Chapter 10Selene
Chapter
Ten
SELENE
T he forest is closing in around me, the trees blurring as I run, branches clawing at my arms like skeletal fingers. My breath comes in sharp gasps, the cool night air burning my lungs. I have no idea where I’m going—just away. Away from that clearing, from those men. From everything.
The memory of what I just saw flashes through my mind again, sending another shudder down my spine. The way they claimed that woman, the way she looked afterward, like she was a hollow shell of herself. It wasn’t just wrong. It was something far worse. And the hunger in their eyes, the way they looked at me...
I push the thoughts aside, focusing on the sound of my feet hitting the ground, the crunch of leaves beneath me. I need to keep moving, need to find a way out of this nightmare. But deep down, I know. There is no way out.
You’ll be hunted, Damien had said. His voice echoes in my mind, pulling at something inside me, something I can’t understand.
I stumble over a root, catching myself before I fall, my heart pounding in my chest. My skin feels hot, like it’s burning from the inside out. I feel strange—different. The air around me hums, charged with an energy I can’t explain, as if the forest itself is responding to the storm of emotions swirling inside me.
The further I run, the stronger it becomes. A pull, like a magnet, drawing me deeper into the woods. And it’s not just coming from me. There’s something else, something... someone .
I glance behind me, half-expecting to see one of those masked men lurking in the shadows. But the forest is still, unnervingly quiet, save for the sound of my own labored breathing. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being watched. Followed.
A flicker of movement catches my eye to the left, and my heart skips a beat. There’s someone there, moving through the trees—fast. I quicken my pace, my legs burning with the effort. I don’t know who’s chasing me, but I can feel their presence, feel the heat of their pursuit.
My pulse races, panic bubbling up inside me as I crash through the underbrush, branches tearing at my clothes. I don’t know where I’m going anymore, just that I need to get away. But no matter how fast I run, it’s not fast enough. They’re gaining on me.
Suddenly, the trees open up into a small clearing. I stumble into the open space, my chest heaving as I come to a halt. For a moment, everything is still. Too still. The air around me is thick with tension, like the calm before a storm.
And then I feel it.
Power. Rising inside me, surging up from somewhere deep within, raw and untamed. I don’t know what it is or how to control it, but it’s there, pulsing through my veins like wildfire.
My emotions swell, a wave of fear and confusion threatening to drown me, and suddenly, the air around me shifts. The trees seem to sway, the ground beneath me trembles, and there’s a strange hum, like static, crackling in the air. I don’t know how I’m doing it, but I know it’s coming from me.
Before I can make sense of it, a figure emerges from the shadows. Tall, dark, and cloaked in that same black robe, his skull mask gleaming in the faint light. It’s one of the men from the club—one who was on the platform with Damien.
He steps toward me, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he’s trying not to spook me. My heart pounds in my chest, and I take a step back, my skin prickling with a mix of fear and... something else. Something I can’t explain.
“Well, well,” he says, his voice smooth and dark, sending a shiver down my spine. “Look at what we have here.”
I swallow hard, trying to steady my breathing. “Stay away from me,” I manage to say, though my voice comes out more like a whisper than a threat.
He tilts his head, studying me with those cold, calculating eyes behind the mask. “You’ve got some fire in you,” he murmurs, taking another step closer. “But that won’t save you here.”
Another movement behind him catches my attention, and my heart leaps into my throat as a second figure steps out of the shadows. It’s the other man from the platform—the one I saw standing next to Damien. His presence feels different, calmer, but no less dangerous. He doesn’t say a word as he moves to circle around me, his eyes never leaving mine.
They’re surrounding me.
Panic claws at my throat, but before I can bolt, the first man speaks again. “Running won’t help you, little prey.” He chuckles darkly. “We’ll always find you.”
“Who... who are you?” I ask, my voice trembling. “What do you want from me?”
The second man steps closer, his voice low and smooth, almost comforting. “This is a game, love. And you’re the prize. ”
A cold chill runs down my spine as the words sink in. The prize? I take another step back, my body shaking with adrenaline.
“You should know,” the first man says, his voice like velvet laced with danger, “we’re not like the others. What you saw in that clearing... it’s just the beginning.”
My head spins, trying to make sense of what’s happening. “What... what are you?”
“Warlocks,” the second man answers, his voice steady. “We harvest power. Souls.”
The word makes my blood run cold. Warlocks ?
The first man laughs softly, a dangerous sound. “Humans call us many things. But in the end, we take what we need.”
I glance between them, my heart racing. This can’t be real. Warlocks? Harvesting souls? My mind reels, but the energy pulsing inside me won’t let me crumble. Not yet.
“What... what does that have to do with me?” I ask, backing up until I’m against a tree, trapped.
“Oh, you have plenty to do with this,” the first man says, his voice laced with dark amusement. “We can feel your power. You’re not like the others.”
His words hit me like a slap. Power? "No. I’m just... I’m just Selene. Nothing special. How could I have power?"
Before the second man can answer, a third voice cuts through the air, harsher, darker than the others. “What are we waiting for?” A third figure steps into the clearing, his energy far more aggressive than the others. His mask is the same, but his presence is overwhelming, almost suffocating. “Let’s just take her. We’ll see who’s the strongest, and then we can claim her soul.”
The two other men glance at him, but it’s clear that they aren’t in agreement.
“Rushing in won’t get us answers,” the second man says, his voice steady. “We need to understand what she is first.”
The third man snarls, stepping closer, his eyes burning with something primal. “We already know what she is. Powerful. Unclaimed. And ripe for the taking.”
He stalks toward me, and I feel the weight of his gaze like a physical force, pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe. His hand twitches at his side, and I can see the hunger in his eyes—the need to consume me.
My body tenses, every instinct screaming for me to run, but I can’t. Not with him this close. My skin burns with the intensity of his presence, and I can feel my power rising again, threatening to break free.
The first man steps between us, holding up a hand. “Not yet, Ronan. She’s different. We can’t act without knowing the full extent of what we’re dealing with.”
Ronan growls, his eyes flashing with anger. “I don’t care what she is. She’s ours to claim, and I say we do it now.”
I glance at the second man, his eyes locked on me with an intensity that makes my skin burn. There’s something about the way they look at me, something that makes my body heat up in ways I don’t understand. Desire and fear mix in my veins, making me dizzy.
“You should give up,” the second man says, his voice softer now, almost... gentle. “There’s no escaping us. Not once the Hunt has started.”
I shake my head, trying to push the rising tide of panic down. “No. I won’t let you.”
But before I can take another step, the first man moves. So fast I barely see him. His hand snaps out, grabbing my wrist, and for a moment, the world tilts.
Everything shifts, the air around us vibrating with the intensity of the power surging through me, and I push . A wave of energy bursts out from me, throwing him back with a force I didn’t know I had.
The second man looks startled, but not afraid. His lips curl into a smile.
“Well, well,” he murmurs, stepping closer. “There’s that power again.”
I stumble back, my heart racing, my body shaking with the force of what just happened. But before I can run, before I can think, he’s there. Right in front of me, his fingers brushing my chin as he tilts my head up, forcing me to look into his eyes.
“Don’t fight it,” he whispers, his breath warm against my skin. “You can’t outrun what you are.”
A surge of heat blooms in my chest, and for a split second, I feel myself slipping. My vision blurs, and all I can feel is the pull—toward him, toward them. Toward the power that’s calling to me.
But I can’t let it win.
With a cry, I rip my wrist free and dart into the forest, the sound of their laughter echoing behind me as I run.
Again.