Selene
“Luna Selene?”
The healer’s voice drifted toward me like an echo in a cave, barely reaching through the crushing ache twisting my lower belly. My hands instinctively pressed against my abdomen as tears blurred my vision. For moons—years, even—I had prayed the Moon Goddess would bless me with a pup. Two winters ago, Gideon and I tried relentlessly, clinging to the hope that a child would steady our marriage, breathe life back into the bond that had been fading.
But then he’d sunk his claws into Brielle.
And once she slithered her way into his bed, he barely touched me anymore. The rare times he did, he was half‑drunk, his breath thick with ale, his wolf disinterested in me entirely. Even then, I kept hoping. I foolishly believed that an heir, a tiny heartbeat, would tether us together again.
Instead… Gideon had ordered the death of our pup.
Our innocent child—executed with a single command.
A fury unlike anything I’d ever known crackled through me. I refused to collapse beneath the pain, refusing to let grief tear me apart when betrayal already had.
“Luna Selene?” the healer called again, more firmly this time.
“That monstrous bastard,” I growled, my voice low and venomous.
With shaking fingers, I ripped out the IV embedded in my wrist. The sting was nothing compared to the agony inside me. I pushed off the cot and staggered toward the exit.
“Luna—please! You’ve lost too much blood. Your wolf needs time to mend. Come back—”
“Where,” I snarled, stopping just long enough to pin him with a deadly glare, “are Gideon and his mistress?”
The healer swallowed hard. “Luna, I—I don’t think—”
Another hard stare from me silenced him instantly. He lifted a trembling finger toward the adjoining room.
I shoved the door open.
There he was.
Gideon, Alpha of the Silvercrest Pack, bending tenderly over Brielle, brushing stray strands of hair from her cheek as if she were his goddess‑given treasure.
“You vile creature,” I roared. “You filthy traitor!”
Gideon jerked up. Before he could utter a word, my palm cracked across his face with a force that echoed through the infirmary. He froze—stunned, speechless.
“That’s for murdering my pup,” I screamed, voice breaking.
“What in the spirits’ name is going on?” Brielle whimpered behind him, and the sound of her voice snapped something inside me.
“You pathetic little leech!” I lunged, hands reaching for her. “You ruined everything!”
But Gideon moved with Alpha speed, shoving me back to shield her. I hit the floor hard, a jolt of pain ripping through my abdomen as fresh blood seeped down my thighs.
“I hate you,” I sobbed, my wolf howling its grief inside me.
“Get up, Selene,” he said coldly, his tone devoid of even a shred of remorse. “Return to your room and clean yourself.”
I stared up at him, heart shattering anew. “How can you stand there pretending nothing happened when you ordered our pup’s death? Our pup, Gideon!”
“You were the sole compatible donor for Brielle,” he said flatly. “Should I have let her die?”
“So you decided my child’s life was worth less than your lover’s,” I hissed.
“Do not speak about Brielle like that!” he barked. “And the pup wasn’t meant to be harmed. If you lost it—maybe it’s because you were never meant to be a mother.”
His words were sharper than claws. I recoiled as if physically struck.
“Gideon,” Brielle whispered shakily, “don’t say that. Selene is hurting. This is my fault…”
I pushed myself upright, swaying as I stood. The world felt distant, muffled, unreal. I walked out of the room without looking back, his voice still shredding my mind.
“You’ll regret this,” I muttered, though my throat was raw and my heart was in ruins.
A nurse helped me clean up, but I spoke no words. I stared at nothing. I felt nothing.
Two days passed this way—silent, hollow—until the healers finally discharged me.
When I returned to the Alpha’s house, it comforted me only that Gideon hadn’t come home either. His scent wasn’t anywhere near the property.
I gathered my things, moving mechanically. A thick envelope lay atop my luggage—delivered while I was gone. I slit it open and exhaled shakily.
The Moon Court’s seal.
Our divorce decree. Already stamped. Already approved.
All that remained was my signature.
My hand did not tremble as I signed it. The document lay on the bed—final, irreversible.
Gideon had made his choice long ago.
He chose Brielle.
He chose power, ego, lust—anything but me.
And after what he’d done… after what he took from me and our unborn pup… there was no path back.
A sob clawed up my throat, but I forced it down. I refused to let a single more tear fall for them.
I grabbed my suitcase and walked out of the house that had once been my home.
An Uber waited by the gate and carried me straight to the airport.
As I sat at the terminal, waiting for my flight, my phone buzzed.
Gideon’s name lit the screen.
I answered only because I wanted closure.
“What is this crap on the bed, Selene?” Gideon snarled. “Where the hell are you?”
“It’s our divorce decree,” I said coolly. “Sign it. Our bond is over.”
Silence stretched for several seconds before his voice returned—angry, incredulous.
“You don’t mean that. And you have nowhere to go—you have nothing without me. I’ve provided for you all these years. Come back and stop acting insane.”
“Don’t ever call this number again,” I said softly. “Or I swear, Gideon… you’ll regret ever marking me.”
“Selene—wait—”
I ended the call. Removed the SIM card. Snapped it. Tossed it.
My flight began boarding. I Selene, heart heavy but resolute.
Five long years have passed since that day.
And now I am returning.
Returning to reclaim my life.
Returning to fulfill the expectations my parents once had for me.
And most of all—
I am coming back to make Gideon and Brielle answer for the pup they murdered.
For the life they stole.
For the wolf they shattered.
They will pay. The Moon Goddess is my witness.
