Chapter Sixty-Two: A War Between Desire and Duty

The war room was dim, lit only by flickering torches casting elongated shadows across the stone walls. Maps were scattered across the table, their inked lines marking borders that had once meant nothing to her—borders that now determined who would live and who would die.

Selene stood at the head of the table, arms crossed, forcing herself to focus.

She had spent the last hour going over battle formations, reviewing reports of Bloodmoon’s movements, refining strategy.

But her mind?

Her mind wasn’t here.

It was still back there.

Still on him.

On Kieran.

On the way his lips had crashed against hers, unrelenting, full of all the things neither of them had said for years.

On the way she had let it happen.

On the way she had wanted it.

Selene clenched her jaw, forcing herself to shove the thought away.

It didn’t matter.

It couldn’t matter.

Lucian sat on the opposite side of the table, watching her too closely, too knowingly.

She hated that.

Hated that he could always see the cracks before she even admitted they existed.

Lucian leaned back in his chair, his smirk lazy. “You’re distracted.”

Selene didn’t look up from the map. “I’m fine.”

Lucian chuckled. “No, you’re not.”

Selene exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Lucian—”

Lucian’s smirk widened. “I can smell him on you, you know.”

Selene’s entire body stiffened.

Her breath hitched.

But she didn’t react.

Didn’t let him see that his words had hit exactly where they were meant to.

Lucian tilted his head, eyes gleaming. “So… how was it?”

Selene’s fingers curled into fists at her sides.

“I don’t have time for this.”

Lucian laughed, shaking his head. “Oh, but you do, little wolf. Because you and I both know this war isn’t just about Bloodmoon and Darkfang anymore.”

Selene met his gaze, voice sharp. “Yes, it is.”

Lucian arched a brow. “Then why did you kiss him?”

Selene stilled.

Her chest tightened.

Because that was the one question she couldn’t answer.

Not honestly.

Not without admitting things she wasn’t ready to face.

Lucian leaned forward, voice dropping. “You can lie to me all you want, Selene. But you can’t lie to yourself.”

Selene’s pulse thundered.

Lucian wasn’t wrong.

But he also didn’t understand.

Because this wasn’t about love.

Not anymore.

This was about duty.

This was about revenge.

Selene exhaled, shaking her head. “This changes nothing.”

Lucian hummed, unconvinced. “We’ll see.”

Selene didn’t respond.

Didn’t argue.

Because she couldn’t.

Because, deep down, she was starting to wonder if she had already lost this battle.

Not against Bloodmoon.

Not against Kieran.

But against herself.