I remember when my dad told me never to have anything to do with other packs of wolves,

especially the Darkpine and the Shadowfang. I never asked why, because he always gave the

same answer, repeated until it grew meaningless.

But now, I no longer care. Not when I looked at my babies, Elias and Elara. Damien’s children

too.

Two days after I gave birth, I went to make tea for myself when Liora, my mother, called me into

the living room.

“Your father named you after my own mother,

” she said softly.

“I’m sorry, Selena. I had to leave

the day I gave birth to you. A Shadowfang wolf came to Lupinia and threatened to kill you

unless I left. What I never told him was that she wanted to kill your father too, because he

refused to marry her daughter.

”

Her words shook me. Why did a Shadowfang wolf have anything to do with my father? Why

would they want him dead?

“But Dad says you’re dead,

” I whispered.

She didn’t answer. Elias began crying upstairs, and she ran to calm him, leaving me in silence.

I tried to piece it all together. Maybe my father never wanted me to know her. Maybe there were

truths he was protecting me from. But even then, I couldn’t fully trust Liora. I didn’t know if she

was telling me the truth… or using me.

I stared into my cup of tea, the steam blurring my vision as thoughts tangled in my mind. My

whole life had been built on silence and half-truths, and now, with a single confession,

everything I thought I knew about my parents was unraveling.

Three Years Later

I stayed with Liora all those years, but doubt lived beside me every day.

Elara was growing into a beautiful girl, fair and radiant. She had her father’s eyes, but her smile

mirrored mine. She loved flowers, often weaving them into crowns for herself and her brother.

Elias looked almost exactly like Damien, his sharp features softened only by my eyes and nose.

He was quieter, more thoughtful, always watching the world as though he wanted to understand

every secret it carried.

Raising them gave me strength. Training them filled me with pride. For all the pain I carried, I

was proud to be their mother.

Back at Vulfen

Damien was restless. When Clara returned home, he spoke without hesitation.

“Mom, I’ll be traveling to Lupinia tomorrow. I miss Selena. I’m ready to make her my mate, my

”

woman.

Clara studied him carefully.

“I won’t stop you, Damien. But you must be careful. Wear false

lenses so your eyes won’t betray you. Blue will mark you the moment they see you.

”

Damien began preparing, each heartbeat carrying him closer to Selena. He packed with

precision, his hands steady even though his chest felt tight. In the quiet of his room, he

whispered her name, letting the memory of her laughter push him forward.

Back at Lupinia

Even after marrying Luna, Adrian could not let Selena go. He longed for peace, anything to

avoid repeating his parents’ broken marriage, but his heart remained chained to her.

Luna saw the truth and called her father, Leo.

“What happened this time, Luna dear?” Leo asked.

Tears welled in her eyes.

“Dad… it’s been three years. Adrian still doesn’t love me. He refuses

to mate with me. He says I’m cursed. He still wants Selena. We don’t even share the same

bed.

”

Leo’s face hardened.

“Then why did you fight so hard to be part of the Alpha family?”

“Because I love him!” Luna cried.

“And you promised you’d support me, no matter what. Mother

always dreamed of being in the Alpha family but was forced to be with you because the

Moonlight Goddess chose her. Now I can make her proud. I can finish what she started.

”

Leo wasn’t angry. Instead, he saw an opportunity. He remembered Mireya, his late wife, Luna’s

mother. She never loved him. She loved Roderick, Adrian’s father. Their affair had haunted him

for years.

And now… revenge was within his grasp.

Father and daughter began to plot, Luna for love, Leo for vengeance. And together, they

whispered promises in the dark, unaware of the storm their choices would one day unleash.

At Fenwold

After hearing my mother’s story about the Shadowfang wolf, I often thought of going there

myself to uncover the truth. But I couldn’t. My children needed me. And part of me still longed

for Lupinia… or Vulfen… for Damien.

One evening, Elias looked up at me with his wide eyes.

“Mommy, do we have a dad? The other children have one, but we don’t. And why do we wear

fake ears and rub those jelly oils?”

I wasn’t surprised. I knew this day would come.

“You do have a father,

” I told him gently.

“But he can’t be with us right now. As for the ears and

the oils… that’s to keep us safe. To make sure people from Vulfen don’t see us as different.

”

“Will we see Dad soon?” Elara asked, her voice soft and hopeful.

“Yes, my love,

” I whispered, my chest tightening.

“Yes, you will.

”

Just then, Liora returned.

They ran into her arms, laughing.

“Look who’s home!” she called softly, enough for the children to hear.

Later, after putting Elias and Elara to sleep, I joined her in the kitchen.

“What if I went back to Lupinia tomorrow?” I asked.

“Would you come with me? To see my

father?”

She didn’t answer. She kept cooking as though she hadn’t heard me.

I asked again. Finally, she muttered,

“We’ll see. I’ve been gone for over twenty years. My

parents are dead. No one would remember me now… I hope.

”

I forced a smile.

“You won’t have to show your face every time. You’ll help me quietly while I

search for answers. That’s all I ask.

”

She gave the faintest nod. And for the first time, I felt a sliver of hope.

Running away from Lupinia, fleeing to Vulfen, hiding in Fenwold, and discovering that my

mother had been alive all along, all of it had changed me. But nothing gave me more strength

than becoming a mother.

Still… I couldn’t ignore the pull of the past forever.

Because no matter where I turned, I was caught between two fires, Damien’s love and Adrian’s

obsession. And soon, I knew, both flames would come for me.