Undeniably

"But what do you know about love, Alpha Ace?" she spoke softly, her eyes fixed steadily on him. For the first time, she wanted to say more, to lay everything bare — but then a low, silent growl rumbled deep within her chest, coming from her own inner being.

"Don't make this harder than it already is, Selene," Amora, her wolf spirit, warned.

"Of what, Amora? I haven't heard from you in so long!" Selene mentally shot back, surprised and relieved to feel her presence again after weeks of silence.

"I've been here, I just couldn't make myself known properly. It's strange — I could barely feel my own strength this past week. Something is different now."

Tomorrow would bring the Lunar Eclipse — the Blood Moon, rising bright and red against the night sky. This event came only once every ten years, and when it did, the power of the Moon Goddess, Mother Sera, flowed through every pack in the land. Every home, every village, every group would gather, bringing offerings and prayers to honor the Goddess who gave them life and strength.

With the appearance of the red moon came a rise in power: Alphas and leaders grew stronger, warriors felt their abilities heighten, and even the lowest members of the packs would feel the Goddess's blessing. It was a night when all were united — mates, packs, Lycan rulers, from the highest rank to the lowest Omega. When Mother Sera herself appeared, every soul would bow in reverence.

Amora's sudden return and renewed strength left Selene wondering what it meant. She did not know that her wolf's power was tied directly to their pack home — the Stellar Pack, where she had been born and first learned to shift, where her true strength lay. In the city, surrounded by concrete and noise, Amora had no ground to stand on, no roots to feed from. Only when they returned to their ancestral lands would her power fully awaken once more.

And there was another reason Selene's parents had kept her true nature hidden all these years. She possessed a power gifted directly by the Goddess — power that could heal, protect, and strengthen entire packs. If word had gotten out about what she was capable of, she would have been taken, used, and controlled by those who sought power. Because in the hierarchy of their kind, she was born an Omega — the lowest rank, considered weak and unimportant. But her parents had known the truth, and they had guarded her secret closely, knowing that her abilities could raise their family's standing to heights they had only dreamed of.

"Tomorrow, we return to the Stellar Pack House," Ace spoke, his voice low and steady, almost as if he were sharing a secret. "My parents are waiting, and the entire pack is expecting me back. I've received reports that our numbers and strength have fallen this year — it seems things have struggled since I left. I've decided I'll stay there to manage things myself, instead of leaving it to others."

Selene listened closely, and even she could hear the weight in his words. Amora rumbled softly within her mind.

"The connection to the moon is growing stronger every day, Selene. We must return home before Mother Sera passes us by and forgives us. Our power needs to be where it belongs."

Selene nodded in agreement.

"Your place is not here, Amora. And I have my own reasons for going back. I need to speak with Lycan Hara and Lycan Luis — they hold the highest authority in our lands." She shifted slightly, preparing to lie back down.

Her gaze fell on the pink tulips sitting beside her bed, and she reached out to touch their soft petals. A small smile touched her lips — these flowers meant that Alpha Marco would be returning to his own pack in Suli as well, joining all the others for the sacred ceremony.

"For what? Why speak with the rulers?" Amora asked, curious and alert.

"You don't need to know all the details yet. But soon enough, you'll understand why it's necessary," Selene replied softly, closing her eyes as tiredness began to wash over her. The gentle feel of the flower petals made her heavy eyelids droop, and she turned onto her side, pulling the covers up and letting sleep begin to claim her.

Yet even as she rested, her heart felt light. It had been so long since she had been away from their ancestral lands, and returning to the Stellar Pack felt like coming home — no matter how she had been treated there, no matter how others saw her rank, she still felt the pull of where she belonged.

Then Amora spoke again, her voice warm and playful.

"Hyacinth must be missing you terribly. Your little sister never stops talking about you."

Selene smiled, her expression softening completely.

"We'll bring her favorite bracelet, the one she asked us to buy last autumn. She'll be so happy when she sees it."

"Selene, don't do anything you'll regret," Ace said, watching her as she turned away from him.

He was growing restless. Every moment that passed should be filled with important meetings and preparations, not standing here waiting for her to say something. But why should he expect her to speak to him kindly? He knew exactly what he had done, and he knew that she would only look at him with contempt now.

Something felt wrong, though. The bond that had once connected them — faint as it had become — was fading even further. He could no longer feel her presence in his mind, no longer sense her emotions or her thoughts. After all the years they had been bound together, there was nothing left but silence.

"I'll take you back to the pack house tomorrow," he said, his voice sounding different — quieter, less commanding than usual. "Alpha Aris and Luna Jaz have been asking about you. They say Hyacinth has caused them some trouble, and they're all looking forward to seeing you again —"

"Hyacinth? My little sister? What did she do?" Selene asked, sitting up straight again, surprise clear in her voice.

As she spoke, Ace's eyes widened. His pupils, usually narrow and sharp, expanded suddenly, glowing with a bright, vivid blue light. A low growl rumbled deep in his chest, coming from the very core of his being.

"I can feel it... there's something different about her. Someone is here, in her," his wolf spirit spoke, confused and alert. Ace stared at Selene, his mind racing with questions.

The mark he had placed on her — the bond mark that was supposed to tie them together forever — was glowing. And around its edges, it was beginning to fade, as if being washed away by water. Where it had once burned bright on her skin, now only a faint red scar remained, slowly disappearing completely.

Selene seemed not to notice, however. She leaned forward, her eyes sharp and determined.

"Don't you dare hurt my family, Alpha Ace! I know we're only Omegas, the lowest rank in your eyes, but mistreating those who are close to me is not something you should ever do —"

"Mistreat? Isn't it how things have always been? Isn't it normal for those at the top to rule over those below?" Ace asked, his voice cold again, though inside he felt something shifting, something he could not explain.

"What way is that? Tell me, Alpha! How do you think we should be treated?" Her eyes changed, the red slits of her pupils turning bright green, shining with power that made the air around them seem to hum.

Ace stepped back involuntarily, his feet moving without him willing them to. He had never seen anything like it — never thought that the quiet, gentle Omega he had married could transform into something so strong, so full of power and presence. Even his own wolf spirit fell silent, as if afraid to show itself, and Ace felt his heart begin to beat faster, a strange ache filling his chest.

"I agreed to marry you because my parents wanted me to," Selene said, her voice growing stronger, her form seeming to grow larger and more confident. "They wanted me to be the mother of your heir. The doctors said I could not have children — that I was barren. I understood, even then, that you would look elsewhere. But to lead my family into doing things that break the laws of our kind... that is where I draw the line."

The lights in the room flickered and dimmed as she glared at him, the veins in her neck standing out, glowing with a faint red light — the mark of a true warrior, something no one had ever seen in an Omega before. Ace stood frozen, unable to move or speak, completely stunned.

As an Alpha, one of his greatest powers was the ability to control those of lower rank, to command and influence them with his will. But he could not touch her. Around her, there was a vibration, a power so strong that it pushed back against his own abilities, making him feel small and powerless.

"Never again try to harm anyone I love, Alpha Ace. If you do, I will not hesitate to stand against you, no matter what your rank. I will face you, and I will not back down."

"Alpha Ace, I don't need your help. If Alpha Marco is willing to see me safely home, then I will go with him. I have no reason to stay with you any longer." She settled back against the pillows, her expression calm once more, though her eyes still held a faint edge of discomfort.

"And Hyacinth," she added softly, "I don't believe she did anything wrong. I'll talk to her when we get home."

Ace seemed to snap out of his daze, staring at her as if he had just woken from a dream.

"What was that? What did I just feel?" he asked his wolf spirit, but there was only silence in response.

"Leave my room. I don't need you here," she said firmly, closing her eyes again.

"And don't worry about the rules. You know them as well as I do. Article Eight, Section Five: One mate only, unless death claims the other."

"Selene, Rica is —"

"Is she your Luna? And I was nothing more than an Omega, easy to cast aside? Is that what you thought? Do you really believe that if you asked Lycan Luis, he would simply give you permission to break our bond and claim another? You know the truth as well as I do."

"I know," Selene said, and there was bitterness in her voice, thick enough to taste. "We both know it. The connection between us was never real. It was just an illusion, created by the Goddess because neither of us could find our true mates — or because I was never meant to be yours in the first place."

"And that mark you put on me... it was fake too. I can feel it. It's fading, disappearing from my very blood, from every part of me. I don't feel you anymore, not in my veins, not in my heart."

"Stop it, Selene — please," Ace stammered, looking away, unable to meet her eyes. For the first time in his life, he felt his head throbbing, a pain he had never known before, as if his very mind was struggling to understand what was happening.

"Rica comes from noble blood," she continued, her voice sharp and clear. "She is a true Alpha-blooded wolf, respected by everyone. You were right when you told me I could never compare to her —"

"Enough, Selene!"

"Because she deserves respect. And I... I was nothing more than something to be used and then thrown away. Is that what you mean to say?" She smiled, but there was no happiness in it, only sadness and truth.

"W-What are you saying?"

"I said she is truly worthy of her position."

"Selene, you're speaking in riddles — you don't know what you're saying!"

"Alpha Ace, I don't ever want to see you again."