Selene's eyes fluttered open. She didn't immediately look around, instead, she stared at the ceiling, letting the claws of depression dig deep. A figure loomed in the candlelit shadows, but she didn't care who it was.
"Are you going to say anything at all?" Otsanna asked after watching Selene lay still for thirty minutes.
Selene recognized Otsanna's voice, the voice that chanted the words of the ritual that wounded her soul. "What's to say?" Selene answered, unmoving. "I await whatever is to come."
Silence hung heavy in the room. Then, movement, and Otsanna stood beside her. Still, Selene refused to turn her head, her gaze fixed on the ceiling.
"You have such a strong soul, yet your words betray you," Otsanna spoke softly.
Selene chuckled, a genuine, short sound. "Do you think that because I survived your torture?" Her words were sharp. "That was compulsory. I'm cursed with agony and no relief. Cursed with endurance." Her words reflected her deep exhaustion and pain. She felt like she had no life.
"You stopped enduring, or you wouldn't be here. You wanted better," Otsanna insisted.
"I am a coward," Selene confessed sadly, remembering her suicide attempt.
"You wanted better. Not just after your first death, but every time you got back up and moved."
Her words hung in the air. Selene turned, wide-eyed. "I don't understand…"
"I saw some things," Otsanna said, her pitiful gaze making Selene feel small . "When you were under the shadow weaver, I took some of your pain, and your core memories. You might have 'endured,' but… I couldn't stomach it."
Selene stared at Otsanna, her blue eyes burning with humiliation and yet gratitude for she felt that Otsanna was saying the truth. She turned back to the ceiling.
"You've never been a quitter. You always hoped for better, no matter how bad it was," Otsanna comforted. "The things you've been through…"
"He was possessed," Selene said, shame washing over her. She knew Otsanna had seen her worst memory.
"There's no excuse for such vileness," Otsanna said sternly.
"He's my father," Selene continued, tears sliding from her eyes. "He's the only one who loves me for who I am. He was right, I won't survive without him. His treatments… his protection from the goddess's hate."
"The goddess does not hate you," Otsanna comforted.
"You don't know me. There's a lot that I shouldn't dare to do… I'm cursed," Selene choked out, glancing at Otsanna. "The things you saw are precautions taken to…"
"Those things were absolute cruelty! The treatments are nothing but pure wickedness…"
"Was it any better than the torture you submitted me to?" Selene spat, irritation rising.
"You didn't deserve that. I'm sorry," Otsanna apologized.
Selene stared, speechless. Then, a strong whiff of air passed over her. She inhaled deeply, her body awakening. She sat up, her fingers nervously smoothing her lap.
"Are you alright?" Otsanna asked.
"I am," Selene lied, her eyes drifting to the window, though no one was there.
"How did I get here?" she asked.
"The Alpha and his mother brought you," Otsanna said. "The Luna has left, but Alpha Zephyr is somewhere around."
"Oh," Selene said simply, not wanting to think of Zephyr.
He was a complication. A big one. She glanced at the girl in the bed. She stood and walked towards the bed. "What's wrong with her?" Selene asked compassionately, sensing the girl's pain.
"Poison, I've recently discovered," Otsanna said.
Selene's heart broke. "Will she be alright?"
"I can only hope so."
The answer wasn't good enough for Selene, who wished she could heal the child. "I wish you well, my dear," Selene said, wiping her own tears.
Then, the strong scent overwhelmed her again, and Zephyr entered.
Selene felt drawn into his intense dark gaze, then quickly looked away, focusing on her feet.
"You're right on time, Alpha. She just needs to rest. She's better now," Otsanna said, leading Selene forward.
"And the child?" Zephyr asked.
Otsanna smiled sadly. "We will keep praying to the goddess."
Zephyr nodded tightly and left the bungalow with Selene, who gave Otsanna one last glance.
Outside, she stared at the empty space. "There's no horse."
Nervous and unsettled, she felt the usual fear in Zephyr's presence, but now, something more was involved, like an intense draw. His scent was intoxicating.
"We didn't come here with a horse," Zephyr stated.
"Oh," Selene said, blushing.
Zephyr closed the space between them, gently but firmly lifting Selene into his arms.
Her heart raced as her hands went around his neck, and instead of fear, she observed his features closely.
Zephyr sensed her stare and looked down at her.
Their eyes met, dark and blue, and a burst of emotion filled the air. Zephyr felt his body responding to her doll-like face and stunning eyes. Her pouty pink lips were slightly parted, an invitation.
Selene felt a punch to her stomach as his eyes flickered to her lips.
With a low growl, Zephyr lifted off the ground swiftly. Shocked, Selene gasped and buried her face in his chest, scared of the fast-moving trees.
Selene's body against his was warm and perfect. He felt conflicted.
Breathing in Zephyr's scent, Selene felt a plunge of desire.
Otsanna watched from her window as Zephyr disappeared into the woods carrying Selene.
A smile touched her lips. "The moon sees you now, Selene."