Chapter 53Selene
The journey back to the manor feels like a blur. My legs are heavy with exhaustion, my mind still spinning from everything that happened at the altar. The warmth of the manor envelops me as we step inside, the tension in my chest loosening ever so slightly. I glance back at the others—Damien, Lucien, Adrian, and Ronan—all equally worn from the battle, but something about them feels different. There’s a quiet sense of triumph beneath the surface.
As we make our way into the grand hall, the fire crackles softly in the hearth, casting a warm glow over the room. The quiet is almost unnerving after the chaos we’ve been through. The manor, for all its grandeur, now feels smaller, more intimate—like a shared space rather than an imposing fortress.
Damien lingers near the doorway, catching my gaze. His eyes are filled with something I can’t quite place, something softer than before. He’s always watched over me, protected me, but there’s more to it now. I wonder if he can sense my own conflicted thoughts, my uncertainty about what comes next.
"Damien..." I start, but the words seem to die in my throat.
He steps closer, his presence comforting but intense. “Selene,” he says softly, “You don’t have to speak. I know.”
I lower my gaze, feeling the weight of everything that’s happened pressing down on me. “I don’t know what’s next. I don’t know how I can just... go back to my life after all of this.”
He looks at me with those piercing eyes, full of unspoken promises. “No one’s asking you to decide anything tonight.”
I glance at Lucien and Adrian, who have moved to sit by the fire, their bodies slumped in exhaustion. Ronan lingers near the door, casting dark glances my way as if still deciding how he feels about everything. There’s tension in the air—different than before. It’s not the tension of battle but of something unsaid, something simmering beneath the surface.
I feel their eyes on me—each of them watching, waiting. The weight of their gaze feels heavier than the weariness in my bones, but at the same time, it sends a thrill through me that I can’t deny.
Adrian breaks the silence first. “Selene, you need rest. We all do.” He shifts in his seat, his eyes searching mine as if trying to gauge what I’m thinking. “What we went through... that was only the beginning.”
I nod slowly, unsure of what to say. My body is aching, but it’s not just from the fight—it’s something deeper. The connection I feel to them all is overwhelming, almost consuming. It’s more than just attraction; it’s something primal, something I can’t fully understand.
Lucien smirks, his voice teasing but with a layer of sincerity beneath it. “You’re not going anywhere, are you?”
My heart races at the implication in his tone. “I... don’t know,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know if I belong here. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
Ronan’s eyes narrow from across the room. “You think you can just walk away after all of this?” His words are sharp, but there’s something else in them—something almost pleading, though he would never admit it.
Adrian leans forward, his gaze intense. “Selene, you’ve tasted what power feels like. Do you really think you could go back to an ordinary life? ”
A lump forms in my throat. He’s right. I’ve felt something with them that I’ve never felt before—something I never knew I was missing. And now that I’ve experienced it, I don’t know how I could return to my old life. But I’m scared. Scared of what that means for me. For us.
“I don’t know if I can stay,” I finally say, my voice trembling with uncertainty.
Damien steps closer to me, his voice low and soothing. “You don’t have to decide tonight, Selene. But you know as well as we do that things will never be the same.”
He’s right. Everything has changed, and no matter what I decide, I can’t undo what’s been done. My bond with them is too strong to ignore, too deep to sever. The room feels charged with an energy that makes my skin tingle, the weight of their presence surrounding me.
Lucien stands and walks over to me, his lips curling into that familiar teasing smile. “You’re ours now, Selene. And we don’t intend to let you go.”
Adrian follows, his eyes dark and full of desire. “Tonight isn’t the end. It’s only the beginning.”
Ronan’s gaze pierces through me from across the room, his voice a low growl. “We’re not done with you yet.”
The air around us grows thicker, heavy with the unspoken promise that lingers between us. I feel the pull of each of them—Adrian’s intensity, Lucien’s teasing charm, Ronan’s possessive hunger, and Damien’s quiet strength. The room feels smaller, more intimate, as if we’re the only ones left in the world.
“I’m not ready to leave,” I whisper, my voice trembling with emotion. “Not tonight.”
Damien’s hand brushes against mine, his touch sending a shiver down my spine. “Then stay,” he says softly. “We’ll give you every reason to.”
Lucien’s hand cups my chin, tilting my face up to meet his gaze. “You belong with us, Selene. You always have.”
Adrian moves in behind me, his breath hot against my ear as he whispers, “We’re bound now. You can’t deny it.”
I close my eyes, feeling the heat of their bodies surrounding me, the weight of their promise sinking into my very soul. I can’t deny the bond we share—the connection that has only grown stronger since we faced the Order together.
“I’ll stay,” I finally say, my voice barely above a whisper. “For tonight.”
They exchange looks, satisfied for now. The air between us crackles with the unspoken tension, the promise of something more. I can feel it—the pull that draws me to each of them, the desire that courses through me like wildfire.
Damien’s hand tightens on mine, his voice low and commanding. “Then let us show you just what it means to be ours.”
And with that, the room grows darker, the flickering fire casting shadows across our faces as they draw closer, the night stretching out before us with endless possibilities.
Tomorrow, we’ll face whatever comes. But tonight, I belong to them.
And that’s all that matters.
The (almost) End.
Psst. I know this was supposed to be the end but I couldn’t help myself. I wrote an extra group scene.