Chapter 265: Chapter Two

Selene's POV

I took a deep breath the moment I finally stepped outside, cold air rushing into me. Finally, I was free from all of that. I’d deal with the backlash later, that was certain.

I walked down the path away from the main house, my hands shoved into my pockets as I approached the stables. My horse was there waiting for me, and she nuzzled the palm I offered. I unlocked the stables and walked her out, saddling her and then climbing onto her back.

My parents weren’t bad people; they loved me, and that was why their concern was beginning to suffocate me.

I continued toward the heart of the pack.

The unified packhouse stood several minutes away, built almost exactly between what had once been SilverClaw and the Outbound territories.

It had been strange at first because we were two different packs with two different histories and ways of doing things, and now we had one home. But somehow, it had worked.

The Outbounds still had their own territory, and Lyra remained responsible for it. SilverClaw was different; Lyra and Kade ruled it together, balancing each other in ways that still amazed me. But for unity, they built a new packhouse on the border of the Outbounds and SilverClaw.

Neither of them interfered where they weren’t needed because they trusted each other, and that was probably why the entire arrangement worked, even though some people—mostly the elders—had their own reservations.

I reached the front entrance, and the door was opened by some guards who bowed to me. After a few minutes, I opened the door to a different section of the packhouse palace that was residential for Lyra.

“SELENE!”

A small blur launched itself at me.

I laughed and caught the child before she could collide with my legs.

“There you are!” I grinned as I lifted her into my arms. She squealed happily, wrapping both arms around my neck.

“You’re getting heavy,” I told her. “You almost knocked me out.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No!”

“Yes.”

“No!”

I laughed. “Fine. You’re still tiny.”

She beamed. Behind her, her twin brother appeared in the doorway, looking at me, then his sister, and then finally back at me.

“You came without anything.”

I stared at him with a smile, raising my brows. “Excuse me?”

“You usually bring something.”

I put a hand over my heart. “That is incredibly rude.”

He shrugged. “And I am still your favorite.”

I grinned as I carried the little girl inside while her brother followed closely behind as I headed upstairs.

“Where are you going?” the boy asked.

“To see your mom.”

“She’s working,” he informed me.

“Of course she is.”

I reached the door to Lyra’s quarters and knocked once, and then opened it without waiting. Lyra looked up from the papers scattered across her desk, her eyes landing on me, then on her daughter in my arms and son behind me.

A smile slowly spread across her face. “What did you do?”

I dropped dramatically onto the nearest couch, adjusting the little girl so she could sit on my lap.

“I’ve been attacked.”

Lyra raised an eyebrow. “By whom?”

“My parents,” I told her.

She laughed at my expense while I groaned. “They’re trying to marry me off again.”

“Again?”

“Again.”

“How many men did they bring this time?” she questioned.

“Three.”

Lyra’s smile widened. “Three? Not bad. I would have brought twenty if I were them. More variety.”

“God, Lyra, you’re not even being helpful!” I whined, pouting my lips. “And I can see your face. Don’t laugh.”

“I wasn’t,” she denied, still snickering.

“You are literally laughing.”

“I would never.”

I narrowed my eyes at her as she leaned back in her chair, looking far too pleased with herself.

“This is serious.”

“Of course it is,” she replied. “They’re worried.”

I looked down at the little girl still sitting comfortably on my lap. My parents probably wanted to be grandparents too, just like Elder Therin. Too bad I didn’t see myself falling in love with anyone, and the person I loved… we couldn’t even have children if we wanted to.

“They think something is wrong with me.”

“There’s plenty wrong with you.”

I gasped. “Traitor. I shall have you executed for treason.”

She laughed, making me smile despite myself before the smile faded because of the way Lyra was still looking at me, and it wasn’t in a teasing way anymore.

She knew me too damn well.

“What?” I asked.

She tilted her head. “You could just tell them, you know.”

“Tell them what?”

“That you’re not interested,” she said, as if stating the obvious.

“Well, I did,” I said. “Countless times, in fact.”

“No. You told them you don’t want them choosing for you. Isn’t that what you said last week?”

I said nothing because she was, in fact, right. “Hey, I did tell them today I didn’t want to settle down. Plus, when I said I didn’t want them choosing, they didn’t lay back. They just kept bringing more men.”

“For you to choose from. You literally egged them on.”

“Oh, by the Goddess,” I groaned, clenching my fist.

Lyra leaned back. “You’ve never actually told them why.”

I felt sick to my stomach instantly. I put the little girl down and then looked toward the window, watching the pack grounds. A small smile touched my lips as there was a single petrified ravager left there as a statue to remind us of what we had been through.

Now, everything was fine and Goddess, everything had been fine for years now.

So why did one question still hurt?

Lyra didn’t have to mention her name before I knew who she was talking about. I swallowed hard, forcing the tears back down.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I finally responded after a few minutes of silence.

Lyra studied me for a long moment, but thankfully, she didn’t push.

She simply reached across the desk and slid a cup toward me.

“Tea?”

Before I could respond, the door burst open, revealing a frantic guard.