Awake!!!

Selene felt something different about herself the moment she woke up. A low groan escaped her lips as she stirred. There was an unfamiliar sensation that overwhelmed her and prickled her senses.

Then in an instant, she sat up, the world tilting slightly as she adjusted to the sudden influx of sensations.

Her hands instinctively flew to her neck as memories flooded in to her head leaving her no chance to forget.

She looked around the large room in fear feeling the weight and ache of unused muscles pulling her back.

"Am I in paradise ?" She croaked to herself.

Her eyes darted around the room.

It was vast, opulent, and utterly foreign. The walls were draped in rich velvet, the floor was a mosaic of marble and precious stones, and the furniture was a collection of antique pieces that spoke of wealth and power.

Earthly possessions, she thought to herself.

"Definitely not paradise then." She realized sadly.

Then her eyes settled on a large mirror placed at the far end of the room.

Fighting weakness, Selene dragged herself to the mirror and disappointment clouded her as she stared back at her reflection.

She looked exactly the same.

Bald, Pale white and worst of all still dressed in her engagement dress.

Memories of her engagement night flashed

in her head starting from the nightmare that had occurred in her room and ending with the dark look in Lyall's eyes before he killed her.

Again, her hands went to her neck. She could feel pain but she was completely healed. Again, death had failed her.

But Unlike the first wake after death, she felt a new surge of energy. She felt different and reborn.

Perhaps this was a message from the goddess, telling her that she was not ready to die. Telling her that her goal could be achieved after all.

"But where am I?" She asked herself starting to wander around.

Then she noticed the mosaic on the wall.

The River Crest.

Panic gripped Selene's heart as she took in the swirling waters depicted in blue and green, seeming to flow across the surface.

"No. No, No, No, No." She called to herself as she staggered back. "Anywhere but here, I can't be here."

Though her father had tried to filter the books that Selene read, it was impossible to conceal writings of the river pack from her.

Varon would sneak books to her each time he returned from his travels and there she read about the history of the secluded park.

Had her brother and Lyall sold her? But Selene remembered faintly that she had been thrown off the cliff.

"Anywhere but here." She repeated as it dawned on her that she was in danger yet again.

Was this because she called death on herself? It would have been better for her to die anywhere else but here. She was aware that this was the enemy's territory.

Not just any enemy in fact….

The sound of the door opening made Selene snap out of her thoughts and a sudden fear enveloped her as she raced towards the other side of the room where a chest of drawers stood. Then she peeped and was surprised at who she saw.

A gorgeous female werewolf stood wide eyed starring back at Selene. Selene was in awe at the Ebony long haired female whose beautiful grey eyes told of shock.

The female exuded beauty and grace that had nothing to do with her elegant clothing. Selene's own step mother, Queen Ulva dressed more flamboyantly yet this female that stood before her was even more gracious.

The door opened again causing Selene's heart to skip.

Alpha Zephyr stepped in to the room hastily and joined the shocked duo in silence. He looked at his mother at first but then he followed her line of gaze and landed on the person half hiding behind the Shelf.

In the single moment that the pair of dark eyes met the blue ones, there was a burst of attraction and overwhelming energy.

Selene felt her whole body awaken and the air crackled with an energy she hadn't felt before, a strange mix of anticipation, awe and yearning.

Fighting the urge to keep looking at Selene, Zephyr turned to his mother.

"Mother. If you would excuse me. I'll explain to you as soon as I can." He said.

His voice was the usual authoritative tone but there was still something milder about it showing that he had respect for his mother.

Luna Vilka turned to her son tearing her eyes away from the stranger. She left the room with a nod.

Then Zephyr turned his attention back to the person who he was certain was the source of his fierce attraction.

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Selene had been told right from time that she would never have a mate, it was one of the many consequences of her curse which not only robbed her of the chance to find a mate but also left her bald, confined her to her chambers, weakened her, and stripped her of the heightened senses and instincts that define a werewolf.

She was left with only the healing ability as a remnant of her wolfish heritage.

But Selene had read stories of the mate bond, of the soul-deep connection that would bind one to their destined mate.

And from the moment he walked in, she thought of those stories as her breath hitched in her throat and her soul called out for him.

The most beautiful being Selene had ever set eyes on.

"My Mate?" She whispered in shock.

"Who are you?" Zephyr asked coldly.

His voice was deep and demanding making Selene place her hands firmly on the shelf she was hiding behind.

In one moment, Zephyr walked swiftly to her.

He moved with a grace that spoke of a wild, untamed spirit, yet there was an undeniable elegance to his movements, a hint of something powerful.

Selene gasped in shock when he roughly grabbed her in to his arms.

Her heart race picked up, a response to something very deep, a recognition that resonated on a level beyond words. Her soul was yearning so much and she felt complete being in his arms.

Her instincts were moving wild.

Time seemed to slow, the world fading away as she drank him in. Every line of his face, every curve of his body, was etched into her memory.

He was tall, impossibly so, with broad shoulders that hinted at his strength. His hair was the color of midnight, a stark contrast to the milky skin that seemed to glow. But it was his eyes that held Selene captive.

Beautiful dark eyes that revealed darkness and hatred like he knew who she was already.

"Who are you?" He asked in a more demanding tone.

Selene shivered in his grasp as her mind searched for what to say.

"Tell me now!" He growled angrilly giving her a firm shake.

"I don't know!" She blurted out with her pulse quickening. "I don't know who I am or where I am."

"Then why are you so scared." He asked as if reading her mind.

"Because you are scary." She said and she dared to look intensely back at him before she added, "Who are you?"

She didn't know who this man was but he seemed to awaken senses in her that she thought herself incapable of feeling. She could also sense some sort of power he had.

Zephyr's gaze swept over her intensely in a way that made her feel very small.

The tension between them was undeniable even for Zephyr as he tried to think straight despite the throbbing emotions he felt.

Looking in to her glassy blue eyes felt like she was looking deep in to his soul.

His empty soul, which now felt different to him.

How did she do this? He wondered. Then like a realization, he remembered the crown tattoo. The representation of her connection to Royalty.

He growled in anger holding Selene even more tightly. She responded to the pain with a gasp.

"You don't get to ask me anything! I ask the questions! Now I won't ask you again, who are you?" He asked in a low growl.

Selene met his gaze, trying her best to appear calm, but her heart was racing in fear. She could feel his scrutiny, his disbelief. She had to convince him.

"I swear,"she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "I have no idea who I am or how I got here."

Zephyr's eyes, however, held a glint of suspicion. He knew she was lying. He could see it in her eyes, in the way she shifted uncomfortably under his touch.

He leaned closer, his breath fanning her face.

"We'll see about that," he murmured, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

He tightened his grip, his knuckles turning white. Selene's eyes widened in fear. She felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, the world tilting precariously.

The last thing she saw were his eyes, filled with a mixture of anger and something else....…