Can we stop?” Selene’s voice was breathless, breaking through the steady creak of the Lamborghini wheels. Her chest tightened, every beat of her heart pressing painfully against her ribs. Something was wrong. She didn’t know how she knew, only that the shadows outside didn’t belong to the trees.

Ethan's sharp gaze cut toward her. “Why?”

Selene couldn’t answer. Cold spread through her chest, seeping outward like frost across glass. She shivered violently, clutching at herself. And then movement. A shadow darted from one tree to another, quick as a whip.

For a moment she thought her mind was playing tricks, but then two red eyes snapped open, blazing in the darkness. They shouldn’t have been able to see her from that distance, but when they locked on hers, it felt as if they were inches away.

She gasped and shoved herself back from the window, her body trembling. Falling hard onto the floor of the carriage, Selene blinked rapidly, trying to erase the image from her mind. But the eyes clung to her.

“I saw…” Her voice cracked, breath short. “There was something out there.”

The Alphas turned toward her Ethan's expression tight, the others glancing at her as though she’d lost her mind. Maybe she had. Maybe it was nothing just a trick of the blood moon reflected in the water.

“It’s a full moon. Wolves will be everywhere tonight,” Cole muttered, his voice edged in warning.

Selene swallowed, nodded faintly, and climbed back into her seat, tugging the heavy curtain shut with trembling fingers.

Zachary tilted his head. “What do you think you saw?”

“Nothing,” she lied quickly, shaking her head. “Just a shadow.”

But her own words did nothing to quiet the terror twisting in her stomach.

The car rattled onward, passing through tall gates and into the heart of the city. Selene pressed her arms around herself, staring out as stone paths, timbered buildings, and glass windows slid by. Everything felt ancient, heavy with history and power.

And then, the mansion appeared.

It rose against the night like a beast of its own massive, sprawling, impossible to ignore. On the lawn, wolves in human form tangled together in wild, frenzied orgies. Flesh against flesh, growls and laughter mingling in the open air. Selene swallowed hard, dragging her gaze forward, refusing to look too closely.

Some of the wolves paused to eye the offerings as they passed, hunger in their stares, before returning to their chaos. Her heart pounded. It’s just sx,* she told herself. But deep down, fear curled tight and merciless inside her. This wasn’t just s*x. This was the end of everything she had ever known.

She didn’t want to be the frightened little virgin. But she was.

Inside, the mansion gleamed with wealth her village could never dream of. Polished wood floors, a grand double staircase, towering wolf statues carved in stone. The light from glass lamps shimmered against marble, gilding everything in an opulence that mocked her poverty. Her mother had been right. This was more beauty, more wealth, than Selene would ever see again.

The offerings were led into a vast seating room. Selene counted quickly thirty girls. All dressed in white. Grasslands wore silk nighties, Forests wore flowing gowns, and the Water-born wore skirts and cropped tops. Purity dressed in fabric, waiting to be stripped away.

Selene huddled near the others, though no one from Winter paid her any mind. The Alphas blocked the door, caging them in.

At least the room was warm. Fire crackled in the hearth, couches and cushions spread across plush rugs softer than anything she’d ever sat on at home. She smirked faintly, imagining herself lying there stiff as a corpse while an Alpha tried to stir life into her.

The absurdity almost made her laugh until her gaze snagged on Ethan. Her smirk faltered. She steeled herself instead, sharpening her expression into defiance. He might use her body, but her will would never belong to him.

He noticed. She knew he did.

“Offerings of Wolf Territory,” Ethan announced, voice commanding enough to make every girl flinch back. Every girl except Selene.

“One by one, you’ll be taken through the door at the back,” he continued, gesturing to the looming slab of dark wood crowned with a silver wolf’s head. “What you see and do beyond that door will remain private. Tell no one.”

Whispers rippled. Faces paled.

“Stay in this room,” he added, his tone cutting sharp as a blade. “The rest of the mansion is off-limits. Step outside this threshold, and you’ll regret it.”

For one wild second, Selene considered testing him putting her toe across that line just to see what he’d do. But the thought of how quickly it could get her killed kept her rooted.

Zachary stepped forward, grinning as if he were charming. “There are drinks. We suggest the alcoholic punch. You’ll need the courage.”

His wink carried more threat than playfulness. The other girls didn’t seem to notice. Selene did.

Cole joined them, standing with the other two Alphas. The three of them looked untouchable feral, tattooed, dark-eyed beasts who had ruled for centuries. There was something ageless in their stares, something that told Selene the night wouldn’t unfold the way her mother had warned her.

“There are books and chess, if you bore easily,” Cole said, but Selene barely heard him. She was already drifting closer to the fire, chasing its heat against her frozen skin.

The Alphas prowled through the girls, inhaling their scents, marking the strongest. Selene’s gaze shifted upward, catching the blood moon spilling crimson light across their white clothes. Shadows clung to everything, draping them all in red. Appropriate.

A chill slid through her spine. The corner of the room twisted strangely, shadows gathering where none should be. Her stomach dropped, heavy and cold. She moved toward it, drawn, unable to stop herself.

She waited for the eyes, certain they were there, watching.

And then arms locked around her waist, yanking her back.

Selene’s breath hitched as Cole dragged her to the fire, setting her down hard. His heat pressed into her, as hot as the flames themselves. His expression faltered as his gaze flicked between her and the corner she had been reaching for.

She stumbled, weak, dizzy. Ethan caught her, steadying her against his chest.

“Selene?” His voice was softer than she had ever heard it. Almost human.

She forced herself upright, forced her voice steady. “I’m fine.”

Cole's voice broke the moment. “Ethan. We need to start.”

Ethan hesitated, his jaw tight, then released her. Without another glance, he seized one of the girls and dragged her through the silver-marked door. Zachary followed with his own, flashing Selene a dark smile.

Ethan's final words echoed back before he vanished: “Drink the punch. It’ll help.”

The Alphas disappeared, leaving the girls to wait. Most of them huddled together with their pack members. Selene Winter-born and unwanted went to the table. She poured the fizzing pink-orange punch into a flimsy cup and drained it, then filled another.

The bittersweet taste clung to her throat as she sank into the nearest chair by the fire. Warmth. A moment of calm.

And then the screams began.