The growls of warriors echoed through the clearing, the fragile alliance now hanging by a thread. I could feel the tension in the air.
Selene’s eyes burned with fury as they found mine. She felt betrayed, and I knew why.
I couldn't help but feel the satisfaction of her annoyed face.
“You told him, didn’t you?” she hissed, stepping toward me, her fists clenched. “You told Lucian everything!”
I didn’t flinch under her glare. “He deserved to know the truth.”
“The truth?” Selene’s voice rose. “You’ve just doomed us all! Lucian will tear us apart. You’ve made him your weapon.”
I met her gaze, my voice steady.
“You did that to yourself, Selene.”
Lucian’s voice roared through the rising chaos. “This alliance is broken. Wolfshade tainted it. I'm afraid war is the only answer.”
The warriors of both packs bristled, their growls rising to a roar. The weight of Lucian’s words hit me like a punch to the gut. This wasn’t just about Selene anymore—it was about all of us.
The war had begun, and chaos swirled around us like a storm. Selene’s eyes locked on mine, full of fury and malice. I could see it in the way her muscles tensed, the way her lips curled back to bare her fangs. And then she shifted—her werewolf from towering over me as she charged, claws extended and aimed right at me.
I raised my arms instinctively, heart racing, trying to defend myself without striking back. My mind screamed at me not to hurt her—not with the baby growing inside her. I don't want to hurt an innocent unborn child. My chest tightened with fear, not for myself, but for what it would mean if I fought back.
But Selene was cunning. She swerved at the last second, throwing herself against a nearby tree with a sickening thud. She crumpled to the ground, and for a brief moment, I stood there, stunned.
Confused of what she did.
A wail echoed through the forest—Selene’s cry of pain. It was loud, deliberate, and designed to reach him.
Lucian.
I felt his presence shift, his rage flare up through the bond they shared. I could almost see it in the way the forest itself seemed to tremble as he felt his mate's distress. My heart sank.
Then Thorne appeared, his eyes darting between me and Selene, confusion and anger battling in his gaze. He felt it too—the tug of his connection to Selene. Even after everything, that bond still tied him to her.