SELIN'S POV.
I had to move. I couldn't stay in this cage another second. My wrists throbbed from the chains, my shoulders ached from hugging myself so tightly, and every second I spent pressed against the cold iron made me feel smaller, weaker, and more trapped.
I glanced at the lock. Old, heavy, but not unbreakable. My heart pounded in my ears as I tested it, inch by inch, the metallic sound making me feel like it echoed through the whole castle. The moment the lock clicked, my stomach dropped. It wasn't supposed to click. I had done nothing but fumble with it. But then, I reminded myself of how notorious I am back home…a true menace. Handling tricky situations like this was second nature to me.
I froze. Did I…just unlock it? My hands shook, and I pressed myself against the bars, listening. Everywhere was silent. The guards were gone. The king—that tall, terrifying man, was gone, and so was the one who had called him "my king."
This was it. I slipped out, my legs stiff and clumsy, my bare feet scraping against the cold stone floor. Every instinct screamed at me to stop, to run back to the cage, to hide, but something inside me, the same voice that had urged me to flee the forest, pushed me forward.
The castle smelled of torches, stone, and something faintly metallic. The corridors stretched endlessly in shadow. I pressed myself against the wall, hands brushing the cold, rough surface, trying to stay invisible. Every echo of my footstep made my stomach twist. If anyone sees me…I'm done. Dead!
I didn't know where I was going. I just wanted an exit, a way out of this nightmare. I imagined the gates of Hemlock Hollow, the muddy roads I had left behind. If I could just get there…just get out…
I was still brainstorming when I saw it. A wide set of doors, carved in intricate patterns I didn't recognize. Behind them, muffled voices floated through the thick wood, almost chanting. A meeting? A council? I didn't know the proper words for anything here, but the sound made me pause. My curiosity, reckless as ever, overpowered my fear.
I crept closer, pressing my ear to the door. The words were foreign, heavy with authority, but I could pick out pieces. I heard words like…Lords, strategies, alliances…and one name that made my pulse thicken…the king.
I wasn't supposed to hear this. I shouldn't even be here. But…I wanted to know what was happening, what they were planning, why they brought me here. I crouched down, trying to stay out of sight. I didn't notice the faint shift in the air, the way it throbbed against me like a warning. Then, all of a sudden, something happened.
A door, or maybe the castle itself, reacted to my presence. I didn't understand it. One moment I was pressed against the wall, trying to disappear. The next, the massive doors swung open silently, as if guided by some invisible hand. I stumbled forward, lost my balance, and fell straight into the middle of the room.
The lords and men inside froze. My face burned with embarrassment and fear. I scrambled to my feet, but my eyes widened at the sea of hard stares. Every pair of eyes in that room was locked on me, and I suddenly realized something worse than being caught.
"You…you are—" someone began, their voice tight with shock.
Another voice cut in, loud and sharp. "Human? In the castle? In his presence?" The disbelief in every word was palpable. "What is the king doing with a human?!"
"I say—" another man, older and heavier, stepped forward, hands clenched. "This is unacceptable! We do not know what she is. She could be a spy! She could have been sent to gather secrets or—"
I shrank back against the wall, hugging myself tighter. Oh gods…I didn't do anything! I wasn't spying! I'm just trying to survive!
Whispers rose around the table, growing sharper, and angrier. "A human in the king's hall? Who knows what she might be capable of? How did she get in?"
"She must be eliminated!" another lord shouted, slamming a fist against the table. "Immediately!"
My chest tightened. The walls seemed to close in. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. Why did everybody keep calling me "human"? What was I supposed to be? Every instinct screamed at me to run, to throw myself to the floor, to curl into a ball and disappear, but the men around me were too fast, and too sharp. I was outnumbered and outmatched.
I wanted to speak, to explain, but my throat was dry, my voice was nothing but a squeak. "I…I'm not…I'm not a spy! I—"
They didn't listen. Every face around me radiated suspicion, anger, outrage. I could feel it pressing in on me like the tide of a storm. I just wanted to leave my village…to see the world…and now this?
Then a voice. A deep, commanding roar that cut through every shout.
"ENOUGH!"
Every head snapped toward the sound. The room fell silent. Even my own pulse seemed to quiet in the weight of it. The king stood at the head of the table, taller than anyone else in the room, his cloak dragging along the floor. His eyes were dark, impossibly sharp, and they swept over the lords like a predator scanning prey.
"She stays," he said, each word absolute. "No one touches her, no one speaks of her. Not until I say so. Am I understood?"
A few of the lords opened their mouths, voices filled with disbelief. "Your Majesty, with all due respect—"
He didn't let the words finish. He slammed a hand on the table, and the sound reverberated like a clap of thunder. Every mouth snapped shut, and the room's tension twisted into sharp silence. "With all due respect?" he said dangerously. "I am the Alpha king. She remains where I place her. There will be no debate, no exceptions. Is that clear?"
"Yes…your majesty," came the chorus of subdued voices, some muttering under their breath, but all silent in obedience.
I sank slightly, pressing my hands to my face. I was trembling, exhausted, terrified, but also…alive. Somehow, I had survived the scrutiny of a room full of men who could have killed me on impulse. Somehow, the king himself had spared me. And yet… leverything was still terrifying.
I glanced around the room. The lords avoided looking at me directly, their whispers were low and dangerous. I hugged myself tighter. My thoughts ran wild. Wolves that turned into men…a king who didn't kill me when he easily could…a castle I'd never known existed, filled with people who treated me like a threat or a curiosity…constantly calling me "human" as if they weren't one themselves. What witchcraft is this?