Chapter 1 – Captured by the Enemy
Pain.
It was the first thing Selene felt as she drifted back to consciousness. A dull, throbbing ache pulsed at the base of her skull, her body stiff from lying in the dirt for too long. Her wrists burned where the ropes bit into her skin, tight enough to cut off circulation. The coppery scent of blood thickened the air, mingling with smoke and ash.
For a moment, she dared to hope that this was just a nightmare—one she could wake up from.
Then reality crashed over her like a tidal wave.
The battle. The screams. The way the rogues had torn through her pack's warriors like they were nothing. The bodies. The blood.
Her father.
Selene's breath caught in her throat as she forced her eyes open, blinking against the smoke-laced air.
The Moonfang Pack was gone.
Fires still crackled in the distance, devouring what little remained of the once-proud stronghold. The scent of death was everywhere, a stark reminder of how utterly they had lost.
She wanted to scream, to cry, to rage—but she wouldn't. Not here. Not in front of them.
A rough yank on the rope binding her wrists sent her stumbling forward. A rogue warrior sneered at her, his grip tightening. "Look at that. The mighty Alpha's daughter, reduced to nothing more than a prisoner. Bet you never thought you'd end up here, did you?"
Selene gritted her teeth and refused to answer.
The rogue's grip tightened, his fingernails digging into her arm. "What? No smart mouth now? You were always so high and mighty before. Guess you're just like the rest of them now—weak."
Weak.
The word burned more than it should have. She had trained all her life to be strong, to be worthy of the blood that ran in her veins. And yet, it hadn't been enough.
She lifted her chin, forcing herself to meet his gaze with cold defiance. "Kill me if you're going to," she said flatly. "I won't beg."
The rogue laughed. "Oh, we're not killing you. Not yet."
Dread curled in her stomach.
They led her through what remained of the packhouse ruins, past the broken bodies of warriors she had once trained alongside. She kept her head high, even as grief threatened to consume her.
When they reached the clearing, she felt it before she saw him.
A presence.
Heavy. Commanding.
The rogues around her parted, their smirks fading as they fell into tense silence. And then she saw him.
The Rogue King.
He stood in the center of the destruction like he belonged there, an immovable force in a world of ruin. Selene had imagined a monster—scarred, disfigured, perhaps even a beast in human skin.
Instead, she was met with something far more terrifying.
He was tall, with broad shoulders and a frame built for war. His dark hair fell in loose waves around sharp, chiseled features, and his golden eyes—piercing, unreadable—settled on her with quiet intensity.
There was no rage in his expression. No cruelty. Just a calm, assessing gaze that made her stomach twist.
Power radiated from him, thick and suffocating. He didn't need to raise his voice to command attention—he simply existed, and the world around him bent to his will.
She fought to keep her breathing steady as he took a slow step forward.
"So," he said, his voice smooth but edged with something unreadable. "This is the daughter of Alpha Gabriel?"
Selene forced herself to stand tall. "I am."
A flicker of something crossed his gaze—amusement, perhaps.
"Interesting," he murmured, stepping closer.
Her wolf, silent until now, stirred uneasily. The scent of cedar and smoke filled her senses, something deep and rich and undeniably familiar.
No.
No, no, no.
Her heartbeat slammed against her ribs as the realization struck her like lightning, sharp and unforgiving.
He leaned in, his voice a low whisper only she could hear.
"Mine."
The world shattered around her.
She sucked in a sharp breath, her chest tightening as every cell in her body rebelled against the truth.
Fate had to be cruel. Had to be laughing at her.
Her mate was the Rogue King.
And she was his prisoner.