CHAPTER SIX:SELENES POISON
724 Words
The council hall slowly emptied after the trial was temporarily adjourned.
The elders had decided they needed time to deliberate before announcing their final judgment. But Lyra knew the truth already.
The pack had made up its mind.
She stood alone near one of the tall stone pillars inside the hall, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. The whispers from earlier still echoed in her mind.
Traitor.
Betrayer.
Disgrace.
Her wolf paced restlessly beneath her skin, furious and confused.
This is wrong.
“I know,” Lyra murmured under her breath.
The scent reached her before the footsteps did.
Sweet.
Sharp.
Familiar.
Selene.
Lyra stiffened instantly.
Slow, confident footsteps echoed across the stone floor until Selene stopped only a few feet away.
“Well,” Selene said lightly, “that went better than I expected.”
Lyra turned slowly to face her.
Selene looked completely relaxed, leaning casually against one of the wooden benches. Her arms were folded, her expression calm.
Satisfied.
Lyra’s eyes burned with anger.
“You planted the necklace.”
Selene’s lips curved slightly.
“Did I?”
“You framed me.”
Selene shrugged.
“Can you prove that?”
Lyra clenched her fists.
“No.”
“Exactly.”
Silence settled between them.
Lyra studied Selene carefully now. The woman didn’t look nervous. She didn’t look guilty.
She looked victorious.
“Why?” Lyra asked finally.
Selene tilted her head slightly.
“You really don’t understand?”
Lyra’s voice hardened.
“No. I don’t.”
Selene pushed away from the bench and slowly began circling her, like a wolf studying prey.
“Adrian was always meant for more,” she said softly.
Lyra scoffed.
“So you decided to steal him?”
Selene chuckled.
“Oh Lyra… you still think this was about jealousy?”
Lyra frowned.
“What else would it be?”
Selene stopped directly in front of her.
Her dark eyes glittered with something strange.
Something knowing.
“You were never meant to keep him.”
The words were quiet.
But they carried a weight that made Lyra’s chest tighten.
“What does that mean?” Lyra demanded.
Selene leaned slightly closer.
“You don’t belong here.”
Lyra’s jaw tightened.
“This is my pack.”
Selene’s smile was thin.
“Is it?”
The question struck something deep inside Lyra.
A flicker of old memories surfaced.
The day she first arrived at Silver Ridge.
A frightened child with no memory of where she had come from.
The elders had taken her in.
Raised her as one of their own.
But no one had ever known who her real parents were.
Lyra pushed the thought away.
“That has nothing to do with this.”
Selene watched her carefully.
“You’ve always been stronger than the other wolves,” she said quietly.
Lyra’s eyes narrowed.
“What are you talking about?”
“Faster.”
Selene took another step closer.
“More powerful.”
Lyra’s wolf stirred uneasily.
“How do you know that?”
Selene smiled slowly.
“Because I’ve been watching you for a long time.”
A cold chill ran down Lyra’s spine.
“You’re insane.”
Selene leaned in close enough that Lyra could feel her breath against her ear.
When she spoke again, her voice was barely more than a whisper.
“You should leave before they decide to kill you.”
Lyra’s heart skipped.
“What?”
Selene straightened again, her expression calm once more.
“Exile would be merciful compared to what could happen.”
Lyra stared at her.
“Why would they kill me?”
Selene didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she studied Lyra like someone looking at a dangerous secret.
Then she leaned forward again and whispered the words that sent ice through Lyra’s veins.
“Because if they ever discover what you really are…”
Her smile widened slightly.
“…this pack won’t be able to protect you.”
Lyra’s pulse thundered in her ears.
“What am I?”
Selene stepped back.
And for the first time since entering the room, her eyes gleamed with something darker than victory.
Fear.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Then she turned and walked toward the door.
Leaving Lyra standing alone in the silent hall…
With a terrifying question echoing in her mind.
What did Selene mean?
- Writer
