They fully accepted me into their small group, taking me as one of them.

Dara apologized for referring to me as a stray. She narrated her experience with other pack wolves and I wouldn't blame her if she had still refused to take me in.

Riven was relentless, pushing me beyond my limits. Every morning, before the sun even broke through the trees, he forced me into drills — striking, dodging, countering. If I hesitated, he knocked me down. If I make mistakes, he makes me start over.

“Pack life makes you soft,” he said after slamming me into the dirt for the third time that day. His breath was steady, while mine was ragged. "Out here, you have to be sharper, faster. You can't hesitate. Else you die.”

He kept using the word, die, like it's some kind of situation he often encounters.

I spat blood and dirt from my mouth and stood up, “I am not soft.”

He smirked. “Then, prove it.”

So I did.

Day by day, I learned to move faster, to strike harder, to anticipate rather than react. Riven never let me give up, but neither did I. The bruises covering my body became badges, proof that I was no longer the sheltered Luna they had cast out.

Dara, meanwhile, made me disappear. She showed me how to move through the forest without a sound, how to mask my scent, how to become the hunter instead of the hunted. “Most wolves rely on brute strength,” she said one night as we crouched in the underbrush. “But the best way to survive is to never be seen at all.”

She taught me how to track, how to listen—not just to the obvious signs, but to the whispers of the wild itself. A bird suddenly taking flight, the absence of crickets, the way the wind carried unfamiliar scents. “The forest always tells a story,” she said. “You just have to listen.”

She's like the heart of the group, her encouraging words and entertaining tales keeping us moving.

Silas was the quietest of them all, but his lessons were the most practical. He taught me how to build shelter from the elements, how to set traps for food, how to find my way when I had nothing but the stars. “You never know when you'll be alone,” was all he said, and the look in his eyes made me wonder just how many nights he'd spent surviving on his own.

It was tough. I failed more times than I succeeded. But I kept going.

And then came the night that changed everything.

It started with a scent.

Dara stiffened first. The air smelled wrong—tainted with sweat, steel, and something else.

“Move,” she whispered.

We scattered just as the first arrow sliced through the air. It stuck itself in the tree behind where I'd been standing a second earlier. My heartbeat increased.

Rogue hunters.

They were mercenaries, hired by packs to track and eliminate exiled wolves. They fought with silver and fire, and they didn’t take prisoners.

Riven was already shifting, his bones snapping as he dropped to all fours, his wolf dark and massive. Dara melted into the shadows, while Silas pulled a long blade from his belt.

I should have run.

The old Selene—the one who had been betrayed, exiled, left to die—would have.

But I didn't.

The moment one of them lunged for me, my body reacted on instinct. I ducked under his swing, moving so fast I barely recognized my movements. He was fast, but I was faster. Riven had made sure of that.

I slammed my elbow into his ribs, making him stumble. Before he could recover, my claws were out, slicing through his flesh.

He choked, his eyes wide with shock as he crumpled to the ground.

Another hunter charged. I sidestepped, grabbed his wrist, and wrenched it at the wrong angle.

The fight was intense. I lost track of how many we took down, how many more ran away into the night when they realized they were outmatched.

Riven wiped a hand across his bloodied lip, grinning at me. “Not bad,” he said. “Not bad at all.”

Dara gave me a nod. Silas didn't speak, but when he met my gaze, I could tell that he was impressed.

I exhaled slowly. My hands were still shaking, my body aching with exhaustion.

Riven nudged one of the bodies with his leg, frowning. “This wasn’t just some random hit squad. They knew what they were doing. Someone paid real money to make sure you didn’t walk away from this.”

Dara wiped a streak of blood from her cheek. “And they’re not done. Whoever sent them won’t stop.” Her sharp gaze flicked to me. “They want you dead, Selene.”

Silas crouched next to one of the fallen mercenaries, yanking something off his belt. A worn metal emblem with a wolf’s head split by a blade. His expression darkened.

“Night bane Order,” he muttered.

Riven let out a low whistle. “Well. That’s just fantastic.”

I frowned. “Who the hell are they?”

Dara tucked her knife away. “Pack-funded mercs. They don’t do clean-up jobs, Selene. They do execution.”

I glanced at the bodies, the blood soaking the dirt. A piece of paper lay in the dirt and I picked it up to see an image. It wasn't exactly drawn to perfection, but there was no doubt, this was, Silas.

“They came here for you,” I said in a low tone.

“I guess he never gives up, doesn't he” Riven sighed.

I looked confused.

“The night bane order have tried once to have him killed, but we just ended up running away and finding another place to stay.” Dara said.

“What do they want with, Silas?”

They looked at each other as if hesitating before Silas spoke.

“My brother wants me dead. They will surely be back.”

“Then we don’t wait for the next attack. We will take the fight to them.”

Riven gave a sharp grin. “Now that's what I like to hear.”

Dara smirked. “She’s finally thinking like a rogue.”

Silas said nothing, just gave a single, approving nod.

Riven rolled his shoulders. “You keep this up, and we might just start calling you Alpha.”

I snorted. “I don't think I'm fit for that.”

Riven smirked. “Nah, I’m serious. You’ve got that whole ‘vengeful, badass leader’ thing going on. Kind of hot, actually—”

Dara hit Riven on his shoulder and he winced in pain.

“You hit on her, and I won't hesitate to rip out your skull.” She threatened.

I chuckled watching them, despite everything they've gone through, they still find a reason to smile.

I never expected to care about the world I left behind.

For weeks, I had only focused on surviving. I had buried my past, forced myself to forget the pack that betrayed me, the mate who cast me aside like I was nothing.

But now, as I stood in the middle of our camp, staring at a broken and bloody scout from my former pack, I realized I hadn’t left it all behind.

Because Killian wasn’t finished.

It started with the scent of an outsider.

The moment it reached us, Riven was on his feet, he looked tense as he scanned the trees. Dara already had a dagger in her hand, and Silas melted into the shadows, ready to strike if needed.

I didn’t react right away. I had learned patience, learned to watch before acting.

The scent was familiar. And when the figure stumbled into view, his face pale from exhaustion, my fist clenched.

Caleb.

He was younger than me, barely an adult, but I had seen him run errands for Killian’s top warriors. He was one of them.

I was on him before he could react, slamming him against a tree. My claws pressed against his throat, and his wide eyes were filled with panic.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you.” I groaned.

Caleb gasped, struggling against my hold. “Selene—wait—”

I bared my teeth. “You don’t get to say my name. Not after what your pack did to me.”

Riven and Dara stayed silent behind me, watching. This was my fight.

Caleb’s breathing turned ragged, his pulse fluttering beneath my grip. But there was no form of struggle in his eyes. Only fear.

“I—I left,” he stammered. “I ran.”

I hesitated, confused. “Ran from what?”

His hands shook as he clutched at my wrist. “From him.”

I loosened my grip just enough for him to speak. “Alpha Killian,” Caleb wheezed. “He’s—he’s planning something. He’s going to invade.”

I stepped back, my heart pounding. “What did you just say?”

Caleb coughed, rubbing his throat. “He’s forming alliances. Recruiting mercenaries. He’s not just after Blue moon territories anymore—he wants everything. He’s planning to take down the eastern packs one by one.”

Dara exchanged a glance with Riven. Silas reappeared, watching Caleb like a predator considering a kill.

My hands curled into fists. I had known Killian was ruthless, but this? War?

“You’re lying,” I said flatly.

“I’m not.” Caleb replied almost immediately. “He’s already made his first move. He sent me to scout weak points along the borders. But I—” He swallowed hard. “I couldn’t do it.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”

He hesitated. “Because what he did to you was wrong.”

For a moment, the burning fire was the only sound between us.

Riven stepped forward. “Well, damn. Never thought I’d see a Blue moon mutt grow a conscience.”

Caleb flinched, but he didn’t argue.

He could be lying. This could be a trap.

But deep down, I knew it wasn’t.

Killian was never satisfied with what he had. He had betrayed me for more power. It made sense that he would betray others, too.

And that meant innocent wolves would suffer.

I turned away, staring at the dark treetops above us.

“Selene,” Dara said cautiously.

I exhaled sharply. “Where is he now?”

Caleb replied, “Still at the stronghold, for now. But he’s planning an attack soon. A few weeks, maybe less.”

Riven crossed his arms. “So what’s the plan, Selene?”

I thought silently for a while.

I had two choices.

I could turn my back, let Killian burn through the packs like wildfire, let him take everything the way he took from me.

Or I could fight.

I turned back to Caleb. “You ran from them. But do you have the guts to fight against them?”

Caleb swallowed, then nodded. “Yes.”

“Good,” I said. “Because we’re going to stop Killian before he gets the chance to start this war.”

Riven grinned, cracking his knuckles. “Now that’s my Luna.”

Caleb “There’s more.”

“Spit it out.”

He glanced at the others before lowering his voice. “Alpha Killian…… he’s looking for you.”

Silas moved before I could react. In a blink, he had Caleb’s arm twisted behind his back, a dagger pressed to his ribs.

Caleb sucked in a sharp breath, but he didn’t struggle.

“What do you mean ‘looking for her’?” Silas’s voice was calm.

Caleb winced. “He put a bounty on her head.”

My heartbeat quickened.

Riven’s expression darkened. “How much?”

“Enough that every rogue and mercenary between here and the western border will be hunting her.”

There was silence, no one spoke.

Then, Dara exhaled. “Well, that complicates things.”

My jaw clenched tightly in anger. Killian hadn’t just cast me out, he wanted me erased.

Good.

Let him come.

I met Caleb’s gaze. “Why tell me this? Why risk your life running all this way?”

Caleb hesitated, then, quietly: “Because if he wins, there won’t be anything left. Not for me. Not for anyone.”

Silas released him roughly, shoving him forward.

Riven sighed. “Looks like we’re on a clock.”

Dara studied me carefully. “This changes things, Selene.”

She was right.

This wasn’t just about stopping Killian’s war.

It was about surviving it.

And if Killian wanted me dead so badly…

I’d just have to kill him first.