Aiden's words rang in her

wisted ridicule of all she had previously believed. She was meant to be unbound to the past, no longer bound by the chains

er heart pounded so hard that it near

oss

in them was evident to her. There was no deceit or secret goal. His wo

o

blishing an empire, wielding power, and blending seamlessly with the darkness around her. Her past, her previous

dy to strike, his fingers quivering barely sufficient for her to recogni

gentle, yet heavy with hurt. "This isn't ho

this path, and neither had she. None of it was her choice. Not the rejection, not the e

t laced with a bitterness she could barely control. "You

didn't want to. But

et herself get absorbed now. Orion's pack was in danger. The world was changing, and she had a role to contribute to it,

king the dense quiet. "I have a pack to save, an

ll for an extended period of time. Then, as if sensing her determination

ut you have to realize, Selene, I am not

For you? What's in this for you, ass

found you and saw you again, something changed. I'm not sure why. I have no ide

Their combined weight threatened to crush her. She had been alone for so long, struggling for her survival in a societ

wn him to her? Or was it something darker, a manipulatio

ing. She needed to determine his part in this, If he was worthy of her trust, and t

him-something weak, something bro

ed. "You're correct. You do not owe me anything. But the pack... Orion's

was ready to depart. She felt the weight of his stare, a

ually turning around to fac

her focus ahead, her mind racing. Orion's plea had been genuine. She could hear it in his voice. But why had it

presence seemed uneasy. There was so much she didn't understand about him. So much he wasn't telling her. But she knew one thing for sure-he w

ould find

he first light of morning breaking over the horizon. Selene's mind s

ing on the brink of the area, she couldn't escape the sense that something was very wrong. The pack's scent lingered in t

l morning air. He didn't need to. He was already moving with the quie

with caution. She couldn't afford any

erving. There were no wolves around, no sentries, no

voice calm, his gaze scouring the

all together. Everything about this felt wrong-too wrong. Ori

the ground under

l echoed from the darkness, the sound deep and guttural-too loud to be fro

in activity-silhouettes rushing from. The da

My

had found them. This time, he arrived with someth

e from behind her, coursin

Selene. It's be

Shadows o

se. Selene's pulse raced as she examined the dark woodland surrounding her, the fiery eyes of the wolves in the darkness gleaming

o tell him. His instincts were sharp, his eyes already calculating the threat with ruth

ng presence of Dr. Myles looming over her, something ancient stirred in her chest. The sense of being

adful. The wolves surrounding them transformed, their growls becoming deeper and their eyes brighter as they assumed shape. These weren't ord

ees, low and mocking, sending

our mother. Still playing the h

. The man who had transformed her world into

block out the memory of the twisted experiments he had carried out, the nights spent in the cages, and the anguish of being ripped open, transfo

f a man she had never anticipated seeing again. Dr. Myles was no l

b coat was torn, his face gaunt, but his ey

out in mock surrender. "I must say, I am amazed. I didn't think you had it. But here y

se, but the fury laced within it wa

ear, I gave you power. I gave you purpose. You were nothing before me. But now, l

rced upon her, the twisted experiments, the bloodline that had been manipulated-all of it had been his doing. She had never been meant to be t

he felt an urge from something darker, deeper, churning beneath the forest's surface. She could sense the land's

ver leaving Dr. Myles. His hand moved toward his

ly audible. "We can't move yet.Not

think you have control? How amusing. But you're just a littl

she was free of him, that she had cut connections with her past. However, Dr. Myles had

alice. "It's the key to everything. To control, to power, to domination.

more to her than just being the rejected mate of Orion, but this? She had not expected this revelation. She had always thought her heritag

done?" She snarled, her voice low and threate

"You have no choice, Selene. You always did. The moment yo

ound them growled, their eyes flashing with a strange light. A rumbling roar

coming. The air was heavy with the fragrance of blood, an

tered urgently. "S

ness, with eyes flashing an eerie crimson and fur vibrating with supernatural energy, walked into the clearing. Selene had neve

ce filled with twisted pride. "The Alpha of my new b

predatory grace. Its eyes locked onto hers, and fo

ine... it

Selene realized, with a jolt of ho

after