Chapter 14 The Crack in the Wall
Chapter 14
Selene’s POV
The Crack in the Wall
Silence.
That was the only thing in my room after the fight with Lyra. No cheers. No whispers. Just silence. I sat on my bed, my hands in my lap. They were shaking.
I looked at them. These hands had just beaten Lyra Ainsworth. They had held a sword and won. But right now, they felt weak. Like a little girl's hands.
My heart was still beating too fast. It felt like a wild bird trapped in my chest.
"You did well," Nyra said in my head. Her voice was calm. "You were strong."
Was I? I thought back. Or was I just lucky?
I stood up and walked to the small mirror in my room. I looked at the girl in the glass. Storm-gray eyes. Silver hair. She looked calm. She looked sure of herself. But I did not feel like her.
Inside, I was the little girl from years ago. The one hiding in a closet. The one who saw... everything. The one who heard the screams.
I closed my eyes tight. I did not want to remember. But the memories came anyway.
Fire. So much fire. The smell of smoke and blood. My mother's voice, shouting. "Run, Selene! Hide!" The sound of a wolf crying out in pain. Then... silence.
My eyes snapped open. I was breathing hard. My palms were wet with sweat.
This was why I was here. For them. For my family. I had to be strong. I could not be weak.
But tonight, the weak girl felt very close to the surface.
A soft knock came at my door. I jumped. My whole body went stiff.
"Lira?" a voice called. It was Maren, the girl from the omega dorm.
I took a deep breath. I pushed the scared girl down. I pulled the strong Lira mask over my face. I opened the door.
Maren stood there, her eyes wide. "I saw what happened," she whispered. "With Lyra. That was... amazing."
I tried to smile. It felt stiff on my face. "She should not have tried to trick me."
Maren looked behind her, then back at me. "You should be careful. Lyra... she does not lose well. She will be angry."
"I know," I said. And I did know. But knowing and feeling were two different things. Knowing was in my head. The cold fear was in my stomach.
After Maren left, I knew I could not stay in my room. The walls felt like they were closing in. The memories were too loud here.
I needed to move. I needed to feel the night air.
I slipped out of the dorm. The hallways were dark and empty. My footsteps were quiet on the stone floor. I walked to the old library. It was always empty at night. It was my safe place.
But when I pushed the door open, I saw I was wrong.
Someone was already there.
Cael.
He stood by a large window, moonlight shining on him. He looked like a king from an old story. He turned his head, and his ice-blue eyes found me in the dark.
My breath caught in my throat. The strong mask I had just put on felt thin and fragile.
"Lira," he said. His voice was quiet, but it filled the whole room.
"Alpha heir," I said, my voice barely a whisper. I wanted to run. I wanted to hide. But my feet would not move.
He walked toward me. He did not walk fast, but each step felt heavy. My heart beat against my ribs like it wanted to escape.
"You are out late," he said. He stopped in front of me. He was so tall. I had to look up to see his face.
"I could not sleep," I said. It was the truth.
He was quiet for a moment, just looking at me. His eyes looked different tonight. Not so cold. They looked... curious.
"I heard about your fight with Lyra," he said.
Of course he did. Everyone did.
I looked down at the floor. I could not hold his gaze. "It was nothing."
"It was not nothing." His voice was firm. "You beat her at her own game. Again."
I did not know what to say. So I said nothing. The silence between us felt thick.
"Why are you here, Lira?" he asked. His question was not angry. It was... tired. "Really. Who are you?"
My head shot up. I met his eyes. Fear shot through me. He knows. He has to know.
But he did not look like a hunter who found his prey. He looked like a man who was lost.
"My name is Lira," I said, the lie feeling weak on my tongue. "I am an omega student."
He shook his head slowly. "No. You are not. I see the way you fight. I see the way you think. Omegas are not trained like you. They do not have eyes that have seen war."
His words hit me right in the heart. He saw too much.
I felt the wall inside me crack. The strong Lira was fading. The scared Selene was coming out.
I took a step back. "You do not know me."
"I want to," he said softly. And he took a step closer.
The air between us felt electric. My wolf, Nyra, stirred inside me. She was not afraid. She was... interested.
"Tell me," he whispered. He was so close now I could feel the heat from his body. "Tell me one true thing."
I looked into his blue eyes. In that moment, I was not a spy. I was not a weapon. I was just a girl. A tired, lonely, scared girl.
The words came out before I could stop them.
"I am afraid," I whispered.
It was the most honest thing I had said since I came to this Academy.
Cael's eyes widened. He looked surprised. He looked at me like he was really seeing me for the first time. Not Lira the omega. Not the girl who beat Lyra. Just me.
For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, he slowly lifted his hand. He did not touch me. He just held his hand near my cheek.
"I know," he said. His voice was so quiet it was almost a breath. "So am I."
And in that moment, in the dark, quiet library, the mighty Cael Dravenhart and the hidden rogue heir were just two scared people.
Then, the moment broke. He dropped his hand. The cold mask was back on his face, but it did not seem to fit as well as before.
"You should go back to your room," he said, his voice rough. "It is not safe to wander at night."
I just nodded. I could not speak.
I turned and walked away. My legs felt weak. My heart was still racing.
When I got back to my room, I closed the door and leaned against it. I touched my cheek where his hand had almost been.
I had shown him a crack in my armor. I had been weak. It was a mistake. A dangerous mistake.
But as I lay in bed, staring at the dark ceiling, one thought would not leave my mind.
For a single moment, when I was just a scared girl, he had not looked at me like an enemy.
He had looked at me like I was a person.
And that was the most dangerous thing of all.