Betrayed By One. Bound To Three Chapter 5: The Hunt

Selena.

The ride is quiet, but there is no peace in it. The dirt road narrows as we go, trees closing in on both sides once we leave the safety of the inner grounds.

I sit at the front beside Silas, my hands folded neatly in my lap, my gaze fixed forward. Behind , I can feel Loretta’s presence like a sharp edge pressed against my spine.

She has not spoken since we left, but her displeasure coils through the small space, restless and bitter, tightening the air with every passing mont.

Silas shifts beside , his grip tightening on the reins. After a mont, he clears his throat, his eyes flicking toward the side mirror before returning to the road. "Selena," he says, his voice even, almost careful, "could you move to the back?"

I glance at him, already knowing the reason before he finishes. "I can’t see properly," he adds. "You’re blocking my view."

His words are soft, almost apologetic, but they strike all the sa. In my first life, sha would have flared hot and imdiate, curling my shoulders inward as I rushed to make myself smaller, less present. This ti, I nod. I do not apologize. I do not rush

"Of course," I say, and step down carefully, moving to the back of the car without another word.

The mont I do, Loretta rises smoothly and takes my place beside him, her movent fluid and unhesitating, as if this seat has always belonged to her. She settles in with a faint smile, her fingers brushing his arm in an intimate, possessive gesture.

Silas does not pull away.

Silas starts driving again, and I turn my face toward the window, watching my reflection waver against the glass. Sothing inside my chest hollows, but my mind remains sharp, alert, quietly recording everything.

By the ti we stop, the light has begun to fade, the sky bruised with shades of violet and gold. The forest looms close now, dense and shadowed. Silas steps down first and turns toward . "We’ll hunt from here," he says. "You should wait. It won’t take long."

Loretta is already shrugging out of her cloak, excitent bright in her eyes. "Stay close, sister," she adds lightly, as though concerned. "The woods aren’t safe for so people."

People like .

"I’m sure she can take care of herself," Silas says, indifferently.

They walk a short distance away before shifting, bodies folding and reshaping in a violent, powerful rush. Two wolves stand where they were monts ago. One is massive and silver-gray, the other sleek and dark, eyes gleaming with impatience. Without a backward glance, they disappear into the trees.

I exhale slowly, my breath fogging in the cooling air.

Follow them, my wolf urges, her voice steady and certain.

"You didn’t have to ask" I whisper, and slip into the woods, letting my senses open fully.

Their scents are easy to track. Silas’s is familiar and sharp. Loretta’s is sweet beneath it, threaded with sothing darker.

Anger.

I slow as their voices carry through the trees, my heart hamring as I press myself behind a stand of low brush.

"This was our chance," Loretta snarls. "You should have let do it."

"Not yet," Silas growls back.

"How much longer?" she snaps. "The wedding is in two weeks."

"And that is exactly why we wait," he replies. "Everything is in place."

Loretta laughs, sharp and ugly. "Do you know how they look at ? How they whisper? I am always second. Always less. Because of her." My breath catches as her voice rises. "We don’t need her. She’s weak and pathetic. And I’m pregnant with your child. Imagine what the pack mbers would say once they find out."

Silence stretches between them, heavy and dangerous. Then Silas speaks again, slower this ti. "If she dies now, questions will be asked."

"Not enough to matter," Loretta insists. "Her father is dead. Without her, they’ll still choose you. You are currently the strongest alpha, not only in strength but also politically. You know that."

The world seems to tilt beneath my feet. Not from fear, but from disbelief. I have loved her. Defended her. Called her sister from the mont my father found her stranded and alone in the woods. And this is what she has carried in her heart.

"It could be done," Silas says at last. "But it must look like an accident."

Relief sharpens Loretta’s scent. "Don’t bother," she murmurs. "I have a better idea." She leans in, whispering sothing I cannot hear. Silas goes still, then nods.

My heart slams violently as I retreat, forcing my body to stay silent, controlled, even as panic claws at my chest.

I return to the clearing and stand exactly where I was told to wait, my hands trembling despite my efforts.

Don’t worry, I will protect you, my wolf vows fiercely. No matter what.

Silas erges alone monts later. "Selena," he calls, his voice threaded with false concern. "I can’t find Loretta."

"What?" I turn, forcing my expression into confusion.

"She ran off," he says. "We should search separately. It’ll be faster."

We move deeper into the woods together, the shadows lengthening as dusk settles fully.

"Silas," I say quietly. He looks back. "Have I ever done anything to wrong you?"

He pauses and examines . "No," he says. "You haven’t."

"Then why—"

His jaw tightens. "Can we talk about this later? We need to find your sister," he says, his tone gentler now, almost tender. "It’s getting dark. We should split up. It’ll be faster."

Sothing cold coils in my stomach, but I nod. I take a step back, preparing to turn.

Thwack.

Pain explodes at the back of my head.

The world lurches violently as a sharp, crushing force sends stumbling forward. I barely register the sound of my body hitting the ground before darkness crowds my vision.

The forest spins, stars bursting behind my eyes as I gasp.

Even though I don’t see him, I hear him breathing beside .

"I’m sorry," Silas murmurs, so softly it almost feels like kindness. "This is the only way."

Then, he hits , again, and again. Until I feel blood oozing from my head.

Footsteps retreat. Leaves crunch. The sound fades until there is nothing but the pounding of blood in my ears and the distant whisper of the trees.

Get up, my wolf urges.

"I thought you said you were going to protect us," I groaned.

But you are not dead, are you? She retorted.

I force my eyes open, my head screaming in protest. The world swims, but instinct takes over. I roll weakly onto my side, drawing in air, while every nerve in my body feels as if it is on fire.

Then I hear it.

A low growl.

Another answers it.

The sound curls through the trees, deep and hungry, circling closer. Shadows move between the trunks, shapes too large, too deliberate to belong to ordinary wolves.

"What do we do now?" I ask my wolf.

We wait. Running will only get us killed.

"Wait. That is your plan?"

"Do you have a better one?" she asks, and then she shuts out.

Fear surges through .

And as if that isn’t bad enough, three massive wolves step into the clearing, their forms scarred and powerful, eyes glowing with danger that makes my pulse stutter.

They circle around slowly, assessing.

Then the air ripples.

Bones shift. Fur lts away. Flesh reshapes.

Three n stand where the wolves were monts before, tall, broad, bare-chested, their presence pressing into like gravity itself. They were unnaturally beautiful. Dark hair. Sharp jawlines. Blue eyes.

One of them steps closer.

"Hello, mate," he says.

His words barely register.

Confusion crashes through , sharp and disorienting. My head throbs, my vision narrowing as the world tilts beneath my feet.

Whatever is holding upright finally slips.

The forest sways, blurring at the edges, and then everything goes dark.