The awkward tension that bit Selena’s tongue made her burn. She couldn’t bring herself to raise her gaze and look at Lively. She was standing beside the empty tables, arms crossed and a perturbed expression is written all over her face.

“Hey,” Lively greets, her eyes bouncing between Dorran and her.

“Where’s everybody?” Dorran widened his gaze, equally bewildered.

“Tobias was ordered by your Alpha to go home. He told me to look after you in case you do something stupid to Selena.” 

Lively’s snide speaking tone did not escape from Selena’s ears. She worried if Lively viewed him as an enemy. The way she stood, head cocked to the side and her eyes staring Dorran down all pointed to that. Then again, how could she blame her when Dorran decided to hide his scent? It was just Lively being overprotective.

“Ordered? And I wasn’t informed.”

Selena feared that whatever the issue was, it could have been serious. She made Dorran miss his duty.

“Yes, your Beta had the idea of letting you get things off your chest. Though I’m in no place and right to question what exactly those things are but I think since I’m the one that brought Selena, looking after her is my responsibility and I just want to know if Selena is safe with you.”

Selena stared, flummoxed and unable to think of what to say.

“I can assure you; she and I are friends. I would never dare to do anything that might hurt her.”

Dorran glances at her with an honest gaze.

“Hmm, okay fine. I don’t trust you but if you’re so bold as to ask for private time with Selena then I guess I should just keep my mouth shut.”

Lively huffed, turning to Selena. Her eyes widened while she played an awkward smile. Though it seemed like she had more to say, Lively relented and sighed heavily.

“Why don’t you two come inside? We can talk more.” She said.

She walked back to the house and they followed her. In the driveway, the was an unfamiliar car. The sight of it made Lively cuss out loud and storm into the house. Selena turned to Dorran whose expression became ultimately sour.

Though her wolf was yet to wake up and her senses were significantly stunted without it, she could see there was something wrong with him and he had become stoned-faced as he stared at the house.

“Dorran, you good?”

He nods, weakly sparing her a halfhearted smile.

“Yeah, after all I that said to you, believe me, my Luna. My heart is yours.”

It might have been a terrible choice to chuckle. But that was her way to try and make sense of the situation. She wanted to diffuse his reaction before she could say anything.

“What are you saying?” Selena asks.

His somber, hardened expression petrified her. He was grinning minutes ago and now, it just looked like he was placed on a chair with a giant boulder hanging over his head.

Lively passed through the door again, her pale face was terrifying. It was the look of someone who had just lost family. But to her utter shock and disbelief, Francis emerged out of the house, rocking a gun on his side.

The confusion started to toy with her as Francis’ muzzle was now trained at Dorran’s direction. Though even that could not trump what feeling Selena had when Nathaniel walked out of the house, that dreadful gleam on him made her heart sink to her stomach while she made sense of what was happening.

Selena’s chest constricts as she devoured Nathaniel’s appearance. He was tattered and beaten, terrified and completely disheveled. There was a yearning in her heart to clear his stained cheeks and take his shaking hand to hers. This unfathomable feeling of fondness towards him made her gulp as it was all in all her true feelings towards him.

She bottled herself up, avoiding his gaze.

He looked like chaos and war itself. Selena never thought to wonder that she would be blessed to see what a God of war looked like. His axes were tainted with blood and so were his clothes. His dark blonde hair was brushed to the side haplessly. Just the look of him made her breathe heavily.

It was because she respected the Alpha and at the same moment, she entertained the idea of being the wolf honored to be the one to clean the filth that had dared to stick to his body.

“Roark.” He spoke.

That voice of his was eternally an awe-inducing noise.

Selena furrows her brows. What did he mean by Roark? Was it a code name of some sort that she was not aware of?

The pureness of Nathaniel’s aura was suffocating her. To her side, that same energy and overwhelming sensation came from Dorran too.

“Alpha Morris, what are you doing here?” She asks, finding the tension between Dorran and Nathaniel very odd.

“Selena, step away from him.” Softly, Nathaniel’s voice spoke.

“My Luna, listen to him. It’s better that you leave now. I hate for you to see the real me.” Dorran says.

Nathaniel snorted. He marched down the stairs and moved through the space between them. He stood in front of Dorran, both of them toe-to-toe. Looking at it now and with the two of them so close together, their similarities were far too uncanny to not spot and not feel unsettled by. Same nose, lips, and the shape of their eyes. It almost seemed like they were brothers.

The next thing happened so quickly that Selena ultimately had no chance to react as Nathaniel’s fist connected to Dorran’s face. Dorran’s body thudded as it hits the stony ground. In Nathaniel’s hand was Dorran’s necklace, his scent masker.

“Remmington,” Francis murmured angrily. “It’s you, it’s fucking you.”

She wanted to deny what she had just heard and avoid thinking of the topic ever again. Chalking it off as if she was only hearing things her ears were just damaged. But no. She recalled it perfectly clearly. It was Francis who said that all he knew of Alpha Remmington was his scent and nothing more.

“What are you doing with my father’s necklace?” Nathaniel glowered.

Dorran wiped the blood on his lip.

“He gave it to me, of course.” He laughs as he picked himself up.

Nathaniel kisses his teeth.

Selena was just standing there, unable to make the right decision as both Dorran and Nathaniel were in a staring match.

“My moon, go with Winston and your cousin.”

It wasn’t a command or but she felt the urgency in him but she was struck by fear, making her unable to move.

She was no fool. Nathaniel was about to kill Dorran. But was Dorran even his real name? Who was Roark and why did her cousin call Dorran a Remmington?

The answer should be clear as day but she refused to see it.

Dorran was her friend.

The wolf who trained her.

Someone who she trusted.

Was she just supposed to accept that he was the enemy?

“My Luna, please. Listen to him.” Dorran gritted his teeth.

Selena was pulled to the side, Winston’s strong arms encapsulating her. He prevented her from moving by trapping her arms with his and slung her over his shoulder. She protested and flailed her body as Winston brought her to the car.

This was happening too fast. It was unfair and being oblivious annoyed her. Everyone seemed to know what was happening except her. It was evident in the fluidity of their actions that something big was about to go down.

Lively sat behind the wheel. The car roared to life and Selena was thrust into the backseat with Winston and the baby.

“Wolves are coming. I hear their feet thumping.” Francis muttered. “I should drive and you can shoot.”

“What? Just because I’m a woman I can’t drive now?” She spat.

“Lively.” Her husband spoke in a surprised manner.

“Okay fine.” She sighed. “It was unreasonable to blow off like that. I’m under a lot of stress, okay? I can drive. I can drive.”

“Whatever you wish.” Francis answers.

The loud conversation awoken the baby and Winston was reclined to the role of the pacifier. They had left everything necessary for the baby. And though the car hadn’t started moving, everything inside of it was pure mayhem.

“Why the fuck did you choose this hunk of junk?” Lively smacked the steering wheel. “Our car won’t fit us all in one go.”

“This was working fine minutes ago,” Francis argues back. “It’s not my fault luxury cars can barely fit four people in it.”

While the baby was crying, Winston was consoling her, and Lively and Francis were in a whispered-shouting match, Selena tried to open the car door, discovering it was locked.

It was the stress of it all that made the situation much more jarring. They had been arguing and there was nothing Selena could do if she didn’t understand what was going on.

This state of hopelessness and oblivion she was put in was beginning to make her lose her marbles.

Selena looked outside the window and watched the two men continue talking. It seemed like they were civil enough but then why were they so urgent to leave? And more to that, the intensity of their stares was hardly unnoticeable.

What was she missing? Could it be that they were truly siblings? Though that might have been thoroughly impossible, that’s the only thing she could have thought of.

“Moon! Finally.” Lively rejoiced as the car started to move.

“Oh, come on! I feel like I’m in a lame car chase from Maria la del Barrio. Step on the gas.” Francis exclaimed.

In the road, Lively maintained a relatively slow speed. But not even a mile away from the house, wolves appeared on the side of the road. The car was pelted by bullets. The windows crack but failed to pierce inside.

“Who are they?” Selena braved herself to ask.

“Harrick’s dogs. He sent them to sick Nathaniel’s family.” Her cousin said. “The other packs have been attacked by them too. Luckily, they’ve seemingly backed off from packs Morris and Highcliff.”

“They’re attacking everyone? Talon… How is he? How’s the pack?” She grabs Francis’ shoulder and forced him to look at her.

She and Talon may have murky blood between them now, however that did not mean she was going to forget him entirely. Katie was smaller than their sibling bond and though she couldn’t get past her brother choosing to be with his serpent mate, she was willing to forget that just this once to know her brother’s well-being.

“He’s arrived home minutes ago. Unfortunately, we lost a dozen wolves. Cousin is okay, Selena.”

She nodded hesitantly.

Another invasion attempt but this time they had the gull to do a simultaneous attack.

The car suddenly slowed down and paused in the middle of the road. They exchange glances, knowing they’ve all just been forced to confront the enemy stalking the vicinity.

“We’ve run out of car juice,” Lively says. “What kind of rescue mission is this when you didn’t even think to refuel the gas tank?”

“Morris did not tell me to do so. We needed to get here as soon as possible.”

“The both of you are fucking idiots.” She muttered.

“For Moon’s sake, enough of the arguing and cussing!” Winston groaned. “The child can hear you… and besides. We have a bigger problem.” Winston gestured outside.

The car might have been bulletproofed, that did not mean it was safe from other attacks. The wolves had started to close in and they were trapped inside.

In her peripherals, Selena counted about eight of them. But there was always more. That was always a fact.

“Okay. We need to act fast. I’ll take down the ones in the right while you go for the left, Remmington.”

Francis nodded. “I don’t see any other plans, what the hell. Let’s fucking go.”

“Shh, watch your fucking language.” Winston blew up.

“Selena, stay in the car with Winston and Letty. Win, you have your firearm, don’t you?”

Lively leaned on the back seat and kissed her husband on the lips. They shared a longing stare and kissed one more time.

“I’m not going to let them touch her, love. I promise.” He whispers.

Selena had become increasingly agitated. If not for her legs and her lack of awareness of the current situation, she would have been a bigger help.

She hated being useless. To be the one that had always relied on others for protection. In her last attempt to cleanse herself of the seemingly inescapable plight she was in, she finally let her emotions the best of her and raised her voice louder than she wanted to.

“Would someone please tell me what’s going on!” She exclaims, panting as she became red like a big angry tomato.

Although feeling like an entitled brat for screaming, Selena felt like it was only fair for them to tell her what was going on.

Outside the car, the onslaught of bullets hasn’t seized and everyone inside was stuck, staring at Selena. It took a few good seconds before Francis gained the courage to say anything.

“That wolf you were with was Nathaniel’s brother, Selena. My cousin from my father’s side and Harrick’s twin brother. Alpha Remmington.”

Francis’ revelation also seemed to shock even Lively and Winston. It seemed like they weren’t fully on the speed after all.

The stupid thing is, it was as if she was listening to a joke. How could she believe that? Surely there was an explanation, right?

No.

Dorran was a good wolf.

And even if it was the truth, she refused to fully believe it and be played like a fool. Was she supposed to believe that the man who became her friend and trained her to defeat her enemy was actually the enemy to begin with?

Selena felt a dagger twisting on her side.

She was filled with disbelief and denial was something far easier to do than accept she had made the biggest mistake of trusting the untrustworthy.

“You knew Nathaniel had other brothers?” She whispers.

He shook his head.

“We’ll talk about this later, cousin. Right now, I need to protect you.”

She resisted the urge to paint the backseat with her guts. She felt nauseated and completely defeated. This is what she ultimately deserved for being naive.

Winston was right.

She was a little girl.

A little girl filled with overwhelming foolishness and naivety.

She was stupid enough to befriend her enemy. Laugh with him, smile at him, and she even let him take a special part of her. That shouldn’t matter now as she was the biggest and most stupid person she had ever known.

She clutched her heart and let herself sob despite wearing her best attempt of a calm and plain face.

In her sorry state, she failed to notice that Francis and Lively had already exited the car and were already outside.

She let herself drown in anguish, making it known she had no intention of looking like a weakling.

Even if she tried to deny, it was still her fault.

She sealed her fate and dug her own grave the moment she sought after Dorran for training.

It now made sense how the wolves that she went on against predicted all her movements. They were trained under the same Alpha wolf.

The chaos in her heart continue to fester as she stared blankly forward. Then there was Winston’s squall-like howl suddenly echoed in the small confines of the car. The doors were flung open from both sides. Winston pulled out his handgun, popping a couple of shots under the wolf’s chin.

“Selena, watch your back!” Winston utters as he struggles to protect his child.

Winston’s warning was too late. She had no weapon to protect herself and everyone else was busy holding on their own.

A wolf pulled on Selena’s hair and dragged her out of the car. Her back scraped against hard concrete. Her eyes caught the glimpse of Francis trapped between two wolves, Lively against a wolf who was two times her size, and Winston who was running to aid his wife all the while having Letty strapped on his chest.

She couldn’t keep on relying on someone. While the wolves around her were fighting for their lives, she needed to do the same. She reached for the wolf’s hand on her head and used all her might to twist their wrist.

“Damn it!” The male wolf yelps. “You cunt.”

Despite her leg feeling like it was about to fall off, she mustered her strength and stood. When she regained her composure, she discovered the wolf had brought her deep enough in the forest that the thick foliage of trees and shrubs that hidden the main road.

She tried to make a run for it but was stopped when the wolf who had dragged her into the woods had pulled out their gun. Selena instantly stiffened.

One mistake and she was done for. And getting shot would prove perilous as she didn’t have her wolf to heal her.

“Let down your weapon, wolf.”

A woman emerged from behind the trees. Selena’s eyes was drawn to the woman’s pregnant belly.

“Madam Remmington.” The wolf coward away and tucked his weapon back into his pocket.

The woman grinned and faced her. “We finally meet, Selena Highcliff.”

~•°•~

Hey everyone! This will probably be the last update until the weekend since my exams are back on full force... Sadly. 🤦

But anyways, sorry for leaving the chapter like this!

If you liked it, consider leaving your vote or a comment and I'll see you in the next chapter!

Also, I have an idea. Would it be okay for I publish snippets of my plot chart for this story as additional contents? Would anyone be interested in it?

Loving you always,

Jino ✨