The transition from the wild, untamed silence of the forest to the opulent, high-stakes complexity of the Lycan palace had been a whirlwind for Selene. A week had passed- seven days that felt like a lifetime, and as she stood in the center of the royal bedchamber, she realized that she was no longer the same girl who had been plucked from a cabin in the woods.
She had spent this week dissecting the anatomy of a kingdom. She had learned the rhythm of the palace, the hushed whispers of the servants, and the heavy, grounding presence of the King's pack. But more importantly, she had learned the man behind the title. She had learned that the "Mad King" liked his coffee blacker than obsidian, that he had a habit of scowling when he was deep in thought, and that he looked at her as if she were the only tether keeping him from drifting into a dark, endless sea.
The suitcase on the bed- a sleek, leather piece of luggage far too fine for someone who used to carry her life in a burlap sack, was nearly full. Her transition into the modern world had been aided by a piece of technology the King had handed her on their third day: a smartphone.
"So I can reach you," he had growled, his eyes refusing to meet hers as he handed it over. "In case... of an emergency."
She knew it was for more than emergencies. It was his leash, his way of maintaining a connection when she moved into the territory of his rival. He had pre-loaded the numbers for Megan and Leah, and she had spent her evenings practicing the strange, staccato art of texting.
Megan, the Earth-wielder, was a natural chatterbox even in digital form. Her messages were a chaotic barrage of emojis, fashion advice, and palace gossip.
Leah, the cool and collected fire-manipulator, was a woman of few words in person, but behind a screen, she became a philosopher, sending Selene long, thoughtful paragraphs about the history of the Lycans and the true nature of the Seven.
Through the women, Selene had pieced together the puzzle of the elite guard. She learned that Mack, the silent shadow, shared her gift of invisibility; he was a man who moved through the world unseen, preferring the safety of the peripherals to the heat of the spotlight. She learned of John's legendary laziness, a man so gifted with telekinesis that he considered walking to the kitchen a chore.
She heard of the "Dynamic Duo," Drew and Jax. The wind and water pair were the life of the palace, loud and obnoxious, perpetually testing the limits of the King's patience. The girls had joked that Leo's new-found softness for Selene might be the only thing saving the two pranksters from an early grave.
Then, there was Christian.
The self-appointed second-in-command. The hothead. The man whose strength was as formidable as his temper. To Christian, Selene wasn't a mate; she was a variable he couldn't control. He saw the prophecy not as a legend, but as a blueprint for disaster. Every time he looked at her white hair, he saw the end of his world.
Selene sighed, tucking a silk blouse into her bag. Let him be threatened, she thought defiantly. She was a girl who had survived nine years of solitude; she wasn't going to be bullied by a man who mistook his fear for protection.
A soft sound at the doorway made her turn. Leo stood there, his presence filling the room like a sudden storm. He didn't say a word as he crossed the floor in three long, predatory strides. He moved behind her, his large, scarred hands settling firmly on her waist, pulling her back against the solid wall of his chest.
"What am I going to do while you're not here?" he grumbled. The vibration of his voice traveled through her spine, making her knees go weak. He dipped his head, burying his face in the sensitive crook of her neck, inhaling her scent as if he were trying to memorize every molecule of her being.
Selene giggled, though her heart was thudding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. "I don't know, Leo. Maybe try running a kingdom? I hear it takes up a lot of time."
Leo huffed, a sound of pure, masculine frustration. "It won't be the same without you, my Queen." He placed a lingering, scorching kiss on the side of her neck, sending a riot of tingles down her body. "You don't have to go, you know. We could end this right now. I could mark you, claim you before the pack, and Nik Gray would have no choice but to retreat to his mountains and howl at the moon."
Selene felt the temptation pull at her. The bond was a living thing, screaming for her to turn around and give in. But she had a code. She turned in his arms, her hands coming up to rest on his broad shoulders.
"I can't do that, and you know it," she said softly, her blue eyes searching his. "I promised Nik I would give him a chance. I promised I would spend a week in his territory. I don't break my promises, Leo. Not even for a King."
Leo's expression darkened, a mixture of pride in her integrity and a deep, visceral jealousy. He sighed, a heavy sound that seemed to carry the weight of his four hundred years. He bent down again, resting his forehead against hers. "Then promise me this: promise me you'll be safe. Promise me that if he lays a hand on you without your consent, you'll burn his mountains to the ground. Promise you'll come back."
"I can promise I'll be safe," Selene murmured, her voice hitching. "But Leo... you know I can't promise that I'll come back. That's the whole point of this. To see where I belong."
The words seemed to physically wound him. His jaw tightened, and for a moment, the gold of his Lycan flared in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to roar, to bar the doors and keep her prisoner in this gilded cage forever. But instead, he slumped slightly, his possessiveness giving way to a raw, aching sadness.
"Then can I kiss you before you go?" he asked. It wasn't a command. It was a plea.
"Yes," Selene breathed.
She barely had time to finish the word before his lips were on hers. This wasn't the slow, exploratory kiss of their date; this was a desperate, hungry claim. It was as if he were trying to pour his entire soul into her, to leave a mark on her spirit that Nik Gray could never erase.
Selene's hands fisted in the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer as she met his hunger with her own. His hands roamed over her body, memorizing her curves, before settling back on her waist with a bruising grip. He was her oxygen, and for a moment, the world outside this room didn't exist.
When he finally pulled away, both of them were gasping for air. Leo looked wrecked, his dark hair disheveled and his eyes clouded with a terrifying mix of love and territorial fury. "I don't want you to go," he repeated.
"I know," she whispered, her fingers tracing the line of his jaw. "But I have to, Leo. I have to know."
She saw the pain in his eyes and felt a sudden urge to leave him with more than just a memory. Over the last few days, a new power had begun to stir in her blood- something unexpected and strange.
"But I can leave you with something," she said, a small, mischievous twinkle lighting up her eyes.
She stepped back slightly and held out her hands, palms up. She closed her eyes, focusing on the shimmering white energy that lived in the center of her chest. With a soft whoosh of air, a length of pristine white fabric- soft as a cloud and shimmering like fallen snow, materialized out of thin air, draping over her arms.
Leo's eyes widened.
"Summoning magic?"
"Wait," she whispered.
Using her older power- the ability to manipulate and bind organic materials, she moved her fingers in a blur of motion. The white fabric folded and twisted, stitching itself together without a needle. She used her "glue-like" magic to fuse the seams, and within seconds, she was holding a perfectly formed, plush stuffed animal.
It was a small, soft white wolf with sapphire-blue eyes that matched her own.
She stepped forward and tucked it into Leo's large, calloused hands. "It's not much," she smiled. "But when you're lonely or when the 'Madness' feels too loud, you can look at this. It's a piece of me."
The King of the Lycans, a man who had stared down armies and survived centuries of war, looked down at the plush toy with a look of absolute bewilderment and tenderness. He turned it over in his hands, feeling the softness of the summoned fabric.
"Summoning magic..." he muttered, his voice full of awe. "When did this appear?"
"A few days ago," she giggled, her blush returning. "I was sitting on the balcony and I was really, really craving a strawberry smoothie. I thought about it so hard that-bam- a strawberry smoothie appeared on the railing. I think my wolf is getting a little impatient with my cravings."
Leo let out a soft, genuine smile- the kind that didn't reach his lips often, but when it did, it transformed his face. He tucked the small white wolf into the crook of his arm, holding it with more care than he held his own crown.
"I will keep it with me," he vowed, his voice thick with emotion. "And I will count every second until the white wolf it represents comes home to me."
Selene felt a tear prick at her eye. She zipped up her suitcase and looked at the door. The car was waiting. The mountains were calling. And for the first time in her life, Selene Dawn Star felt like she was leaving a part of herself behind in a city of stone.
"Goodbye, Leo," she whispered.
"Not goodbye," he corrected, his eyes locking onto hers with the intensity of a blood-vow. "Just a temporary absence. Go, little wolf. Do what you must. But remember who holds the other half of your soul."
As Selene walked out of the room, leaving the King standing there with a stuffed toy and a heart full of hope, she felt the first cold wind of the North beginning to blow.