The guest room they had thrown her into was cold and unwelcoming, with stone walls that seemed to close in on her the longer she stayed. The scent of dust lingered in the air, untouched by fire or candle. Even the single window felt like a lie — it let in moonlight, yes, but no warmth, no comfort. Just the pale gaze of a world that had turned its back on her.
Selene sat on the edge of the stiff bed, her fingers clutching the coarse blanket like it was a rope anchoring her to something real. The mattress felt barely padded, stuffed with straw and silence. Her body was still, but her mind screamed.
Her head throbbed with questions, each one louder than the last, each pressing against the inside of her skull like they wanted out.
How could a marriage begin with such hatred?
What was the point of binding herself to a man who couldn't even look at her without disgust?
What kind of life was she stepping into, when she had already been discarded before it began?
The thought made her throat tighten until she could barely breathe. She pressed a hand to her chest, willing the pain to lessen, but it only spread — a bloom of dread cracking her ribcage from within.
Outside her window, the night whispered with the sounds of crickets and the low rustle of leaves. Distant howls echoed now and then — not near, but not far enough either. The wind pressed against the glass like a soft voice calling her name.
Freedom called to her with every gust of wind.
And her heart — bruised and aching — knew what her mind hadn't dared voice until now.
She couldn't stay.
She had to run.
The decision didn't come with clarity or courage. It came with desperation. With the kind of quiet madness that only visits the trapped.
Selene crept to the door. Her hand hovered over the iron handle, expecting resistance.
No lock.
No guards.
As if she didn't matter enough to restrain.
Maybe Kael truly didn't care enough to stop her.
Or maybe he wanted her to run.
Her bare feet made no sound against the cold stone floor as she slipped into the hallway. Every torch flickered weakly, their light barely reaching the floor. The shadows stretched long and monstrous across the walls — dark fingers curling in every corner, silent watchers in her escape.
Each step Selene took felt like a betrayal — of her family, of the deal that had been made, of the girl she had been.
But she didn't stop.
She couldn't.
The grand entrance loomed ahead, tall and silent. The doors stood like sentinels, massive and unguarded. Her heart hammered as she reached for the handle, half-expecting the shadows to move, for claws to drag her back.
Nothing.
The air beyond was sharp and cold, the kind of cold that cleansed the lungs and made the soul feel awake. For a single moment, she stood there, hesitating — not because she doubted her decision, but because she felt the weight of an invisible chain still looped around her soul.
Then she ran.
The courtyard blurred around her, the stone giving way to grass, and then the grass to trees. Her breath caught in her throat as her legs carried her forward with frantic energy.
The cold sliced across her skin like knives, but she didn't care. Her nightdress billowed behind her like a ghost in flight.
She ran.
Her lungs burned.
Her muscles screamed.
Branches whipped against her arms. Thorns snagged her dress. Twigs snapped beneath her feet.
But she didn't dare look back.
For the first time in what felt like forever, she tasted hope.
And then —
A low, deep growl split the air.
Selene froze. Her heart crashed against her ribs like a bird against a windowpane. The darkness around her thickened.
From the shadows, a shape emerged — massive, silent, fast.
Too fast.
A blur of motion. A surge of power.
She barely had time to react before something slammed into her, knocking the breath from her lungs. Her body hit the earth hard, the impact jarring through her bones. She gasped, but the air refused to come.
Hands closed around her wrists, pinning her to the ground.
And then she saw him.
Kael.
His silver eyes burned under the moonlight — no longer cold, but seething with fury. His hair was wind-tossed, his chest heaving as he straddled her, one knee pressing into the dirt, his body radiating raw, dangerous energy.
Every muscle was tight with restrained violence. His presence was suffocating — like gravity had increased around her tenfold.
"You thought you could run from me?" he growled, voice low and dangerous.
Selene's breath came in short, panicked gasps. The earth beneath her felt miles away. Her pulse roared in her ears.
"I'm not yours!" she spat, struggling beneath him. "You don't even want me!"
For a brief moment, something flickered across Kael's face — hurt? Anger? Doubt? She couldn't tell. It was gone before she could grasp it.
Then his expression hardened into cold, seething rage.
Without a word, he hauled her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing.
Selene screamed, pounded her fists against his back, kicked and fought. But it was like hitting stone.
He didn't flinch.
He didn't even slow.
The forest whipped past her upside-down view. She sobbed, her pride bleeding with every step he took. Her voice cracked, hoarse from screaming.
He carried her like a burden. Like a problem to be dealt with.
When they reached the estate, she expected dungeons. Chains. A locked room.
Instead, Kael strode into the great hall and dropped her to her knees before the pack priest, who stood already waiting — as though summoned in advance. His weathered face showed no surprise, only a tired, pitying look that made Selene's skin crawl.
"We do it now," Kael barked.
The priest didn't argue.
Selene trembled as the ritual began. Ancient words rolled off the priest's tongue — words older than memory, meant to bind blood to blood, soul to soul. But they felt hollow now. Like chains being forged from betrayal.
She barely heard them over the roaring in her ears. Her own heartbeat was louder than the chanting, faster than the flicker of flames in the torches that lined the walls.
This wasn't a wedding.
This was a sentence.
She had dreamed once — foolishly, girlishly — of a wedding filled with love, laughter, promises whispered beneath a sky full of stars.
Instead, she was bound with blood-stained vows and a silken cord tied tightly around her wrist, binding her to a man who had already broken her spirit.
The final knot was tied — sharp, decisive.
A physical symbol of her imprisonment.
Kael didn't look at her once.
Not when the priest declared them mated.
Not when the few pack members watching muttered under their breaths, their gazes unreadable.
Not when her heart quietly shattered into pieces at his feet.
Her body remained still on the floor long after the priest stepped away, his words fading into the hollow silence of the great hall. Her wrists ached from the tightness of the ceremonial cord, but she didn't move to loosen it. She couldn't. What was bound now was not just her flesh — but her fate?
She wanted to cry. But the tears had dried somewhere between the forest and the stone.
Kael walked away without a backward glance.
The sound of his retreating footsteps echoed louder than any scream.
When the door finally closed behind him, Selene was alone.
Still kneeling. Still bound.
Still burning.
She looked down at the crimson thread biting into her skin, and swore, silently and fiercely, that if this was the life they had condemned her to — she would endure it, survive it, and one day… break it.
Not just for herself.
But for the girl who was dragged through dirt and thorns, for the woman no one had seen — not even him.
She rose slowly, limbs trembling but spine straight.
And as she stood, her vow rang louder than the priest's ritual ever had.