The room was quiet, so quiet Selene could hear the soft scratching of her pen across the paper as she traced her sister’s handwriting again.

The letter was old now, the edges worn from how often she unfolded it, read it, folded it again, and hid it under her pillow. It was the only one Liora had ever sent since the night they parted. She had read it so much, she knew the world by heart.

Dearest Selene,

I hope you are well. I have good news. The Alpha has accepted me. I am now his eighth wife. Do not worry about me. I will make our family proud.

And that was it. No warmth. No stories of palace life. No complaints. Just plain words, careful and clipped.

Selene sighed, pressing the paper to her chest. She had thought there would be more letters. She had hoped that maybe, with time, Liora would share details, her feelings, and her daily life. But nothing else had come. Not a word.

Maybe the chaos of the palace and the many alpha wives seems to have distracted her; Father had mentioned Liora being in charge of planning the new moon festival. Sadly, this was the excuse Selene gave herself, just to console herself.

Selene sat by the small window of her room, watching the sky turn dark. The little house Darius had chosen for them was quiet, too quiet. She had once imagined their married life would be full of laughter and whispered promises. Instead, it felt like a hollow shell, built only for shadows.

Her eyes flicked to the empty chair across from her. Dinner was cold on the table. Again.

She bit her lip. Darius had changed. The man who had cooked for her that night, the man who had kneeled and slid a ring onto her finger, was gone. In his place was someone colder, sharper. He stayed out late, always saying it was “work with the Alpha.” He came home long after midnight, sometimes not at all. When he did, his eyes looked past her, as though she were invisible.

Selene tried to understand. She told herself it was stress, the weight of his duties. But each night the bed felt emptier, and her heart shrank smaller and smaller.

A soft knock at the door startled her. She rose quickly, smoothing her dress.

But it wasn’t a knock at all, as it was the door bursting open.

Darius stormed in, his face filled with rage. His eyes burned, his jaw was tight, and his hands were clenched into fists. Selene froze, her heart lurching.

“Darius?” she whispered.

He didn’t look at her at first. He threw his coat onto the floor, pacing like a raging dog whose master had ignored his grammar.. His breath came heavy and uneven; his whole body shook with an undescribed rage. Finally, he looked at her and the fury in his eyes made her take a step back.

“She’s dead.” His voice cracked like a whip.

Selene’s chest tightened. “What? What do you mean?”

“Liora!” he roared, slamming his fist against the wall so hard the wood splintered. “The Alpha killed her. Do you hear me? Killed her!”

Her knees knelt down, not caring how fast he fell or the crunching noise the knee had made. She gripped the edge of the table, the letter slipping from her hand to the floor. The words spun inside and her heart ache. Dead. Liora. Alpha.

“No” Her lips trembled. “That can’t be true.”

“It is true!” Darius’s voice thundered. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, but his anger burned hotter than grief. “Your sister is gone, Selene. Gone because of that cold tyrant you admire from afar, hope you are happy, you once said he was just misunderstood”

“Tell me Selene, give me more excuse for her death” He yelled. And I” His voice broke. He turned away, fists clenching at his sides. “I couldn’t save her.”

Selene’s tears blurred her vision. She wanted to reach for him, to hold him, but he was already storming toward the door.

“Darius, wait”

But he was gone before she could finish, the door slamming behind him so hard the walls shook.

Selene stood frozen, her body trembling, her heart pounding with fear and confusion. Liora was dead. The letter, the pale words that had been her comfort, now cut like knives.

That night dragged on like a cruel eternity. She sat by the window, the candle burned low, and her eyes stared into the darkness outside. She prayed for Darius to return, prayed that maybe they could share their grief, that maybe this loss would bring them closer.

But when the door finally creaked open, it wasn’t the man she knew who stepped inside.

Darius stumbled, his steps uneven. The smell of wine hit her before he even spoke. His shirt was half-open, his hair messy, and his eyes wild and glassy.

“Darius.” She rose, reaching out. “You’re drunk.”

He laughed, a hollow sound. “Drunk? Maybe. But I’m still a man, aren’t I?”

Before she could answer, he grabbed her, pulling her against him. His mouth crashed onto hers, rough and desperate. She gasped, her hands pressing against his chest, her heart hammering.

For a moment, she let herself believe. For a moment, she thought maybe this was what she had longed for, the closeness, the warmth, and the passion they had lost. Her lips trembled under him, her arms rising to hold him.

“Darius,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I love you.”

But then his mouth moved to her ear, and the name that fell from his lips froze her blood.

“Liora…”

Selene’s body went stiff. Her breath caught, her heart tearing in two.

She pushed at him weakly. “No,” you said, “my name is Selene…”

But he didn’t stop. His grip tightened, his movements rougher, as if punishing her body for not being who he wanted.

Then his hand struck her.

The sound of his palm landing on her was loud, loud enough to echo in the silent room. Pain bloomed across her cheek, sharp and burning. Selene staggered, her hand flying to her face. Tears filled her eyes, but she didn’t cry out. She only stared at him, wide-eyed, heartbroken beyond repair.

Darius’s chest heaved. His face changes to something ugly, something she had never seen before. “Why couldn’t it have been you?” he spat. “Why did she have to die and not you?”

The words cut deeper than any blade.

He shoved past her, stumbling into the bedroom, the door slamming shut behind him.

Selene stood in the middle of the room, her body trembling, her cheek throbbing. She pressed her hand over her heart, but nothing could ease the pain inside. The man she had loved, the man she had trusted, had not only betrayed her but wished her gone.

The silence that followed was deafening.

At last, she moved. Slowly, shakily, she gathered her cloak. She looked around the house one last time, the table still set with untouched food, the candle burning low, and the letter from Liora lying crumpled on the floor.

Her vision blurred with tears as she whispered, “I thought this was home.”

She pulled the door open, the night air cold against her swollen cheek. Without looking back again, Selene stepped into the darkness, her heart heavy but her resolve beginning to form.

She was going home.

Back to the house of the man who had raised her, the man who would decide her fate once more.

She imagined comfort, imagining him to maybe see her now that her sister was dead and grieved, but her wolf sensed doomed going there, yet she went either way.