Hours later....
The sun was lowering toward the horizon when Selene finally finished the last room. Her hands trembled with exhaustion, and her vision had started to blur at the edges. She needed water. Food. Sleep.
But she'd get none of those things until after Alpha Lucian's arrival, the feast, and whatever cleaning needed to be done afterward.
One step at a time. That was how you survived.
She was heading back to the kitchen... to try Marcus again, maybe catch him in a better mood, when she heard Alpha Darius's voice echoing from the great hall.
"I want everyone assembled when he arrives. Full pack greeting. Show him what Bloodfang has become."
Selene edged closer to the doorway, careful to stay out of sight. The great hall was massive, built to hold the entire pack for gatherings and ceremonies. Right now, it held only Darius and his inner circle, discussing final preparations.
Darius stood at the center, arms crossed over his broad chest. He was impressive in the way alphas always were... tall, powerfully built, with sharp features and eyes the color of amber. His dark hair was pulled back, revealing the strong line of his jaw. Once, that face had made Selene's heart race. Now it only made her stomach twist with dread.
"Do we know why he's really coming?" Reece, Darius's third-in-command, asked. "You two haven't spoken in years."
"He says he wants to reconnect. Spend time with his only family." Darius's tone dripped with skepticism. "More likely he's heard about our expansion and wants to assess whether we're a threat."
"Are we?" Kira asked, a predatory smile playing at her lips.
"Not yet. But we will be." Darius's eyes gleamed with ambition. "The Blackwood Vale is ours. The surrounding territories are weak. Within five years, Bloodfang will be the dominant pack in the southern region."
Reece raised a brow. "And Alpha Lucian?"
"Will see exactly how successful I've become without his sanctimonious advice." There was old bitterness in Darius's voice, old wounds that hadn't healed. "Let him come with his noble ideals and his precious honor code. I'll show him what real power looks like."
The group murmured in agreement, feeding their Alpha's ego.
Selene pulled back from the doorway. Whatever history existed between the brothers, it was clearly complicated. She felt a flicker of sympathy for this Lucian... walking into his brother's territory when there was obviously bad blood between them.
Then again, he was an Alpha. A wolf. Part of the world that had rejected and brutalized her. Her sympathy was wasted.
She turned to leave, when suddenly...
"Where do you think you're going?" A familiar taunting voice called out.
Selene's blood turned to ice. She turned slowly to find Kira standing behind her, arms crossed, eyes glittering with malicious delight.
"Beta Kira, I was just—"
"Eavesdropping on the Alpha's private conversation?" Kira's voice rose, deliberately drawing attention. "How dare you!"
Selene shook her head, quivering in fear. "No, I wasn't... I was just passing by—"
"Guards!" Kira called out without even giving Selene a chance to explain herself.
Two massive wolves appeared instantly. Selene's heart hammered against her ribs. "No. Not again. Please." she pleaded, knowing fully well what the guards would do to her.
Just then, Darius emerged from the great hall, his expression thunderous. "What's going on?" he asked impatiently.
"I found her lurking outside, listening to your strategic discussion." Kira said sharply, her performance was perfect... shocked, offended, and concerned. "Who knows what she heard? What if she's spying for another pack?"
It was absurd. Who would want information from her? A worthless runt. She was nothing. She had nothing.
But Darius's eyes narrowed, and Selene knew the truth didn't matter. Only perception mattered. Only dominance and control.
"I wasn't spying," she defended, hating how small her voice sounded. "I was going to the kitchens. I didn't hear anything important."
"So you admit you were listening." Darius stepped closer, his voice cold and dripping with malice. "And during preparations for my brother's arrival. That's an interesting timing."
Selene felt a wave of dread wash over her. "No. Alpha Darius, please—"
"Silence." His hand moved faster than she could track, striking her across the face. Pain exploded through her cheek, and she tasted blood. "You forget your place, slave. You exist here at my mercy. Mine."
Selene kept her eyes down, her jaw clenched against the pain and humiliation.
"Lock her in the cellars," Darius ordered. "She can think about her transgression until after Alpha Lucian leaves."
Selene's eyes bulged. Panic flared in her gut. The cellars were cold, dark, and filthy. Last time they'd locked her down there, it had been for three weeks, and she'd nearly died of... everything.
"But Alpha," Kira suddenly interjected, her voice sweet as poisoned honey, "who will serve at the feast? Surely we need all hands available to ensure Alpha Lucian is properly welcomed."
Darius paused, considering Kira's words.
"She can serve," Kira continued. "Under my direct supervision, of course. If she makes one mistake, one tiny error, you can punish her afterward. In front of Alpha Lucian, even. Show him how Bloodfang maintains discipline."
The suggestion was brilliant in its cruelty. Put Selene in a position to fail under the worst possible circumstances, then use that failure to justify punishment in front of a visiting Alpha. The humiliation would be absolute.
Darius smiled slowly. "Yes. I like that. She'll serve." His eyes bored into Selene. "And if you embarrass me in front of my brother, I'll make you wish I'd killed you when I first rejected you. Understood?"
"Yes, Alpha Darius." Selene said, feeling a sense of relief.
"Good. Now get out of my sight until the feast." He commanded harshly.
Selene fled quickly, Kira's laughter following her down the corridor.
She found a small alcove near the servant quarters and collapsed against the wall, pressing her hand to her throbbing cheek. The metallic taste of blood still filled her mouth.
Serve at the feast. In front of Alpha Lucian and the entire pack. Under Kira's supervision.
It was a plan designed specifically for her to fail. Kira would find ways to trip her up, to create situations where mistakes were inevitable. And then Darius would make an example of her.
Maybe that's what she was to them. Not even a person. Just an object lesson in what happened when you were weak.
Selene closed her eyes, exhaustion pulling at her like a physical weight.
The sun was setting. Alpha Lucian would arrive soon. The feast would begin.
And she would survive it, somehow. The same way she survived everything else.
One moment at a time.
One breath at a time.
Until this nightmare of a day was finally over.
She didn't know that the nightmare was only beginning.
That in a few short hours, everything would change.
That fate was about to snap a chain around her soul one more time.
And this time, it would set in motion the events that would burn the world.