CHAPTER 10: POISON AND SUSPICION
Selene's POV
Three days passed in Damon's house, and I learned that protection could feel a lot like imprisonment.
Guards stood outside every door. Cameras watched every corner. I wasn't allowed to leave without an escort, and even then, I was restricted to certain areas of the pack territory.
But I was alive.
And for now, that had to be enough.
I spent most of my time in the guest room Damon had given me—larger than the one before, with a view of the forest that made my wolf restless. She wanted to run, to feel the earth beneath her paws.
But running meant vulnerability. And I'd had enough of being vulnerable.
A soft knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts.
"Come in," I called.
The door opened, and a young girl entered carrying a dinner tray. She couldn't have been more than sixteen, with auburn hair pulled into a braid and nervous eyes that darted everywhere except at me.
"Your dinner, my lady," she said quietly, setting the tray on the small table by the window.
"Thank you." I studied her for a moment.
"What's your name?"
She hesitated, as if surprised I'd asked.
"Aria, my lady."
"You don't have to call me that," I said gently.
"Selene is fine."
A small smile flickered across her face before disappearing.
"The Alpha said I'm to serve you personally. If you need anything—"
"Why do you look so tired?"
The words came out before I could stop them.
Aria's hand went to her face self-consciously.
"I am fine, my lady. Just... busy with chores."
Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and she swayed slightly on her feet.
"When's the last time you ate?" I asked.
"I... this morning, I think."
I stood up, moving to the tray. "Sit down."
"I can't—"
"Yes, you can. I'm inviting you." I pulled out the chair.
"Sit. Please."
She looked torn between obedience to whoever worked her this hard and the unexpected kindness I was offering.
Kindness won.
She sat, and I pushed the tray toward her.
"Eat. I'm not hungry anyway."
"But it's your dinner—"
"And I'm giving it to you." I smiled at her.
"It's okay, Aria. You look like you need it more than I do."
Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away quickly.
"Thank you," she whispered.
She ate slowly at first, then faster as her hunger took over. I watched, a strange warmth filling my chest.
This. This small moment of connection. This was what I had been missing in Crescent territory—someone who saw me as more than the weak daughter, the unwanted mate, the burden.
"Can I ask you something?" Aria said between bites.
"Of course."
"Why are you being nice to me?
Everyone says Crescent wolves are cruel. That they only care about themselves."
I sighed. "Not all Crescent wolves are the same. Just like not all Nightshade wolves are bloodthirsty killers."
She nodded slowly. "The Alpha... he's different with you. I've never seen him care about anyone the way he cares about you."
My chest tightened.
"He's just protecting me because…"
"Because you're his mate," Aria finished quietly.
I froze. "How did you—"
"Everyone can see it. The way he looks at you. The way he carried you from the explosion." She smiled shyly.
"It's romantic, actually."
Romantic.
That wasn't the word I would use.
Complicated. Impossible. Dangerous.
Those fit better.
"Eat," I said instead of responding.
"Before it gets cold."
She finished the meal quickly, thanking me profusely before leaving to return to her chores.
I watched her go, a sense of unease settling over me.
Something was wrong here. The way the servants worked themselves to exhaustion, the fear in Aria's eyes when she'd first entered, the relief in her voice when I'd shown her basic kindness.
This pack was broken in ways I was only beginning to see.
The scream woke me sometime after midnight.
I bolted upright, my heart pounding. Another scream followed, then the sound of running footsteps in the hallway.
I threw open my door.
The hallway was chaos—servants rushing toward the stairs, guards shouting orders, and beneath it all, a horrible wet choking sound.
I followed the noise without thinking.
A crowd had gathered near the servant quarters. I pushed through, my stomach dropping when I saw what they were looking at.
Aria.
She was on the floor, convulsing violently. Blood poured from her mouth, staining the stone floor red.
"No," I breathed.
I dropped to my knees beside her, my hands hovering uselessly. "Aria! Aria, can you hear me?"
Her eyes rolled back. Blood continued to pour, and her body jerked with violent spasms.
"Someone get Draven!" I shouted.
"Get the healer, now!"
One of the guards checked her pulse. His face went pale.
"She's dead," he said quietly.
The words didn't make sense.
Dead?
She couldn't be dead. She'd been fine hours ago. Eating dinner, smiling, thanking me for a simple kindness.
I looked down at my hands. They were covered in her blood.
"What happened?" A cold voice demanded.
I looked up to find Lyra standing over me, her expression twisted with something between shock and triumph.
"I don't know," I whispered. "She just…"
"You were the last person to see her alive,"
Lyra said slowly. Her eyes narrowed. "What did you give her?"
"Nothing! I just—she ate my dinner because she was hungry—"
"Your dinner." Lyra's voice turned sharp.
"The dinner that was prepared specifically for you."
Ice flooded my veins.
No.
No, this couldn't be happening.
"I didn't poison her," I said, my voice shaking.
"Why would I—"
"Guards," Lyra commanded. "Detain her."
"What? No!" I tried to stand, but rough hands grabbed my arms, yanking me to my feet.
"You can't do this," I protested. "I didn't hurt her!"
"A girl is dead," Lyra said coldly.
"Poisoned by food meant for you.
Either you're the target again, which means you're a liability. Or you're the killer. Either way, you're coming with us."
Metal cuffs locked around my wrists.
"Damon!" I shouted, panic clawing at my chest. "Someone get Damon!"
"The Alpha is in a council meeting," one of the guards said.
"He'll be informed."
They dragged me away from Aria's body, away from the crowd of accusing eyes
, down into the bowels of the packhouse.
The dungeons.
The cell door slammed shut with a finality that made my wolf howl in despair.
I sank to the floor, my bloodstained hands trembling.
Aria was dead.
An innocent girl who had done nothing wrong except be kind to me.
And now I was going to pay for a crime I didn't commit.
Again.