CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: NOTHING BUT MINE

Selene Moonveil would never stand tall again. She would not speak unless I permitted it. She would not eat unless I allowed it. She would sleep on the floor beside my bed, leashed and humbled, no longer a princess, no longer a daughter of a tyrant Alpha—but a slave with no identity outside of me.

I would strip her of her name. Her voice. Her legacy. I would make her forget who she used to be.

And when she had nothing left—not dignity, not hope, not defiance—she would cling to me.

She would beg me to keep her. Not out of love, but out of need. Because I would be all she had left.

She would live by my word, serve by my hand, and sleep knowing she was nothing in the eyes of the world—nothing but mine.

And one day... when she finally knelt and looked up not with hate, but with the silent desperation of a woman who no longer remembered what freedom tasted like—I would finally feel the justice my parents never received.

This words played in mind like mantra like it was the only thing keeping my sanity and allowing my wolf to be at bay.

"You’ll stay here until you’re fully tamed... or until we know which one of us you’ll bite next, like the rabid thing you are."

With that I tugged at her leash and motioned her to follow me.

~~~

Selene’s POV

I wanted to claw his throat open. My hands may have been free, but the damn leash still sat in his palm like a chain between us. My steps followed his only because I had no other choice.

But with every step I took, my hatred grew like a storm brewing in my chest.

Kael didn’t even glance back as he led me deeper into the Alphas’ private wing. I had never been here before—never allowed beyond the polished doors, never trusted with the sight of their sanctuary. But now? Now I was dragged here like a stray dog being taken to the kennel.

The deeper we walked, the stranger everything felt. The quarters were massive, built more like a hunting lodge than a royal residence. Wide halls, stone floors, soft warm lighting—everything designed for movement and strength. What struck me the most was the lack of doors.

The rooms flowed into each other, separated only by carved wooden arches or thin beams of glass. I could see through them—bedrooms, a large common space, a library tucked into the wall, a weapons rack. All exposed.

My eyes scanned the open layout as I was tugged forward. It felt too intimate, too unguarded for men who ruled with blood.

Were they truly so close as brothers that they didn’t care who saw what? Didn’t care who watched them sleep or eat or strip? A part of me wondered, with a sharp ache in my chest, how they’d live once their Luna arrived. Would they still share one massive space like this?

I shook my head. The thought tasted bitter in my mouth. What did it matter to me? Whether they slept beside each other or dragged their future Luna into this strange den of glass and wood, none of it would change what I was to them.

And just as the thought sank deep, my movement caused the small bell around my neck to chime. Light, sweet, and unbearably loud in the silence.

I froze.

The humiliation of that sound—of knowing it had caught Kael’s attention—boiled in my throat. I felt his gaze sweep over his shoulder, brief and assessing, and I looked away.

If I could rip that damn bell off and hurl it into the fire, I would. But I couldn’t even touch it without his permission.

He said nothing. Just turned down another hall, and I followed, grinding my teeth in silence.

We stopped at the end of a corridor where a heavy glass door led to something I didn’t expect at all. Kael pushed it open with a strong hand and stepped inside, leash still in hand. I hesitated for a heartbeat, then stepped in after him.

A massive indoor pool stretched out before me—though it wasn’t just a pool. It was a marvel. The roof above was a retractable glass dome, wide open now to the pale light of the late afternoon.

The pool itself shimmered with silver-blue water, smooth as still glass. A line of tall marble columns surrounded the space like silent guardians, and vines of ivy curled around them, kissed by faint golden light.

It was breathtaking.

If I hadn’t been wearing a collar—if I wasn’t marked, degraded, enslaved—I might’ve gasped at its beauty.

But now?

Now it just made my throat tighten.

Kael let go of the leash and gestured without looking at me. "Start from that corner. The tile’s been collecting dust."

It took me a moment to even understand what he meant. I looked where he pointed—a small collection of unused chairs, damp footprints, and streaks of grime near the waterline. My hands twitched by my sides. I moved slowly, the bell chiming again with each reluctant step.

I was halfway to the corner when I heard the soft rustle of fabric behind me. And then—nothing.

I didn’t turn.

But when the sound of a belt falling and fabric brushing the floor echoed around the marble and water, I felt the air choke in my lungs.

He was undressing. Right here. Without a second thought. My hands clenched into fists.

A single glance back confirmed it—Kael stood at the edge of the pool, his broad back bare, muscles taut and shoulders relaxed. He moved like a man who had no shame. And why would he?

In the world of werewolves, nakedness meant little. Their kind shifted in and out of forms, discarded clothes like skins, walked barefoot through the forests like gods pretending to be men.

But to me... it was different.

I had never seen a man like this.

Not because I was shy. But because my father had kept me locked in golden chains of duty and silence. Every door was watched. Every suitor filtered. I was the daughter of a tyrant, yes—but I was also his treasure. A future queen, to be protected and caged until he find a good bidder to sell me.

I had never seen another boy shift in front of me, never watched a man move with such raw, natural ease. I had never even been allowed to look.

Kael stepped forward and dove into the pool without ceremony, cutting the water like a blade. He surfaced a moment later, dark hair slicked back, water trailing down his chest and shoulders.

His expression was unreadable, eyes sharp, movements slow and controlled as he began to swim smooth, practiced strokes across the width of the pool.

I swallowed hard and turned away.

If this was part of his plan. To act as if I didn’t exist. As if I were just air. As if my shame was mine alone, then he was wrong I wouldn’t give a fuck.

I dropped to my knees at the corner and began to scrub the floor with the cloth I had been given earlier.

But suddenly I heard footsteps behind me.