CHAPTER 174: CHAPTER 174: FREEDOM

She didn’t even realize how far she had run until she found herself standing at the training ground.

It was quiet there; the place was still the same as she had left it in the morning.

Maybe her legs had brought her here on their own. This was the only place she truly knew in this palace. Or maybe, deep inside, her body remembered that whenever she wanted to forget something painful, she would come here.

When her mind was too heavy, she would train until she couldn’t think.

Even if she had lost her memory, her body still remembered that feeling.

As she stood there catching her breath, a loud noise came from the other side of the field... the sound of soldiers shouting, wolves growling, and boots running.

A group of wolves was gathering near the gate.

One of them noticed her and called out, "Lady Serena! Are you joining us?"

She blinked in surprise. "Joining you?"

The man grinned. "A small rogue attack near the west border. Nothing serious. Just routine work. I thought, if you have such good aim, why not come with us? You could use a little practice."

Serena stared at him. For a moment, she hesitated.

But her heart was too heavy. She didn’t want to stay here and think anymore. She wanted to breathe.

So she nodded. "Yes... I’ll come."

The man’s face brightened. "Good. Then let’s go."

Before she could say anything, the man shifted. His body grew larger, his bones cracked, and in seconds, a massive brown wolf stood before her; he was tall, powerful, and his golden eyes gleamed.

Serena froze. She had seen wolves before, but never this close.

The wolf looked back at her and said in a deep voice,

"Hop on."

Serena hesitated. Her mind screamed that she shouldn’t. But her heart whispered that she needed to. She needed to escape, even for a while.

So she took a step forward and placed her hand on the wolf’s thick fur.

And before she could think again, she climbed onto his back.

The wolf growled softly and took off running.

The sudden rush of speed took her breath away. Wind whipped against her face, her hair flying wildly behind her. She grabbed handfuls of fur, holding tight as they ran through the open fields.

Other wolves joined in, running beside them, their paws thundering against the earth.

Serena leaned forward, the air sharp and cold, the sound of the rushing wind filling her ears. For the first time in the day, her mind went blank.

All the pain, all the confusion, and all the noise inside her head were gone.

Only the wind remained.

And in that wild run, all that she felt was free.

***

On the other side, far from the Lycan palace. The car was quiet.

No one spoke. No one even looked at each other.

The only sound was the engine and the soft hum of the tires rolling over the road.

Lucian sat in the back seat, staring blankly out the window. The world outside was moving, but inside the car, everything felt still... lifeless.

He didn’t even know how long they had been driving. It could’ve been hours or maybe days...time didn’t make sense anymore.

No one had said a word since they left.

Aeron was in the front seat, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles had turned white. Luca sat beside him, leaning his head back, his eyes closed but his chest heaving like he was holding back something heavy. Kael was next to Lucian, elbows on his knees, face buried in his hands.

The air between them was thick with pain.

No one dared to breathe too loud.

Because if they did...they might all break.

The news had come just a few hours ago. From Cyrus.

Selene... their Selene... was dead.

And not just that—Cyrus had said she was the witch. The same witch who had been killing alphas for the past year.

At first, they all refused to believe it.

Lucian had laughed, a broken, hollow laugh that sounded more like pain than humor. He told Cyrus he was lying, that it wasn’t possible. That Selene could never do that.

But Cyrus had looked straight at them and said the words that ripped through their hearts:

"I met one of her friends... from the witch coven. They confirmed it. The witch who’s been killing the alphas... is dead. And her name was Selene."

Those words kept repeating in Lucian’s head like a curse.

He wanted to deny it. He wanted to scream that Cyrus was wrong. Maybe it was someone else. That Selene was still alive, still out there, waiting for them.

But deep down...he knew...his wolf knew.

That strange pull inside his chest, that wild connection he used to feel every time he thought of her... was gone.

Completely gone.

It was like someone had reached into his chest and torn out half of his soul, leaving only emptiness behind.

Lucian pressed his fist to his chest, his jaw tight. He could still feel it, that aching void where his mate’s bond used to be.

He had never felt this hollow in his entire life.

And the worst part? His wolf had gone silent.

The beast that always growled, always talked, and always reacted at the thought of Selene...now it didn’t even stir.

It was like it had died with her.

Kael suddenly exhaled hard beside him, rubbing his face roughly. Luca opened his eyes and looked at him through the rearview mirror.

None of them said anything, but they didn’t have to.

They all knew.

They all felt the same pain...the same unbearable pain that was slowly hollowing them from inside.

Lucian looked at Aeron. His brother’s face was pale, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, but Lucian could see it: the tightness in his jaw, the flicker of moisture at the corner of his eyes.

He was breaking too. They all were.

For days now, they hadn’t been able to eat or sleep properly. Every time they closed their eyes, they saw her face. Her voice still echoed in their minds, her scent haunted their memories, and their hearts kept hoping it was all a bad dream.

But the emptiness inside said otherwise.

That was the cruel truth.

They could all feel that she was gone. The bond was broken. Their wolves were mourning silently inside them, howling for a mate they could never reach again.

Lucian looked down at his trembling hands and whispered under his breath,

"Why...it should be me who should have died..."