Selene barely slept.
The confrontation with Talia had settled in her bones like frost. Every word, every glance exchanged beneath the weight of the pack's eyes haunted her. She had stepped in for Kael — defended him before the entire pack, even dared to stand between him and the woman who once held his heart. She hadn't expected gratitude — not from a man like him — but she hadn't expected what came next either.
By dawn, the summons came.
Two enforcers waited outside her door. Cold-eyed. Silent. Their presence alone was enough to send dread coiling in her stomach.
"Alpha Kael wants to see you. Now," one of them said, voice flat and without room for argument.
Selene swallowed her unease and nodded, slipping on her boots with shaking fingers. No explanation, no chance to prepare. Just the cold summons and the even colder silence as she followed them down the winding corridor.
The hallway stretched endlessly before her, every step echoing off the stone walls like a slow drumbeat. Her footsteps felt heavier with each passing moment, dread growing with each turn. Her heart thudded against her ribcage, a wild and uneven rhythm. She had known there would be consequences. She just hadn't known how far he would take it.
She was led to the training grounds — vast and empty, the morning mist still clinging to the edges of the open space. The cold bit at her skin, but it wasn't enough to distract her from what stood at the center.
Kael.
He stood shirtless beneath the grey light, arms folded across his chest like a statue carved from rage. His wounds were freshly bandaged, the crimson edges of gauze stark against his pale, scarred skin, but he stood tall, unmoving. The power in his stance made it clear he'd already healed enough to move. Enough to fight. Enough to punish.
He didn't look at her as she entered. Didn't acknowledge her presence.
Just nodded once at the guards.
"Leave us."
The two enforcers obeyed without hesitation, their footsteps fading until the only sound left was the wind whispering across the field.
Only then did Kael turn.
Selene stiffened at the storm in his eyes — not the cold indifference she had grown used to, but something worse. Fire. Rage. Something untempered and dangerous, something feral.
"You disobeyed a direct order," he said, voice low and deadly calm.
Her spine straightened. "I was protecting you," she said, trying to stand her ground. "Talia was undermining you in front of the pack—"
"I don't need your protection!" he thundered.
The roar of his voice shattered the quiet like a clap of thunder. Selene flinched despite herself, breath catching in her throat.
Kael's chest rose and fell heavily, his hands curled into fists at his sides. "You acted without permission. You challenged a former Alpha's mate in front of everyone. Do you have any idea what that means? What it says about my control over my own… wife?"
The word slammed into the air between them like a blow.
Selene's breath stuttered. She looked at him, truly looked, and saw more than anger. She saw pride. Fury. And something deeper — wounded pride.
"You're the one who refuses to treat me like a wife," she snapped before she could stop herself, the words escaping like a blade drawn too quickly.
Regret hit her the moment the words left her lips.
His eyes darkened. "Then perhaps it's time I reminded you of your place."
Selene instinctively took a step back.
Kael moved faster.
He closed the distance in a flash, grabbing her wrist — not to bruise, not to injure, but firm, commanding. Dominant. "You want to be part of this pack, Selene? Then you'll learn the laws. Starting now."
Without waiting for permission — as if she'd ever have the chance — he dragged her forward, toward the center of the training grounds.
There stood the post.
A thick wooden beam, worn and darkened from years of use. A symbol of order. Of pain. Of consequences.
Selene's heart began to pound. "No," she whispered, digging her heels into the ground.
But Kael said nothing. His grip didn't tighten, but it didn't waver either. He moved with unrelenting purpose.
He tied her hands to the post with quick, practiced movements, rope wrapping around her wrists and locking her in place. Her breath came faster now, chest heaving.
"You can't—"
"I can," he said flatly. "And I will."
He stepped back, face unreadable.
And then she saw it.
The leather strap in his hand — thick, doubled, worn smooth with use. Built for correction. Made for pain.
Her breath caught. Her hands trembled against the ropes.
"This is your last warning," Kael said, voice cold as the morning air. "You disobey me again, and it won't just be a strap."
The first strike landed across her back.
Selene bit her lip hard, swallowing the sound that surged in her throat.
The second strike burned hotter, sharper, layering pain over fresh pain. Her breath hitched.
By the third, she was shaking. Her eyes stung with unshed tears, but she refused to cry out. She would not give him that satisfaction.
Each blow was measured — not wild, not uncontrolled. He wasn't lashing out in rage. He was making a statement. Delivering judgment with precision.
The fourth and fifth landed in quick succession. Her knees buckled slightly, legs trembling under the fire racing through her nerves, but the ropes held her upright. Forced her to endure.
By the sixth, her vision blurred, pain drowning out thought.
"Kael…" she gasped, the name slipping from her lips, part plea, part protest.
And then — silence.
It stopped.
For a moment, all she could hear was the wind and her own ragged breathing.
Kael stood behind her, motionless. The strap dangled loosely from his hand. His face was pale — not with triumph, but something closer to torment. His hand twitched, hovering near her back… then fell to his side.
"You should hate me," he said hoarsely.
Selene turned her head as far as she could. Her cheeks were wet, tears she hadn't even realized had fallen streaking down her face.
"I don't," she said quietly. "But I don't forgive you either."
The words struck harder than any blow.
Kael flinched.
Slowly, he moved to untie her. His hands were gentle now, though he said nothing. The ropes loosened, and Selene slumped forward, catching herself on trembling arms as she collapsed to her knees.
The fire in her back roared with every breath, but she didn't cry again. She didn't scream.
Kael didn't offer to help her up.
But he didn't walk away, either.
Selene rose on her own, legs shaking, spine stiff despite the agony that pulsed through her body. She wrapped her arms around herself, protecting what dignity she had left.
Without looking at him again, she limped from the training grounds, the cold wind biting at her skin.
Her body was bruised. Her pride was bloodied.
But she was not broken.