Selene’s POV~
My heart almost stopped when I realized his gaze had landed on . It was not the kind of glance that cos and goes, not the fleeting sweep that should have moved on after a few seconds.
His eyes did not leave , and with every passing mont the weight of them only grew stronger, until it felt like they were digging into my skin, cutting through the act I was wearing like a thin cloak.
My heart began to flutter wildly, beating against my ribs like a trapped bird. I hated that feeling, hated that these wolves could always stir sothing inside without even trying.
I had trained myself to keep calm, to play the part of the quiet innocent human girl who could not even lift her head before alphas, let alone et their gaze.
But in that mont I forgot all of it. I forgot the mask. I forgot the act. My eyes, foolish and weak, remained on his as if caught in a snare.
Why was he looking at with such intensity? Did he know sothing? Had he already guessed? Or was it just a casual glance that my mind twisted into sothing more dangerous?
My chest grew tight as the seconds stretched, and still he did not release . His gaze was like fire and ice both, burning and freezing at once, and I felt as if he was peeling back my skin to see the truth beneath.
At last, perhaps out of rcy, he looked away. The invisible chain that had held snapped, and I let out a shaky breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding.
A sigh escaped , trembling on my lips, and I quickly lowered my head, reminding myself of the role I was supposed to be playing. But these wolves always had a way of sniffing out.
These wolves are really sothing.
I kept my eyes down, not daring to lift them again, because I could already feel the weight of two more gazes pressing on from the other side.
It had to be Aeron or Luca, or perhaps both, and I knew if I dared to et their eyes I would only draw more suspicion. So instead I shifted my position slightly, trying to sink further into the crowd, to make myself smaller, a shadow among shadows.
But even as I tried to hide, a different kind of satisfaction stirred inside until it reached my lips in the faintest trace of a smile.
Because I knew the real show had not even started yet. The guest they were waiting for would never arrive, and the thought alone filled with a dark, mocking satisfaction.
I could already imagine their faces when they learned the truth—that the powerful alpha they had expected was lying beaten and broken, humiliated under their very noses.
I wondered how the so-called alpha would survive now, how he would stand tall again after being left in such a state.
In this world of wolves, only strength mattered. Strength alone decided whether you stood at the peak of glory or were dragged into the mud to be trampled beneath the feet of others. Strength was everything. It was respect. It was fear. It was survival itself.
And I had taken that from him.
I could see it already, the wound to his pride, the crack in his carefully built image. I had not killed him—no, I never would. Death was too easy, too rciful. I wanted more than that. I wanted him to live, to suffer, to taste despair every single day.
I wanted him to carry the sa pain my mother had carried, the pain that had carved into who I am now.
There is no hell after death that could punish them enough. I do not believe in it. That is why I will never kill them. I will make this life their punishnt. I will make this world their hell.
As I was still lost in the whirl of my own thoughts, my steps slowed without aning to, and that was when I suddenly collided with soone. My body jerked slightly, and when I looked up, I saw Sara standing there.
Her face was pale, almost colorless, and there was sothing in her expression that made my chest tighten. She looked terrified, though she tried to hide it.
Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed her hand, curling my fingers tightly around hers. My voice ca out low, as my heart squeezed with worry for her, "Are you alright? You look pale."
Sara gave a stiff smile, one that did not reach her eyes, and nodded quickly. "I’m fine," she said, her tone too light. "I’m just... nervous. That’s all."
She did not want to say anything more, and though I tried gently to press her with my gaze, she turned her head slightly, as if to avoid letting see what was truly written in her eyes.
For a mont, I considered asking again, but then I stopped myself. From the past few days, I had already noticed the change in her and how she was hiding it from .
And though it hurt, I understood. Because I too carried secrets I had never told her. When I could not open every wound inside to her, how could I demand that she open all of hers to ?
So I let it be, even as worry gnawed at . I told myself I would give her the privacy she wanted, that I would not force her to speak before she was ready.
Yet deep inside, I hoped desperately that she would not keep it too long, that she would not wait until it was too late.
Because this place is far too dangerous for her, and I never wished she would get entangled in their dirty gas.
So I squeezed her hand a little tighter and leaned closer. "If anything ever happens," I murmured, "you must tell . Do not carry it alone."
"It’s nothing, Selene. Really. I’ll be fine." She looked at with a smile, and the hope in her eyes returned, like my words had filled her with confidence.
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