Selene's legs ached, and her wound throbbed, but she pushed forward, keeping pace with Damien as they neared the heart of Nightshade Pack territory. The towering trees thinned, revealing a sprawling village hidden in the valley beyond. Wooden cabins, training grounds, and watchtowers dotted the landscape, all surrounded by thick, enchanted barriers to keep intruders out.
As soon as they stepped beyond the perimeter, the air changed. Dozens of wolves, both in human and beast form turned their heads toward them. Glares. Unwelcoming. Suspicious. Some stepped forward, baring their teeth.
A wiry, brown-haired man with sharp eyes approached. "Alpha," he greeted Damien, before his gaze snapped to Selene. His nostrils flared. "Why the hell did you bring a witch here?"
A murmur spread through the gathered wolves. Selene recognized some of the hushed words. Wicked. Cursed. Trouble.
Damien's expression was unreadable. "She was being hunted. She's under my protection now."
Another wolf scoffed. "Your protection? She's dangerous!"
Selene lifted her chin. "I'm right here, you know."
The brown-haired man turned back to Damien. "This is reckless, Alpha. The council won't stand for it."
Damien's voice was calm, but firm. "Then they can take it up with me."
Silence fell. The tension was thick enough to choke on. Selene didn't know if she had just walked into safety or straight into another kind of danger.
The weight of a hundred stares pressed down on Selene. Every wolf in the clearing was watching her, their gazes filled with suspicion, hostility, and barely restrained aggression.
She had been called many things in her life. A witch, outcast, menace, but standing here, surrounded by wolves who saw her as a threat, she felt something different.
Unwanted.
Selene straightened her spine, refusing to show weakness. "So, what now?" she asked, her voice steady. "Are you going to throw me to the wolves?"
The brown-haired man who she assumed was one of Damien's top warriors snorted. "That depends. Why the hell should we trust a witch in our territory?"
Damien's silver-blue eyes flicked toward him. "Because I said so, Tobias."
Tobias narrowed his gaze but didn't challenge his Alpha outright. Instead, he turned back to Selene. "And what about you? You don't belong here."
Selene crossed her arms, ignoring the dull throb of her wound. "Trust me, I didn't ask for this."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the gathered wolves.
Another wolf, a woman with dark auburn hair and a scar along her cheek stepped forward. "We know who you are, Selene Blackwood." Her voice was sharp as a blade. "A runaway from the Blackwood Coven. A witch who causes trouble wherever she goes."
Selene's jaw clenched. "You don't know anything about me."
"I know enough." The woman crossed her arms. "You bring chaos with you. You're a risk to the pack, and we don't take kindly to risks."
Tension crackled in the air. Damien remained silent, watching Selene closely, waiting to see how she would handle herself.
Selene exhaled sharply. "Look, I don't care what stories you've heard. I didn't come here to start a war." Her green eyes flicked to Damien. "But if you want me gone, say the word, Alpha. I'll leave."
A flicker of something passed over Damien's face, something unreadable. He stepped forward, his presence commanding. "No. You stay."
More protests erupted from the wolves, but Damien's voice cut through them like steel. "She was being hunted. She is under my protection. And unless one of you is foolish enough to challenge me over it, that's the end of this discussion."
The crowd fell silent. None of them dared to defy their Alpha.
Selene glanced at him warily. "So what now? You keep me locked up?"
Damien's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "No. But you'll be watched."
Tobias smirked. "Babysitting a witch? Sounds like a nightmare."
"Then don't get in my way," Selene shot back.
A few of the wolves chuckled, but the tension hadn't entirely lifted. Selene knew this wasn't over. The pack didn't trust her, and maybe they never would.
Damien motioned for her to follow. "Come on."
She hesitated before falling into step beside him. The wolves still stared as she passed, their gazes burning into her back.
She wasn't safe here.
But for now, she wasn't alone.
And in this world, that was enough.
Selene followed Damien through the heart of the Nightshade Pack's territory, her senses sharp despite her exhaustion. The village was alive with movement, wolves training in open courtyards, others shifting from their human forms and disappearing into the forest. The air smelled of pine, damp earth, and something distinctively wild.
But the stares never stopped.
Everywhere she turned, someone was watching. Some with curiosity, others with open hostility.
"They're not exactly subtle," she muttered.
Damien glanced at her. "They're wary of outsiders. Especially witches."
Selene rolled her eyes. "Yes, I gathered that from all the death glares."
They stopped in front of a large wooden cabin, bigger than the others surrounding it. Damien pushed the door open and stepped inside, motioning for her to follow.
The inside was surprisingly warm, lit by a stone fireplace and lined with shelves filled with old books and weapons. It was simple, yet unmistakably a warrior's home.
"You'll stay here," Damien said, closing the door behind them.
Selene arched a brow. "In your house?"
"It's safer than putting you anywhere else," he said, crossing his arms. "Unless you'd rather sleep in the woods?"
She scoffed. "Not particularly."
Damien studied her for a moment, his piercing gaze unsettling. "You're injured. Sit."
Selene frowned but sat down on the edge of the couch. Damien disappeared into another room and returned with a cloth and a small jar of ointment.
"I can handle it myself," she said, reaching for the supplies.
Damien didn't hand them over. Instead, he knelt in front of her, taking her wrist gently but firmly. "Let me."
Selene stiffened. His touch was warm, steady. Too close.
"You don't have to-"
"I do." His voice was softer now, but still firm.
She swallowed hard as he peeled back the torn fabric of her sleeve, revealing the deep gash along her side. His fingers brushed her skin as he dabbed the ointment onto the wound. A sharp sting spread through her, but she refused to flinch.
Damien's expression was unreadable as he worked. "The hunters won't stop coming after you, will they?"
"No," she admitted. "Not until I'm dead."
He finished wrapping the bandage around her, his hands lingering against her skin for just a moment before pulling away.
"Then you'd better get stronger," he said.
Selene met his gaze, something unspoken passing between them.
"I can take care of myself," she whispered.
Damien smirked. "We'll see."
A knock at the door shattered the moment.
Damien stood, his demeanor shifting back to the cold, commanding Alpha as he opened it. Tobias stood outside, arms crossed, eyes flicking to Selene before settling on Damien.
"The council wants to see you," Tobias said. "Now."
Selene watched as Damien's expression hardened.
"Stay here," he told her before stepping outside, the door closing behind him.
She exhaled, leaning back against the couch.
Alone in the Alpha's home, surrounded by a pack that didn't trust her, and bound to a man who was both her protector and her greatest threat…
Selene had no idea what she had just gotten herself into.