Chapter 5 ***
Selene Blackwood
Axel and I stop at the village next to Moonfang. The village is smaller than I expected. The houses are small and scattered along a narrow road, with a few shops and a small market at the center of the village. It’s quiet, almost too quiet, and after everything that happened today, I find myself strangely grateful for it.
Axel leads me through the village without saying much. I follow behind him, carrying the little bag of belongings I managed to pack before leaving. It’s strange how little I have now. My entire life was in Moonfang, and I left with barely enough clothes to fill one bag.
“We’ll stay here for a while,”
Axel says as we walk. “I know someone who can let us have a room.”
I glance at him.
“Us?”
He looks over his shoulder at me.
“What?”
“You said we’ll stay.”
“Yes.”
I frown. “Axel, you don’t have to stay with me.”
He rolls his eyes.
“Here we go again.”
“I’m serious.”
I tighten my grip around the strap of my bag.
“You shouldn’t have left Moonfang because of me.”
“I didn’t.”
I stare at him.
Axel shrugs.
“I left because I wanted to.”
“You followed me.”
“Same thing.”
“It’s not.”
“Selene.”
He stops walking and turns to face me.
“You really think I’m going to let you wander around alone after what just happened? You have known me all my life to know I’m not joking.”
Axel sighs and starts walking again.
“Besides, I told you already. I never liked that place.”
Despite everything, a small smile almost touches my lips.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“I’ve been told.”
For a few minutes, we walk in silence. I don’t say anything else, but something about having Axel beside me makes the weight in my chest feel slightly lighter. I still don’t know where I’m going or what I’m supposed to do with my life now, but at least I don’t have to figure it out completely alone.
We finally stop in front of a small house at the edge of the village. It’s nothing fancy, but it looks warm and comfortable enough. Axel opens the door and gestures for me to go inside.
“This is it.”
I step into the small room and look around. There’s a bed, a small table, and a few chairs near the window. It’s basically like the house I shared with Emma. Right now, I just want somewhere I can close the door and forget that the rest of the world exists.
I put my bag down and sit on the edge of the bed. The exhaustion hits me all at once. I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees, and close my eyes.
Damon’s face immediately appears in my mind.
I open my eyes again.
No.I don’t want to think about him.
“Are you hungry?”
I look up. Axel is standing near the door, watching me.I shake my head.
“No.”
He raises an eyebrow.
“You haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Selene.”
“I’m fine.”
The words come out automatically.
Axel stares at me for a moment before sighing. “You know, you say that a lot for someone who clearly isn’t fine.”
I glare at him.
He smiles slightly.
“I’ll find something for you to eat.”
Before I can argue, he walks out and I sit there alone. The moment he’s gone, my smile disappears.
I stare down at my hands, unable to bring myself to look up. I’m not fine. I’m nowhere close to being fine. My entire life has changed in a single day, and I don’t even know how I’m supposed to pick up the pieces.
This morning, I was still part of Moonfang. I was still the woman who was supposed to become Luna. I had a home, a family, and a future.
Now I have none of those things.
I don’t know how long I sit there before I hear Axel returning. He walks through the door carrying a small bowl of food, and the smell immediately hits me.
My stomach turns.
I freeze.
Axel notices.
“Selene?”
I cover my mouth. The next thing I know, I’m rushing outside.
“Selene!”
I barely make it past the door before I bend over and throw up.
My body shakes as I grip the side of the house for support. I close my eyes, trying to breathe through the nausea, but it takes several seconds before I feel like I can stand properly again.
Axel is beside me immediately.
“Are you okay?”
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and nod weakly.
“Yeah.”
He shakes his head.
“You need to see a doctor.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Axel, it’s just an upset stomach.”
He doesn’t even pay any attention to me. He just heads out of the house.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“To find a doctor.”
My eyes widen.
“Axel!”
He keeps walking.
“Axel, don’t you dare!”
He doesn’t even turn around. I groan and cover my face with my hands.
This is the last thing I need. I don’t need a doctor. I just need rest. That’s all. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
But a few hours later, I’m sitting on the edge of the bed while an elderly woman examines me. Axel stands nearby, looking far too concerned for my liking.The woman introduces herself as the village doctor and asks me several questions.
When did the nausea start?
Have I been feeling dizzy?
Have I been unusually tired?
I answer as best as I can, growing more uncomfortable with every question.
Then she asks something that makes me pause.
“When was your last heat?”
My heart skips.
I stare at her.
“I…”
I don’t know why the question makes me uncomfortable.
“Selene?”
I look down at my hands.
“I don’t remember exactly.”
The doctor studies me for a moment.
“Think carefully.”
I try.
But my mind is a mess.
The past few weeks have been filled with so much that I haven’t paid attention to something like that. I’ve been too caught up in the mating ceremony, the preparations, and Damon.
“I think…” I swallow. “It’s been a while.”
“How long?”
“I don’t know.”
The doctor hums softly.
She asks me a few more questions before examining me again. I watch her face carefully, growing more nervous by the second.
“What is it?”
She doesn’t answer. I glance at Axel. He looks just as confused as I am.
The doctor finally straightens.
“Selene.”
Something about her voice makes my stomach twist.
“What?”
She looks at me, at Axel, and then back at me. My heart begins to pound.
“Is something wrong?”
I stare at her, waiting but she smiles instead.
“You’re pregnant.”
I stop breathing. For a moment, I don’t understand what she has said.
Pregnant.
The word echoes in my mind, and I can only stare at her.
“No,”
I whisper.
The doctor looks at me with concern.
“Selene?”
I don’t hear her. I can’t. There’s only one thought running through my mind, one person, one man. Damon. My eyes fill with tears as I press my hand against my stomach, my entire body trembling. I’m pregnant. I’m carrying Damon’s child, and he doesn’t even know.
