Chapter 25 Caught
Selene jolted awake with a sharp gasp, her scream tearing free before she could stop it.
The sound shattered the quiet beneath Lunaria’s branches.
Her chest heaved violently as air rushed back into her lungs. Tears blurred her vision, her hands clutching at the fabric over her heart as if she could hold it together by force alone. The dream clung to her, thick and suffocating, her aunt’s voice still ringing in her ears, the echo of chains biting into her wrists.
“Selene.”
The voice came immediately, she barely had time to register it before someone was kneeling in front of her.
“Hey,” the voice said again, softer now. “You’re awake. You’re here.”
Her eyes snapped up.
It was Ryzen.
He was crouched just a few steps away, concern etched plainly across his face. The calm he usually carried had cracked, replaced by something sharper, more urgent. Moonlight filtered through the leaves above, catching in his hair and casting shadows across his features, but his eyes were clear and focused—locked on her.
“Are you okay?” he asked, reaching out, then stopping himself halfway, his hand hovering uncertainly in the space between them. “You screamed.”
Selene tried to answer, but her throat closed around the words. She shook her head instead, breath stuttering as another wave of emotion surged through her.
“I—” Her voice broke. She swallowed hard and tried again. “I had a dream.”
Ryzen didn’t press. He shifted closer, sitting back on his heels, grounding himself at her level. “Do you want water?” he asked quietly. “Or… just a minute?”
She nodded faintly, not even sure which one she meant.
Ryzen reached for the canteen strapped at his side and offered it to her. His movements were careful, unhurried, as if afraid of startling her further. Selene took it with trembling hands and drank, the cool liquid easing the burn in her throat.
When she lowered it, she realized her hands were still shaking.
Ryzen noticed too.
“It’s alright,” he said gently. “You don’t have to explain.”
That did it.
Something in his voice made her chest tighten all over again. Selene let out a shaky breath and pressed the heel of her palm against her eyes, willing the tears to stop.
“I thought I was past that,” she muttered. “The nightmares.”
Ryzen’s brows knit together. “Nightmares don’t really care about timing,” he said. “They show up when they want.”
She huffed a weak, humorless laugh. “Figures.”
Silence settled between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Lunaria’s glow pulsed softly above, the leaves shimmering as if responding to her steadying heartbeat. The book lay beside her, faintly warm, its silver etchings catching the moonlight.
Ryzen’s gaze flicked to it briefly. Just long enough for Selene to notice.
“You were watching me,” she said suddenly.
He didn’t deny it.
“I was nearby,” he replied. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I just… noticed the book reacting. And then you fell asleep.”
Selene glanced down at it, fingers brushing the cover instinctively. “It glows when I touch it,” she said quietly. “I thought I imagined it at first.”
“You didn’t,” Ryzen said. His tone carried certainty, not surprise. “Some things recognize who they belong to.”
She looked back up at him. “You talk like you already know what it is.”
A corner of his mouth curved, just slightly. “I know what it isn’t,” he said. “And I know it’s not meant to hurt you.”
“That’s reassuring,” Selene murmured, though her grip on the book tightened.
Ryzen hesitated, then asked, “Was your dream about the Rite?”
She shook her head. “Not exactly.” Her gaze drifted past him, toward the thick roots of Lunaria. “It was about… family.”
Something softened in his expression.
“You don’t have to tell me,” he said again, quieter this time.
Selene exhaled slowly. “In the dream,” she began, surprised by how easily the words came now, “everything felt wrong. Familiar, but twisted. Like I was watching something break and not knowing how to stop it.”
Ryzen listened without interrupting, his attention unwavering.
“I woke up screaming,” she added, voice barely above a whisper. “That doesn’t usually happen.”
“Dreams like that don’t fade quietly,” he said.
She glanced at him, a flicker of curiosity cutting through her lingering fear. “You sound like you’ve had a few of your own.”
Ryzen didn’t look away. “Enough to recognize the look in someone’s eyes when they wake from one.”
That made her study him more closely. The way he sat—relaxed but alert. The way his presence felt grounding, not overwhelming. There was something familiar about him, and that realization unsettled her more than the dream had.
“I didn’t hear you approach,” she said slowly. “Not even my wolf noticed.”
His lips curved again, this time with a hint of something unreadable. “Lunaria tends to hide what it approves of.”
Selene frowned. “That sounds like something you shouldn’t say so casually.”
“Probably,” he admitted. “But you’re already here. And so am I.”
She let out a breath, a strange mix of nerves and calm washing through her. “You’re not like the others,” she said before she could stop herself.
Ryzen tilted his head. “Is that a complaint?”
“No,” Selene replied quickly. Then she paused. “I don’t think it is.”
The silence that followed felt charged and not tense, but alive. The kind of quiet that made her aware of how close he was, how the space between them felt thinner than it should.
Ryzen shifted slightly, enough that their knees nearly brushed.
“Try to breathe,” he said softly. “You’re safe here.”
Selene closed her eyes for a moment and did as he said. The ground beneath her felt solid. Lunaria’s pulse steadied. Her wolf, restless just moments ago, curled inward, watchful but calm.
When she opened her eyes again, she met Ryzen’s gaze.
“Thank you,” she said.
He smiled.
“Anytime,” he replied. “Even if you don’t know why yet.”
The book pulsed faintly between them, the hourglass mark on Selene’s wrist answering in kind.
Neither of them commented on it.
For a moment, they simply sat there beneath Lunaria’s glow, letting the quiet settle around them. The leaves above whispered softly, the night breathing in slow, steady rhythm.
Eventually, Selene shifted, brushing the dirt from her skirt as she stood.
“We should head back,” she said, almost reluctantly, “It is getting late.”
Ryzen nodded and rose with her, falling into step beside her without another word.
The walk back toward the university grounds was quiet.
Lunaria faded behind them, its glow softening as Selene and Ryzen stepped out from beneath its canopy. The path ahead was dim, lit only by scattered lanterns and the distant lights of the buildings beyond. Gravel crunched lightly underfoot, the night air cool against Selene’s skin.
She didn’t realize how close she was walking beside him until her arm brushed his.
Neither of them moved away.
Ryzen kept his pace easy, unhurried, hands tucked loosely into the pockets of his jacket. He didn’t crowd her, didn’t rush her, but his presence stayed steady at her side. Like he was deliberately matching her steps.
“You okay now?” he asked quietly.
Selene nodded. “Yeah. I think so.”
He glanced at her, just briefly. “If you need space—”
“No,” she said, a little too quickly. Then softer, “I mean… it’s fine.”
They continued on.
What Selene didn’t notice was that they weren’t alone.
Near the edge of the lantern light, three figures stood frozen mid-step.
Marionette was the first to recognize her.
She grabbed Julian’s sleeve so hard she nearly stumbled. “Wait,” she hissed. “Is that—?”
Julian squinted into the dark. “No way.”
Maria leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “It is. That’s Selene.”
The three of them watched as Selene and Ryzen emerged fully into the light.
Walking together.
Close.
Too close.
Marionette’s mouth fell open. “Who is that with her?”
Julian’s expression twisted with disbelief. “Isn’t she—?”
“Christopher’s girlfriend,” Maria finished, voice sharp. Her gaze flicked between Selene and the tall figure beside her, taking in every detail. The easy way they walked. The calm. The fact that Selene didn’t look guilty.
She looked… unbothered.
Marionette let out a quiet, breathless laugh. “Oh, this is good.”
Julian frowned. “Good how?”
“Good messy,” she said. “That’s not just some random student. Look at him. That’s Morwood. Ryzen Morwood.”
Maria’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not,” Marionette replied, already pulling out her phone. “No one just walks out of Lunaria with someone unless they’re up to something.”
Julian glanced nervously around. “Should we say something?”
Marionette’s smile sharpened. “We don’t have to. Kai will.”
Maria grinned slowly. “She’s going to love this.”
They didn’t wait another second.
As soon as Selene and Ryzen disappeared through the archway leading back into the main campus, the three of them turned and ran.
…..
Kai was seated near the outer courtyard, laughing softly with a group of students, her posture relaxed, her expression carefully pleasant. She looked composed for someone standing at the center of so much quiet tension lately.
Marionette barreled toward her first.
“Kai!” she gasped, hands braced on her knees like she’d just sprinted a mile. “You are not going to believe what we just saw.”
Kai blinked, startled. “What is it?”
Julian and Maria skidded to a stop beside Marionette, all three of them talking at once.
“Selene—”
“—with another guy—”
“—coming out of Lunaria—”
Kai’s smile froze.
“What?” she asked sharply.
Marionette straightened, breathless but thrilled. “We saw her. Just now. Walking out of Lunaria.”
Julian nodded eagerly. “With a man. Tall. Dark hair. Definitely not Christopher.”
Maria leaned in, lowering her voice like she was sharing a secret. “They looked… close.”
Kai’s fingers tightened around the strap of her bag. “That’s impossible.”
“Oh, it’s possible,” Marionette said. “And it gets better.”
She tilted her head, eyes gleaming. “They didn’t even try to hide it.”
Kai felt something cold settle in her chest.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” Maria said, choosing her words carefully, “they came out together. Calm. Comfortable. Like it was normal.”
Julian added, “Like they’d been alone for a while.”
The exaggeration slipped in easily, almost unnoticed.
Marionette shrugged. “I mean, Lunaria isn’t exactly a study spot.”
Kai’s jaw clenched.
“And you’re sure it was her?”
“Absolutely,” Marionette replied. “Same uniform. Same hair. Same confidence.”
The word stung more than it should have.
Kai forced a laugh. “You’re probably misreading it.”
Maria shook her head. “We thought so too. Until we realized who the guy was.”
She paused, savoring the moment.
“Ryzen Morwood.”
Kai’s breath caught.
That name carried weight. Quiet, dangerous weight.
“You’re lying,” Kai said flatly.
“We wish we were,” Julian replied. “You know how people talk about him. Keeps to himself. Doesn’t get involved. And suddenly he’s walking out of Lunaria with your sister?”
Marionette folded her arms. “People are going to notice. If they haven’t already.”
Kai looked away, her thoughts racing.
Selene. Lunaria. Ryzen.
And Christopher.
The pieces didn’t fit and that made it worse.
“Well,” Kai said finally, smoothing her expression back into place. “Thank you for telling me.”
Marionette tilted her head. “Aren’t you… concerned?”
Kai smiled. Sweetly. Politely.
“Of course,” she said. “I’d hate for people to misunderstand something so… harmless.”
Her eyes darkened.
“But misunderstandings can spread very fast.”
As the three bullies exchanged satisfied glances, Kai’s thoughts churned.
Selene walking out of Lunaria with another man.
If that story reached the wrong ears….Kai’s smile sharpened, just slightly.
Then she turned away, already planning what she would say first and who she would say it to.
Because if Selene wanted to play with fire, Kai would make sure everyone felt the heat.
“My, my, my, Christy…”