Chapter 6 – The Wolf's Cage
The bruises on Selene's skin didn't bother her.
The soreness in her muscles didn't either.
What did bother her was the smirk still lingering on Ronan's lips as he led her back toward the cabin, his victory hanging thick in the air between them.
He hadn't needed to win.
He had needed to prove a point.
Selene grit her teeth, ignoring the way her body still hummed with the adrenaline of the fight. Every moment in that ring had been a battle, not just against Ronan, but against herself. Against the way her wolf wanted him, how the bond between them pulsed like a living, breathing thing, refusing to be ignored.
But she would ignore it.
She had to.
The moment they stepped inside the cabin, Selene turned to face him, arms folded.
"Are you done playing games?" she snapped.
Ronan shut the door behind him, leaning against it. "Who said I was playing?"
Selene scowled. "You humiliated me in front of your pack."
His gaze darkened. "You humiliated yourself by thinking you could take me down."
Selene's fists clenched. "Next time, I will."
Ronan pushed off the door, closing the distance between them in three slow, deliberate steps. She forced herself not to back away, even when his heat brushed against her skin, even when his golden eyes burned with something she couldn't name.
"Good," he murmured.
Selene frowned. "What?"
"I want you to fight me, Selene. I want you to try." He tilted his head, watching her with that same unbearable intensity. "But I will break you."
Selene's breath hitched.
Not from fear.
But from the way his voice curled around her like a promise.
"You'll fail," she whispered.
Ronan's smirk returned. "We'll see."
He turned away before she could respond, striding toward the small table near the fireplace. There was a plate of food waiting there—meat and fruit, simple but fresh.
Selene's stomach twisted. She hadn't eaten since yesterday.
"Eat," Ronan said, not looking at her.
Selene hesitated.
She hated how easily he ordered her around, how naturally he expected her to obey. And yet, her body betrayed her, her hunger gnawing at her resolve.
Still, she lifted her chin. "Why? Worried I'll be too weak to fight back?"
Ronan chuckled, low and deep. "No. I just don't want you dying before you realize you belong to me."
Selene hated the way her stomach flipped at his words.
But she was hungry.
And she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of starving herself just to spite him.
She sat down, taking the plate, ignoring the way Ronan watched her as she ate.
Minutes passed in silence.
And then—
"You weren't always a rogue."
Selene froze.
Ronan's voice was quiet, but the weight behind it was anything but casual. She swallowed the bite in her mouth, placing the plate down carefully.
"No," she said finally.
Ronan leaned back in his chair. "You were from a pack. A strong one, if the way you fight is any indication."
Selene clenched her jaw. "I was."
She knew what he was doing.
Digging. Probing.
Looking for cracks in her armor.
But she wasn't going to give him any.
Ronan studied her, golden eyes unreadable. "Which one?"
Selene hesitated.
Telling him the truth meant giving him power.
And Ronan already had too much of that.
"It doesn't matter," she said instead.
Ronan hummed, but there was something in his gaze that told her he already knew.
She forced herself to hold his stare, refusing to let him see the way her chest tightened.
Finally, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Did they cast you out?"
Selene stiffened.
A sharp, sudden pain bloomed in her chest, one she wasn't prepared for.
Because it wasn't just a question.
It was the truth.
Ronan saw it the moment her expression flickered.
Something in his face shifted.
Selene turned away, gripping the edge of the table, pushing down the ache that came with the memories she tried so hard to bury.
"Eat," Ronan said again, softer this time.
Selene exhaled shakily.
And for once—just for once—she didn't argue.
—
The days blurred into a strange, tense rhythm.
Selene didn't run. Not because she didn't want to, but because she knew Ronan was waiting for it.
Instead, she trained.
Ronan made sure of that.
Every morning, every evening, she was thrown into the ring, forced to fight, forced to push past her limits. And every time she lost to him, every time he put her on her back, his smirk only grew.
But she was learning.
She was getting better.
And she would win.
Even if it killed her.
But what scared her the most wasn't the fights.
It was the way Ronan watched her.
The way he waited.
Like he was letting her believe she had control, when in reality, he was pulling the strings all along.
Selene hated it.
Hated him.
So why did her wolf keep whispering otherwise?
—
One night, as she sat near the fire, stretching sore muscles, Ronan approached.
Selene didn't look up, but she felt him.
His presence was impossible to ignore.
Selene's body ached, but she refused to show weakness. Not here. Not in front of him.
Ronan had spent the last several days making sure she knew just how trapped she was, but Selene wasn't stupid. She had been watching, waiting.
Because cages had weaknesses.
And she was going to find his.
But right now, she had to endure this—another night of his presence, another night of this unbearable tension stretching between them like a storm waiting to break.
The fire crackled beside her, casting flickering shadows across the cabin walls. Ronan sat across from her, his golden eyes reflecting the flames, watching her too closely.
"Why do you fight so hard?" he asked, his voice deceptively calm.
Selene scoffed, not looking at him. "That's a stupid question."
Ronan tilted his head. "Is it?"
She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "I won't be caged."
Ronan's expression didn't change, but something shifted in his eyes. "You already are."
Selene's breath caught, fingers curling into fists.
Because he was right.
No matter how much she fought, no matter how much she resisted, she was already in a cage.
Not just because of the rogues surrounding her.
Not just because of Ronan's watchful gaze.
But because of the bond tying them together.
A bond she wasn't sure she could break.
Not without breaking herself.
The silence between them stretched, thick with something she didn't want to name.
Then—
"You could have killed me," Ronan said, his voice softer this time.
Selene stiffened. "What?"
"That first night." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You had a chance."
Selene forced herself to hold his stare. "You could have killed me," she countered.
Ronan smirked. "And yet, here we are."
A shiver ran down her spine.
Because he was right again.
Neither of them had done it.
Neither of them had ended this.
And that should have terrified her more than it did.
Selene looked away, focusing on the fire. "Go to bed, Ronan."
For a moment, he didn't move.
Then he exhaled through his nose, something almost amused in his expression.
"As you wish, little wolf."
But as he stood, stepping toward the door leading to his own room, he murmured just loud enough for her to hear—
"You will yield to me."
Selene's teeth clenched. "Over my dead body."
Ronan chuckled as he disappeared into his room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
But sleep didn't come easy.
Because despite everything—despite the fight, despite the defiance—
Somewhere deep in her bones, she wasn't sure she wanted to break this bond.
And that terrified her most of all.
—
The Escape
The moon hung high in the sky when Selene made her move.
The past few days had given her something valuable—information. She knew when the guards rotated. She knew the blind spots around the training grounds.
And most importantly, she knew Ronan wasn't expecting her to run tonight.
Which meant she had an advantage.
Selene took a steady breath, slipping out of the cabin as quietly as possible. The night air was cool against her skin, the scent of pine thick as she moved swiftly toward the trees.
Her wolf was restless, pacing beneath her skin, urging her to move faster.
But she didn't rush.
She couldn't afford mistakes.
The rogues might have let their guard down around her, but they were still predators. And Ronan?
He wasn't the type to let his prey escape twice.
Selene reached the tree line, her heart pounding.
Almost there.
She took one step—then another—
And a low voice shattered the silence behind her.
"Going somewhere, little wolf?"
Selene froze.
Her stomach dropped.
She turned slowly, her pulse roaring in her ears—
And found Ronan standing in the shadows, golden eyes glowing in the dark.
Not angry.
Not surprised.
Just waiting.
Selene's breath came in short, sharp gasps.
No.
This wasn't possible.
She had been careful. She had been so careful.
Ronan stepped forward, his movements slow, deliberate. "I was wondering when you'd try again."
Selene clenched her fists. "Move."
Ronan raised a brow. "Or what?"
Selene's wolf snarled, her body tensing. She would fight if she had to.
She wouldn't go back to that cabin.
She took a single step back—
And in a blur of motion, Ronan was on her.
She gasped as he grabbed her wrist, yanking her forward, spinning her so fast she barely had time to react before her back hit a tree.
His body pressed against hers, trapping her.
Selene struggled, shoving against his chest, but he didn't budge.
His scent wrapped around her—smoke and pine and something darkly addictive.
Ronan exhaled through his nose, his grip tightening. "You never learn."
Selene's breath was ragged, her heart hammering. "I will never belong to you."
Ronan's eyes darkened. "Won't you?"
She opened her mouth to snap back—
But then he leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of her ear, his voice nothing more than a whisper.
"Then why does your heart race when I touch you?"
Selene hated that he was right.
Hated the way her body responded.
Hated the fire curling low in her stomach, betraying everything she stood for.
Her throat tightened. "You're a monster."
Ronan's smirk was slow, dangerous.
"And yet, you can't seem to run from me."
Selene's breath caught.
Because he wasn't just talking about tonight.
He was talking about this.
About them.
And before she could shove him away—before she could do anything—
Ronan's lips brushed against hers.
A featherlight touch.
A warning.
Then he pulled back, his voice dark and low—
"Run, little wolf."
Selene b
arely had time to react before he let her go.
She stumbled forward, catching herself before turning back, her mind spinning—
But Ronan was already gone.
Vanished into the night.
Like a predator who had just let his prey think it had escaped.
And for the first time, a new kind of fear curled in Selene's chest.
Because for the first time—
She wasn't sure she wanted to run.