The heavy, scent-damp air of the Moonshine territory pressed in on Selene like a physical weight. Here, the wind didn't sing through the needles as it did near her cabin; it hissed, carrying the metallic tang of old blood and the oppressive musk of a pack that thrived on dominance rather than harmony.
She was standing in the center of her modest room, staring at the rough-hewn timber of the walls, when the door burst open without a knock. The wood groaned on its hinges as Nik strode in, his presence massive and uninvited.
"Hey Selene, you ready?"
The sudden boom of his voice in the small space hit Selene like a physical blow. Instinct, honed by years of surviving alone in the predator-filled Dead Zone, took over. Before she could even register his face, her magic flared. The light in the room seemed to bend and warp around her, and in a heartbeat, she vanished. The space where she had stood was empty, leaving only the faint scent of rain and lilies behind.
Nik blinked, a cocky, half-amused grin spreading across his face. "Oh, sorry for scaring you. I forget how jumpy you rogues can be."
Selene let out a long, shaky exhale, willing her heart to slow down. She pulled the veil back, her form shimmering into existence like a ghost returning to the living. "It's okay," she said, her voice tight. She tried to force a chuckle to ease the tension, though her nerves were frayed. "Please... just try to knock next time. Don't scare me again."
"Yeah, yeah. You ready?" Nik asked, his eyes roaming over her with a predatory glint that made her skin crawl.
He had insisted on a date- his first real attempt to "woo" her. And though Selene was the one who had demanded this time to choose, a cold knot of dread was tightening in her stomach. She gave him a small, fragile smile. "Yeah. I'm ready."
As they stepped out of the pack house and onto the gravel path that led toward the center of the village, the difference between the two territories became painfully clear. In the King's city, the cobblestones had felt like a stage. Here, the mud was thick and the gravel sharp.
Nik stopped abruptly, his gaze dropping to her feet. "You're not wearing any shoes? Why?"
Selene shrugged, her toes curling into the cool, damp earth. "I don't own any, Nik. I like feeling connected to the Earth. It makes me feel grounded." She thought of Leo, who had walked beside her for miles, admiring her connection to the world even if he didn't quite understand it.
Nik's face darkened, his nostrils flaring. "That's ridiculous. You're not a wild animal anymore, Selene." Without waiting for her to respond, he spun around and marched into a nearby general store.
A moment later, he emerged clutching a pair of stiff, heavy leather boots. They looked clunky and uncomfortable, smelling of cheap tan and chemical preservatives. "Put them on," he commanded, his voice dropping into that Alpha register that demanded obedience. "I can't have my Luna walking around with no shoes on like a common stray. It looks bad for the pack."
"But Nik, I really prefer-"
"Selene, don't argue with me. Put them on." It wasn't a suggestion. He didn't wait for her to reach for them. He grabbed her ankle with a grip that was just a fraction too tight, forcing her foot into the stiff leather.
Selene felt a sharp pang of disappointment. It wasn't just about the shoes; it was the way he had completely steamrolled her wishes without a second thought. As he laced them up, she felt the connection to the earth vanish, replaced by the suffocating weight of the leather. Her wolf whimpered in the back of her mind, feeling caged.
Give him a chance, she whispered to herself. Maybe he's just trying to take care of you in his own way.
As they walked through the village, the boots chafing against her heels, Selene began to notice a disturbing pattern. The streets of the Moonshine pack were busy, but they were almost entirely male. Warriors in tactical gear stood on corners, and hunters moved in groups, their laughter loud and abrasive.
The few women she did see were moving quickly, their heads bowed, scurrying from one building to another as if they were afraid to be seen. Even the children were a rare sight, and those she spotted were tucked tightly against their mothers' sides.
Suddenly, a small boy, no older than five, broke away from his father and ran toward them, his eyes wide with curiosity. "Alpha! Alpha, is this our Luna?" he asked, his voice high and hopeful.
Nik didn't smile. He didn't bend down. His entire body went rigid, and he let out a sharp, guttural hiss. "Keep walking, pup," he snapped.
The child flinched, his eyes filling with immediate terror. A man, presumably the father, rushed forward, his face pale as ash. He bowed so low his forehead nearly touched the gravel before scooping the boy up. "Sorry, Alpha. Won't happen again. He's just... young."
"Better not," Nik snarled, his hand resting on the hilt of a knife at his belt. "Or I'll have your head for failing to teach him his place."
Selene stood frozen, her blood running cold. She thought of Leo- the man the world called "Mad," who had stood in the street and called a little girl a princess. She looked at Nik, who was currently preening like a victor because he had successfully terrified a five-year-old.
"Nik," she whispered as they continued walking. "Where are the women? Why is it so... quiet?"
"Doing their mately duties," he said, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "Staying home with their pups, keeping the fires, and taking care of the households. Why would they be out here? A female's place is in the nest, providing for her mate's needs. It's the natural order."
Selene felt a sick lurch in her gut. To Nik, women weren't partners; they were property. They were the "grunt work" of the pack, hidden away while the men played at being warriors. The realization made her want to run back to the car and never look back, but the memory of her promise held her in place.
"Where are we going?" she asked as they reached the center of the village.
Nik shrugged, his arm draping heavily around her shoulders, his weight dragging her down. "I figured we'd get some food. You like food, right?"
Selene felt a fresh wave of disappointment. He hadn't planned a single thing. Leo had taken her to a place of crystal and velvet, had curated an evening that felt like a dream. Nik had simply walked her down the street to the nearest building that smelled of grease.
The restaurant was a dimly lit steakhouse, the air thick with the smell of charred fat and cheap ale. As they entered, every man in the room stopped talking. Their eyes raked over Selene, lingering on the curve of her hips and the unique shimmer of her white hair. It was a look of raw, unchecked hunger- she felt like a piece of meat being tossed into a kennel.
Nik let out a low, warning growl, pulling her closer to his side. It wasn't a protective growl, she realized. It was a territorial one. He wasn't upset that they were looking at her; he was upset that they were looking at his trophy.
They sat down at a sticky wooden table. The menu was a literal list of different ways to cook a cow. There wasn't a vegetable in sight.
"Tell me about yourself, Nik," Selene said, trying to find some common ground, some hidden depth that might explain why fate had tied her to him.
Nik smirked, leaning back in his chair with an arrogance that bordered on the divine. "Well, as you can tell, I'm the Alpha of this pack. I'm twenty-eight, I'm the strongest wolf in the North, and," he leaned in, his voice dropping to a crude whisper, "I've been told I'm very good in bed. But don't worry, you'll figure that out soon enough."
Selene, who had just taken a sip of water, choked. She coughed violently, her face turning crimson as she gasped for air. Nik just laughed, a loud, braying sound that drew more eyes to their table.
"Sorry," she wheezed, wiping her eyes. "I... I meant your family. Do you have siblings? Are your parents still around?"
Nik's expression shifted, but not with sadness. It was a look of cold, calculating triumph. "I had an older brother and a sister. And my parents. But they're all dead now." He shrugged, picking up a steak knife and turning it over in his hands.
"I'm so sorry, Nik. That must have been a terrible war," Selene said, her heart aching for the loss.
"War?" Nik laughed again. "No, Selene. I killed them. My father was weak, and my brother was a coward. I killed them both for the Alpha title. It's the way of the wolf- the strongest takes the crown."
Selene felt the air leave her lungs. "And your sister?"
"Oh, I didn't have to kill her, I guess," he said, waving the knife dismissively. "Since she was a female, she couldn't challenge for the title anyway. I just did it because she was a judgmental bitch who didn't know when to shut her mouth."
The word hit Selene like a physical blow. In the wolf world, "bitch" was a foul slur, a way to strip a female of her dignity. To hear him use it against his own blood, after murdering her, made Selene feel physically ill. She looked at him- really looked at him, and saw the narcissism etched into every line of his face. He wasn't nervous. He wasn't trying to impress her. He truly believed that being a murderer made him more desirable.
The food arrived. Selene stared at the "salad" she had ordered, which turned out to be a pile of iceberg lettuce drowned in bacon bits and cold, greasy chicken. She picked at it, her appetite completely gone. Nik, meanwhile, tore into a massive steak, red juices running down his chin.
"I've already decided on our future, by the way," Nik said through a mouthful of meat. "I only want one pup. A boy. An heir to the Moonshine throne."
Selene felt a chill that had nothing to do with the mountain air. "And if... if I don't give you a boy? What if we have a girl?"
Nik didn't even pause his chewing. "Then I'll kill her. We can't waste resources on a female heir. We'll just keep trying until we get it right."
He said it so nonchalantly, like he was talking about discarding a defective tool. Selene gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Nik didn't even notice. He was too busy finishing his meal, his mind clearly already moved on to the next thing he wanted.
"Come on, let's go," Nik stood abruptly, reaching out and hauling Selene from her seat by her arm. "I'm bored with this place."
The walk back to the pack house was a blur. Selene's mind was screaming. Every instinct she had, every lesson she had learned in the woods, was telling her that this man was a monster. He was the "Madness" that the prophecies warned about, yet he wore the face of a hero.
As they reached the front door of the lodge, Nik pinned her against the heavy oak wood. He shoved his face into the crook of her neck, his scent- stale sweat and raw meat, overwhelming her.
Unlike Leo's scent, which made her feel safe, Nik's scent made her feel like prey.
"When can I mark you, Selene?" he rasped, his hands wandering up her body, his palms rough and demanding. "I'm tired of waiting. I could do it right now if you wanted me to. I could show you what it's like to belong to a real Alpha."
"No," Selene breathed, her hands coming up to push against his chest. Her skin felt like it was crawling where he touched her. "No, Nik. Not now. I... I need to sleep."
Nik let out a frustrated huff, his eyes flashing with a spark of genuine anger, but he pulled back. "Fine. But don't keep me waiting long, Selene. My patience isn't infinite."
As she fled into her room and locked the door, Selene collapsed against the wood, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She looked at her feet, at the heavy leather boots that had cut off her connection to the world, and she began to cry.
She didn't need a week. She didn't even need another hour. But as she gripped the phone in her pocket, she remembered the King's warning. She was in the heart of the enemy's territory, and the man who claimed to love her had just told her he would kill his own child.
She wasn't just choosing a mate anymore. She was choosing whether she wanted to be a Queen or a slave.