Chapter 4 Dangerous Escape
Selene
The hospital door slammed open, the lock splintering with a sharp crack. Adriana strutted in, hips swaying like she owned the damn place. Her perfume hit me like a punch—thick, sweet, and suffocating.
I clenched my fists under the thin sheets, nails biting into my skin. Had I really been holding out hope for Vortend to show up instead?
“So, the little martyr’s finally awake,” Adriana sneered, her eyes dragging over me like I was trash. “What, playing dead to dodge the inevitable? That’s pathetic.”
I forced myself to look her in the eye, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. “He broke our bond. You got what you wanted. Now get out.”
Her laugh sliced through the room, icy and cruel. “Oh, honey, I got way more than that. Vortend and I? We’re gonna be parents.” She leaned in close, her whisper dripping with poison. “And you? You’re just old news.”
My stomach churned. I stared at her flat belly, nausea twisting inside me. All those late nights, the excuses, the lies…
“Does it sting?” she taunted, smirking. “Knowing he was in my bed while you played the perfect little wife at home? How’s it feel to be tossed aside?”
Before I could spit out a reply, a sharp voice cut through the tension like a blade. “I think you’ve got it twisted, Adriana. The only pathetic thing here is you trying to play tough.”
My mom stepped into the dim light, her presence filling the room like a storm rolling in.
“Get out,” she said, her tone leaving no room for debate. “You’re not welcome.”
Adriana spun around, her face twisting with fury. “You can’t talk to me like that!”
“Try me,” Mom shot back, cool as ice. “You might’ve stolen my husband, but you’ll never break my daughter. Leave. Now. Before I make you.”
With a final venomous glare, Adriana stormed out, the door slamming so hard the frame rattled.
Exhaustion crashed over me, but I couldn’t let myself collapse. I had to pull it together for what was coming next.
Back at Mom’s house in Black Pine pack, I managed a weak smile at her worried frown. “Mom, don’t stress. I’m not letting this beat me.”
“My girl,” she said, her voice breaking as she covered her face, tears slipping through her fingers. “I can’t believe we’re reliving the same nightmare. I was unlucky, sure, but I never wanted this pain for you.”
My parents had been fated mates, but Dad cheated with Patricia, and Adriana came along just two years after me. My stepmom didn’t just take Mom’s mate—she took my father too. Sure, I grew up with money, got the best schools, even a Harvard MBA, but to Dad, I was just an obligation he didn’t want anymore. When I wouldn’t step aside and let Adriana have Vortend, he cut me off completely.
That night, standing bare in front of the mirror, I froze. Silver, spiderweb-like patterns crept across my legs. My powers flared and faded, wild and uncontrollable, like a storm I couldn’t tame.
Panic clawed at me. Thinking of my unborn twins, I called Vivian. She slipped in under the cover of night, her face tight with concern.
She ran test after test, her expression darkening with every result. “Your blood’s off—way off. It’s like you’ve been poisoned. The twins… they’re affected too. If I had to guess, it’s Silver Vine.” Her voice was dead serious.
Shock hit me like a slap. “Poisoned? Who the hell would—” I stopped, locking eyes with Vivian. We both knew the answer without saying it.
“Adriana,” I whispered, tears burning my eyes. “Why? I’ve already stepped back. Why are you still trying to kill me?” Fear for my babies gripped my heart.
Mom, overhearing us, went pale. Then her old Luna instincts kicked in. “We can’t stay here,” she said, wiping her tears with a fierce swipe. “If Adriana poisoned you today, and if she finds out you’re carrying twins, she’ll send killers tomorrow. We have to run. Now.”
Vivian nodded, her face etched with worry. “She’s right, Selene. Adriana’s back, and sticking around is a death sentence. You need to leave ASAP.”
I stared out the window at the heavy snow piling up, my mind racing. Did Vortend know about the poison? Was he in on this too?
Frost crept across the glass. Right then, I made up my mind. I wasn’t waiting for dawn.
Mom yanked out a huge map and slapped it down on the dining table. “Here’s the plan. Vivian, you’ll create a diversion at the main exit. Use a decoy with Selene’s scent to send the Black Pine guards chasing south.” She traced dotted lines on the map with her finger. “These are old smuggler tunnels—hidden, forgotten. We’ll head west through them.”
She jabbed red pins into a few spots. “Safe houses. Old allies who owe me. We’ll crash at each one just long enough to rest and stock up. It’s gonna be rough—no main roads, no easy paths.”
I leaned over the map, tracing the route. “What if they find the tunnels?”
Mom’s eyes flashed with grit. “We’ll set traps. The snow’ll cover our tracks, and we move at night when the guards aren’t as sharp.”
As she stepped into the next room to finalize things, Vivian came over with a small medical kit. “Here,” she said, pressing a few vials into my hand. “Antidotes and supplements. They won’t wipe out the Silver Vine, but they’ll dull it. Keep you going.”
“Thanks,” I murmured, stashing them in a bag.
“Selene,” she said, her voice low and urgent. “No matter what happens, no matter what you find out… don’t lose who you are. Your kids need you strong.”
“I won’t,” I promised, feeling the weight of her words. “I’m gonna be tougher than ever.”
Vortend, I used to think you were my world. But now I get it—I’m my own Alpha, and these babies are my pack.
I rested a shaky hand on my belly, drawing strength from the two lives inside me. I’ll protect you. I’ll build us a home. And one day, we’ll take back everything that’s ours.