27

The wind howled through the ruins of the ancient temple, rattling the broken stone columns like bones left to decay. Selene stood at the center of it all, the silver light of the moon casting long shadows across the fractured ground.

Across from her, he stood—The First Werewolf.

The being who had existed long before the gods claimed dominion, before the packs were divided, before fate had carved its cruel path through the world.

For weeks, she had believed he was an ally.

For weeks, she had trusted his guidance, clung to the hope that he held the answers she needed.

But now—

Now she saw the truth.

And it was a betrayal deeper than any blade could cut.

Selene’s voice was quiet but sharp. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

The First Wolf’s silver eyes flickered in the moonlight. “You are not.”

A breath.

A pause.

Lucian’s emerald gaze darkened beside her, his entire body coiled with tension. “So this was the plan all along.”

Kael, standing at her other side, let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Well. That’s disappointing.”

Selene didn’t react. Didn’t move.

Because something inside her was breaking.

“You told me we had a common enemy,” she said, her voice steady despite the storm rising in her chest. “You said the gods took everything from you.”

The First Wolf exhaled. “They did.”

Selene’s silver eyes burned. “And yet, you want to take from me.”

He tilted his head slightly. “The gods were never meant to rule, Selene. You know this. I was never meant to be forgotten.” His voice was low, measured, almost gentle. “And neither were you.”

Selene’s pulse pounded. “You want my power.”

The First Wolf didn’t blink. “You don’t even know what you are yet.”

Alec’s absence pressed against her like an open wound, but this—this was something else.

Something colder.

Something twisting.

“You helped me,” Selene whispered. “You told me how to fight them.”

The First Wolf sighed, as if it pained him. “I helped you because I needed you to awaken.”

Selene’s breath hitched.

Lucian stiffened beside her. “What did you do?”

The First Wolf’s silver gaze met hers. “I was patient.”

Kael took a slow step forward, his storm-gray eyes narrowing. “Let me guess—you never actually cared about killing the gods, did you?”

The First Wolf smiled, but it was not warm.

“They will fall,” he said simply. “That was always inevitable.” His gaze flickered back to Selene. “But their power must go somewhere.”

Selene inhaled sharply.

“No.”

His voice remained steady. “You were never meant to belong to them.”

Selene’s chest tightened. “And you think I belong to you?”

A beat of silence.

Then—

The First Wolf smiled again.

“Yes.”

Lucian reached for his blade. “Over my dead body.”

Kael smirked, but there was no humor in it. “That can be arranged.”

The First Wolf did not move, did not flinch at the threats that surrounded him.

Because he knew.

Because he had already won.

Selene’s fingers curled into fists.

“Everything you did,” she whispered, voice barely above a breath. “Everything you told me. It was all a lie.”

The First Wolf studied her, his silver eyes gleaming with something unreadable.

“No,” he said softly. “It was all the truth.”

Selene’s breath shook.

Because deep down—deep down, she knew.

And that was the worst part of all.