker of uncertainty in his gaze. A brief moment where the mask slipped, revealing the man beneath. He wasn't just sending her to gather intel—he knew the danger Magnus posed, and he knew exactly what kind of trap he was putting her in. Yet, there he stood, silent, cold, and unreadable.
And for the briefest moment, Selene felt a pang of something she couldn't name. Fear? Sympathy? Maybe it was a mix of both. She had always known Ronan as ruthless, unyielding. But now, the realization struck her: he cared. But he wasn't about to admit it.
Without a word, she turned to leave, but as she walked toward the door, something shifted in the air between them. It was subtle, but undeniable.
She had already turned around without uttering a word when the atmosphere between them suddenly changed as she moved toward the door. It wasn't grand or obvious at all. Ronan's hand shot out to stop her, gripping her just above the elbow and holding her to a standstill.
"You can't leave like this," he muttered, his voice low and tense, as if he were trying to hold something back. His fingers tightened, not in anger, but in something much darker—something that felt almost… possessive.
Selene froze. There was no strength to pull away, only the weight of the moment pressing down on her chest. She turned her head slightly, locking eyes with him again, and she saw it—uncertainty and guilt clouding his usually confident, unshakable demeanor.
"You should have said that to me," she whispered, really quiet. "What do you really think of me, all of this?"
Ronan's jaw clenched, and for long moments, an electrifying silence stretched between them. At first, he said nothing, and for a moment, Selene thought he would walk away, leaving her behind to return to the cold, indifferent version of himself she had known all her life.
Instead, his hand slowly slipped down her arm, his touch lingering just that much longer than necessary. Then, with an almost imperceptible sigh, he leaned in.
"You're a weapon, Selene," he murmured, breath warm against her skin. "I can never let anyone take that away from me. I've got to keep you strong. But..." His voice faltered for just a split-second and his face softened. "But I don't want to lose you."
Ronan's hand shot out, gripping her arm just above the elbow, pulling her to a stop.
The words stung in ways she didn't expect, a rawness in his confession that disarmed her. He was so closed off, so cold, that it was difficult to comprehend the warmth that lingered beneath the surface. His usual power and control were gone, replaced with something far more dangerous—vulnerability. Something she didn't know how to handle.
Before she could respond, Ronan's hand cupped her cheek, tilting her face gently toward him. His eyes locked onto hers, searching, as though trying to read the thoughts she was struggling to keep hidden. He could see the doubt, the fear, the confusion—and it made him hesitate.
Then, he kissed her.
It wasn't a brutal, forceful kiss like before. No. This kiss was slow, almost tender, as though he were testing the waters of something neither of them understood. His lips brushed against hers, soft at first, before deepening as the tension between them thickened. Selene's heart raced in her chest, the kiss pulling her into a whirlwind of emotions she had spent so long pushing away.
Ronan's grip on her waist tightened, pulling her closer, and for the first time, there was no manipulation in the touch, no demand. It was simply him, his need and desire pouring through the kiss in a way she didn't know how to process.
As if in slow motion, her hands, which were long loosely strapped alongside her body, lifted to his chest, and without even fully realizing it, this moment invited full contact for the first time in aeons into the throes of her kiss as Selene finally responded to it.
She kissed him back, but a little shyly as the flame grew in intensity, it reflected her own inner fever. It was just a little burst of excitement, then it was done. He drew back, breathing shallowly, yet with those dark eyes wrought with emotion, gazed down at her as if trying to gauge how much it all meant, as if even admitting it would make that so.
"Don't forget why you're here, Selene," he said hoarsely, his voice hardly shielding the disturbance he tried so fiercely to mask. "Stay focused. Stay strong". And then he turned away, leaving Selene standing alone in the cold silence of the room.
She remained there for a while with a thudding heart, attempting to comprehend all that had happened. In Ronan's eyes, she had seen something. Some flicker of humanity and of care that denounced all she knew of him.
But that flicker disappeared again, swallowed by the ice that surrounded him. And now Selene was feeling more trapped than ever, not only within the walls of the fortress but also within her own turmoil. For she was about to enter unknown territory, Magnus Greer's territory, And she had no idea what awaited her.