Chapter 4Selene
Chapter
Four
SELENE
T he thrum of the music vibrates through my chest as I make my way back to the dance floor. I can still feel the heat from Damien’s touch lingering on my skin, the memory of that moment searing into my mind. My friends are in the middle of the crowd, swaying to the beat, oblivious to the turmoil building inside me.
I try to shake it off, telling myself it was just an intense encounter, but I can’t ignore the pull I feel toward him. As I reach my friends, the air seems to shift. There’s a buzz of excitement in the crowd, and I can’t help but glance up toward the platform. Damien is there, standing with the other three men, all of them still masked, but their eyes are locked on the room below. Or, more specifically, on me.
I swallow hard, trying to lose myself in the music like everyone else, but my body hums with awareness. Something’s different. Something’s coming.
The music suddenly softens, and a hush falls over the crowd. The shift is so subtle at first that it’s easy to miss, but then I notice—everyone is quiet. The energy in the room changes, becoming thick with tension. I glance at my watch. Five minutes to midnight.
The crowd parts slightly as Damien steps forward, his presence commanding as he stands at the edge of the platform. His voice echoes around the club, amplified by something unseen, and it wraps around me, sending chills down my spine.
“Welcome to the Hunt,” he says, his tone deep and reverberating. The crowd murmurs in response, a mix of excitement and curiosity buzzing through the air.
Damien continues, “This year is special. In one month, the Blood Moon will rise, and with it, we will celebrate the Hunt in a way that has not been done in centuries.”
The room grows quieter, the weight of his words pressing down on all of us.
“To mark the occasion, we will be holding a competition,” Damien explains, his eyes scanning the room, pausing for a heartbeat when they land on me. “Willing participants will stay, but be warned—once you choose to stay, you will not be able to leave until the Blood Moon rises.”
I feel a cold knot forming in my stomach. My friends seem enthralled by his speech, but I can’t shake the sense that something is very, very wrong.
“The rules are simple,” Damien says, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. “If you choose to remain, you will be hunted. If you are captured, you will be claimed. Those who survive until the Blood Moon rises will be rewarded.”
He doesn’t elaborate on what “claimed” means, but the way he says it sends a shiver through me. The vagueness of the rules only adds to the sense of danger thrumming through the room. My friends don’t seem to notice, though.
“This is going to be so fun,” Lila whispers excitedly beside me. “A month-long game? And look at those guys. I wouldn’t mind being ‘claimed’ by any of them.”
“Lila, are you serious?” I hiss back. “This doesn’t feel like a game. Something feels... off.”
“Oh, come on, Selene. It’s Halloween. It’s obviously some elaborate skit or something. You’re just freaked out because it’s dark and mysterious.” She winks at me, but I can’t shake the growing sense of unease curling in my gut.
“It’s just for fun,” Tessa adds, her voice calm. “They’re not actually going to hunt us for a month. ”
Evie giggles, “I mean, would it be so bad if they did?”
My stomach flips. How can they be so nonchalant about this?
I glance back up at the platform. Damien’s eyes are still on me, and just like before, the intensity of his gaze makes my body heat up, my heart racing in my chest. It’s that same pull I felt when we were alone, that same magnetic force drawing me in.
I want to leave. I should leave. But I can’t move. His eyes lock on mine, and suddenly, it’s like my feet are glued to the floor. The air between us crackles with tension, and I can’t tear my gaze away.
“This is your last chance,” Damien announces, his voice ringing through the room, deep and resonant, commanding everyone’s attention. “Anyone who does not wish to participate should leave now. If you stay, you consent to the rules of the Hunt.”
The words sink into me, heavy and final, but I can’t move. I should be running for the door. Everything inside me screams that I need to leave, that I should grab my friends and get as far away from here as possible. But I don’t.
I’m trapped. Trapped by the intensity of Damien’s gaze, by the way his eyes lock onto mine with such purpose that it feels like the rest of the room disappears. My body reacts instantly, a rush of heat flooding through me, making my skin flush and my heart pound. I can feel the slow, steady pull of desire unfurling inside me, curling low in my belly and spreading out like wildfire.
He’s not just looking at me. He’s seeing me.
It’s as if no one else in the room exists, like his entire focus is centered on me, and the sheer force of that attention sends a shiver down my spine. His eyes burn with something I can’t quite place—something dark, powerful, and undeniably intoxicating. My breath hitches in my throat, my pulse quickening as a wave of heat rolls through me.
I should run. I should turn around and bolt for the exit, but my legs refuse to move. My body is drawn to him, my feet planted firmly in place. The rational part of my brain is shouting at me, warning me that this is dangerous, that whatever this is, it’s not normal.
But the other part—the part that’s been aching for something more, something raw and real—is pulling me closer to him, keeping me rooted to the spot.
The room feels like it’s tilting, the air growing thick and electric between us. My friends are beside me, but I barely register their presence. All I can focus on is Damien, his figure commanding the platform above, his eyes locked on me like I’m the only person who matters.
The desire swirling inside me is overwhelming, drowning out every ounce of logic I have left. I can feel it in every part of me—an ache, a need. It’s not just lust; it’s something more. Something deeper, more visceral. His gaze feels like a promise, one that sends a thrill of anticipation through me, even as it terrifies me.
For the first time in what feels like forever, I feel... seen .
I’ve spent so long feeling invisible, fading into the background of my own life, but Damien’s eyes are telling me otherwise. They’re telling me that I matter, that he sees something in me that I don’t even see in myself. And that feeling—being truly seen—sets my blood on fire.
My breath comes in shallow, uneven bursts, and I can’t tear my gaze away. Every inch of my skin tingles, my body coming alive under the weight of his stare. I want to stay. Even though every part of me knows I should be running for the door, I want to stay.
And that thought alone scares me more than anything else.
Without thinking, I find myself nodding. Agreeing to the terms before my mind even has a chance to catch up. The movement is automatic, like I’m not fully in control of my own body anymore. It’s as though Damien’s pull is magnetic, and I’m helpless to resist.
Around me, a few people shuffle nervously, edging toward the exit. Their footsteps echo faintly in the otherwise silent room, but only a handful leave. My friends remain, their eyes gleaming with excitement and mischief. I want to turn to them, to tell them that this isn’t right, that something about this feels dangerous, but the words won’t come.
Lila nudges me with her elbow, a wide grin spreading across her face. “This is going to be epic,” she whispers. “A month-long game? I’m so in.”
I try to respond, to tell her that this isn’t a game, that we should be leaving, but I can’t. My voice is trapped in my throat, my body still locked in place by Damien’s gaze.
Damien steps forward again, his voice deepening as he speaks. “The Hunt begins now,” he announces, and the seriousness in his tone makes my heart skip a beat. “And remember—nothing is as it seems.”
The moment the words leave his lips, the crowd responds in unison, their voices echoing through the room. “Nothing is as it seems.”
A chill runs through me, and suddenly the red neon lights begin to flicker, the world around me darkening until we’re plunged into complete darkness. My heart lurches in my chest as panic claws its way up my throat. I can’t see anything—not even my own hand in front of my face.
And yet... I can still feel him.
I can feel Damien’s eyes on me, even through the darkness. It’s like a tether between us, a current of energy that binds me to him, keeping me still even when my instincts scream at me to run.
The air shifts again, colder now, and for a moment I hear nothing but the pounding of my own heart. I reach out, searching for something to ground me, but my fingers meet only empty space. It’s disorienting, and my pulse races faster, my breath coming in quick, shallow gasps.
Then, slowly, the lights begin to rise again. But when they do, my stomach drops.
I’m no longer in the club.
I’m in a cage.
Cold metal bars surround me, and as I glance around, I see that I’m not alone. The other women who stayed are in cages too, scattered across a forest clearing that wasn’t there before. The air smells damp and earthy, the trees towering above us, their branches casting long, eerie shadows over the ground.
My heart races, panic rising as I take in the scene. In front of us, lined up and watching us like predators, are the men. All of them. The ones from the dance floor, the ones who wore the skull masks—they’re all here. And at the front, separated from the rest, stand the four men from the platform. Damien is in the middle, his eyes locked on me, just as they were before.
But the other men... they’re different now. Feral. Their eyes gleam with hunger, their movements jerky and wild, like animals waiting to be released from a cage of their own.
Terror surges through me. This isn’t a game. This is real .
I glance at my friends, hoping they’ll see the danger too, but Lila is smiling, still convinced this is all some elaborate show. Tessa looks curious, and Evie is practically vibrating with excitement. They don’t get it. They don’t see the danger we’re in.
But I do. And I know that if we don’t get out of here, we’re all in serious trouble.