Chapter 13

The Alpha's Wrath

Selene had barely recovered from the confrontation between Lucian and Kade when she felt the weight of Lucian's presence closing in behind her. The tension in the air hadn't dissipated—it had only thickened, wrapping around them like a storm ready to explode.

She spun around just in time to see Lucian closing the distance between them, his jaw tight, his expression a perfect storm of possessiveness and rage.

"We need to talk," he said, his voice like gravel.

Selene squared her shoulders, meeting his intensity with her own. "No, Lucian. You need to calm down."

His eyes flared. "Calm down? After what just happened? After Kade—" He inhaled sharply, trying to suppress the fury bubbling beneath the surface. "You don't understand how dangerous he is."

Selene shook her head. "I do understand. But that doesn't mean you can just decide who I talk to."

Lucian's hands flexed at his sides. "I don't just decide, Selene. It's instinct. You're mine."

Her breath hitched at the raw declaration, but she didn't let it sway her. "I don't belong to anyone."

His lips curled in frustration. "You keep saying that, but your scent—your body—says otherwise. You feel it too, don't you?"

Selene swallowed hard, refusing to let herself get lost in the magnetic pull between them. "Even if I do," she whispered, "it doesn't mean I have no choice."

Lucian took another step closer, so close she could feel the heat radiating off his body. His fingers ghosted along her arm before gripping her wrist, his touch searing.

"I don't know how to be gentle about this, Selene." His voice was rough with restraint. "I don't know how to let you walk away."

Selene's pulse pounded in her ears. She hated the way her body reacted to him, the way her heart betrayed her common sense. "Then maybe you should learn."

Lucian's grip tightened for a fraction of a second before he abruptly released her.

The look in his eyes was devastating.

"I'll never let him take you," he said, his voice raw. "Even if you hate me for it."

Before she could respond, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the darkness.

Selene stood there, breathless and shaken.

Lucian wasn't just possessive.

He was a force of nature.

And she was caught in the eye of his storm.

---

The Rival's Warning

Selene barely had time to gather her thoughts before she sensed another presence nearby.

She turned sharply, already knowing who she would find.

Kade stood just beyond the tree line, his posture relaxed, but his golden eyes sharp as ever.

"You're making a mistake," he said, stepping closer.

Selene crossed her arms. "And what mistake would that be?"

Kade tilted his head. "Thinking Lucian will ever let you be free."

Her stomach twisted. "And you would?"

His smirk was slow and deliberate. "I'd at least give you the illusion of it."

Selene exhaled sharply, turning away. "You're both the same."

Kade was behind her in an instant, his breath warm against her ear. "No, little wolf. We're nothing alike." His fingers trailed over her shoulder, light as a whisper. "Lucian wants to own you. I just want to ruin you."

Her breath caught.

Kade chuckled, stepping away as if satisfied with the effect he had on her. "Be careful, Selene. You're playing with fire."

And with that, he vanished into the night.

Selene shivered, not from the cold, but from the dangerous reality she was trapped in.

Two powerful alphas.

Both obsessed with her.

And she had no idea which one would destroy her first.