24

The night was quiet.

Too quiet.

Selene stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking the valley, the wind tugging at her cloak, the stars stretched endlessly above her. The moon, once a source of comfort, hung distant and cold.

She couldn’t feel it anymore.

She couldn’t feel anything.

Her power had been fading for days, slipping from her grasp like water through her fingers. She had tried to ignore it, to fight through the exhaustion clawing at her bones, but tonight, there was no denying it.

She was breaking.

And there were only two choices left.

Become mortal.

Or become something else.

Footsteps crunched behind her, and she didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

Lucian.

He had been watching her closely ever since his secret had been revealed, as if he could already see the fractures forming inside her.

He didn’t speak right away.

Then, quietly, “You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

Selene exhaled. “I’m not alone.”

Lucian stepped beside her, his emerald gaze scanning her face. He wasn’t fooled by her calm tone.

“You haven’t told them,” he said.

Selene didn’t move. “Told them what?”

Lucian’s voice was steady. “That your power is almost gone.”

Selene clenched her jaw.

Silence stretched between them.

Then—

Lucian exhaled, running a hand through his dark hair. “Selene.”

She turned away. “I don’t need them worrying.”

Lucian let out a sharp laugh, but there was no humor in it. “Kael’s already worried. Alec—” He hesitated. “Alec would be furious if he knew you were hiding this.”

Selene’s chest tightened.

Alec.

She didn’t let herself think about him.

Didn’t let herself feel the empty space where his presence should have been.

Lucian’s voice softened. “You have to make a choice.”

Selene’s fingers curled at her sides. “I know.”

Lucian studied her for a long moment. Then, carefully, “Do you want to be mortal?”

The words settled over her like a weight.

Selene swallowed hard.

“I don’t know.”

Lucian’s emerald gaze darkened. “Liar.”

Selene exhaled shakily.

Then, finally, “I don’t want to lose myself.”

Lucian’s jaw tightened. “Then you know what that means.”

Selene turned to him, her silver eyes burning. “I don’t want to become something inhuman.”

Lucian’s expression didn’t change. “Then you have to fight.”

Selene let out a bitter laugh. “Fight what, Lucian? My own body? My own fate?” She shook her head. “The gods already decided for me.”

Lucian’s eyes flashed. “Since when do you let anyone decide your fate?”

Selene stared at him.

Lucian stepped closer, his voice quieter now. “Selene, you’re not losing your power. You’re changing. And you have to decide what you’re going to be before it’s too late.”

Selene’s breath hitched.

Because she knew.

She had always known.

If she refused mortality, if she refused to let go of what little divinity remained in her—

She would become something else.

Something that was neither wolf nor god.

Something entirely unknown.

Selene swallowed hard. “What if I don’t like what I become?”

Lucian’s gaze softened, just slightly. “Then we’ll face it together.”

Selene closed her eyes.

Because she believed him.

But some battles…

Some choices…

She had to face alone.