Chapter 4

Selene

“Hahahaha.”

The sound came out of me before I could stop it, echoing across the courtyard. The guards and Adrian froze. Even Sienna’s eyes widened as she stiffened.

She tried to move away, but I moved faster, my hand shooting up, clamping around her throat. I dragged her back into me, my blade pressing against her pale neck.

“Ah! What are you doing?! Let go!” she shrieked, clawing at my wrist.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I pressed the blade harder until a thin red line slid across her throat.

“Selene!” Adrian barked. “Let her go this instant!”

I only laughed again. His Alpha voice was powerless over me. At this point, nothing was more dangerous than a woman who had lost everything.

“Keep your mouth shut!” I screamed back.

His eyes widened, shock flashing across his face. He hadn’t expected me to fight his command, and dare defy him so openly.

Sienna trembled in my grip, her voice trembling as she stammered, “W-what is wrong with you, Selene? You’re scaring me. Stop this.”

Her fear should’ve softened me. But now, I only laughed again, my eyes wide as the blade dug deeper into her skin.

“I’m scaring you?” My voice broke. “I’m scaring you?! When all this time, I’ve been the one terrified, terrified of dying, terrified of failing. I’ve faced death more times than you can count, and when I finally escaped fate itself, here you are. My sister, my mate. The people I trusted most are trying to kill me too.”

I leaned closer, my voice low and venomous. “So tell me, Sienna, between the two of us, which one is more frightening? The two-faced bitch who smiles while stabbing me in the back, or the crazy bitch with nothing left to lose?”

I slid the blade just enough to cut.

“Ah!” she screamed, thrashing. “Adrian! Help me! She’s really going to kill me, do something!”

Adrian's voice softened. “Relax, stop moving, or you’ll only make it worse. She won’t hurt you, Sienna. I know her.”

“O-okay…” she stammered, but his words did nothing to calm her. She could see this was my final breaking point. We were twins, after all.

He turned his gaze to me, trying to reason. “That’s enough, Selene. I know you’re angry. But you’re rational. You’re not the type to do something this foolish. I never said I’d kill you. You can still be forgiven. Just let her go.”

“All my men have their arrows trained on you. I could order them to shoot without touching Sienna. So end this yourself. Put the blade down.”

I stared at him, my chest heaving, my hand trembling against Sienna’s throat.

I scoffed. “You think I’m scared of death? No, Adrian. I have died so many times already. Death and I are old friends. Your men can shoot if they want, I just survived a deadly game of arrows. None of this scares me anymore. I’m not afraid of dying, but I swear to you, I will take someone down to hell with me.”

My grip tightened on the blade. I was ready to end at least one life before mine was taken.

“No!” Adrian’s voice tore through the air.

In that split second of hesitation, Sienna’s elbow rammed into my open wound. Pain exploded through me. I groaned as my knees buckled beneath me.

She tore herself from my hold and stumbled into Adrian’s arms.

“Are you okay, Sienna?” Adrian’s voice was full of concern, his hands running over her as if she were made of glass.

She panted dramatically, clutching at him. “I—I’m fine. That was close… she was really going to kill me.”

Adrian’s face darkened as he looked at me, disgust burning in his eyes. “You’re insane, Selene. I’ll have you punished for this. If Sienna had lost her child because of you, I would have made sure you regretted it.”

I blinked. Her child?

My gaze dropped to where Sienna’s hands clutched her stomach. Slowly, my eyes lifted again, meeting both of theirs. They didn’t even flinch. They just stared back at me.

A hollow laugh bubbled in my throat, but I swallowed it. Instead, I forced myself upright, ignoring the agony tearing through my body. My blood dripped onto the stone beneath my feet, but I stood tall.

“You know what?” My voice came out calm. “I don’t even blame you. I blame myself for being so blind, and stupid. For wasting my love and loyalty on the two of you.”

They looked at me confused, as if they didn’t understand where I was going with this.

I gave them a broken smile. “If I were ever given another chance, Adrian, and Sienna, I would make sure to become your worst nightmare. I’d take everything from you. I’d make your lives as miserable as you’ve made mine. I’d strip you bare until you had nothing left. And most of all, I’d make sure you never have the one thing you truly crave.”

“I, Selene Bloodrose, promise you this, if I must make a deal with the devil himself, I will haunt you for the rest of your lives.”

The sky rumbled, and then thunder split the air with a violent crack, making the guards flinch, making even Adrian’s face twitch as the sky darkened above us.

The goddess had heard me. And so had the devil.

“And to answer your rejection, Adrian…” I whispered, my eyes locking on his. “I hope this answer is to your satisfaction.”

Before he could understand, I lifted the blade high.

His eyes widened, as if, for the first time, he realized what I was about to do. “Selene—!” He moved fast, but I was faster. My hand drove the blade into myself, piercing through flesh.

I gasped, and the world went silent.

I fell to my knees, my head dropping forward as warm blood dripped onto the stone below. My vision blurred, the red pooling beneath me.

I saw Adrian and Sienna, both frozen, their faces pale with shock, but I couldn’t hear them. Their lips moved, but the sound was gone, swallowed by the roaring in my ears.

‘Mira…’ I whispered inwardly, searching for my wolf. ‘Are you here?’

For a long moment, there was only silence until she answered.

‘Yes, Selene. I’m here. I’ve always been here. Every time you die, I die with you. I’m here with you on your final day.’

A shaky smile curved my lips as tears slid down my cheeks, mixing with the blood.

‘I’m sorry,’ I told her, my heart aching with guilt. ‘I’m sorry for being so stupid, and not protecting us. For not protecting you.’

Her voice was warm, though I could feel her fading too.

‘It’s okay, Selene.’

My strength was leaving me. I could feel it draining. My body was numb, my breaths shallow. But I forced the words out one last time, my plea to the heavens.

Moon goddess, I don’t know if you can hear me, but if you are, please, give me one more chance. I don’t want to die unfairly. I don’t want to die betrayed again.

Tears blurred my sight as I gasped for breath.

Give me a chance to be reborn. Give me a chance for revenge. But this time, let me remember early. Don’t let me stumble in the dark again. Don’t let me die without knowing who my enemies truly are. Please, give me a tenth life.

Thunder rolled above, rattling the heavens before everything went dark.

****

I couldn’t breathe.

It was as if something heavy was pulling me down, dragging me deeper and deeper into endless water. My chest burned. I tried to open my eyes, but the water forced them wide on its own, blurring everything around me.

So was this it?

I was dead.

My grandmother’s words came to me.

“When people die, child, their sins follow them. Everyone has their own hell waiting for them.”

This was mine? Was this suffocating abyss my punishment? Had the Moon Goddess ignored me after all? I wasn’t given my tenth life. How ironic. Maybe the ninth really was the last.

A bitter laugh bubbled in my throat, swallowed immediately by the water. My limbs ached, so I stopped moving. I had wanted to give those traitors a taste of their own medicine, and make them pay. But it seemed fate wasn’t on my side.

Still, if this was hell, why did it feel like I could really die here? Why was my brain urging me to swim?

“Miss Selene!”

The voice was muffled.

“Miss Selene!”

What was going on? Was this really hell?

I jerked my eyes open. Someone was calling my name from the shore. I looked around, my body sluggish, and froze.

I wasn’t in some endless void. I was in a river.

My breath caught in my throat as I came to a realization.

I knew this scene. Eight years ago, Sienna had fallen into the water with me. We were both drowning.

My heart pounded as I turned, and there she was, Sienna was thrashing in the water.

“Help!” she mouthed.

The surface rippled, then, someone jumped in. My older brother, Cross. He brushed me aside, his strong arms reaching for Sienna, carrying her back up, and ignoring me.

I blinked. It was exactly the same.

Eight years ago, I nearly died here.

And if I remembered correctly, a few moments after Sienna was safe, another splash echoed. My second brother, Kane, jumped in after me. He couldn’t let me die, not when they still had use for me. He would pull me out only after ensuring Sienna was safe.

After a while, someone finally drove into the water.

Kane.

A smile curled my lips.

I had actually come back! And this time, I remembered everything.

Kane swam toward me, frowning, but when he tried to carry me, I pushed him away. Forcing strength into my limbs, I swam up on my own.

I saw the shock on his face, but I ignored him.

This time, I would not be the helpless girl waiting for scraps of affection.

This time, I would not let anyone use me.

I was no longer the same Selene. I would make the world bow before me.