The air inside the Moonshine pack house had been shattered by the force of a Lycan King's arrival. Through the dark, pulsing haze of her concussion, Selene could only see flashes of violence- the snarling, fur-clad shadow of the King colliding with the man who had tried to break her. The sounds were primal: the wet thud of fists against flesh, the splintering of timber, and a roar that sounded less like a man and more like an earthquake.
"Selene! Selene, look at me!"
The voice was frantic but familiar. A pair of strong hands caught her wrists, pulling her away from the bedpost where she had slumped. Selene flinched, her body tensing for another blow, but the scent of damp earth and blooming jasmine anchored her.
"Megan?" Selene groaned, her head swimming. Every movement felt like a needle through her brain.
"It's me, you're safe, but we need to move before the entire pack realizes the King just breached their borders," Megan hissed. She wrapped an arm around Selene's waist, practically carrying her toward the door.
In the center of the room, two figures were locked in a deadly, rolling struggle. Nik was screaming, a high-pitched sound of shock and pain, while the figure over him was a blur of black fur and golden eyes.
"Who's here?" Selene's voice was a ragged whisper as Megan ushered her into the hallway.
"Axe," Megan said, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and terror. "And he is absolutely, biblically pissed."
Megan didn't stop to explain. She navigated the back corridors of the lodge with a warrior's efficiency, bursting through a side exit just as the first alarms of the Moonshine pack began to howl through the mountain air. She shoved Selene into the back of the sleek black SUV that had been idling in the shadows.
Minutes later, the back door flew open again. Leah appeared, her face a mask of cold, professional fury, literally dragging a massive, half-shifted Lycan by the ear. She shoved the growling beast into the seat beside Selene and slammed the door.
"Go!" Leah barked as she vaulted into the driver's seat. The tires screamed against the gravel, kicking up a plume of dust as they tore away from the lodge, leaving the chaos of Nik's pack behind them.
The interior of the car was thick with the scent of ozone and raw, unbridled rage. Selene leaned against the window, her vision still dotted with flickering black stars. She turned her head slowly, looking at the figure beside her.
He wasn't human yet. His snout was elongated, his frame massive and corded with muscle, covered in a tapestry of pitch-black fur that shimmered like obsidian. His eyes were molten gold- the eyes of Phoenix, the Lycan. He was panting, a low, guttural vibration rattling in his chest that sounded like a warning to the world.
"Phoenix," Selene whispered. Her hand was trembling, her fingers pale and weak, but she reached out.
The Lycan froze. His golden eyes snapped to hers, wild and dangerous, but as her fingertips touched the coarse fur of his cheek, the tension in his massive shoulders broke. He leaned into her palm, a sound that was half-whimper, half-purr escaping his throat.
"It's okay, Phoenix. I'm okay," she breathed, her voice a soothing balm.
Phoenix let out a huff of hot air, his head shaking as if trying to rattle off the bloodlust. Slowly, the fur receded, the bones shifted with a sickening series of pops, and the King returned.
Leo took control, his face etched with a depth of agony that made Selene's heart ache. He didn't say a word; he simply lunged forward, pulling her into his lap and burying his face in the crook of her neck. He inhaled sharply, his body shaking with the force of his repressed anger.
"How did you know?" Selene asked, her voice stronger now that she was wrapped in his scent- the familiar, grounding aroma of cedar and power.
"We didn't trust that snake from the second we crossed the border," Megan said from the front passenger seat. Her hands were shaking as she smoothed her hair. "The moment you went into that room and the bolt slid home, I called Axe. I told him if he didn't get here in ten minutes, there wouldn't be a pack left for him to visit."
"The things we saw through those windows," Leah grounded out from the driver's seat. Her knuckles were white on the steering wheel, her eyes fixed on the road with a murderous intensity. "Sexism doesn't even begin to cover it. It was sub-human. I'm sorry I pulled you out, Axe. I should have let you finish him."
Leo grunted, a dark, dangerous sound. He pulled Selene closer, his arms like iron bands around her waist. He was still half-naked, his suit jacket long gone, leaving his tattooed torso bare.
"Oh... um, Leo," Selene blushed, the heat returning to her cheeks as she realized she was sitting on his lap in a very small space with their friends. "Clothes. You... you need a shirt."
Leo let out a dry, raspy chuckle, the first sign of his humanity returning. The anger was still there, sizzling beneath the surface, but it was being managed by the sheer proximity of his mate. He set her down on the leather seat briefly, reaching into a duffel bag to pull out a pair of gym shorts. He slid them on with a grimace, then immediately pulled her back onto his lap, his head returning to its sanctuary in her neck.
"Relax, would you?" he murmured, his voice a low, velvet vibration. "I've spent three days imagining every way the world could end. I missed you."
Selene stopped fighting the intimacy. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tucking her head under his chin. Megan and Leah, sensing the need for privacy, turned the music up- a soft, upbeat track that Megan began to shimmy to, trying to break the heavy silence of the car. Selene smiled against Leo's chest, listening to the rhythmic thrum of his heart. It was steady, powerful, and it beat entirely for her.
The return to the palace was a blur of marble and soft lights. By the time they reached the Royal Chambers, the headache from the blow Nik had dealt her had faded into a dull throb, replaced by a profound sense of relief.
Selene began to unpack her suitcase, the silk and lace of her new wardrobe a stark contrast to the heavy, oppressive leather boots Nik had forced her to wear. She kicked them into the corner of the room with a sense of triumph.
Leo was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her with an intensity that made her skin tingle. His black hair was a mess, his eyes still carrying a shadow of the "Madness" that had gripped him in the mountains.
"You don't have to sleep in my bed if you don't want to," Leo said suddenly. The words sounded like they cost him a great deal. "I saw what he tried to do. I would never- and will never, force you into my bed, Selene. If you need your own room, I will have the servants prepare the East Wing."
Selene stopped her unpacking. She looked at him, seeing the vulnerability behind the King's mask. He was terrified that she would associate his touch with Nik's violence. She walked over to him, standing between his legs and leaning down to wrap her arms around his neck in a deep, grounding hug.
"And that," she sighed into his hair, "is exactly why I don't mind sleeping in your bed. Because you ask."
Leo went still, then he collapsed into her, his forehead resting against her stomach. He let out a long, shuddering breath. "I know it's a little dumb of me to ask, given the circumstances," he whispered, "but... are you picking me?"
Selene let out a musical giggle, the sound filling the room with light. She pulled back just enough to frame his face in her hands, her thumbs brushing over the dark ink on his cheekbones. "Leo, you are too cute for a man who just tore a door off its hinges."
She leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. "Yes. I am picking you. A thousand times over."
"Excuse me, little wolf," he rumbled, a spark of the old, arrogant King returning to his eyes. He nipped at her lower lip, his voice dropping into a growl. "I am the Lycan King. I am the shadow in the woods. I am many things, but I am notcute."
"Nope. Definitely cute," Selene teased, her eyes dancing.
Leo's teeth grazed the shell of her ear before he bit the lobe gently, eliciting a sharp gasp of pleasure from her. She felt the shivers racing down her spine, her body responding to him with a fervor that Nik could never have hoped to ignite. For a moment, the room felt very small and very hot.
But as his hand slid toward her hip, Leo paused. He looked into her eyes, reading the lingering exhaustion and the faint ghost of the trauma she'd just endured. He realized she wasn't ready for the "mark"- not yet. He didn't want their first time to be overshadowed by the memory of a fight.
He let her go, stepping back with a respectful nod. Selene took a moment to steady her legs, her breath hitching. She went back to her suitcase, her hands shaking slightly but her heart light.
"Go out with me tonight?" he asked, leaning against the bedpost. "Just for a few hours. I think the pack needs to see that their Queen is safe, and I need a reason to wear a suit that doesn't involve a funeral for an Alpha."
Selene turned, a curious tilt to her head. Physically, she felt fine- her magic was already knitting her bruises back together. Mentally? She felt empowered. She had survived the worst the North had to offer, and she had come back to the man she loved. She wasn't ready for a mark, but she was ready to be seen.
"Where to?"
"A boring place with boring people," Leo said with a smirk. "But your company will make it tolerable. It's a Charity Auction for the orphaned pups. A good cause, but usually a lot of posturing and politics. I normally just donate at the door and leave before the first gavel hits."
Selene laughed. "Yes, Leo. I'll go with you." She noticed the way he was watching her- possessive, watchful, like a wolf guarding the moon.
The few days apart had sharpened his hunger, but it had also sharpened his devotion.
"What's the dress code?"
Leo stood up, walking toward the closet with a regal grace. "I have your clothes handled, my Queen," he said, bowing low with a flourish. "But feel free to be as 'crafty' as you want. If you feel like summoning a gown made of starlight, I certainly won't complain."
Selene smiled, her mind already racing with the possibilities of her new magic. She was going to show this kingdom that their Queen wasn't just a wolf from a cottage. She was the light that was going to change everything.