Selene’s POV
"How are you doing, king?" I asked Lucian, because he looked lost in thought.
He’d called me in to ask a few questions about what to eat. I liked that he was taking his diet seriously now. He’d confessed he wasn’t like that before.
He didn’t call the breeders to his room anymore. I wondered why. He only wanted me by his side. Or maybe he just didn’t get horny anymore? I asked myself. The fucks we’d had before were mind-blowing. I kept them locked in my memories, and that seemed to be the only thing that played out in my mind whenever I was with him.
"Kael told me you go to the library often now," Lucian said.
"Yes, I go there to research," I replied.
He looked at me. "I didn’t know you were more of a science person. Anything you need, you can talk to me, and I’ll help," he said.
I was surprised ... the scared kind of surprised. I didn’t believe he’d actually changed. Maybe it was just a lull, or maybe the incident had really shifted something in him toward me.
Either way, I didn’t need his help. I wanted to figure everything out on my own. Anyone could be a stumbling block right now, I told myself.
The only person I trusted was Ms. Ashlyn, the custodian. I just happened to like her.
I decided to act like a whore in the king’s room for the first time ever.
He was sitting on his bed, and I walked up to him and kissed him. This time he couldn’t resist ... I made sure of it. I’d put on the cologne Valerie gave me. She said the scent was seductive, made from natural ingredients like aloe vera.
He couldn’t resist. She was right. I ended up on his bed, and he just smiled, like this wolf is really something, huh.
I didn’t have much of an ass, so I positioned myself so he’d get a clear view of my cleavage instead.
I dropped my lips onto his. He kissed me back deeply as I turned up the intensity. We kissed for a minute and a half. My eyes stayed closed the whole time ... I couldn’t bring myself to open them. I just floated in my own head.
I was already turned on and wanted to take it further. The alpha didn’t stop me, so I reached to undress.
No one had ever made me feel like that. He held my chin as he kissed me, arousing me even more.
I was somewhere beyond cloud nine, I was sure of it. Then a knock came at the door, and I had to stand down. Lucian didn’t even flinch ... only I did. It was his room. His chambers. His territory.
Lucian chuckled. "I didn’t say you could stop."
I gave him a look, signaling someone was at the door. "And so?" was his reply.
Then he told whoever it was to come in.
It was Kael. I quickly pretended to be checking Lucian’s temperature, giving him a proper "check-up."
"There are some matters arising in Winterwood, I’m afraid, Alpha," Kael started from the door. I could tell right away it was serious.
I stood to leave, but I knew I’d be back to finish what we started.
I headed straight for the library to pick up where I’d left off the day before. Those missing links needed filling.
On my way, my phone buzzed with a message. I assumed it was Cipher, maybe about a lead on where I was stuck in my research.
But it was Astrid. What was this murderer doing in my DMs?
"Hi Selene, Dad and Mom said I should check in on you. Don’t know what for, but they hope you’re fine. When you see this, please respond so I can get back to them."
The audacity ... sending me a message like some secretary relaying orders. She wasn’t checking on me. She was just doing what my mom and dad told her to do. Not that I cared anyway. They were my past now. The fact that I hadn’t died meant I had a purpose bigger than all of them. I reminded myself of that.
I didn’t respond. I saw no reason to. If they cared about me that much, they would’ve come looking for me themselves.
Oh wait ... they couldn’t. I was banished because of them. That told me everything I needed to know.
When I reached the library, I found Ms. Ashlyn there.
"You’re here early," she said.
"Good morning. Yes, I have some important research to do," I replied.
"Okay, good luck and good read," she said cheerfully.
"I’d like your help with something," I said.
She was jotting something down when I asked.
"What would that be?" She was always so kind to me.
"I found a book yesterday ... some parts were torn. It’s about the history of Morvaine. It mentioned a part two, and I don’t..."
"You mean you found the History of Morvaine?" she asked, eyes widening.
I told her yes.
She told me to go get it. I did. And she burst into tears.
"This is a gem," she said.
"Why do you say that?" I asked, curious.
"It’s a miracle you found this," she said, looking at me.
"They tried to make this go extinct. They burned parts two and three. They don’t even teach this at the Academy anymore," she said, still sobbing.
Wow. I hadn’t even known there was a part three. I guessed each territory had its own volume ... including the one that had been wiped out. Oh, fuck’s sake. My mind raced, trying to figure out if I could somehow retrieve it. But I was only just discovering all of this. I’d never known anything about it before.
"There are missing links in part one, and I have a lot of questions," I said.
"Hmm," she gasped, then said, "I promise you, you’re not ready for this. It’s priceless history ... it could even put you in danger. I’d advise you to back off," she said, like she was warning her own daughter.
"I like to finish what I start. What would make me ready for this kind of information? When will that time come?" I asked, and she must have heard it in my voice ... I wasn’t backing down until I found the truth.
"I don’t know where part two is, Selene, but let me see if I can answer your questions. What are they?" she asked.
I felt like I’d made a little progress. Just like that, I’d gradually work my way to the full truth, one piece at a time.