Chapter 22 Seen
“That was unexpected,” Selene blurted as she and her aunt sat across from each other at one of the quieter tables in the cafeteria.
Her aunt paused mid-bite and looked at her over the rim of her glasses. “Unexpected is one word for it,” she said calmly. “Disturbing might be another.”
Selene pushed her food around her plate, appetite half gone. Around them, the cafeteria hummed with low voices and restless movement. Students spoke in clusters now, no longer loud or carefree. Names were being whispered. Seats beside once-popular wolves sat conspicuously empty.
“I didn’t think the Truth trial would unravel people that fast,” Selene admitted. “One question, and everything just… collapsed.”
Her aunt nodded. “That’s because the Rite doesn’t ask questions to learn. It asks questions to expose.”
Selene leaned back in her chair. “Lorian barely had time to defend himself.”
“He wasn’t meant to,” her aunt replied. “Truth doesn’t allow defenses.”
They fell quiet for a moment. Selene’s gaze drifted across the room, noting how differently everyone carried themselves now. Wolves who had stood tall the night before avoided eye contact. Laughter felt forced, brittle.
“It feels like the pack is holding its breath,” Selene said.
“That’s because it is,” her aunt replied. “The Rite has reached the part where silence becomes dangerous.”
Selene frowned slightly. “I kept watching the emcee. The tablet she was holding… it felt like the questions weren’t chosen ahead of time.”
Her aunt smiled faintly. “They aren’t. The Rite responds. It listens. It adjusts.”
Selene nodded slowly. “It knew exactly where to strike.”
“Yes,” her aunt said. “Ancient magic doesn’t hunt randomly. It hunts weakness.”
Movement near the entrance caught Selene’s attention.
Someone passed their table.
Ryzen.
He walked through the cafeteria without drawing attention to himself, yet Selene noticed how conversations subtly shifted as he moved by. Not stopped. Not hushed. Just… aware. He hadn’t participated in the Rite at all, yet his presence still altered the space around him.
Selene’s eyes followed him longer than she intended.
Her aunt noticed immediately.
“Well,” she said lightly. “That was a long look.”
Selene blinked. “What?”
“You,” her aunt replied, setting her fork down. “Just now.”
Selene felt a faint warmth creep into her cheeks. “He was just walking past.”
“Mmhmm,” her aunt hummed. “And the moon is just a lamp in the sky.”
Selene sighed. “Aunt, please.”
Her aunt tilted her head slightly, gaze still amused. “Interesting choice of distraction, then.”
Selene frowned. “He didn’t even participate in the trial.”
“Exactly,” her aunt replied. “Which makes him harder to read.”
Selene hesitated. “He’s just an observer.”
“So are you,” her aunt said gently.
That made Selene pause.
Across the cafeteria, Ryzen stopped briefly near the drink station, exchanged a few quiet words with someone, then continued on his way without looking back.
Her aunt leaned in slightly. “You’ve been watching everyone else fracture. It’s only natural your attention drifts to those who haven’t.”
Selene shook her head. “You’re reading too much into it.”
“Perhaps,” her aunt said easily. “But let me remind you of something important.”
Selene straightened.
“No matter what shifts around you,” her aunt said firmly, “you are still bonded. You still have a mate.”
Selene’s fingers tightened around her glass. “I know.”
“And if you ever decide that bond no longer serves you,” her aunt continued, her tone gentler now, “there are proper procedures. Council mediation. Formal declaration. No secrecy. No half-measures.”
Selene swallowed. “I wasn’t planning to break anything.”
“I didn’t say you were,” her aunt replied. “I’m telling you that bonds don’t dissolve through distance or confusion. Only through intention.”
Selene nodded slowly. “I understand.”
“Good,” her aunt said. “Because the Rite punishes indecision just as harshly as deception.”
They finished eating shortly after, neither particularly hungry anymore. When they stood to leave, the air outside felt cooler, steadier.
They walked side by side along the familiar path leading away from the cafeteria, the campus quieter than usual. Selene let the rhythm of their steps ground her thoughts.
They were nearing the edge of the grounds when Selene stopped.
Ahead of them, two familiar figures walked together.
Kai and Christopher.
They were close. Not touching, but close enough that the space between them felt deliberate. They moved easily, like nothing weighed on them at all.
Selene felt something tighten in her chest.
Her aunt followed her gaze and frowned.
“Kai?” she called out.
Kai stopped abruptly.
Christopher turned first, his expression smoothing into composure. Kai turned more slowly, eyes widening.
“Aunt,” Kai said quickly. “You’re here?”
Her aunt crossed her arms. “That wasn’t my question,” she replied evenly. “Where did you go last night?”
Kai’s mouth opened, then closed.
Selene watched quietly, her face unreadable.
“I was with friends,” Kai said, the words coming a little too fast.
“All night?” her aunt asked.
Kai glanced briefly at Christopher, worry flashing across her face before she caught herself. “Yes.”
Christopher stepped forward slightly. “She wasn’t feeling well.”
Her aunt’s gaze shifted to him, cool and assessing. “That may be. Are you with her?” she asked before she continued her words. “But next time, inform the household. Disappearances invite concern.”
Kai nodded quickly. “I’m sorry.”Her aunt studied Kai for another moment before speaking.
“If you’re staying outside today, Kai, please head home first and inform me,” she said evenly. Then she turned back to Selene. “Come. Let’s go home.”
Selene followed without a word.
Behind them, Kai remained frozen for a moment longer, unease written plainly across her face.
They had walked only a short distance before her aunt spoke again.
“Are you aware that Kai and Christopher were together last night?” she asked, her tone calm but deliberate.
Selene blinked in mild surprise. “No,” she replied honestly. “I wasn’t even aware that Kai was with my boyfriend last night. Maybe they were preparing something? You know how active Kai is with school activities.”
Her aunt slowed her steps and turned to face her. “That’s strange,” she said. “Did Christopher inform you?”
Selene shook her head. “No, Aunt. He didn’t.”
Her aunt’s gaze sharpened slightly. “If he had, you could have informed me as well. Unless…”
She let the thought trail off.
Selene met her eyes and nodded once. “You’re right. He didn’t inform me, and I wasn’t aware at all.”
Her aunt hummed softly. “Now that,” she said, “is something.”
They resumed walking, the silence between them heavier now. Selene kept her expression neutral, but inwardly, a slow understanding settled into place. The pieces were aligning on their own, without her needing to touch them.
Her wolf stirred, satisfied.
Selene allowed the faintest curve of a smile to touch her lips as the thought crossed her mind.
Kai had been seen and once noticed, nothing ever stayed hidden for long.