Chapter 8 – The Predator's Claim
The river was meant to be her salvation.
Selene had thrown herself into the freezing current without hesitation, desperate to break free of the relentless hunt. The icy water had been a brutal shock, stealing her breath, numbing her limbs—but she had forced herself to move, to swim, to fight against the pull of exhaustion. The night air was sharp, and her soaked clothes clung to her like a second skin, heavy and cold.
Her fingers trembled as she clawed her way onto the muddy bank, lungs burning with every ragged gasp. The slick ground gave beneath her weight, but she pushed forward, dragging herself onto solid earth. She collapsed onto her knees, coughing, shaking.
She had made it.
Barely.
But the moment of victory was short-lived.
A sound cut through the night—the soft, deliberate splash of water.
Selene's breath hitched.
No.
Slowly, she turned.
And there he was.
Ronan stood in the river, his powerful form barely disturbed by the current that had nearly drowned her. His movements were slow, deliberate, cutting through the water as if it offered no resistance. The moonlight gleamed off his wet skin, illuminating the sharp planes of his face, the hard lines of his jaw. Water dripped from his clothes, his dark hair slicked back, revealing those golden eyes that burned with something deeper than possession.
Something dangerous.
Selene's pulse thundered.
He looked like something out of a nightmare—something out of a legend. A predator risen from the depths of the night, forged in the wild, bound by nothing.
A king in his element.
"You're persistent," she bit out, forcing steel into her voice, though she was breathless and weak.
Ronan chuckled, the sound low and knowing. "You have no idea."
Then he disappeared beneath the water.
Selene's breath caught.
A sharp spike of fear lanced through her.
Where—?
The river churned, waves lapping against the shore, but there was no sign of him.
Her instincts screamed at her.
Run.
Now.
She took a step back.
Then another.
She whirled around—
A hand shot out of the water.
Fingers wrapped around her ankle, ice-cold and unrelenting.
Selene screamed as she was yanked backward, her body crashing into the river. The shock stole her breath, the cold wrapping around her like a vice. She fought, kicking and twisting, but Ronan's grip was like iron, dragging her deeper into the abyss.
Darkness swallowed her.
Cold surrounded her.
Her vision blurred as she clawed at the water, her lungs burning for air—
Then—
Air.
She broke the surface, gasping, only to find herself trapped in the rogue king's arms.
His grip was unyielding, his body solid heat against the bitter cold.
Selene thrashed, her heart pounding in her ears, but Ronan held firm, his strength absolute. His breath was hot against her ear despite the freezing water, his voice a low murmur that sent a different kind of shiver through her.
"Still running, little wolf?"
Selene snarled, twisting in his hold. "Still chasing?"
Ronan only laughed, the sound rich and deep, vibrating through her. "Always."
Her breath hitched.
A different kind of panic bloomed inside her.
She wrenched an arm free, nails raking across his shoulder, aiming for his throat—
But he didn't flinch.
Didn't so much as react.
Instead, he sighed, as if her struggles were nothing more than an inconvenience.
Then, with terrifying ease, he lifted her.
One moment, she was tangled in his grasp—
The next, she was draped over his shoulder, her body hanging precariously as he moved through the water.
Selene let out a furious snarl, slamming her fists against his back.
"Put me down!" she spat, thrashing against his grip.
Ronan ignored her.
Each step he took was sure and steady, the river parting around him as though it recognized its king.
Selene kicked, shoved, tried to claw her way free—
But he only tightened his grip.
"This would be easier if you just accepted it," he mused, his voice maddeningly calm.
"Accepted what?" she snapped, her nails digging into his back.
"That you're mine."
A furious growl tore from her throat.
She slammed her fist against his shoulder—
Only to be tossed down onto the riverbank, breath knocked from her lungs.
Selene barely had time to react before Ronan was on her, caging her in with his body.
His wet hair dripped onto her cheeks, the scent of rain and earth surrounding her. His body radiated heat, the contrast against her cold skin almost unbearable. His golden eyes glowed with something molten, something unreadable.
Selene's breath came in short gasps.
She could feel his warmth.
The raw, untamed power in his presence.
The way the world itself seemed to bend around him.
He leaned in.
Selene's heart thundered.
She bared her teeth.
"Do it," she hissed. "Claim me. Mark me. Make me yours. That's what you want, isn't it?"
Ronan's jaw flexed.
Something flickered in his gaze—something darker.
Something dangerous.
Then, to her shock—
He pulled back.
Selene blinked.
Ronan stared down at her, his expression unreadable, his breathing ragged.
For the first time, he hesitated.
His hands flexed against the ground on either side of her head.
Then, just as suddenly as he had caught her—
He let go.
Selene scrambled backward, eyes wide.
Ronan didn't move.
Instead, he tilted his head, watching her, his gaze unreadable.
Then he smirked.
"You'll come back to me, little wolf."
Selene clenched her fists.
"Never."
Ronan chuckled.
"We'll see."
And then—
He was gone.
Vanished into the trees as if he had never been there at all.
Selene stared after him, chest heaving, her skin still tingling where he had touched her.
What the hell just happened?
Her hands trembled as she pushed herself to her feet.
She had escaped.
But somehow…
It didn't feel like a victory.
She forced herself deeper into the forest, each step taking her further from the river, further from him.
Her clothes clung to her skin, the cold biting into her bones, but she didn't stop.
She couldn't.
The rogue lands stretched ahead, vast
and unyielding.
She had no plan, no allies—only the desperate need to keep moving.
But she knew one thing.
She had to get stronger.
Because Ronan would come for her again.
And next time—
She would be ready.