Chapter 2
She lay hours alone in the room, for the most part unaware as she healed and gained strength. In hours, Selene swung her legs over the edge of the bed, much to the protest of her limbs. She wore a simple black tunic, unmistakable evidence that someone had undressed her out of the tattered clothing she had been wearing. The realization made her ill with discomfort.
Her eyes flashed toward the door—thick wood, iron-reinforced. Locked, she guessed. The windows? Slender and high, accessible but damn near so.
The heavy door creaked open.
Selene didn't move. She kept her loose stance, her expressionless face, but her wolf—Nyx—was already stirring, shivering beneath her flesh.
The man who entered stank of dominance, raw power slamming the air like a storm waiting to break. Killian.
He stood as she remembered—dark hair, tall, giving off an air of command that took no hostages. His eyes, that unattractive silver, held hers with a wintry sternness.
Selene tried her best to meet his gaze. She would not yield. Not him. Not anyone.
He walked slowly, the door closing tightly behind him. "You're awake."
No kidding.
She said nothing.
He had a tray in one hand—food. The smell of roasted meat and fresh bread hung in the air and tied her stomach in knots.
He placed the tray on a small table next to the bed. "Eat."
She snorted. "I'd starve first."
He didn't say anything, just standing there looking at her with that infuriatingly unreadable face. "Suit yourself."
He walked toward the door.
Selene's fingers flew. She hated that he could so easily turn his back on her like this, that it was his choice to live or die.
So she pushed. "What is wrong, Alpha? Scared I'll bite?"
He stopped. For a moment.
Then turned back to her, something sinister dancing in the back of his eyes. "You already have. You just don't know it yet."
And so he was gone, leaving her with nothing but the crushing impact of his words and the insidious pull of a tie she did not want.
Selene knocked on the shut door, her chest pounding against her ribcage. You already have. You just don't know it yet. His words echoed in her mind, igniting something within her—a pull she would not admit. She rolled off the bed, her bruised muscles protesting as she gritted her teeth. She was not going to be weak. Not now. Not here. The room was luxurious, but it was a prison. She approached the windows first. They were too high up for her to climb up onto without climbing, and even climbing, the outside bars showed that the break out in this direction wasn't feasible. The door was heavy, secure, and locked on the other side. Guarded, for sure. Her knuckles curled into fists. She was trapped. Her eyes drifted back to the plate of food Killian had abandoned when he left, the aroma turned her stomach sour to pain, but she suppressed it. She did not trust anything that belonged to an enemy. Rather, she tried to consider the larger question—why was she here? Killian had full right to have killed her. Rogues weren't off-limits, not typically anyway, and especially those that had tried to harm a pack like his. And still, he'd brought her here, cared for her, given her a bed and not a cell. It didn't make sense. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax. Whatever dance Killian was performing, she was not a part of it. She was here in body, but not yet mind. Time dragged at excruciating quiet. Selene doesn't know how long she stands there—hours, maybe more. Her hunger gnaws, her wolf simmering beneath the surface of her skin, but she does not feed. And then finally, the door slowly opens. Killian had a partner in crime today. A female followed him inside—tall, handsome, blue eyes gleaming, a command presence about her. Wearing a tight-fitting black tunic, posture one of restraint. Selene's body recognized this woman at once was somebody. Killian leaned back into the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. "Selene, allow me to present Commander Rayna. She's commander of the Silvercrest fighters."
Rayna stared at her as if she were a piece of a puzzle that was lacking a very important piece. "She's the border rogue?"
Killian nodded.
Rayna's eyes crossed to Selene's untouched meal. "She hasn't eaten."
Killian's lips curled, perhaps with amusement. "She's stubborn."
Selene winced. "I do not eat food that has been given to me by enemies."
Rayna released a sudden laugh. "Enemies? You'd be dead if we were enemies."
Selene's smile was cold, her teeth exposed. "Give it time."
Rayna's laughter ceased. "You're in no position to be threatening me."
Killian shoved himself away from the doorframe and stepped closer. "No, but she is in a position where she can make decisions."
Selene's gaze narrowed. "Decisions?"
Killian slanted to one side, his silver eyes unreadable. "You fought your own against my warriors. You are strong. Powerful." His voice dropped slightly. "I do not waste productive resources."
Selene remained still.
Rayna crossed her arms. "The Alpha is offering you an escape from your cell."
Killian's gaze did not flinch. "Be a part of my pack. Swear allegiance to me, and you will live."
Selene's dry, humorless laughter. "And if I say no?"
Killian's face was still calm, but there was an icy edge to his tone. "Then you'll remain here until I decide what to do with you."
The unspoken words hung between them.
Or until you break.
Selene's mind was whirling. Part of her wanted to spit in his face, to turn him down outright. She was no man's beast, no man's warrior.
But another part of her knew better.
She possessed no pack. No friends. No escape.
Selene glared Killian directly into his eyes, her body fighting rebellion.
"You'd think me to betray myself just to exist?" Her voice was flat and silky, but a storm raged beneath. "That I'd serve the same kind of Alpha who hunts my people down like animals?"
Killian didn't flinch. If anything, he looked interested. "I think you're smart enough to know when you have no other choice."
Selene moved closer, the crush of his presence smothering but exciting in a way that enraged her wolf.
"You are desperate," she told him, lifting her head, "to be making an offer to a rogue a position in your pack."
Killian smiled slowly, and with deliberation. "Desperate? No." His voice fell to almost a whisper, silk but cut with steel. "Curious? Yes."
Selene seethed at the way her heart pounded at that.
She laughed, folding her arms. "Should I be flattered?"
Killian looked at her like she was a riddle he alone could solve. "You should be careful."
Selene smiled. "Of you?"
His silver eyes flamed. "Of what you're going to start to feel."
Her breath caught for a moment, but she hid it behind a snarl. "You're crazy for thinking that."
Killian bridged the gap between them, his movement swift and lethal. Too close. His smell—dark pine, something dark and untamed—closed in around her senses like a trap.
"You can believe what you wish, Selene," he snarled, his voice low and threatening. "You can attempt to fool yourself, but your wolf is not deceived."
Shivering, she wrapped the chill in a chilly glare. "The truth?"
Killian's fingers brushed against the edge of her jaw—just a touch, a trial. "That I already possess a part of you."
Selene swatted his hand away, her wolf growling in her mind. "Touch me again, and I'll rip your throat out."
Rayna bristled at the threat, but Killian. he just laughed, a low, pleased rumble.
Selene didn't care for how it made a curl of heat run through her.
"You've got fire," he said, stepping back, but the weight of his presence lingered. "I like that."
Selene ground her teeth. "I don't care what you enjoy."
Killian leaned to the side, the flashing of his eyes like tiny lights. "We'll see."
And on that, he strode off toward the door. Rayna threw one last glance Selene's way—a half smile and half warning before she trailed him out. The door clicked hard against its stops behind him, closing and then locking itself. Selene breathed the air she'd not realized she'd been holding, her heart still pounding in her chest. Bastard. She was not going to play his game. She was not going to get caught in whatever twisted stunt he pulled in provoking her. But even as she calmed herself, her wolf roiled. And that infuriated her. Selene paced the length of the room that had been blacked out, her mind racing. Killian was provoking her, pushing at her boundaries, and she hated that it was working. She thought he'd think she was a caged rogue, penned with no door to escape through. But he was mistaken.
*. *. *. *.
Nightfall settled in gradually, yet Selene felt an unexpected calmness. She tucked herself into the farthest corner of the dimly lit room, her breath steady and her heart beating in a measured rhythm. The plan was straightforward—wait for the servant, strike quickly, and vanish into the night before anyone noticed her absence. The ropes binding her wrists had loosened just enough from her careful manipulation. Not enough to slip free right away, but just enough to make her next move swift. The metal door creaked open, and the aroma of roasted meat filled the air, tightening her stomach with hunger. A young servant girl entered, carrying a tray, her head bowed in submission. Selene sprang into action. Like a coiled snake, she lunged, knocking the tray from the girl's hands. The clatter masked the sharp intake of breath as Selene's fingers tightened around the servant's throat, forcing her backward. A quick twist of her body, a precise strike to the back of the head, and the girl slumped, unconscious. Selene wasted no time. She yanked off the servant's cloak, draping it over herself, and darted out of the room, her bare feet silent against the stone floors. The hallways were quiet, the patrols predictable. She slipped past them with the ease of someone who had thrived in the shadows, evading capture for years.
Outside, the night loomed large and dark, with the forest's mystery just beyond the towering walls of Killian's estate.
She didn't stop running.
As Selene dashed away from the building, her breath came in sharp gasps, and her heart thudded in her ears, a fierce ache radiating through her chest. It wasn't merely fatigue—it was something deeper, something primal.
Her wolf whimpered.
No.
Selene clenched her jaw, urging herself to run faster, battling against the resistance clawing at her insides. Her wolf's distress seeped into her, a profound, sorrowful tug that made her limbs feel heavier with each stride.
We can't leave him.
He's our mate.
Selene growled softly, shaking off the voice. He is a curse!
But her wolf wouldn't be quieted. The farther she ran, the louder the whimpers became, a heart-wrenching plea echoing in her mind. A desperate longing. Her instincts screamed at her to turn back, to return to the Alpha who had entwined her fate with his.
She ignored them.
She had spent her entire life fighting for freedom. She wouldn't surrender it now—not to him.
And then she reached the wall.
The wind whipped against her face as she leaped over the outer wall, landing in a crouch on the other side. Her breath was ragged, her muscles aflame, but she pushed through.
Selene hit the ground with a soft thud, the cold night air wrapping around her like a chilling embrace. Her heart raced in her chest, her breath quickening. She had done it. She was free.
But then—
A low, dark chuckle sliced through the stillness.
Her stomach dropped.
Slowly, she lifted her gaze.
Killian stood there, his imposing figure bathed in moonlight, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned casually against the stone wall. He looked completely unfazed. Amused, even.
"I was wondering when you'd make your move," he mused, his voice a deep, rich baritone that sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. "You didn't disappoint."
Selene swallowed hard, her heart racing. How could he possibly know? It felt as if he could sense her inner turmoil; he tilted his head, those piercing silver eyes glinting with an unsettling understanding. "Did you really think I wouldn't see this coming?" He took a deliberate step closer, his presence almost suffocating. "That I wouldn't be here, waiting?" Her wolf whimpered again, but this time, it wasn't out of fear. Selene clenched her fists. No. She refused to let herself feel it—refused to acknowledge the tightening pull around her soul like a noose. Killian exhaled, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Run all you want, Rogue." He reached for her, his fingers brushing against the bare skin of her wrist, sending an unwelcome heat coursing through her veins. "You'll always find me here, waiting."