Chapter 34Selene
Chapter
Thirty-Four
SELENE
T he manor feels suffocating in its stillness, the oppressive silence punctuated only by the crackling of the fire in the grand hall. I sit by the hearth, my knees pulled to my chest, staring into the flames as my mind races. It’s been hours since we left the clearing, since we saw Ronan and Damien fighting off the shadows, and I haven’t heard a word from either of them. Adrian had shown me to a room and at least I was able to have a shower and some fresh clothing. Even still, my stomach twists in knots, the worry gnawing at me like a living thing.
Adrian sits across from me, leaning back in his chair, his eyes sharp as they watch me. He hasn’t said much, but I can feel the weight of his gaze, studying me, as if I’m some puzzle he’s trying to solve.
“What are they going to do to me?” I ask, my voice breaking the long silence. “The Order. Why are they so desperate to get to me?”
Adrian raises an eyebrow, his lips curling into that familiar, calculating smirk. “You already know, Selene. You’re not like the others. You’re not just some human girl caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
I shake my head, looking away. “But... I don’t understand. I’ve done things, terrible things with each of you, and?—”
“Stop that,” Adrian interrupts, his voice firm but not unkind. “That’s your human nature speaking. Guilt, remorse... they’re shackles, Selene. And you’re so much more than that. You have to let go of these petty emotions if you ever want to unlock your full potential.”
My heart pounds, and I glance back at him. He’s watching me intently, his eyes narrowing slightly. “But I don’t even know who I am.”
Adrian’s gaze softens, just a fraction. “I think you have an idea. The power you’ve shown, the way you’re drawn to us... to me, to Damien, to Lucien, and even to Ronan. It’s not a coincidence.”
I look down at my hands, twisting them together in my lap. “The altar. The symbols. What do they mean? I saw them light up after... after I was with Ronan.”
Adrian’s eyes darken slightly, his fingers tapping against the armrest. “The altar is old, far older than the Order itself. Those markings, they’re not just decorative. They’re part of something... significant.”
“Significant how?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
He leans forward, his eyes locking onto mine. “The altar is a conduit of power. What you saw was a fragment of its magic being awakened. There’s something about you, Selene, something tied to that magic. You may have already sensed it—the way the power around you reacts when you’re with us, when you touch any of us. It’s not just desire. It’s something more.”
I swallow hard, my pulse quickening. “And what do you think I am?”
Adrian’s smirk returns, but it’s softer this time. “I think you’re a witch, Selene. Perhaps the last of your kind.”
I blink at him, the words hanging in the air, heavy and surreal. "A witch?" My voice comes out shaky, barely a whisper. The term feels so alien, so impossible. How could I be a witch? “No... I’m not... that can’t be right. I’m just?—”
“Just what?” Adrian interjects, tilting his head slightly, his gaze piercing. “Just a human? Just ordinary?”
I want to shout, to tell him that this is absurd, but my throat tightens, and the denial dies on my lips. My whole body feels like it’s on edge, teetering between reality and something else, something I can’t explain.
“This... this must be some kind of nightmare,” I mutter, hugging myself as if trying to ground myself in something familiar. “Witches aren’t real. They’re fairy tales, old stories to scare children. I’m just... me.”
Adrian chuckles darkly, taking a step closer, his presence looming over me. “Fairy tales, yes. But every fairy tale is rooted in truth. You’ve felt it, haven’t you? The power inside you, stirring, growing stronger with every day that passes.” His eyes narrow as he searches mine. “You’ve already wielded it, even if you don’t fully understand it.”
I shake my head, stepping back instinctively. “No, it’s not... it’s not like that. I can’t... I don’t know what this is. It doesn’t make sense.”
Adrian watches me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, his voice softens, becoming almost gentle. “Tell me about your family, Selene. Were there any women who weren’t like the rest? Anyone who... disappeared or was kept away from the others?”
I frown, my mind racing as I try to grasp the meaning behind his question. “My family?” I repeat. “No, they’re... just normal. Politically connected, always wrapped up in appearances and social events. Nothing like... this.”
“Think,” Adrian insists, his gaze sharpening. “Look deeper. There had to have been someone. A woman who stood out, who didn’t follow the rules.”
I bite my lip, forcing myself to think back, to memories I hadn’t revisited in years. My family has always been strict, bound by tradition and expectations. The women were always poised, controlled, dutiful... but...
“There was one,” I murmur, the memory surfacing slowly. “My aunt, Vivienne. She was... different. She never married, and my family barely spoke about her. She left when I was little. No one ever talked about where she went, and when I asked, they’d always brush it off, like she didn’t exist.”
Adrian’s eyes gleam with interest, and he nods. “Disappeared. Did they tell you why?”
“No,” I reply, shaking my head. “They just... ignored it. She wasn’t like the rest of them, though. I remember that. She was always kind to me. Different, in a way I can’t explain.”
“There you go,” Adrian says, as if it all makes perfect sense. “Maybe Vivienne was like you. Maybe she felt that same power, that same pull, and your family didn’t know what to do with her.”
The words make my stomach churn. Could that be true? Had Vivienne been like me? Could she have been... a witch?
“This is crazy,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “It doesn’t make any sense. I’m just a normal person. I don’t even know how to control whatever this is inside me, and you’re telling me I’m something out of a storybook?”
“You’re more than that,” Adrian says, his tone low and intense. “You’re the last of something ancient, something powerful. The Order wants you because of it, and if you don’t learn to control it, you’ll either be consumed by your power... or by them.”
The weight of his words presses down on me, and I feel like I can’t breathe. This can’t be real. But deep down, something stirs, something that has been lurking inside me since that first night in the club. The flashes of power, the way I felt like I could bend reality itself—it wasn’t normal. None of this is normal.
But could it be true? Could I really be the last witch?
“I... I don’t know how to handle this,” I admit quietly, my voice trembling. “If I am... what you say I am... I don’t know what to do. I can’t even control it. It’s... it’s terrifying.”
Adrian steps closer, his expression softening as he places a hand on my arm. “You’re stronger than you think, Selene. But you need to let go of this human guilt, this fear. Those are the things that hold you back.”
I shake my head, the weight of everything too much to bear. “It’s not that simple.”
“Isn’t it?” Adrian presses, his hand tightening on my arm. “You’ve already tasted your power. You’ve felt it coursing through you, unrestrained. You just need to embrace it.”
Before I can respond, Lucien steps into the room, his presence commanding as always. His eyes flicker between us, and I can feel the tension shift in the air.
“What are we discussing here?” Lucien asks, a sharp edge to his voice.
Adrian releases my arm, his gaze never leaving mine. “We’re discussing what she is... and what she could become.”
Lucien raises an eyebrow, his lips curling into a smirk. “Ah, yes. The mysterious Selene. The center of our little storm.” He moves closer, his eyes roaming over me with a mix of curiosity and something darker. “So, what’s the verdict, then? Is she going to save us all... or destroy us?”
I look between the two of them, feeling the pull of their presence, the heat rising between us. “I don’t know,” I admit. “But I feel... different. Like something inside me is waking up.”
Lucien steps closer, his gaze burning into me. “Of course, you’re different. You’re not like the others. You’ve always known that, haven’t you?”
My breath catches, and I can feel the tension in the room thickening, almost suffocating. The air is charged, the weight of their attention pressing down on me. I can feel it in the way their eyes linger on me, the way the space between us crackles with unspoken things.
I shift in my seat, my body reacting to the closeness of both men, my pulse quickening as the room seems to close in on us.
“Lucien’s right,” Adrian says quietly, his voice taking on a more intimate tone. “You’ve always been different, Selene. You’ve felt it your whole life, haven’t you? The pull, the desire for something more. It’s not just chance that brought you here.”
Lucien moves even closer, his body now inches from mine. “And you’re not just a victim in this, Selene. You have power, more than you realize. It’s why we can’t stay away from you.”
My breath hitches, the heat between the three of us becoming almost unbearable. Lucien’s hand moves to my chin, tilting my face up toward him. “You can feel it, can’t you?”
I nod, unable to speak, my mind swirling with the weight of it all. The energy in the room is electric, the tension building between us until it feels like it might snap.
Adrian stands, his eyes never leaving mine. “We’re drawn to you, Selene. All of us. But it’s not just desire. There’s something more. Something none of us fully understand.”
I swallow hard, my skin tingling under the intensity of their gazes. The power between us feels like a living thing, and I’m caught in the middle of it, pulled in every direction.
Lucien’s thumb brushes across my lips, his touch sending a shiver down my spine. “We’re not going to let you go,” he murmurs, his voice a low growl.
Adrian steps closer too, his presence dominating the room. “You’re ours, Selene. Whether you want to admit it or not.”
The heat between us is overwhelming, and I can feel the tension rising, the promise of something more. My body reacts before my mind can catch up, leaning into their presence, wanting, needing.
I know what’s coming next, and the anticipation coils tight in my stomach. There’s no escaping it now. Not when I’ve already crossed so many lines.
The night is far from over, and as the tension reaches its peak, I realize I don’t want to stop it.
Not anymore.