Chapter 9: Chapter 09: The Wrong Door
That night at the Silver Dawn estate was the first t| was allowed to attend something real. | don’t know the
reason why did he broughthere, but i could not care less when it was like my dream ctrue.
After that Aeron had approached with a quiet grace and toldmy posture was admirable for someone my age.
Kael had thrown teasing remarks my way, testing me, but | had matched him beat for beat with sharp replies.
His grin widened with each exchange.
And Luca...stoic, cold had givena single nod of approval. That one gesture felt like being knighted.
"You're different from the other pups," he'd said, voice rough but sincere.
| floated the rest of that evening. They were legends to me—warriors, heirs, brothers tied by blood and destiny.
And me? Just a girl from a rival pack. Yet for a few fleeting hours, | felt truly alive after my mother died.
| went to bed that night dreaming of a future that could never exist.
Maybe, just maybe... one of them would remember me. Not as Eirik Moonveil’s daughter, but as Selene.
But dreams are cruel things.
The next t| returned to their lands... everything was in ashes.
My father was dead. My people... gone. Our lands burned. Our nerased from history.
And I? | was dragged back in chains. Treated like a beast. Thrown in a cage and Branded like a slave.
Lucian didn’t even look atwhen they seared the mark into my skin
A sob ripped from my throat, and | buried my face into the sheets.
"They once praised me," | whispered, broken. "And now they treatlike I'm nothing."
| remembered the way Lucian’s fingers had gently curled around mine. The way he had smiled at me—me. The
way Aeron’s voice had rumbled softly when he complimented my grace. The way Kael had laughed. The way
Luca had seen me—really seen me—for who | was.
And now...
Now Lucian barked cruel orders. Now Aeron refused to meet my gaze. Now Kael looked atwith disgust. Now
Luca... he didn’t look atat all.
My hands curled into fists, my knuckles turning white.
"Why did you gaveconfidence..." | whispered, teeth clenched, "if you were always going to crush me?"
The pain was a tide that never stopped. It was relentless and | felt i might drowning in it.
Sdays, | wished | had died with the others. That | hadn’t survived. That | hadn't been spared—if this is what
living meant.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
| reached for the dry shirt and slowly dragged it over my head. It was too big. Smelled like dust and laundry
powder. But it was dry.
The fabric scratched against my bruises. | winced, biting back a cry.
My legs wobbled as | stood and looked at the mirror.
The girl staring back wasn’t me.
Swollen lip. Hollow cheeks. Red-rimmed eyes. My silver hair was tangled and limp. The red brand burned like a
curse on my arm.
(Author's pov)
Nest day, Selena was scrubbing the hallway floor just like yesterday. her assigned work was to clean the every
part of the alpha quarters. She has to rub the every inch of floor while continuosly kneeling and after one
hallway is complete she has to go on another hallway.
She was kneeling for hours, her knees were now bruised and raw, the coarse towel burning her skin with every
pass—when the footsteps stopped beside her.
She didn’t look up.
Looking up had consequences. She had learn this in juts few days.
"Hey," cthe sharp voice of another omega maid. "Stop scrubbing here. Go clean that room."
Selena blinked and lifted her head slightly. The maid, a young wolf with sharp eyes and an impatient frown,
gestured down the hallway to a large arched door framed with silver and dark wood.
Selena hesitated.
"That room?" she asked quietly.
The omega huffed. "Yes. Don’t makerepeat myself. You've been dragging your feet all day."
"But the older maids said... we're not allowed in private rooms without permission."
The girl narrowed her eyes. "And I'm giving you permission now. Get moving."
Selena swallowed hard and rose on shaky legs. She didn’t argue again.
There was no point.
She walked toward the massive door, every step making her skin itch. Her instincts screamed something was
wrong. The air felt heavier here. The door alone looked more expensive than anything she'd ever owned.
still, she entered.
And the moment she did, her breath caught.
This isn’t a guest room.
This was a chamber of power.
Velvet drapes. Glass walls with views of the mountains. A carved desk large enough to seat three. Black and
silver tones. The faint, familiar scent of cedar, leather, and—
She froze.
Cologne.
Her heart skipped. Her fingers trembled.
No. This can’t be...
But it was too late.
The door behind her clicked shut.
Selena turned quickly, clutching the towel to her chest like it might protect her.
And then—
He stepped into view.
Lucian Duskdraven.
Her heart dropped.
It had been days...more than a week, since she had last seen him. Since the branding, after that she never met
him.
But now here he was, standing in his own quarters, staring at her like the breath had been knocked out of his
lungs.
His grey eyes widened for a moment, flickering with something unreadable.
Shock? Guilt? No. No—it’s gone already.
It vanished beneath a cold, blank stare.
Selena took a slow step back. Her fingers gripped the towel harder.
‘|—I' was told to clean," she
whispered, her voice hasely-augiBle. |
pall QNEom was yours,
Alpha. I'l leave—" The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
"Stop."
His voice wasn’t loud, but it froze her.
Selena obeyed. She couldn't move even if she wanted to.
Lucian walked slowly around her,
eyes lingering on the fresh Lrujses on
her knegs, they PO
tdhiE' hung off her shoulders. His
gaze wasn't hungry. The content is
on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
It was haunted.
He had wanted to see her for days.
Since that branding but he alpay:
held hire! from Vibifinly her. He
hitdd how much he wanted to see
her. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Because he remembered.
He remembered her soft laugh at thirteen.
He remembered her silver eyes filled with wonder.
He remembered her dancing with him at his birthday like she thought the world was beautiful.
And he remembered her expressionless and icy face, as his mother’s life spilled across the floor four years ago..