Selena's POV

If I thought training with Alpha Darius was the hardest part of my morning, I was very wrong.

Because the moment I left the training grounds, the pack house buzzed with whispers. It was subtle at first a glance here, a hushed voice there but by the time I crossed the courtyard, it was obvious.

People were talking about me, again.

If I wasn't so emotionally wrecked, I would've laughed. First I was "future Luna," then "the girl whose mate cheated with her sister," and now...

"Did you see her training with the Alpha this morning?"

"Is she... trying to get his attention?"

"I heard he demanded she train with him alone."

"Do you think something's going on between them?"

I clenched my jaw and kept walking.

The old me, the girl who trusted everyone, would've stopped and explained herself, tried to reason, tried to make people understand the truth.

But that girl was gone.

So I stared straight ahead, pretending I didn't hear a thing.

It worked for almost five minutes.

Until Liora, one of the pack's busybodies and self-appointed gossip queen, stepped directly into my path with a fake-sweet smile plastered onto her face.

"Well, well," she said loudly enough for the nearby wolves to hear. "Look who's glowing this morning."

I blinked at her. "I'm literally covered in dirt."

"But training with an Alpha can do that to a woman." She winked dramatically.

The wolves behind her giggled.

My temples throbbed.

"Move," I said, no humor in my voice.

Liora scoffed. "Ooh, someone's feisty. What's wrong, Selena? Not used to all this attention?"

I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "Liora, I am not in the mood."

She leaned in, smirking. "Or are you just embarrassed that Kael prefers your sister over you?"

Something flickered behind my ribs, sharp and dangerous.

I felt my wolf stir not fully, not loudly, but enough that my fingers twitched.

"Say that again," I whispered.

"Why? It's true." Liora lifted her chin in triumph. "Everyone can see it. Who slept with the Alpha to be? Who does he look at? Who is he presently with now? Hint: not you."

Her words were meant to taunt. But instead, they hit somewhere vulnerable inside me not because she was wrong, but because she was too close to the truth I wasn't ready to face.

"Liora," I said quietly, "get out of my way."

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Fine. No need to be so touchy. Just don't cry about it later."

She walked off with a dramatic toss of her hair.

And I stood there for a moment, breathing through the tightness clawing at my chest.

The entire pack was watching me.

Good.

Let Kael see it too, let him choke on it.

I adjusted my dress the sweat stained thing that now clung to me uncomfortably and walked toward the kitchens. I desperately needed water and maybe food. Maybe a hole to bury myself in or all three.

But halfway there, a familiar scent stopped me.

Kael.

I froze on instinct, stomach twisting violently, thoughts of food long gone.

I turned slowly, against every bit of sense I had left and found him leaning against the stone pillar near the entrance, arms crossed, eyes dark.

And alone, of course he'd find me now.

"Selena," he said quietly.

The sound of his voice made something inside me flinch and twist not from longing, from memory, from pain, from anger.

I should've kept walking but I didn't.

Instead, I stood there because I needed to hear what he had to say, if only to burn whatever last piece of him still lingered inside me.

"What do you want?" I asked flatly.

Kael looked like someone who hadn't slept. His hair was a mess, there were shadows under his eyes, and he kept licking his lips like he was nervous. Good.

He should be.

"I... I wanted to see if you were okay," he said.

A humorless laugh escaped me. "No, you didn't."

He stiffened.

"You wanted to ease your guilt," I continued. "Don't confuse the two."

Kael pushed off the pillar, stepping toward me. His scent familiar and now painfully foreign, hit me like a blow. My wolf curled away from it instantly.

"Selena," he said, softer this time. "Please. I never meant to hurt you."

A slow, bitter anger spread through my chest. "You didn't mean to? Let me guess, you tripped and fell into my sister?"

He flinched hard.

Good.

"You think this is funny?" he whispered.

"No," I said. "I think it's pathetic."

Kael's eyes flashed with something like frustration. "I messed up, okay? I was confused. I was..."

"Stop talking," I cut in. "Every word you say makes it worse."

He went still, mouth slightly open, like he didn't know how to respond. For a moment, he wasn't the confident future Alpha. He looked... young, and so lost. But not enough to touch my heart again.

Then his gaze drifted over me, from my hair to my dress to the faint smudges from training.

"You trained with my uncle today," he said quietly.

Ah.

So that was what this was really about.

Jealousy, possessiveness but it's too late.

"Yes," I said simply.

Kael swallowed. "Why?"

I smiled, but it felt nothing like joy.

"Why do you think?"

His jaw clenched.

"Selena..." His voice dropped. "Are you doing this to hurt me?"

I stepped closer until we were only a foot apart.

"No," I whispered, staring straight into his eyes. "Hurting you is just a bonus."

His breath hitched. I saw it, the moment that realization stabbed him. The moment he understood I wasn't waiting for or love him anymore.

Kael opened his mouth again, but I didn't give him the chance.

I walked past him without another word.

And he didn't follow.

* * *

Later that day.

By afternoon, the gossip had doubled. I'd had enough.

I left the pack house and ended up wandering the forest edge, not shifting, not running, just... walking. Letting the silence settle. Letting the sound of leaves calm something restless inside me.

But even peace lasts only so long.

Twigs snapped behind me.

I turned quickly.

It wasn't Kael this time.

It was Alpha Darius.

He stepped out from the shadow of the trees like he'd been looking for me or maybe he'd just found me while patrolling. His expression was unreadable, but something about the way he walked toward me made my heart pick up.

Not romantically, Instinctively.

Darius didn't move like normal wolves. He moved like a storm wrapped in a man's body, controlled but dangerous.

"Why are you outside the borders alone?" he asked.

I blinked. "I'm not outside the borders."

"Close enough," he said.

Something about his tone made me shift my weight, suddenly aware of how small I felt in comparison to his looming presence.

"I needed air," I said honestly.

Darius studied me for a moment, then nodded once, acceptance, not judgment. It surprised me.

Silence stretched between us, it was not awkward, just... heavy. Like there were things he wanted to say but was deciding whether he should.

Finally, he spoke.

"You confronted Kael."

It wasn't a question.

My stomach flipped. "I didn't tell him anything."

"I know," Darius said. "If you had, he would be limping."

Against my will, I let out a small, startled laugh.

Darius's lips twitched, the closest thing I'd ever seen to a smile from him.

"If I confront him," he said quietly, "he will limp."

I swallowed hard. "You don't need to get involved. This is between me and Kael."

"No," he corrected. "It's between Kael... and the Alpha he disrespected by betraying one of his own."

My breath caught.

Something warm and unfamiliar curled low in my stomach.

Darius wasn't defending me to soothe me.

He was defending me because he believed betrayal deserved retaliation.

"Why do you care?" I asked quietly, because the question burned too much to hold inside.

His eyes locked onto mine, steady, unwavering.

"Because you're a member of my pack," he said. "One with potential. One I've watched since you were a pup."

My chest tightened. "You... watched me?"

"Of course," he said simply. "You think I don't keep track of every wolf who shows promise?"

I looked away, a small rush of warmth climbing up my neck.

"And also," he added, voice lower this time, "because you deserve better than being treated as disposable."

My breath hitched.

He took one step closer, slow, measured, not threatening, just... present.

I felt him before he touched me, that heavy Alpha aura wrapping around my senses. My wolf stirred faintly, like she was waking from a deep sleep.

That surprised me more than anything.

"I don't feel disposable," I whispered.

Darius held my gaze, his eyes dark and impossibly intense.

"Good," he said. "Don't start."

The air between us shifted, not romantic, not intimate, but something similar to recognition.

The moment when two wolves see each other clearly for the first time.

And then, abruptly, he stepped back. The moment snapped like a twig.

"We train again tomorrow," he said.

I nodded.

He turned, walked a few steps, then paused without looking back.

"And Selena," he said, voice lower than before. "Do not let Kael near you without another warrior present."

A small shiver went down my spine. "Why?"

"Because your ex-mate is unstable," he said. "And wolves who lose the one they took for granted... become unpredictable."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he didn't give me the chance.

He vanished into the trees like he'd never been there.

Leaving me staring after him, heart pounding for reasons I didn't want to examine too closely.

Selena's POV

When Darius disappeared into the trees, the forest suddenly felt... too quiet.

Like the world was holding its breath because something had shifted between us.

Something I didn't understand, or do but wasn't ready to face.

I stayed there for a while, staring at the space he'd walked through, my heartbeat slowly settling into something that wasn't panic but wasn't calm either. More like... awareness, a new kind of awareness. A dangerous one.

Finally, when the air grew cold enough to raise goosebumps along my arms, I turned back toward the pack house.

The walk back wasn't long, but every step felt heavy, full of thoughts I didn't want to think.

About Kael, Lyria, myself and about Darius.

Especially Darius.

But as soon as the pack house came into view, those thoughts had to be shoved down. Hard.

Because the moment I stepped through the double doors, I walked straight into a wall of voices.

No, not voices.

Rumors.

"Did you hear? Selena was seen with the Alpha in the forest."

"I heard he went looking for her."

"They were alone. Together."

"Alone? That means something."

"Oh, please. The Alpha doesn't do something. He does everything."

Someone laughed, another person gasped.

Someone said my name like it was the tastiest piece of gossip they'd chewed all week. My stomach dropped.

Perfect.

Just perfect.

I was halfway up the stairs when I heard the newest rumor, the one that made my blood turn hot.

"I bet she's doing it to make Kael jealous."

My foot froze on the step.

Another voice chimed in, "Well, it's working. Kael looked like he could punch a wall earlier."

And then, the one that snapped something in me,

"Honestly, she probably threw herself at Darius. He's an Alpha. He won't bother with a broken wolf."

My jaw clenched so hard my teeth hurt.

Broken wolf, that's what I have become now.

I didn't turn around, I didn't confront them.

I went to my room and shut the door quietly. But the word followed me into the silence. Broken.

I stood there for a long moment, staring at the wooden door, fighting the burn in my chest. I wasn't crying not exactly. It wasn't sadness. It was anger. Sharp, bitter, humiliating anger that made my hands tremble.

I wasn't broken nor am i weak.

I just needed time to put myself back together.

There's a difference.

I changed out of my training clothes and washed my face, trying to scrub away the exhaustion clinging to my skin. When I finally looked at myself in the mirror again, my reflection felt like a stranger.

But not a defeated one.

A dangerous one.

I exhaled and whispered to myself, "You're fine."

A lie.

But a necessary one.

* * *

The evening meal

Pack meals were mandatory unless you had a good reason to skip them. I didn't have one. So I went.

I regretted it immediately.

The dining hall was buzzing. Wolves eating, laughing, talking too loudly. The moment I entered, conversations dipped in volume not fully, but enough that I noticed.

Kael was at the long central table with his training group. His shoulders were stiff. His jaw was tight. And he kept glancing toward the entrance every few seconds like he expected me to walk in.

And when I finally did...

His eyes found mine instantly.

A rush of something unreadable emotions went across his face, guilt, regret, anger. Maybe all of it. Maybe none.

I didn't look away.

Not until a hand waved in front of my face.

"Selena! Over here!"

It was Mira, one of the few wolves I still trusted, someone with no interest in gossip or politics. She patted the seat beside her, smiling warmly.

I sat down gratefully.

"You look exhausted," she said gently.

I laughed under my breath. "That obvious?"

"You look like you fought a mountain."

"In a way I did."

She blinked. " Alpha Darius pushed you that hard?"

I felt heat crawl up my neck. "It wasn't exactly... pushing."

Her eyebrows went straight up. "Selena."

"Oh gods, no. Not like that."

Her shoulders relaxed. "Good. Because half the pack is already inventing stories."

"I heard."

"Don't listen to them."

"I won't."

She gave me a look like she didn't believe me but was too kind to say it.

I picked at my food, my appetite nowhere to be found. Mira talked about training schedules and patrol rotations, but I barely heard her.

Because Kael kept staring at me.

Not subtly or accidentally but obviously.

Every time I glanced in his direction, his eyes snapped away like he wasn't supposed to be looking but couldn't stop.

Mira noticed.

"Do you want to leave?" she whispered.

"No," I said, surprising myself. "I want to finish my meal."

Strength doesn't always roar. Sometimes it sits in a dining hall and pretends its ex-mate isn't five feet away staring like he's drowning.

But my plan to stay invisible ended three minutes later when someone sat across from me, sending whispers through the hall like a spark through dry grass.

Alpha Darius.

Mira choked on her water.

I froze with my spoon halfway to my mouth.

The entire dining hall held its breath.

He didn't acknowledge the attention. He simply leaned back in his seat, arms relaxed, expression calm but his eyes were fixed on me with a focus that made my heartbeat stumble.

"Selena," he said.

My name sounded different when he said it, grounded, steady, sure.

I swallowed. "Alpha."

His gaze flicked down to my plate. "Eat."

It wasn't an order.

It was... concern wrapped in one word. Quiet, subtle, but unmistakable.

My chest tightened.

"I am," I said softly.

He raised an eyebrow at my barely touched food.

Mira tried to melt into her seat.

Across the hall, Kael's chair scraped against the floor as he stood abruptly. His entire body vibrated with tension.

Darius noticed.

Of course he noticed. His eyes flicked briefly toward Kael, a single, dismissive glance before returning to me.

"You're training in the morning. I need you functional. Eat."

His tone didn't invite argument.

So I took a small bite, mostly because it was easier than refusing.

"Good," he said.

That was all.

He stood as quickly as he'd sat, nodded once to Mira, and walked away. The whispers immediately erupted like a loud wave.

"Oh gods."

Mira grabbed my arm. "Selena. That man didn't just talk to you. He checked on you. In front of everyone."

"I noticed."

"That is not normal for him."

"I know."

Mira inhaled slowly. "Selena..."

"Yes?"

"Are you... sure you're not falling for him?"

My spoon dropped, thankfully not on the floor.

"Absolutely not," I said instantly.

Too instantly.

Because Mira's eyebrows rose in slow, knowing disbelief.

"He's an Alpha," I continued quickly. "He's powerful. That's all this is. I'm just reacting."

"Reacting to him?"

"Reacting to everything," I corrected sharply.

She nodded but not like she believed me.

And I hated that she wasn't entirely wrong.

* * *

Later that night

I didn't sleep, not really. I lay awake staring at the ceiling, replaying everything in my head.

Kael watching me from across the room, the pack whispering, Darius sitting beside me.

Darius stepping into my space in the forest.

Darius telling me I wasn't disposable.

Darius telling me I wouldn't break.

My wolf stayed quiet most of the night but when those last words played in my mind...

She stirred.

Faintly.

Cautiously.

Almost like she didn't trust it, the warmth in his voice, the certainty.

Almost like she didn't trust me not to trust it, I exhaled shakily and turned onto my side.

"I'm not falling for him," I whispered into the dark.

Silence.

And then a soft huff from my wolf.

Not agreement, not denial.

Just...

Awareness, I closed my eyes tightly, tomorrow would come, whether I wanted it to or not, tomorrow, I'd train with him again, tomorrow, the pack would stare.

Tomorrow, Kael would simmer, tomorrow, things might shift even more.

But for now, for just this moment... I allowed myself to feel it. The fear, the anger, the spark, the possibility of what could happen and the danger.

I whispered into the quiet

"Whatever happens next... I won't break."

This time, my wolf didn't stay silent.

She growled softly in approval.