Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Selene
I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, my body still aching in places I didn’t know could ache. The mate mark on my neck throbs with a dull heat, a constant reminder of what happened last night. What I let happen.
What I made happen by marking him first.
The memory has come back—my wolf surging forward, my teeth sinking into Seth with desperate possession. The taste of him, the way the bond had blazed to life between us. I had already claimed him before he claimed me.
I turn onto my side, curling into a ball as tears burn behind my eyes. My mind keeps circling back to the same questions, the same impossibilities. Why did I sleepwalk? Why did the mate bond with Seth suddenly roar back to life when it had been silent for two weeks?
And why couldn’t I control myself once the wine touched my lips?
My body was on fire after that. Not the pleasant warmth of arousal, but something desperate, consuming, like every nerve ending was screaming for his touch. I clawed at him, begged him, moved against him with a hunger that felt foreign and overwhelming.
That wasn’t me. That couldn’t have been me.
But deep down, in a place I don’t want to examine too closely, I know something. Something that squeezes my lungs tight.
Whatever I felt with Zane—that pull, the certainty that he was my fated mate—it never felt like that.
It was pleasant, comfortable, safe. Like slipping into warm water.
But with Seth? Even through the haze of whatever was in that wine, the bond felt like lightning.
Like coming home and burning alive all at once.
I squeeze my eyes shut, pressing my face into the pillow. I don’t want to think about it. Don’t want to acknowledge that some part of me—my wolf, maybe—had known all along that Zane wasn’t real.
But I’d focused on him anyway. Because he was everything I wanted in a mate. Kind. Attentive. He looked at me like I mattered, like I was precious.
The tears start to run now, hot against my cheeks. How did everything get so twisted? How did I end up bound to someone who never wanted me in the first place?
A knock sounds at my door.
I don’t move. I don’t want to answer. I can’t face anyone right now—not Astra, not Daciana, and especially not Seth if he has come back here to…to what? Apologize? Explain? Tell me again how I’m too weak for his stupid family?
The knock comes again, harder this time.
“Selene!” a woman calls through the door. Not Astra with her familiar warmth or Daciana with her soldier’s bark. Someone else entirely. “Selene Thorne, open this door!”
The use of my full name makes me freeze. The authority in that voice—commanding but not harsh—has me sitting up despite myself.
I slide out of bed, wincing as my thighs protest and a deep ache throbs between my legs.
My feet have healed completely—my shifter healing took care of the cuts from the woods last night—but the rest of my body tells a different story.
Every step reminds me of what Seth did to me. What we did to each other.
The memory sends warmth crawling up my neck as I pad to the door and crack it open, trying to ignore the persistent soreness.
Four women stand in the hallway.
I have to tilt my head back to look at them properly.
They’re all tall—easily a head taller than me—with the kind of presence that makes the air feel heavier.
Strong builds, confident postures, expensive clothes that speak of nobility and wealth.
Two have the same dark hair and keen, green eyes as Seth.
The other two have different coloring but carry themselves with the same intimidating grace.
Dread settles heavily in my gut.
“Who are you?” My voice comes out smaller than I want it to. “What do you want?”
The one who appears to be the oldest of the four—a woman who is probably in her mid-thirties, whose dark hair is elaborately braided—steps forward first. Her green eyes study me with unsettling intensity. “I’m Marina Rowan-Castellan, Seth’s eldest sister. May we come in?”
They don’t wait for an answer. All four of them sweep past me into my small quarters like they own the place, filling the space with their presence.
I’m left standing by the open door, feeling suddenly very small in my nightdress and bare feet.
I wish I hadn’t changed out of my clothes from earlier, but after seeing Seth, all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed.
“I—” I start, then close the door because leaving it open seems worse somehow. “You shouldn’t be in my quarters. I’m a healer, and there are protocols—”
“Protocols.” One of the other women—younger, maybe late twenties, with the same cutting features as Marina—laughs. “Did you hear that, Marina? She’s worried about protocols.”
Marina’s lips curve into something that might be amusement. “How refreshing. Most women who catch Seth’s attention lose all sense of propriety.”
My cheeks burn. “I didn’t ‘catch his attention.’ And you really shouldn’t—”
“I’m Vera,” the younger woman interrupts, flopping onto my bed like she lives here. “Seth’s youngest sister. That’s Catherine.” She gestures to a woman with lighter brown hair who is examining my bookshelf with interest. “She’s second oldest. And that’s Eloise, third oldest.”
Catherine gives me a polite nod. “A pleasure to meet you properly.”
Eloise, with auburn hair a shade darker than mine, offers a sympathetic smile. “We’ve heard quite a bit about you.”
“Yes. We heard some interesting news this morning,” Marina says, her gaze assessing as she circles me slowly. “About our dear brother and a certain healer.”
Before I can stop myself, my hand flies to my neck, covering the mate mark.
All four women’s eyes track the movement. Then, they burst into laughter—not mocking, but genuinely delighted.
“Well,” Vera grins, “that confirms it.”
“Confirms what?” I drop my hand, embarrassment and defiance battling in my chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t be coy.” Catherine steps away from my bookshelf, her expression serious. “Seth marked you. Which means you’re his mate.”
The truth settles over the room like a weight. I want to deny it, tell them it’s a mistake, explain that I’m trying to find a way to break the bond. But as I look at these women—Seth’s family—the words stick in my throat.
They study me with varying expressions. Marina appears watchful, Catherine curious, Vera openly amused, and Eloise sympathetic.
“She’s tiny,” Vera observes, tilting her head. “Like a little rabbit.”
“And she’s a healer,” Catherine adds. “That’s actually quite good. We could use more healers in the family.”
“I am not a rabbit!” The words burst out of me indignantly.
All four women pause, then something shifts in their expressions. The amusement is still there, but it’s softer now, warmer. Marina’s edges seem to smooth over, and even Vera’s grin turns gentler.
“No, you’re not,” Marina says quietly, and there’s something almost protective in her voice. “You’re our brother’s mate. That makes you family.”
“Such a sweet little thing,” Eloise murmurs, moving closer. “Standing there trying to be brave even though we’re clearly overwhelming you.”
“I’m not—I don’t need—” I stammer, but Catherine cuts me off gently.
“Forgive us, Selene. We’re not used to—” She exchanges a glance with the others. “The women in our family have always been warriors, strategists, forces to be reckoned with. But you…You’re different.”
“Softer,” Vera adds, and for once there’s no teasing in her tone. “Someone that needs protecting.”
My face burns hotter. “I don’t need protecting.”
“Of course you do,” Marina says matter-of-factly, but not unkindly.
She reaches out and tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, the gesture surprisingly maternal.
“Look at you. You’re practically trembling, standing here in your nightdress, trying to defend your territory against four women who could break you in half. ”
“But you’re doing it anyway,” Eloise says with obvious approval. “That’s what makes you perfect for Seth. He needs someone with heart, not just strength.”
The compliment catches me off guard, making my throat tight.
“Pretty face,” Marina continues, her gaze assessing but warm now. “Those eyes are striking. And that hair—Seth always did have a weakness for auburn.”
“I can hear you, you know!” The words burst out of me again. “I’m standing right here!”
Marina’s lips curve into a genuine smile. “Yes, you are. And you’re absolutely adorable when you’re flustered.”
Catherine clasps her hands together. “You’ll need to move into the family estate now that you’re mated. We’ll help you pack—”
“No.” The word comes out flat, final. “I don’t want the bond.”
The room goes silent. All four women freeze, their expressions shifting from warmth to shock to something harder.
“Excuse me?” Marina’s voice drops by several degrees.
“I don’t want Seth.” My voice wavers, but I force the words out anyway. “This bond was a mistake. I’m trying to find a way to break it.”
A heavy, suffocating quiet fills the room.
“Did Seth hurt you?” Marina asks, her voice quiet now but somehow more dangerous.
“No,” I lie automatically, but even I can hear how unconvincing it sounds.
Catherine moves closer, her expression gentler than before. “You’re lying. What did he do?”
The concern in her voice—genuine concern—makes my chest tighten. “It doesn’t matter. I just—I can’t do this. I won’t.”
“That absolute fool.” Vera shakes her head. “I’m going to murder him.”
“Get in line,” Marina mutters over her shoulder to her. She turns back to me, and her expression has shifted entirely—no longer just protective, but fierce. “Listen to me, Selene. We won’t let Seth mistreat you. If he has done anything to upset you, you leave him to us. We’ll handle it.”
“Handle it?” I echo.
“He can be an idiot,” Eloise says quietly. “Especially about things that matter. But you’re family now, which means we protect you. Even from him, if necessary.”