Kael's expression turned dangerously cold.
For a moment, the entire room felt like it had frozen.
"You've delivered your message," Kael said slowly.
"Now leave."
Selene didn't move.
Instead, she tilted her head slightly and studied him with amusement.
"You're not even going to ask why Damon suddenly wants her back?"
Kael's silver eyes flashed.
"I don't care."
His voice was calm, but the power behind it made the air feel heavy.
"She stays here."
Selene laughed softly.
"You really don't know, do you?"
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"Know what?"
Selene glanced at me, her lips curling into a faint smile.
"The truth."
My stomach tightened.
"What truth?" I asked quietly.
Selene walked slowly across the room as if she owned the place.
"Damon didn't reject you because he didn't want you," she said.
Her words hit me like a slap.
"That's not true," I replied immediately.
"I was there."
Selene shrugged.
"Yes, you were."
She stopped near the balcony doors and crossed her arms.
"But you didn't understand what really happened."
Kael's voice cut through the tension.
"Explain."
Selene looked back at him.
"The night of the full moon… Damon felt the mate bond."
My breath caught.
"That's impossible," I whispered.
"He rejected me."
Selene's smile turned sharp.
"Yes."
"He rejected you… in front of everyone."
Her eyes darkened slightly.
"But not because he didn't feel the bond."
Kael stepped forward slowly.
"Then why?"
Selene's gaze flickered toward me again.
"Because your little mate here is dangerous."
The room went silent.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
Selene sighed dramatically.
"You really don't know anything about yourself, do you?"
Kael's patience was clearly running thin.
"Start making sense," he said coldly.
Selene raised her hands slightly in surrender.
"Fine."
She turned fully toward us.
"There are rumors among the packs… about a rare bloodline."
My heart began beating faster for reasons I couldn't explain.
"A wolf born with two mate bonds."
Kael's expression changed slightly.
"That's just a myth."
Selene shrugged.
"That's what most people thought."
Her eyes slowly moved back to me.
"Until Damon met her."
The room suddenly felt too small.
"What are you saying?" I whispered.
Selene's smile widened.
"I'm saying Damon rejected you to hide the bond."
The words made my mind spin.
"Hide it… from who?"
Selene leaned closer.
"From the other Alphas."
Kael's voice was dangerously quiet.
"And why would he do that?"
Selene chuckled.
"Because if the packs discovered she had that bloodline…"
Her eyes glinted.
"Every Alpha would want her."
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
"That's insane," I said.
Selene shrugged again.
"Maybe."
"But Damon believed it."
Kael remained silent, his gaze fixed on me.
For the first time since meeting him, uncertainty crossed his face.
"You're lying," I said weakly.
Selene's smile faded.
"Then ask him tomorrow."
My heart dropped.
"Tomorrow?"
Selene nodded.
"Yes."
She walked toward the door casually.
"Damon isn't sending messengers anymore."
She paused at the doorway.
"He's coming himself."
Kael's jaw tightened.
Selene looked back one last time.
"And when he arrives…"
Her eyes locked onto mine.
"You'll finally learn why he never truly let you go."
The door closed behind her.
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.
I slowly turned toward Kael.
He was staring at me in a way that made my chest tighten.
"What?" I asked nervously.
Kael didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he walked toward the balcony and looked out at the dark forest beyond the walls.
Then he spoke quietly.
"If what she said is true…"
My heart pounded.
"Then what?"
Kael turned to face me.
His silver eyes were burning with intensity.
"Then the mate bond I felt…"
He stepped closer.
"Was never supposed to exist."
And suddenly, the strange pull between us made terrifying sense.