Chapter 4

　　Selene's POV

　　When I woke, the world was different.

　　The first thing that hit me was the cold. My cheek pressed against smooth silk, but the chill of the room seeped into my bones. Darkness wrapped around me, but not like the suffocating shadow of the forest.

　　I tried to lift my head. My body protested… every muscle screamed, every joint stiffened, and my side throbbed where the rogues had torn into me.

　　My dress, what remained of it, was shredded. Blood from my wounds had soaked through the fabric, warm and sticky against the pale silk of the sheets.

　　A soft noise came from the far corner. I froze. The light from the crimson chandeliers barely illuminated the space, but it revealed silhouettes that should not exist.

　　Shadows that glided without sound, their eyes glowing faintly red.

　　And then I saw him.

　　Vampire

　　He stood at the edge of the room, arms crossed, his dark coat falling around his shoulders.

　　Even in repose, he radiated power… the kind of power that demanded obedience and fear in equal measure. His silver eyes fixed on me like he was measuring every broken piece of me.

　　"Alive," he said, flat, and for a heartbeat, I wondered if it was a statement or a question.

　　I tried to nod, but my throat tightened. A dry cough escaped, tasting of blood. My wolf stirred faintly, trembling beneath my skin weakly.

　　He walked toward me. He carried cold authority that made the crimson curtains sway slightly, though there was no wind.

　　"You should not have survived," he murmured, crouching to eye level, his gaze scanning the marks on my arms, my side, the broken threads of the dress. "The rogues should have finished the job. Pack law… weakness… it should have ended here."

　　I didn't answer. My chest heaved, my body too sore to form words. I barely recognized the sound of my own voice, fragile and cracking.

　　"You are a wolf," he said, voice almost softer now, but no less commanding. "And yet, there is something about your scent. Something… persistent."

　　Persistent? I didn't understand. My wolf whimpered inside me, twisting against me like it too wanted to flee from this man, from this place.

　　But he didn't flinch. He only watched.

　　"You saved me," I croaked finally, voice raspy. "Why?"

　　He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he circled the bed, taking in my injuries, my posture, my trembling fingers clutching the silk sheet. "Because," he said at last, "you intrigue me."

　　Intrigue him? I wanted to shriek at him. Wanted to demand that he leave, that he let me die where I belonged… alone, exiled, unwanted

　　But the words stuck in my throat.

　　Adrian crouched closer again, his eyes locking on mine. "You are weaker than any wolf I have encountered. Pathetic, really. And yet…" He tilted his head slightly, curiosity sharpening the words. "…there is a spark here. A stubbornness, which refuses to die."

　　I didn't understand. Wolves didn't intrigue vampires. Wolves were prey, or tools. Weakness was scorned. And yet, somehow, I had earned his interest?

　　"Don't think you are safe," he added, "because you survived tonight. You owe me nothing. You are under my roof, not my care."

　　My chest tightened, but my wolf stirred faintly, confused and restless. Her instincts, broken from the bond tearing earlier, twisted and twined with my own fear. And yet, against every instinct, I felt something else pulling me closer to him.

　　I tried to lift my hands, to brush at the side where the rogues had ripped me apart. Pain shot through my ribs, turning my breath into a hiss. He noticed immediately.

　　"Careful," he said. His hand hovered near mine, but he did not touch me. "You are fragile."

　　Fragile. I wanted to scream that I was not. That I was more than the failures my father, the pack, and Gavin had branded me with. But all I could do was lie there, aching, vulnerable, and humiliated.

　　A woman's voice floated in then, carrying that smooth, honeyed amusement that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

　　"You brought a wolf into my halls," she said, stepping lightly across the floor, her golden hair like molten sunlight against the crimson shadows. "And not just any wolf, but a wounded, bleeding, pitiful little wolf."

　　I flinched at her words. She didn't look angry… Her gaze was sharp, analytical, and almost… amused. Like she was studying an insect that had wandered too close.

　　"She survives," Adrian replied, without looking at her.

　　"Interesting," Lysandra said, tilting her head, eyes glinting. "The prince has curiosity. How fascinating."

　　I shivered. I didn't know if it was the cold or the way her eyes analyzed me.

　　"I will keep her," Adrian said finally. "That is my decision."

　　Lysandra laughed quietly, almost melodic. "Oh, Adrian… you do love danger."

　　She left, gliding down the hall, leaving me alone with him again. Silence stretched, oppressive and suffocating, filled only by my ragged breathing and the faint drip of blood onto the silk beneath me.

　　"You survived," Adrian murmured again. His words were meant only for me though I doubted he intended kindness. "I do not know why, but you are. And now…" His silver eyes sharpened. "…you belong to these walls. And to me, while you breathe under this roof."

　　I closed my eyes, letting the words wash over me. Belong? I didn't belong anywhere. Not the pack, not the woods, not… God help me… even here.

　　Hours passed, or perhaps minutes. Time had no meaning here. I drifted in and out of consciousness, the throbbing pain in my wounds pushing me to reality. When I opened my eyes, Adrian was still there.

　　"Sleep," he commanded finally. "You need it, wolf. Your body is fragile. Your mind, even more so."

　　I wanted to argue, to tell him I did not need his mercy. But my tongue refused, stiff and foreign in my mouth. My body ached, a reminder of the failure, of the rogues, of Gavin, of my father.

　　I closed my eyes, letting the cold of the chamber seep into me. My wolf, fragile and wounded, trembled against me. And yet, there was a hint of awakening there, a stubborn flicker she could not extinguish.

　　Through the veil of consciousness, I could hear the whispers of vampires.

　　And somehow, I could feel Adrian's eyes on me.

　　I did not understand why he had saved me. I did not understand why I felt the pull toward him.

　　And yet… I knew, as I drifted to sleep, that my life had changed. That the world I knew had ended in the forest that night.

　　The Crimson Court had taken me, and I was trapped inside its walls.

　　And most terrifyingly, I caught the prince's attention.

　　As I slept, my wolf stirred lightly, whispering her confusion, echoing my own.

　　Wolves did not hunt here. Packs did not call out to me. Only this man's presence…