Chapter Four: A Law Unforgiving
Pain was supposed to fade.
But as Selene knelt on the cold stone floor of the grand hall, her body trembling from the aftershock of Kieran’s rejection, she realized that some wounds didn’t heal. Some wounds were meant to scar.
Her breath came in short, shallow gasps, the residual agony of the severed mate bond still thrumming through her veins. Around her, whispers filled the vast space—some horrified, some pitying, and some… disgusted.
She wanted to scream. To disappear. To erase the last few minutes from existence.
But she couldn’t.
Because this was real.
And there was no taking it back.
Kieran stood a few feet away, his posture stiff, his golden eyes still flickering with remnants of his wolf’s fury. His rejection had been spoken, his voice thick with anguish, but the bond’s pull hadn’t disappeared entirely. Not yet. Not fully.
It would take time.
And until then, every second in his presence would feel like drowning.
A sharp, authoritative voice broke through the suffocating silence.
“This is an abomination.”
Selene flinched at the cold venom in Elder Vaughn’s voice.
The eldest and most feared member of the council, Vaughn stepped forward, his long silver hair stark against the deep crimson of his ceremonial robes. His piercing gray eyes swept over Selene before settling on Kieran, his expression unreadable—but his tone left no doubt.
“The Moon Goddess has made a mistake,” he declared, and a ripple of agreement ran through the gathered wolves. “The fates have tangled threads that were never meant to cross.”
Selene forced herself to her feet, ignoring the dizziness threatening to pull her back down. “The Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes.” Her voice was hoarse, but steady. She wouldn’t let them see her break.
Vaughn’s lip curled in disdain. “And yet, here we stand—an Alpha heir fated to a mere orphan, a girl raised as his sister. It goes against our laws. It goes against nature itself.”
Selene clenched her fists. She wasn’t naïve; she knew how the pack viewed her. She had never truly belonged, no matter how much she had pretended otherwise.
But hearing it spoken so plainly still cut deep.
Kieran finally found his voice. “Selene is not my sister.”
Vaughn turned to him with an arched brow. “No? Then what is she?”
Kieran hesitated for only a second. But it was a second too long.
The elders latched onto his silence like wolves scenting blood.
“She is a stray you took pity on,” Elder Roderic added, stepping beside Vaughn. “A child with no name, no lineage. And yet, you claim the Moon Goddess would tie her fate to yours? Our Alpha bloodline has stood untainted for centuries. You expect us to believe that you were meant to mate with a nobody?”
Selene’s nails dug into her palms so hard she nearly broke skin.
A nobody.
Was that all she was to them? After all these years?
She didn’t know what hurt more—the words themselves or the way Kieran didn’t immediately deny them.
Instead, he remained silent. Conflicted.
Selene swallowed against the lump in her throat, her voice cold. “If I’m such a disgrace, then why are you so afraid of what I am to him?”
Vaughn’s gaze snapped back to her, his eyes darkening. “We are not afraid.”
A humorless laugh bubbled from her lips. “Then why are you trying so hard to erase it?”
The room tensed.
It was a dangerous thing, challenging the elders. But Selene had nothing left to lose.
A tense beat passed before Vaughn straightened. “The bond is forbidden. It has been rejected. And it will not be spoken of again.” His gaze flickered to Kieran. “Tomorrow, you will be sworn in as Alpha. And then, you will take a proper mate.”
Selene’s stomach twisted.
Kieran stiffened beside her, his hands clenching at his sides. “What?”
Vaughn’s expression didn’t waver. “You are the future of this pack. You will take a Luna who strengthens our bloodline. You will not let this… mistake taint your rule.”
Selene’s breath hitched.
They were replacing her before she had even fully processed what had happened.
For years, she had pushed away the truth, told herself she wasn’t in love with Kieran. That he wasn’t meant for her.
Now, fate had given her proof that he was.
And these men wanted to rip it away like it meant nothing.
She turned to Kieran, waiting for him to protest, to fight, to say something.
But Kieran just stood there, his expression unreadable.
Silent.
Selene’s heart clenched. Why won’t you fight for me?
Vaughn exhaled, his voice final. “As for the girl—”
Selene braced herself.
“She is to leave.”
Everything went still.
Selene’s breath caught. “What?”
“She will be exiled from Bloodmoon territory.”
The words slammed into her, stealing the air from her lungs.
Kieran’s head snapped toward Vaughn. “That is unnecessary.”
Vaughn didn’t even blink. “It is law.”
“She did nothing wrong,” Kieran growled.
“She exists. That is enough.” Vaughn’s gaze turned to Selene, cold and sharp as a blade. “You will leave by sunrise. If you are seen on Bloodmoon land after that, you will be treated as an intruder.”
A rogue.
Selene stared at him, barely able to process what was happening.
Exile.
They were exiling her because the Moon Goddess had dared to give her something she was never meant to have.
Kieran’s breathing turned sharp, his fists trembling. “She’s my—” He stopped himself, his teeth grinding together.
Selene felt the weight of the words he wouldn’t say.
She’s my mate.
But he didn’t say it.
Because it didn’t matter anymore.
Because he had already rejected her.
Vaughn turned back to Alpha Aldric, giving a slight nod. “Your will, Alpha?”
Selene’s last shred of hope crumbled.
Because when Aldric spoke, his voice was as unyielding as stone.
“She leaves.”
Silence suffocated the hall.
Selene could barely hear over the roaring in her ears.
She turned, her gaze landing on Kieran one last time. He looked at her as if he wanted to say something. Stop this. Fight this. Say anything.
But in the end, he said nothing.
And with that, Selene Nightshade’s fate was sealed.
By morning, she would no longer belong to Bloodmoon Pack.
By morning, she would be nothing.
And Kieran Blackwood…
Would no longer be hers.
Even if he had always been.