The moon hung full and silver over the forest, spilling cold light across the pack lands. Selene stood frozen, chest heaving, staring at two figures she had once trusted. They were locked in an embrace, lips moving, moans tearing through the quiet night. It was a sound that made her chest ache, a sound she couldn't unhear.
"Kai…" she whispered, barely audible. Her voice trembled, breaking like thin ice, carrying all the disbelief, hurt, and confusion that clawed at her chest.
The wind whipped across her face, biting at her skin, tugging at her hair. Her words scattered on it, fragile and raw. Both froze mid-kiss, bodies stiff, faces turning toward her. Shock widened their eyes, and for a fleeting moment, guilt flickered across Kai's face—but it was too little, too late. The blade of betrayal had already pierced her heart.
For a heartbeat, the forest itself seemed to hold its breath. Shadows stretched unnaturally beneath the silver glow, and the night grew heavy, thick with silence. Then reality slammed into her like a tidal wave: betrayal. Sharp, deep, cold. She felt it everywhere—chest, stomach, hands—as if shards of glass had lodged under her skin, cutting deeper than any wound should.
"S-Selene," Kai stammered as she shoved the Alpha away, her hand trembling.
"W-why?" Selene's own voice was barely a whisper, tight and raw.
"You're my sister… my family! And you let this happen? You chose to betray me, even knowing he's my mate?"
Kai flinched. Shame painted her features. "Sel… I didn't— I never meant—"
"Didn't mean?" Selene's voice cut through the night, brittle and sharp. "You're kissing my mate… my soon-to-be husband… my partner! And you — of all people — know how much I love him! You're the one I shared every joy, every little thrill with whenever Christopher and I were together! And you think it didn't mean anything?!"
Her tears caught the moonlight, shimmering for a heartbeat before they fell. The forest went quiet, tense. Even the leaves seemed to pause, as if they too were holding their breath.
Selene turned her gaze to Christopher, burning with rage. "And you!" Her hand shook as she pointed at him. "After everything we've been through… after all the help I gave you… is this how you repay me?! Is this why you always brought my sister along on every trip, every vacation? So that when I wasn't looking, you two could… leech off each other? Tell me, Christopher!"
Her growl tore through the forest, primal and raw, shaking the branches above. Rage swallowed her whole. Pain, betrayal, and heartbreak coursed through her, mingling into a force she couldn't contain. Her vision blurred. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and then it happened.
Bones shifted with a sickening crack. Fur erupted across her skin, pure white and shimmering under the moonlight, catching the silver beams and glowing like frost on a winter morning. Nails elongated into razor-sharp claws, teeth sharpened into fangs that gleamed under the moonlight. Her senses expanded, ears twitching at the faintest sound, nostrils flaring with every scent of forest and fear. Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest. She had become her wolf form — fierce, wild, unstoppable, every heartbeat a torrent of fury and despair.
"How could you—" she snarled, lunging.
Kai stumbled back, fear flashing across her face. "Selene, stop! I didn't—"
Christopher growled, stepping forward, trying to assert his Alpha presence, trying to calm her, to contain her. But Selene didn't stop. Each leap, each swipe of her claws, was instinct intertwined with anguish. Betrayal lent her strength, heartbreak gave her speed. The forest seemed to shake with the force of their struggle. Snapping branches, rustling leaves, the clash of teeth and claws—it was chaos, raw and unrelenting.
They were two, she was one. Each strike she landed was blocked, countered, turned against her. Her wolf instincts screamed to fight harder, claw deeper, bite stronger, but they overpowered her.
A sharp blow threw her sprawling to the ground. Pain flared in every nerve, her claws scraping uselessly against the dirt. Strength drained from her limbs. Her vision blurred, her mind swimming. The wolf inside her faltered, howling silently in frustration and fear.
With a shudder, she shifted back, collapsing onto the cold earth as human once more. Chest heaving, blood and tears streaking her face, her body trembling. Betrayal, anger, heartbreak — it all pressed into her, a weight she could barely breathe under.
Kai shifted back as well, stumbling toward her, arms out. "Selene…"
Then the forest shifted. The night itself seemed to change.
A silver light split the darkness, streaming through the thick canopy. It didn't just illuminate the forest—it claimed it. Moonlight poured down like liquid silver, warm and alive, brushing her face, gliding through her hair. The shadows shrank back, the trees seemed to lean toward her, as if witnessing the impossible.
Above her, the hourglass appeared. Silver, gleaming, impossible. Its sand sparkled like crushed stars, flowing upward and downward at once. The frame, carved from pale moonstone, seemed alive, twisting and breathing with a life of its own. The hourglass pulsed, matching the rhythm of her own heartbeat. Every tremor of fear, every flicker of pain, every quiver of rage made it glow brighter. It wasn't just an object—it was calling to her, alive, aware, waiting.
Selene reached out, trembling. The instant her fingers brushed the frame, warmth surged through her veins, chasing away cold and pain. Her bloodline—the long forbidden secret of her family, flared inside her, alive, wild, and potent.
Time ignited. The hourglass shattered, silver stardust swirling around her like a storm of light, twirling, spinning, and wrapping around her body. She felt herself pulled, stretched, tossed through moments, memories, and possibilities, until the forest, the moon, and all the agony fell away.
When Selene opened her eyes, she was six years earlier. Heart pounding, memories intact, the faint glowing mark of the hourglass etched on her wrist. Destiny had given her one chance — and this time, she would not fail.