Selena's POV:

A full week had passed.

The underground black market auction was in full swing.

In this place, money erased all limits. If someone could afford it, they could walk away with anything, whether it was prohibited potions or even werewolves.

Standing before the mirror, I examined my reflection carefully. A deep crimson evening gown with a daring slit wrapped around me, paired with flawless makeup.

The fabric clung to my frame, tracing every line of my body.

A golden feather mask rested over the upper half of my face, hiding my identity while leaving my lips exposed.

"You set?" Damon asked, leaning casually against the doorframe as he held up two numbered paddles.

Dressed in a black tuxedo with the collar left slightly undone, he carried both refinement and danger in equal measure.

"I'm ready." I faced him and took a paddle from his hand. "The last item... is it really what you said?"

"It is." Damon's eyes turned serious. "The Moonlight Grass. It's the only thing that can hold back the silver poison inside you, even if it's just temporary. With that, you'll gain at least three more months."

Three more months. For someone already standing at death's edge, that kind of time was worth everything.

"Come on." I slipped my arm through his, letting him guide me inside the arena.

Inside, the auction hall stretched wide under low lighting. The moment we stepped in, attention shifted toward us from every direction.

Keeping my posture straight, I moved forward, the sharp click of my heels echoing with each step.

Back when I stood beside Kael, I never dared lift my head, always afraid I might make him look bad.

That version of me didn't exist anymore. Now, I didn't owe anyone anything.

With ease, Damon guided me upstairs to the VIP room on the second level. From there, the entire auction floor was laid out beneath us.

We had barely settled into our seats when the doors below swung open again.

A stir ran through the crowd almost instantly.

"Hey, who just came in?"

"That's Kael, isn't it? The Alpha of the strongest pack. I didn't expect him here!"

"Word is, he showed up because of that actress, Aria..."

Hearing her name made my grip tighten against the armrest before I could stop it.

Then Kael appeared, walking in with Aria wrapped around his arm, clinging close to him.

"They look perfect together," Damon murmured near my ear, his tone dripping with mockery.

Without reacting much, I lifted the glass of red wine from the table and took a slow sip. "They really do," I replied.

Across the hall, Kael's eyes moved steadily before settling on the glass case placed at the center of the stage.

Inside it sat the final item of the night—the Moonlight Grass.

From the look in Kael's eyes, it was clear he intended to claim it.

"So it's not going to be easy tonight," Damon murmured as he idly swirled the wine in his glass. "I heard Aria's condition wasn't great either. She needs that just as much."

Without delay, the auction began.

Several items were brought out one after another, but none of them caught my attention. That changed the moment the host pulled away the red cloth covering the final piece.

"Everyone, we've reached the highlight of the evening—the Moonlight Grass! We'll begin at ten million!"

"Twenty million!" Kael didn't even wait for the full announcement before lifting his paddle.

A hush fell over the hall. No one wanted to challenge an Alpha like him over a single herb.

Grinning, the host raised his gavel, his voice full of excitement. "Looks like the Moonlight Grass will be going to Mr. Brooks tonight. Let's all give our..."

"Fifty million." I lifted my paddle slowly, making sure every movement was deliberate.

At once, Kael's head jerked up.

Under the dim lighting, our eyes met across the distance for a brief second.

In that instant, confusion flickered through his gaze.

"Fifty-five million." Kael's voice stayed steady as he looked away and raised the bid without emotion.

"One hundred million." Without even pausing, I lifted my paddle again.

That number drained everything I had. It came from selling every piece of equipment I owned from my days of being a bounty hunter, along with the money Damon lent me.

I had placed my entire future on this one gamble.

For once, Kael didn't respond right away.

"Sold!"

The gavel struck, sealing the deal.

A slow breath left my lungs as I realized my hands were damp with sweat.

I had taken back my life from Kael.

Still, it wasn't going to end that easily.

Once the auction wrapped up, I stepped out of the VIP room, only to be stopped at a corner in the hallway.

"Miss, if you don't mind..." Mason Brown, Kael's chief aide, stood in my path with a polite smile. "The Alpha would like to speak with you."

Selena's POV:

Behind the mask, I fixed my gaze on Mason, the whole situation feeling ridiculous.

Kael wanted to talk to me? Did he really think he could pressure me into handing over the Moonlight Grass, either with money or threats?

"No time," I said sharply, already moving to pass him.

"Why hurry off when you've just arrived?"

A low, familiar voice sounded from behind me.

Out of the shadows, Kael stepped forward.

Without hesitation, Mason moved aside, lowering his head in respect.

Stopping right in front of me, Kael towered over me as he spoke. "One hundred million."

A slow breath left him as smoke curled from his lips, drifting against my mask. "I didn't expect you to have that kind of cash."

Had he already figured out who I was?

Masking my scent had never been my strength, not like those rogue wolves, especially with no wolf to rely on.

I kept the mask on. "I paid for that herb. It's mine."

A short, mocking laugh escaped Kael. In the next second, his hand shot out and tore the golden mask from my face.

The mask dropped onto the carpet with a muted sound.

Recognition flashed briefly across Kael's eyes when he saw me, but it faded just as fast, replaced by cold contempt.

"So it's really you."

A crushing wave of Alpha pressure dropped onto me, heavy enough to make it hard to breathe. "You disappeared for a week, and this is what you do? Come here and compete with me for the herb? Selena, I can't make sense of you anymore. Where did that money come from?"

Before I could react, his hand locked around my wrist, the force sharp enough to bruise. "You left the black card behind on purpose, trying to make me think you had nothing. Meanwhile, you were already moving the family assets behind my back."

Watching him speak with such certainty, I almost laughed at how absurd he sounded.

To him, I was nothing more than someone driven by greed.

"Kael, you really do have quite the imagination," I said, my voice turning cold. "I earned the money on my own. It has nothing to do with you or the Golden Moon Pack."

"You earned the money?" Kael's gaze darkened instantly. "How? Don't tell me you sold your body."

Suddenly, the sharp crack of the slap rang through the corridor.

My hand stung as I pulled it back, while Kael's face turned to the side from the impact.

Standing nearby, Mason froze, barely daring to breathe. No one had ever struck an Alpha like that before.

Slowly, Kael turned his head back toward me.

Blood touched the corner of his lips, and he dragged his tongue across it. In an instant, his dark pupils shifted into a blazing gold.

That color meant his wolf was about to lose control.

"You think you can lay a hand on me?" he said, his voice dropping into something rough and dangerous, like a beast ready to snap.

Without warning, he drove me back against the wall.

His Alpha scent closed in around me, thick and suffocating. Then, all at once, he stopped moving.

Lowering his head, he hovered near my neck, breathing in sharply as if trying to confirm something he couldn't believe.

The next second, his expression twisted, anger flashing violently in his eyes.

"Who does this scent belong to?" he demanded through clenched teeth. "Why do you smell like another man?"

It was Damon.

For the past week, I had been inside his territory, and just moments ago, I had walked in beside him.

A werewolf could never mistake a scent.

"That's none of your concern." I shoved at Kael, trying to create distance. "What I do has nothing to do with you."

"Nothing to do with me?" Kael snapped, his anger breaking through all restraint. "Until that bond is properly ended, you're still my Luna! And you think you can walk around carrying another Alpha's scent like that?"

Without warning, he dipped his head, clearly intending to overwrite Damon's scent with his own.

The way he moved made my stomach churn.

Somewhere, strength surged through me. I lifted my knee and drove it straight into his abdomen without holding back.

A low, hurt sound came from Kael, and his grip eased instantly.

Using that opening, I stepped back quickly, widening the space between us.

"Alpha, try showing some dignity." With steady hands, I adjusted my disheveled collar, my gaze turning cold. "I already gave back your Luna ring. I signed the Rejection. The second you chose Aria, whatever we had ended. And one more thing."

I tilted my head toward the hall not far from us. "Your companion is watching."

Caught off guard, Kael stiffened and turned to look.

At the far end of the hallway, Aria stood there.

Dressed in a pristine white lace gown, she held a champagne glass, looking almost unreal, like something too perfect to belong in this world.

Yet the expression on her face now was anything but graceful.

Shock flickered across her face, mixed with a trace of panic she couldn't quite hide.

The moment Kael's attention landed on her, she shifted instantly, putting on a different expression as she lifted her skirt and hurried over.

"Kael?" she called softly, slipping her arm around his and pressing close to him like she was staking her claim.

After that, she tilted her head toward me, those wide, glistening eyes fixed in place.

"Selena?" She brought a hand to her lips, letting out a dramatic gasp. "Oh my God, it's really you! What are you wearing?"

Her eyes moved slowly over my bare shoulders and exposed legs, the disdain in her gaze impossible to miss. "Back then, you barely even spoke above a whisper, and you always dressed so modestly. How did you end up like this after only a few days away?"

Selena's POV:

Aria didn't stop. Still wrapped around Kael's arm, she kept smiling sweetly while her words turned sharp and poisonous.

"Kael, just look at Selena now. Don't you think she might've run into the wrong crowd? Maybe someone misled her? I've heard some rogue wolves are known for targeting inexperienced bonded females."

Every word landed on Kael exactly where it would hurt most.

Kael had already caught Damon's scent on me, and with Aria pushing him further, the anger he was holding back flared up again in his eyes.

"Selena!" His gaze locked onto me, his voice rough with anger. "So this is your choice? You'd throw away being Luna just to be with someone like Damon?"

"Aria." I didn't even spare Kael a glance and focused on the fragile-looking woman clinging behind him.

"No one else is here. You can drop the act." Taking a step closer, I met her eyes. "Instead of worrying about me, maybe you should worry about yourself first. Do you honestly need the Moonlight Grass?"

Aria's expression faltered for a split second, and she instinctively shifted back, using Kael as a shield.

"Selena, I don't know what you mean..." She coughed lightly at just the right moment, her face turning pale in an instant. "I was only worried about you..."

"That's enough!" Kael snapped as he shoved me aside and pulled Aria into his arms.

"Selena, you've gone too far." Disappointment darkened his expression as he looked at me. "Her condition isn't for you to judge. The doctor knows what she needs."

From the main hall, soft waltz music began to drift in. It marked the start of the evening's ball.

Drawing in a steady breath, Kael tried to rein in his anger. His eyes moved between Aria in his arms and me standing off to the side, watching without emotion, and then he made a move I didn't see coming.

Releasing Aria, he walked straight toward me. "Come dance with me." His tone left no room for refusal.

Before I could react, his hand locked around my wrist, firm and unyielding, as he pulled me toward the dance floor.

"Kael?" Aria cried out behind us, her voice filled with disbelief.

Annoyance crossed my face as I struggled against his grip. "Let go. What's wrong with you?"

"Why? Nervous now?" Kael didn't loosen his hold. Instead, his arm slid around my waist, forcing me forward into the center of the floor. "You seemed bold enough earlier. Outbidding me, getting close to another man... and now you won't even dance with me?"

Eyes from every direction turned toward us, drawn by how impossible it was not to notice our pairing.

I had no intention of causing a scene with him here. That would only turn me into something others could laugh at.

Instead of resisting, I let his pull guide me and matched my steps to the rhythm.

There was a time when I went out of my way to learn formal dance just for him.

Back then, I believed that if I ever stood beside him on the floor, I needed to be flawless. Yet in all those three years, he never once brought me to a ball. Never did I imagine that our first dance would happen like this.

Even Kael seemed caught off guard by how easily I gave in. His hand rested against my back, and through the thin fabric, the heat of his touch seeped through.

That same warmth used to be something I longed for. Now, it only felt bitter.

"Come back with me," he murmured close to my ear. "I'll overlook everything that happened tonight. Just come home, stay in line, and forget about that rogue wolf. I'll act like none of this ever happened."

There it was again, that same tone, like he was offering mercy.

Lifting my gaze, I met his golden eyes without hesitation. "Kael, do you really think I'll come running back just because you call for me?"

Kael's brows drew together. "Isn't that how it works? Do you think you can manage without me? Without me, who will support you, a waste?"

"A waste?" I let out a quiet laugh. "That 'waste' you're looking down on just outbid you."

"That only happened because I allowed it!" Kael's tone sharpened, rising in volume. "If you didn't belong to the Golden Moon Pack, do you really think you'd be walking out of here unharmed?"

"Is that how you see it?" I stayed calm. "Then maybe you should notice that rogue wolf is already watching us from upstairs."

Kael's head jerked upward.

Leaning against the railing of the VIP suite on the second floor, Damon held a glass of wine, watching us with clear amusement.

The moment he caught Kael's gaze, Damon casually lifted his glass in a distant toast.

Darkness spread across Kael's face instantly.

"Damon?" he ground out, anger thick in his voice. "That Rogue King... You actually showed up here with him?"

Kael's hands trembled from how furious he was. He tried to use the mate bond to overwhelm me and force me to yield.

But he was destined to be disappointed.

That bond had already been cut. To him, I was no different than something cold and unfeeling.

No matter how much Alpha pressure he released, it didn't affect me at all.

If anything, my movements only grew sharper, my steps more controlled and refined than his.

With every turn and step, I moved in perfect sync, yet kept a clear distance that no one could cross.

That lack of control on his end seemed to irritate Kael more than anything he had faced before.

"Selena, you've changed." As the music came to an end, he studied me with a conflicted look. "You weren't like this before."

"People don't stay the same, Kael." I stepped back from him and smoothed down my skirt. "Not after they've already died once."

Kael went completely still. It looked like he wanted to question me, but before he could, a flash of white rushed toward us.

"Ouch!" Aria stumbled forward, clutching two glasses of red wine as her body tipped straight in my direction.