Chapter 9 The Enemy in the Shadows

Selena pressed her back against the cold marble wall, Every muscle constrained with tension. The mansion had returned to an uneasy calm after the chaos of the previous night , but that stillness was fragile, deceptive. Damian had left to the upper floors, claiming he needed to regain control, and though he reassured her he was fine, Selena could feel the weight of something unspoken pressing down on them both.

She moved quietly through the dimly lit corridors, her footsteps tiptoed against the polished floors. Every shadow seemed alive, every flicker of light a potential threat. Her mind just replayed Damian’s words, the warning in his eyes, the dangerous intensity of their connection. He was keeping her close, but not for affection—she could feel the edge of control in his restraint, the constant vigilance against the beast inside him.

And yet, there was a gnawing unease she couldn’t shake. It wasn’t just Damian she feared. Someone else was coming. Someone who knew exactly what she was, and exactly what she carried.

The first warning came as a whisper in the air, delicate but unmistakable. She froze mid-step, heart hammering, as the faint buzz of a phone vibrated from the shadowed corner of the study. She crept closer, pressing herself against the wall, and peered through the open doorway. Damian’s enforcer, a tall, silent man named Kael, was holding the phone to his ear.

Selena’s breath caught as she overheard his words. “Victor knows. He’s mobilizing. He said she’s alive… and he’s not wasting time.”

Her stomach dropped. Victor Kane—the name alone sent a shiver down her spine. Damian had warned her about him, a rival Alpha with a reputation for cruelty and cunning. Victor’s obsession with power was matched only by his obsession with her bloodline. And now… now he knew she existed.

Selena’s mind raced. She couldn’t let Damian face this threat while she remained so close, so vulnerable. She had to act, had to protect him in the only way she could—even if it meant putting herself directly in danger.

She backed away silently, her pulse accelerating with the plan forming in her mind. If she could get outside the estate, stay mobile, she could draw Victor’s attention, keep him from reaching Damian. Her feet moved almost automatically, heart and instincts guiding her through the labyrinthine halls.

But she wasn’t fast enough. As she neared the grand staircase, a shadow detached itself from the darkness. Two figures, silent and deadly, got in her way. Her body was tensed, every instinct screaming that she was trapped.

“Stop right there,” one of them said, voice low and dangerous. The other advanced, closing off any chance of escape.

Selena’s mind searched frantically for an exit, but there was none. The walls seemed to close in, the soft glow of the moon through the tall windows offering no solace. She had underestimated them, underestimated how quickly Victor’s reach had grown.

Before she could react, she felt the sharp sting at the back of her neck. Her muscles went slack instantly, the world tilting as a wave of numbness washed over her. Her vision was blurred, edges darkening, and the last thing she heard was the purr of a voice she knew all very well.

“Finally… the lost Frost is mine.”

The words echoed through her mind as consciousness slipped away. Fear and disbelief battled for dominance in her fading thoughts. Victor had found her, and there was no one immediately at her side to stop him.

Her body collapsed to the floor, limp, as the darkness took her, and yet, even in the fading haze, a spark of determination remained. She would not be easy prey. She would fight, even if it meant awakening something within her that she had only begun to understand.

When she awoke, the room was unfamiliar. It smelled of smoke and expensive wood polish, the faint metallic tang of blood Lingering in the air. Velvet curtains blocked most of the moonlight, but slivers of silver cut across the floor, illuminating symbols carved into the walls hidden, menacing, and deliberately placed.

Victor Kane was there, standing near an elaborate desk, hands clasped behind his back, his posture relaxed yet radiating power. He turned slowly, a smile spreading across his face as his gaze landed on her. “Ah… there she is. Alive, at last. Stronger than I expected, though that doesn’t matter much.”

Selena’s pulse quickened, but she forced herself to push against the lingering haze from the tranquilizer. She tried to rise, but the strength hadn’t returned yet, and she sank back against the floor. Every instinct screamed at her to fight, to resist, but Victor’s presence was overwhelming, suffocating in its dominance.

“You think you can hide from destiny,” he said, voice smooth and dangerous, moving closer. “Your bloodline… your power… it belongs to me now. And I intend to claim it.”

Selena swallowed, chest tight, refusing to give him the satisfaction of fear. “You’ll never succeed,” she said, voice trembling slightly, but laced with defiance. “Damian… he—”

Victor chuckled, cutting her off with a wave of his hand. “Ah, Damian. You mean the cursed master who can barely contain the monster inside him? I don’t think he’ll interfere for long. He will sense the shift, yes—but it will be too late. And even if he does come…” His gaze sharpened, dangerous and cold. “…you’ll be mine before he reaches you.”

Selena’s mind spun. Every plan she had—the thought of running, of drawing Victor’s attention away from Damian—was gone, crumbled into impossibility. She was trapped. Alone. Vulnerable.

Yet, despite the fear, despite the weight of the situation, she felt a flash of something else a spark of defiance, of power waiting to be claimed . Her hand instinctively went to the pendant at her throat. The silver emblem pulsed faintly, warm against her fingers, a heartbeat of its own. The same pulse that had calmed Damian’s beast the night before.

Victor’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t touch that,” he warned, his tone deadly serious. “That relic is useless to you here. Only I can unlock its secrets.”

Selena ignored him, pressing her fingers against the pendant. She could feel the power inside, a stir of energy, a whisper of the Moonline calling to her. She was wolfless, yes, but her blood carried more than legends had hinted. More than Victor realized. And somewhere deep down, she knew that even trapped, even weakened, she was not powerless.

But before she could explore the pendant’s energy further, she noticed a movement and it caught her attention. The door behind her rattled violently. Kael’s voice shouted somewhere beyond the shadows, a warning she could almost hear through the haze. And then—a figure burst through, a shadow among shadows, but not the one she expected.

Her vision blurred further, dizziness overtaking her. Victor lunged forward, hand outstretched, but it was too late. The tranquilizer had done its work, and her knees gave out. Darkness crept in at the edges of her sight, swallowing the room, swallowing her awareness.

The last sound that reached her ears, sharp and sinister, was Victor’s low, satisfied purr. “Finally… the lost Frost is mine.”

Her body went limp, and the world faded to black.