Selene
“What did you do?” Gideon’s voice cut through the room like ice, each word sharp and furious. I spun around to meet his gaze, the fire of rage and betrayal glowing in his amber eyes.
“Gideon… I—” My explanation was swallowed by the sting of his hand across my cheek, and I staggered backward, clutching my burning face.
“You… you struck me?” I croaked, my voice trembling at the edges, disbelief coating each word.
“And I swear, Selene, if anything happens to Brielle, you’ll regret it,” he hissed, venom lacing every syllable.
Before I could reply, he swept past me, moving with predatory speed, and lifted Brielle into his arms in a bridal carry. His voice, usually commanding, softened as he murmured soothing words into her fur, and within moments they had vanished down the hall.
I followed, but my thoughts roared louder than my legs could move. Accusations of my supposed cruelty to Brielle spun in my mind like a cyclone. He didn’t even glance back as he mounted his sleek black wolf-car and vanished into the night.
I reached for the passenger’s seat, but the door slammed shut with a growl as the car accelerated away, leaving me sprawled against the cold stone ground. My cheeks burned—not with the slap, but with humiliation—while the packhands lingering nearby exchanged whispers and furtive glances, as though I were some marked prey.
I summoned a carriage and returned to our den. Tears streamed freely as I looked upon the home we had shared for half a decade. Its halls echoed emptiness, mirroring the hollowness gnawing at my chest. How could Gideon assume so readily that I had harmed her, when the fall had been entirely her own doing?
I opened the wardrobe, methodically folding my garments into my travel bag. Deep down, I had gone to see Gideon hoping for reassurance, some fleeting shred of loyalty that might tether me to our bond. But now, every hope crumbled. His heart, I realized bitterly, had long since left me. There was no reason to cling to the shadows of a marriage that had dissolved into nothingness.
I had nearly filled the suitcase when the door slammed open. Gideon stormed in, his nostrils flaring, the heat of his anger radiating through the den. His gaze swept over me without a flicker of notice for my packing.
“Come with me,” he demanded, yanking my arm with the strength of an Alpha.
I wrenched free. “Let me go!”
“Now! Move!” he barked, his voice like a whip.
“Where are you taking me?” I groaned, planting my feet stubbornly.
It was futile—he was stronger, faster. Within moments, he had me in his grip, dragging me toward the waiting moon-lit streets.
“To the medics. You’re going to save her—she’s hurt because of you,” he snapped, his words sharp as fang and claw.
“I didn’t touch her! She fell on her own,” I protested.
“Lies, Selene!” His roar shook the air. “Your jealousy nearly cost a life! The least you can do is donate your blood so she survives!”
“But I—”
“I said no excuses!” His glare cut deeper than the forest shadows at midnight.
“Why would you trust an outsider over me?” I demanded, my voice cracking with disbelief.
“They all heard her screams. I heard them. You refused to listen, and you almost killed her!” His words drove me backward, into the sleek wolf-car he had summoned.
As he steered us toward the den of healers, clarity struck me like a claw through my chest: Brielle had orchestrated this. She had screamed, wailing, ensuring all witnessed my supposed cruelty. Even Gideon, my mate of five years, refused to believe me.
At the healer’s enclave, he dragged me into the emergency ward. Reluctantly, I followed, my claws gripping the leather of my sleeves in silent fury.
“If you care so much, why not just provide blood yourself?” I spat at him.
Gideon’s amber eyes hardened. “Her type isn’t stocked. The enclave is flooded with injured tonight—many lives need saving.”
The chief healer arrived, and Gideon gestured toward me. “She’s O+, please prepare her and save Brielle,” he implored, his voice unguarded, full of concern. The sight tore at my chest—he had never looked at me this way in the past three years.
Nurses and medics approached, securing my arms and injecting me with sedatives. Darkness claimed me, and the world dissolved.
When I awoke, the light stabbed at my eyes, and pain throbbed through my head and stomach. The room was empty. “Hello?” I called weakly.
The door swung open, and Gideon appeared, his expression carved from stone. “You’re lucky… Brielle survived,” he said, each word a jagged shard of judgment.
“What about me? Don’t you care if I’m okay?” I rasped.
“You’re not the one bleeding internally,” he snapped.
A healer entered, her eyes filled with sympathy. “Alpha Wolfe, you are her mate, correct?”
Gideon’s gaze fell on me with disdain. “I do not have such a malicious mate,” he said, before turning sharply and walking away, leaving my heart in splinters.
The healer sighed. “There’s something you should know, Selene.”
“What is it?” I asked, fear curdling in my stomach.
“Tests reveal… you were one month pregnant.”
I froze. “Were?”
“You lost the pup during the transfusion. I am so sorry,” she murmured.
My mind spun. “Why… why did you take my blood when I carried a pup?”
“Your mate approved it,” she replied gently.
“Did he… know?” I whispered, dread clawing at me.
“Yes,” she said quietly, and the words sank deep, leaving a hollow ache that no time could heal.
