"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend."
—William Blake
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Selene fastened the last blade around her waist. The leather sheath pressed against her hip, cold and firm, a small comfort in the storm of dread swirling in her chest. She stepped out into the pale dawn, her boots crunching softly against the gravel path.
By the horses, Ronan was adjusting the saddle. His cloak shifted with the breeze, the dark crest of the pack stitched on his shoulder like a seal of duty.
"Where are the ten?" Selene asked, her tone flat.
"At the border," he said without looking at her. "I told them to ride ahead. I didn't want the pack watching us leave together. It would raise suspicion. They're already afraid, Selene. The moment they hear Ares Kaidos' name, they shiver like wind-struck leaves. He mounted his horse with practiced ease and offered her a hand. "Come. Let's not keep them waiting."
They rode in silence. The air between them was heavy with unspoken fears. The edge cliff wasn't far past the border, and the wind sharpened as they approached. Still,something gnawed at Selene's mind. How had Ares' men gotten this close? His lands were in the East. They were Southern. No scouts reported movement. No guards raised alarms. And why her mother? If Ares wanted to start a war, there were larger packs. Wealthier ones. Warriors worth conquering. Yet he had come here. For her. She didn't like what it meant.
When they reached the edge cliff, silence draped itself over them. The moonlight bled across jagged rocks and wild grass, but there was no one waiting. Selene dismounted, eyes scanning the shadows. "Where are they?" she asked tightly.
Ronan got down too, slow. "What if it's a trap? No one's here...
"Exactly. No one's here, including the soldiers you told me were waiting."
Ronan scanned the shadows. "They're hidden. I told them not to reveal themselves until we've assessed the ground."
Selene turned to him sharply. "You said they'd be here. In position."
"They are," Ronan said.
Her gaze narrowed. "Then why can't I sense them? Why can't I hear them?"
Before he could answer, two figures emerged from the tree line. Selene's eyes fixed on them. One was tall and broad-shoulder. The other, a woman cloaked in charcoal silk, her hair braided with bone charms.
Gregor Cormac.
And beside him, Matilda, the seer, the witch, her eyes glowing faintly with a knowing light.
Selene turned to Ronan, her voice cold. "You told him?"
Ronan didn't flinch. "He's my father. I tell him everything."
"You said this would stay between us."
Gregor stepped forward, holding a small glass jar filled with something dark and swirling. "Nothing is secret when my son carries the Alpha's burden."
"You don't need to remind me of your legacy, Gregor Cormac, Selene said, stepping toward him. "I didn't come here to argue over titles or bloodlines. Her voice turned to steel. "I came to bring my mother home."
Her eyes snapped to Matilda. "And her? What is she doing here?"
Matinda opened her mouth to speak, but a sound cracked through the air like a whip. A soft thung. Something heavy striking earth. Selene turned. Her heart knew before her feet moved. She ran, legs pumping, cloak flying, lungs burning. The wind howled around her like a warning.
Then she saw it.
Her mother lay crumpled on the ground, her eyes open to the sky, her throat slit clean and cruel. A rolled parchment was tucked into the wound like a mockery. Selene collapsed beside her with a scream. "No... no no no!" She gathered her mother's limp body into her arms, shaking, sobbing, pressing her hands to the wound even as blood soaked her sleeves. Her fingers brushed the parchment. Trembling, she snatched it.
"Why did you not come alone? This is the consequence of your actions."—Ares Kaidos
"No....Mother, no, please-wake up, please-" her voice cracked into jagged sobs. She looked up, eyes red, voice shaking with fury. "Ronan-call the guards. Now! He's close. He couldn't have gotten far. DO IT!"
But Ronan stood still. Unmoving.
"Ronan!" She screamed.
He didn't move.
Her voice broke. "You lied to me.!
His jaw tensed, but he said nothing.
"There were never any guards, were there?" she whispered, horror blooming in her chest. "You brought me here... alone."
Ronan stepped forward at last, voice almost a whisper. "Selene... I couldn't risk the pack. Not for one life. If he had meant to start a war-"
Her lips curved bitterly. "She was the war Ronan, She was the war."
She wrapped her hands around her mother's blood-soaked body, sobbing uncontrollably as a scream ripped from her throat, raw, primal, and filled with agony. "Do something, Matilda!" she cried out, shaking violently. "You're a witch, for Moon's sake, cast a spell, anything! Don't just stand there, please!"
Matilda's voice was quiet, too calm. "She's dead, Selene. I can't resurrect the dead."
"No," Selene whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. "No, she's not. She's not dead. She can't be dead."
She stood abruptly, lifting her mother's lifeless body in her arms, both of them drenched in blood. Her voice cracked as she screamed, "I'll take her to the pack physician-he'll fix this, he'll do something. She's not dead! She's not!"
With supernatural speed, Selene sprinted toward the border, cradling her mother, desperate. But just as she reached the edge, an invisible force slammed her backward. She stumbled, fell, and then tried again, only to be pushed back once more.
"What's happening?" she demanded, panic surging through her. "Something's stopping me!"
Gregor Cormac stepped forward, smirking. "It works," he said calmly, then crossed the border with ease.
Selene turned to Matilda, her eyes wide. "I can't get through!"
"I told you Gregor, Matilda said coldly, stepping through without resistance. "People doubt my abilities, but they don't call me 'Force' for nothing."
Selene tried again, her mother's weight growing heavier in her arms. Still, the barrier held. She looked at Ronan, eyes pleading. "Why can't I cross?"
Ronan met her gaze without flinching. "Because I made it so."
Gregor Cormac took a step closer. "You were right, Selene. The only way my son stays Alpha is over your dead body. I would've preferred it that way, truth be told. But why dirty my hands when others are willing to do the work?"
Her blood ran cold.
"That's when Matilda and I crafted this little spell," he continued with a mocking smile. "A ward that ensures you can never return. It can't be undone. You're no longer one of us."
Selene's breath caught in her throat. "You... exiled me?"
"You're not a wolf with a pack anymore," he sneered. "You're a rogue now. A rogue."
She gently lowered her mother to the ground, her limbs trembling. "No... no, you can't do this."
"I already did," Gregor said with finality.
"I am your Alpha!" she screamed.
"No," Ronan replied coldly. "I am your Alpha. The day you accepted me as your husband, you sealed your fate. A woman will never rule my people."
Her voice cracked. "Please, not now. Let's talk later, just let me take her to the physician. Please, Ronan. My mother needs help—please!" She gripped his arm, sobbing.
"She's already gone," Ronan said flatly. "And the spell's done. You can't come back."
"Please..." her voice was barely a whisper.
"Come, son," Gregor said, turning away. Ronan hesitated but obeyed, walking after him.
Selene's knees hit the dirt. "Please don't do this..." Her cries echoed into the cold silence. "Please, Ronan! Don't leave her here with me!"
She lifted her mother again. "Okay...okay then, take her! Take her with you! Let the physician try....please!" Her voice shattered. "Please!"
Ronan turned slightly, eyes flicking to Gregor for approval.
Selene's voice rose again, desperate. "For my father's sake- -Gregor, please! Don't leave her with me. Please, I beg you."
Gregor stared at her for a long moment... then turned his back.
Ronan followed.
But Matilda stopped him, leaned close, and whispered something in his ear. Then, Ronan turned, reluctant, and walked back toward Selene. Gently, he took the body from her arms.
"Please," she whispered, broken. "Take her to the physician. Try..."
"She's gone, Selene. There's nothing he can do."
"Just try..." she said as she collapsed to her knees. "Please..."
She stayed there as their silhouettes disappeared beyond the trees, her sobs echoing across the wind.
Alone.
Cold.
And cast out.
Never trust your husband —haha just kidding... unless he's Ronan.
A Rogue? That's more than bad.
Anyway let's find out together how bad it's. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>🌓