Selena’s POV
“Rogues?” Panic surged through me. It was bad enough that I got cheated on my birthday, but now, we were being attacked by rogues? What happened to the guards at the borders?
“Damn it!” Draven swore under his breath.
“Serena, we need to leave,” Astrid whimpered, but her words sounded meaningless. At this point, I’d rather be at the mercy of the ravenous rogues than trust any of them. Without a single word to her, I turned and ran. My wedding dress billowed around me as I raced down the corridor, searching for my parents. They were the only ones who could make sense of this madness.
“Serena!” I suddenly heard my mother's voice cut through the chaos. I turned around to see her standing at the end of the hallway.
“Mother,” I cried out as I rushed into her arms. The moment I touched her, the dam of tears I had been holding back broke, and fresh tears streamed down my face as I sobbed uncontrollably.
“What happened to you? What’s going on?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“It’s Draven!” I choked out between sobs. “He…he betrayed me. He never loved me; he used me…” I struggled to form coherent words.
“What?” My mother’s face darkened. “Don’t worry about this now. We’ll talk about it later. We need to get you to safety. Your father will handle the rogues.”
All around us, pandemonium reigned as maids and warriors ran through the corridors. We hurried down the hall, headed toward the secret chambers beneath the Alpha packhouse, a room my parents had kept hidden for emergencies. The sounds of fighting grew louder, and I closed my eyes, focusing on my mother’s hand gripping mine as she pulled me forward.
As we approached the chamber, we found my father waiting with a grim expression. His eyes were blood-red, a sign that his wolf was close to the surface.
“Get her inside!” he said without hesitation, turning to leave.
“I’ll come with you!” My mother began, but my father raised a hand and stopped her.
“You will not. Stay here with Serena while the warriors and I settle this.” He boomed out the order, and just as he was about to leave, the door to the chamber burst open, revealing Draven, flanked by a large group of rogues.
“Draven!” my father snarled in fury. “What are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re involved in this?”
Deep in the chamber, my mother had pushed me into a small alcove hidden behind the wall so I wouldn’t be exposed to danger. “Stay quiet. No matter what happens, do not make a sound.”
“You should have known better than to trust a wandering wolf, Alpha.” Draven checked his nails with a bored look on his face.
“Why are you doing this, Draven?” My father clenched his fists as he stared at him. “I took you in. I raised you like my own and even allowed you to marry my daughter. How could you do this to me?”
“You think I owe you loyalty, old man?” Draven scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You gave me scraps, and you expected my full loyalty? Disgusting. Tonight, everything changes. I will take what I deserve, and you? You die!”
“Not on my watch!” My father growled, and his crimson eyes began to glow. He was preparing to shift into his wolf, but…something was wrong.
Instead of shifting, his body jerked uncontrollably, and his legs buckled beneath him as he nearly fell to his knees.
“What…what is this?” My father was confused, trying to shift again, but for some reason, he wasn’t able to.
“Ah, I see you’re feeling the effects of my little gift.” Draven chuckled. “You didn’t notice, did you? I slipped a special potion into your drink at dinner yesterday. Just enough to sever the connection between you and your wolf for a few minutes. Short, but a few minutes is all I need. You’ve ruled long enough; it’s time for a change.”
And with that, he raised his hand and pointed a finger at my father. “Kill him.”
The rogues behind him didn’t waste time as they lunged for my father all at once. He was defenseless in his human form, standing no chance against the onslaught as they tore apart his body, limb from limb, spraying blood everywhere until he was a tangled mess of flesh and bone.
“Leon!” My mother let out a heart-wrenching scream as she watched my father's body collapse under the assault. I placed my hand over my mouth, stifling a scream as I saw the blood sprayed across the floor and pooling at her feet. It was horrifying.
“Such a pity.” Draven stepped forward, wiping his hands casually. “Leon was a strong Alpha, but even the strongest can be brought low.”
“You…traitor! How could you?” My mother’s body trembled as she fell to her knees.
“Spare me the speech, Celia.” Draven interrupted with a wave of his hand. “Give Serena to me. Tell me where she is, or I’ll tear you apart just like I did your precious husband.”
My breath caught in my throat as I stared at my mother’s back. I expected her to tell him where I was. I had always been a disappointment and served no purpose. I deserved this fate. However, she squared her shoulders instead and let out a fierce growl, shifting into her magnificent white wolf before charging at the rogues and Draven.
“Run, Serena!” my mother’s voice boomed in my head. “I’ll hold them off. Don’t look back, just run!”
My legs moved before I could think. Tears burst from my eyes as I bolted from the alcove. With one last look at my heroic mother battling the rogues alone, I used the back entrance and ran down the corridor.
“After her! Don’t let her escape!” Draven’s voice rang out behind me, filled with malicious intent.
The rogues growled and gave chase. Panic surged in me as I pushed myself harder and faster toward the courtyard.
I burst through the entrance door and spotted a carriage, already hitched to a pair of restless horses.
Without hesitation, I raced toward it and hopped onto the empty driver's seat.
“Go!” I screamed as I grabbed the reins, urging the horses into a full gallop. The carriage lurched forward, pulled by the horses as it careened down the forest path with terrifying speed.
The rogues, however, were fast—faster than I had expected. Their snarls and growls rang through the forest as they gained on the carriage. I glanced over my shoulder, and fear, unlike anything I had ever known, coursed through me as I saw them, weaving through trees and closing in fast.
Suddenly, there was a loud crack, and the carriage swerved dangerously to the side. I checked the source of the sound, and my heart sank. One of the wheels had broken.
I tried to control the carriage, but it was no use. It tipped precariously to the side before crashing to the ground, sending me flying before I collided with the earth.
“Damn!” I cursed as pain coursed through my body. I tried to get up and move, but before I could recover, the rogues were upon me.