CHAPTER 78: CHAPTER 78: TRAPPED... OR TRAPPING? (02)

Selene’s eyes widened, her heart lurching as recognition slammed into her. That wasn’t just any trinket. That was witchcraft. A charm with a spell that could shield them from her power. Her stomach twisted cold.

Another witch had made this and had actually given it to these bastards, and she knew every single one of them had one. Just who is helping these bastards? Selene felt like killing someone. How could a witch betray them like this?

Her voice shook with fury as she hissed, "Whose work is that?"

The boy laughed with a careless expression, like he was savoring the amusement he felt. "Does it matter? All you need to know is you were never in control. You thought you were powerful enough to walk into our den? You were already caught the moment you stepped through those doors."

The Alphas around him chuckled darkly, their voices filled with contempt.

"You witches think you’re gods, looking down on us like we’re dogs snapping at scraps."

"Arrogant little thing, walking in here like her broken spell could work on us, thinking she could save them."

"Now look at you, bound, powerless, just like the others. You’ll fetch a fine price too, once we’re done making do with you."

The sound of their laughter spread through the room.

Selene’s throat tightened, but her eyes burned with defiance even as the cuffs dug deeper into her skin. She felt the witches chained behind her shift, their weak breaths trembling in the silence between laughter. She couldn’t show fear. Not when those girls’ lives hung on the edge of her strength.

A chill of dread sank further into her heart.

If another witch powerful enough to forge such charms was working with these monsters... then the fight was far bigger than she had ever imagined.

Selene’s breath came shallow, her chest rising and falling as her eyes darted from Alpha to Alpha. Something was wrong—more wrong than even the enchanted cuffs.

And then she understood.

This... this wasn’t about witches at all.

The witches were chained on the floor, their eyes glazed and their bodies trembling; they were bait. The auction, the whispers, the money—it had all been a stage. Every move was designed for one thing only.

Her.

Selene’s stomach dropped as the truth cut through her. They had known she would come. They had prepared this entire scene for her. The witches were never meant to be sold. They were only here to draw her out—the witch who had spilled Alpha blood.

The trap had been waiting all along.

And then she saw him.

Alpha Julian stepped forward from among the crowd, his tall frame casting a shadow over her. His expression was not mocking like the others. No, his face was carved in sorrow, a false sorrow that twisted into something crueler than laughter. He bent to one knee before her, his hand suddenly gripping her chin with bruising force, tilting her face toward his.

His eyes met hers with disappointment.

"I never thought it would be you," he said softly, his voice breaking into a whisper that carried across the chamber. "Alas... I really did like you. For a moment, I even believed you were a graceful lady. But now?" His grip tightened, his words turning sharp as glass. "But I never thought that you were actually a dirty whore who thinks she is above us."

"Don’t forget, dear, in this world, only one race is supreme, and that is the werewolf race. We are born to rule."

"Do you understand? You and the race of witches are just pretty tools to be used by us. Be grateful that we are giving you this much respect. No race can even come close to us, the mighty werewolves, the rulers of the land."

Selene’s blood burned hot.

Before he could draw another breath or spew nonsense he was fed from childhood, her body reacted. Even though the cuffs had stolen her power, that does not mean she is powerless. Her physical ability is still there, and she is more than capable of giving this bastard, who was so full of himself, a lesson.

Her cuffed hand landed a punch on the side of his face so hard that his head was snapped to the side. Blood spattered across the floor as two of his bloodied teeth clattered beside his boots.

Selene had not held back even a little bit; she had punched him with full force so at least it could knock some sense into him.

The entire room froze for a heartbeat. No one had expected such a bold move from her.

Julian staggered, a howl of rage tearing from his throat as his hand flew to his bloodied mouth. His eyes blazed with fury. "You bitch!" he roared, lunging as though he meant to tear her apart with his bare hands.

But before he could strike, another Alpha’s hand shot out, catching him by the shoulder.

"Calm your anger," the man said firmly, his voice smooth yet commanding. His eyes glinted in the dim light. "She is worth more alive than dead. We did not trap her for you to lose control now."

Julian’s chest heaved, blood dripping from his mouth, but he stopped, his entire body trembling with the force of his rage.

His gaze was so chilling that Selene was certain he was cursing her entire eighteen generations. Still, she gave him a smug smile and mouthed, Little mutt, serves you right.

Her provocation successfully enraged him. His nostrils flared as though he were some rabid beast barely held back by the leash of another Alpha’s hand.

The veins in his neck bulged, and his jaw clenched so tight that his bloodied teeth ground audibly against one another. He was a breath away from tearing Selene’s throat out.

Her smug little smile and when she mouthed the words "Little mutt, serves you right," it was like pouring salt into an open wound.

"You..." Julian’s voice shook with rage. He jerked forward, snapping against the restraining hand as his claws burst from his fingertips. The sharp points glinted in the dim light. "You dare..."

Selene tilted her head, letting her eyes trail deliberately over him with mocking disdain.

"Dare what? Put you back in your place? You talk so big about ruling, yet one punch from me and you look like a kicked pup. Some ’supreme race.’"