chapter ten

Selene's POV

Sasha had always been right. Always seen things clearly, without the cloud of emotions getting in the way.

Camila was a threat.

And if Nathaniel refused to see it… if Alpha Greene and Aiden were too weak to do what needed to be done…

Then I would.

I opened my eyes.

The decision had already been made.

I had spent years watching my brother build an empire, carving his name into the world with blood and power. And now?

Now, some runaway—some traitor—was going to ruin it all.

Camila had bewitched Aiden. She had drawn Alpha Greene into her orbit. And worst of all? She had Nathaniel. My brother.

He had always been ruthless, untouchable. But now?

Now, he was hesitating.

And all because of her.

I clenched my jaw, moving through the halls of the estate. The auction had ended, but the tension still hung thick in the air.

Nathaniel and Aiden had nearly come to blows over Camila. Alpha Greene was scheming. Everyone was waiting for the next move.

But I already knew mine.

I wasn't going to let that woman wrap my brother around her little finger.

I wasn't going to let her ruin everything.

And when I saw her—alone, standing at the top of the staircase, oblivious to my presence—an opportunity presented itself.

I slowed my steps, heart pounding with anticipation.

She had just stepped away from the others. Maybe to breathe. Maybe to gather herself.

It didn't matter.

I moved quickly.

One sharp push.

A gasp.

A flash of green silk.

Then—

The sickening crack of her body hitting the steps.

I watched her tumble down, limb over limb, her head snapping back against the hard wood, her breath leaving her in sharp, pained gasps.

And I felt—

Accomplished.

Hopefully, the child was gone.

She was gone.

Or, at least, she would be soon.

A slow smile crept onto my lips, but before I could turn away, a shift in the air made my skin prickle.

Eyes.

Watching.

I turned my head slightly—just enough to see movement.

Nathaniel.

On one side of the hall. Frozen in place.

Aiden.

From the opposite direction, fists clenched at his sides, his body rigid with shock.

They had seen.

Both of them.

My heart stuttered in my chest.

But it was too late.

Camila was already lying still at the bottom of the staircase.

Camila's POV

I had only stepped away for a moment.

The air in the grand hall had been suffocating, the weight of too many eyes pressing down on me.

Nathaniel had been arguing with Alpha Greene. Aiden had been brooding, his anger a silent storm. And me?

I just needed to breathe.

So I had moved to the staircase, letting my fingers trail along the railing, grounding myself.

Then—

Pain.

White-hot. Instant.

The world spun.

I didn't even have time to react—to grab onto something, to scream.

One moment I was standing.

The next—

Falling.

My body crashed against the steps, my vision blurring with each impact.

Something snapped.

Agony.

A choked breath left my lips, but I couldn't make a sound.

And then—

Everything went black.

The first thing I felt was the cold.

A beeping sound filled the silence, steady and rhythmic.

My eyelids felt heavy, my throat raw.

I opened my eyes.

White walls.

The sterile scent of antiseptic.

A hospital.

I tried to move, but pain lanced through my body. A weak, trembling breath left my lips.

Memories crashed over me all at once.

The auction.

The staircase.

Silver Crest Pack.

Blackwood Pack.

The push.

The fall.

And then—

A soft voice cut through the haze.

"You're awake."

I turned my head slightly, my pulse quickening.

A woman stood beside the bed, dressed in a white coat. A doctor. Her expression was carefully neutral, but there was something… hesitant in her gaze.

I forced myself to speak, my voice barely above a whisper.

"What… happened?"

The doctor's lips parted.

Then—

A pause.

A hesitation.

The kind that only came before bad news.

I already knew.

I felt it.

The emptiness.

The absence of something that had once been there.

Still, I needed to hear it.

"Camila…" The doctor exhaled slowly. "You lost the baby."

My world cracked open.

I couldn't breathe.

Couldn't think.

Couldn't feel anything but the sharp, brutal ache that tore through my chest.

My baby.

Gone.

A sob built in my throat, but I swallowed it down.

No.

No more crying.

No more pity.

Tears wouldn't bring back what was lost.

But revenge?

Revenge would give me purpose.

I turned my head toward the ceiling, my vision blurring.

Aiden.

He had been the only thing tying me to my past. To my pain.

And now?

Now, there was nothing left.

Nothing to hold onto.

Nothing to stop me from finally letting go.

I inhaled sharply, ignoring the way my body screamed in protest.

I needed to find out who planted the lie in Aiden's head.

Who had twisted the truth.

Who had started all of this.

And I would destroy them.

And the person who pushed me?

They thought they had won.

But they had only made one fatal mistake.

They had left me alive.

And I was going to find them.

I was going to burn their world to the ground.

This wasn't over.

The beeping of the heart monitor filled the sterile hospital room, a cruel reminder that I was still here. Still breathing.

But the child I had carried?

Gone.

A part of me had been ripped away, and in its place, something dark and unforgiving settled.

I stared at the ceiling, my body numb, my mind sharpening like the edge of a blade.

Someone had done this.

Someone had wanted this.

And I was going to find out who.

The door to my room creaked open. I didn't move. Didn't react.

Heavy footsteps approached—calculated, slow.

Then, a deep inhale.

Nathaniel.

I knew that scent anywhere.

I turned my head slightly, meeting his gaze.

His eyes burned with something unreadable. His usual cold mask had cracked. There was something raw in the way he looked at me.

He exhaled, his jaw tightening. "You're awake."

"No thanks to whoever tried to kill me," I said, my voice hoarse.

A flicker of something—rage, guilt, something dangerous—passed through his expression.

He stepped closer. "Do you remember anything?"

I studied him. The way his hands clenched at his sides, the tension in his shoulders.

He knew something.

But he wasn't saying it.

That only fueled my suspicions.

I forced myself to sit up, pain slicing through my ribs. I welcomed it. It kept me grounded. Kept me from breaking apart.

Nathaniel's hands twitched, like he wanted to reach for me. Help me. But he didn't.

Good.

Because I didn't need saving.

Not anymore.

I swallowed the bitterness on my tongue. "No. I don't remember anything."

A lie.

I remembered the feeling of hands on my back.

The force.

The intent.

But if Nathaniel thought I was just some weak, broken woman?

Let him.

Let all of them.

I needed time.

Time to find out who had betrayed me.

Time to destroy them.

Nathaniel studied me for a long moment. "I won't let this go unanswered."

I narrowed my eyes. "That's funny."

His gaze darkened. "What is?"

I let out a cold laugh. "You think I need you to fix this?"

A muscle in his jaw ticked. "You almost died, Camila."

"And yet, I didn't."

The silence between us was thick. Tense.

He finally exhaled, shaking his head. "You're impossible."

I tilted my head. "And you're lying."

He went still.

Oh, he wasn't expecting that.

I pushed forward. "You know something. Who did this?"

His lips pressed into a thin line.

His silence confirmed it.

And that was all I needed.

I turned my face away. "Get out."

He didn't move at first.

But then—

Footsteps.