Chapter 3 The Unexpected Selection

Then I heard a soft crying coming from the kitchen.

I rushed out of my room and found Elva sitting in a puddle of water, her pajamas soaked through, tears tracking down her cheeks.

"What happened, sweetheart?" I asked, crouching beside her.

She rubbed her eyes with tiny fists. "I wanted water, but my hands..." She looked down at her trembling fingers. "They wouldn't hold the cup good."

I gathered her into my arms. "It's okay, honey. We can clean this up."

But Elva wasn't looking at the spilled water anymore. Her small palm came up to touch my cheek. "Why are your eyes red? Were you crying, Mommy?"

I hadn't realized tears still stained my face from the nightmare. "Just a bad dream," I admitted.

She immediately wiggled out of my embrace and returned with Mr. Fluff, her favorite toy.

"Mr. Fluff will protect you," she said, pressing the toy into my hands. "Teacher says toys fight away nightmares."

My heart swelled. "Isn't Mr. Fluff one of your favorites?"

She nodded. "Yep! He's the best. So Mommy won't cry anymore."

I pulled her close, covering her face with butterfly kisses. For her, I would do anything, no matter what it took.

After Elva fell back asleep, I carried her to bed. In the living room, the TV murmured with news about the Luna Selection. I caught a glimpse of Kane's face on screen, and my heart twisted.

"Who will be selected as candidates for the Luna Selection?" the announcer asked excitedly. "Any woman in the Silver Moon Pack could be chosen. It could be your friend, your neighbor... or it could be you."

Three days later, I was back to work. I needed just one more day's pay to cover Elva's most recent medical bill.

Mike's eyes traveled slowly down my body, lingering on my chest. He licked his lips and said, "I'll be waiting for you tonight."

I turned away, focusing on my tables. All the female patrons chatted excitedly about the Selection. The Sterling heirs making their first public appearance together had caused quite the sensation.

"Which one do you think is the most handsome?" one asked her friends.

Another answered without hesitation. "Are you kidding? The others are cute, sure, but Kane is obviously the hottest."

The others quickly agreed, nodding enthusiastically.

I hovered at their table, momentarily frozen. For three days, I'd tried to reconcile that the Kane I had known—the boy who'd held me under starlight and promised forever—was also the eldest heir of the Silver Moon Pack.

"Elena, is it?" One of the girls noticed me standing there. Before I could apologize, she asked, "Which one do you think is the most handsome?"

"Kane," I answered automatically, then flushed with embarrassment. "Excuse me."

I hurried away, forcing myself to focus on work until Kane's voice boomed from the speakers, stopping me in my tracks.

"The kind of woman I'd prefer?" His deep voice was exactly as I remembered. "Someone loyal. Strong. Even-tempered. And she has to like children."

"He's totally talking about me!" exclaimed one of the girls at the table.

"Keep dreaming. He's obviously describing me.""You don't even like kids!"

"Well, we'll see which of us makes it through the preliminary selection. Then you'll see!"

The interviewer smiled. "Children? Does that mean we can expect you to have a big family?"

Kane gave a small smile, but his eyes remained guarded. "It's my duty as the heir to continue the bloodline. But yes, I'd like to have a large family."

Hearing that, I pressed my hand over my heart. What was wrong with me? We hadn't seen each other in three years. I couldn't still be hung up on him. He probably hadn't thought of me at all since our breakup.

A bell dinged in the kitchen, signaling a meal was ready. I went to retrieve it, grateful for the distraction. When I returned to the dining room, Kane was still on screen, but the topic had shifted dramatically.

"The wolf-essence black market is something the we’re investigating with the utmost seriousness," he stated, his expression hardening. "This illegal trade of wolves and their gifts is dangerous for every person in the pack."

The plate slipped from my fingers, crashing to the floor in a spray of food and ceramic shards. The restaurant fell silent, all eyes turning to me.

Kane continued, unaware of my reaction. "The weakening of any one wolf weakens the whole pack. We cannot let that go unpunished."

"Elena," one of the other waitresses hissed, snapping me out of my stupor.

I stood amid the mess I'd created, my hands trembling. "I'm sorry." I quickly knelt to clean it up.

After my accident, I'd pushed myself harder than ever, focusing solely on work and forgetting everything else.

However, by closing time, I felt something was wrong. The lights in the front had dimmed. I was alone.

Then a puff of hot air brushed the back of my exposed neck. The stench of alcohol filled my nostrils.

Gripping the plate I'd been cleaning, I immediately swung around, ready to smash it over Mike's head. Anything to get away.

But I was a moment too slow. He knocked the plate from my hand, sending it crashing to the floor. With one arm circling my waist, he shoved me hard against the sink edge. I was trapped.

Mike's free hand ripped open the buttons of my shirt, exposing my white lace bra. He squeezed my breast roughly, his fingers digging into the soft flesh.

"Let me go," I gasped.

"Don't be shy," Mike sneered, his tongue tracing my neck.

Mike then bit the side of my neck, hard enough to hurt. I cried out, renewing my struggles, but it was useless. Without my inner wolf, he was simply too strong.

"Be good and take what I give you," Mike growled. "Quit the blushing virgin act."

"I don't want you!" I shouted, tears stinging my eyes.

He laughed, the sound ugly and cruel. "Who cares what you want?"

Then, suddenly, a sharp thud echoed through the kitchen, and Mike's oppressive weight vanished. I opened my eyes to see him unconscious on the floor.

Behind where he'd stood was a group of uniformed Silver Moon security officers. One of them, standing at the front, held up something near my face. When he lowered it, I saw it was a photograph of me.

"Elena Williams?" he asked, his tone professional.

Fear still gripped my throat, silencing me. Even though they'd saved me from Mike, I didn't feel safe.

"Are you Elena Williams?" the officer repeated.

I managed a nod.

"Come with us," he said, signaling to his team. They began filing out of the kitchen.

"...Where?" I finally found my voice.

The officer's expression didn't change. "You were selected, Elena. We're here to escort you to Silver Moon Estate."

This can't be right. I never applied.