182

182
Luca pov
When Cassius and Selena came back late the day before, I wasn’t prepared for what they brought with them. We had all believed the Dawn Chaser pack had been wiped out but instead, they were still alive, barely surviving in the harsh wildlands.
“Maybe when things calm down in Frost Fang, they could come under the protection of a stronger pack,” I said quietly.
Selena didn’t respond. She only shook her head before going to bed early. Cassius had been unsure what to think, but he filled me in on everything from the strange stories about Odinswolves to how a rogue alpha had attacked Selena. Even Rowan had grown unusually distant after that, his presence faint through the pack bond when I tried to reach him later.
This morning, Selena was no better.
She moved through the house like she wasn’t really there. She didn’t join conversations unless she was directly spoken to, and even then, her answers were short. She ate with us, but it was clear her mind was far away.
And I hated the silence.
After lunch, I couldn’t take it anymore. Even a short separation from my pack yesterday had left me uneasy and restless.
Rowan had gone back out to patrol the borders, even though the Elder Forest pack didn’t seem to want his help. Cassius was somewhere busy, but he wasn’t who worried me.
I found Selena sitting alone in a small reading corner, a book open in her lap but she wasn’t actually reading it.
I walked up slowly so she had time to notice me first.
“Selena… what’s going on?” I asked softly.
She tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I hate everything that happened to the Bloody Dawn,” she said quietly. “But I don’t know how to fix it. I finally feel like I belong somewhere… yet I still feel useless. That rogue alpha brought me down so easily. I couldn’t even fight back. I just… froze.”
“Hey…” I murmured.
I took the book from her hands and placed it aside. It was filled with old shifter legends.
Then I held her wrists gently but firmly, grounding her in place.
“You are not weak,” I told her. “You’re just new to this. The rest of us have been shifting for years. We’ve trained, fought, and learned how to survive in ways you haven’t had the chance to yet.”
She didn’t answer, but her expression stayed heavy.
“Until a few months ago, you were trapped in Bloodfang,” I continued. “Of course you’re still finding your footing. That doesn’t make you worthless. It just means you’re still growing. And you will find your place in this pack.”
Selena looked away, her silence telling me I hadn’t reached her the way I wanted to.
Then, almost suddenly, she changed the topic.
“How did things go with your father yesterday?” she asked.
I paused.
That question dragged my mind back to what I had overheard the day before… just before my father realized I was there.
The moment I arrived, his assistant told me Dryden had been waiting, though it quickly became clear he didn’t even realize his boss was still on a call. I caught fragments of a conversation about securing an alliance, but something about it felt… wrong.
“You think he was speaking to the Trella coven about your engagement?” Selena asked, her nose scrunching in obvious disgust.
I searched my memory, replaying his words. “No. It didn’t sound like that. He kept saying ‘I’ and ‘me’… not ‘we.’ It felt like he was arranging something for himself, not the pack.”
I frowned. “And when he saw me, he ended the call immediately. That only made it stranger.”
Selena tilted her head. “He sounds like the kind of man who thinks everything belongs to him. Maybe, in his mind, every deal is personal.”
“Maybe,” I said with a small shrug. “Either way, I told him I’m not marrying Trella. He acted like I’d eventually change my mind.”
Selena’s eyes sharpened. “So what will it take to make him stop?”
“I honestly don’t know,” I admitted. “That’s why I stay away from him. If I’m not within reach, he can’t use me. I already told him we’re heading to Moonblood soon, so he’ll lose control over me.”
Her expression tightened, like she wanted to say more but held it back.
My father always circled the same patterns: pressure, persuasion, then exhaustion. But I wasn’t going to break.
Wanting to shift the mood, I squeezed her hands lightly.
“That’s why I trust only the Howling Evergreen,” I said. “We’re packed, and we protect each other. But you still need to learn how to protect yourself.”
I smirked slightly. “Cassius is teaching you hand-to-hand combat, right? Now you’ve got your wolf form too. If you ever want to practice fighting alphas like us, just say the word. I wouldn’t mind a little sparring.”
That earned a small reaction from her lips. “So you just want to chase me around?”
“There it is,” I teased, glad to see even a crack of light in her mood. “I do enjoy a good game of tag.”
She laughed before she could stop herself. “Is that what you call entertainment?”
“What time is it, Ms. Wolf?” I asked, watching her closely for a reaction to the old game trick.
She only looked amused, not confused. That was progress.
I leaned in with a smug grin. “I can think of better games too… like strip poker.”
That finally broke her gloom. A real smile touched her face, even reaching her eyes.
“That sounds boring,” she said. “Shifters don’t care about nudity.”
I laughed. “Now that’s what I like to hear.”
My gaze lingered on her, and I let myself think freely for a moment. The scent around her shifted subtle, warm, distracting. Her upcoming heat made everything stronger, sharper.
“A good game needs stakes,” I said slowly. I lifted her chin with my fingers. “So let’s make a deal.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “What kind of deal?”
“If you win,” I said, my voice dropping, “you can ask for anything. The moon itself, if that’s what you want.”
She rolled her eyes. “And if you win?”
My grin turned sharp. “Then I get you. No clothes. No running. Just you… and whatever I decide to do when I catch you.”
Her eyes widened a little, but she didn’t back down.
“So Rowan got to chase me earlier, and now you’re jealous?” she asked instead.
That honesty hit straight through me. I didn’t deny it. She could see exactly what I felt.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “I wanted that chance too.”
Selena stood up. “Fine.”
I rose with her immediately. “Then it’s settled.”
“But what are the rules?” she asked, following as I guided her forward.
“You’ll see,” I said, pulling her into my room.
The second the door closed, I turned on her.
My hands moved fast, stripping her top away before she could react.
She hit the bed, and I followed, removing the rest of her clothes in one quick motion.
Completely exposed, she met my gaze without fear.
“If you last five minutes,” I said, leaning down slightly, my lips brushing her skin, “you win.”
She smirked faintly. “You really think you can finish me in five minutes?”
A low laugh left me. “I won’t just finish you. I’ll ruin your patience long before then.”
I grabbed my phone, set a five-minute timer, and placed it in her hand.
“I’ll make you scream my name before that timer ends,” I said softly. “Then I’ll make you run… and when I catch you…”
His fangs slipped out before I even realized it, and she froze staring straight into my eyes, now glowing a deep gold.
Instead of backing down, she smirked and pressed the start button on the phone. The timer flipped to 5:00.
That was all the invitation I needed.