Selene's Point of View.
I am Selene Nightbane, daughter of Alpha Thorne, and heir to the Bloodpine Pack.
At fifteen, I was already being shaped into the next Alpha, sharp mind, quick foot, and too serious for my age, according to everyone but my father.
I wasn't on the pretty side.
My body is slender, tall for my age, with long limbs still growing into themselves.
My hair, dark as raven wings, falls down my back in soft waves, often braided tight to keep it out of the way.
My brown eyes, so I've been told, hold too much shadow for someone so young, but that's what being the future Alpha does to you.
"Selene!" I heard a soft voice call me as a familiar giggle ran towards my room.
It was Elira, my younger sister.
She burst into my room just as twilight sank its teeth into the world, her golden hair wild from the wind and cheeks flushed pink with excitement. Her deep blue eyes, brighter than the sea and twice as stubborn, they locked onto mine like she was already plotting something.
"Happy birthday, Elira," I said, my face filled with smiles as I closed the book on my lap. "You are fourteen, finally old enough to listen when someone tells you no."
She grinned, mischief dancing across her face. "You are wrong about that." She rolled her eyes, "Which is why I came to ask you to say yes."
I raised a brow. "To what?"
"Lets sneak out of the pack tonight, just for a little while. Let's go into the woods." She twirled, her bare feet padding across the rug like a wolf cub too full of energy to stay still. "I want my adventure, Selene. You promised to give me anything I ask for as my birthday gift, and this is what I want."
"Elira…" I sighed, already knowing I was losing. "Father said no one is to go near the trees tonight. The tides are high, and the storm hasn't fully passed."
Her eyes narrowed, her lips pressing into a pout. "You said anything I want, remember? You swore when I found that injured bird and you said I had the heart of a warrior."
"You do," I said gently, standing to face her. "But even warriors know when to stay behind the line."
She stepped closer, arms crossing over her chest. "Don't do that, don't be the Alpha right now, just be my sister."
I stared at her for a while, she always had that effect of changing my decisions.
I always put Elira first, I am her sister first before the title, before the training and before father's harsh lessons on what it meant to lead.
Elira had always been the wild one between us and of course, she doesn't take no for an answer.
"All right," I murmured, giving in with a soft chuckle. "But just to the cliffs, we are not going any further."
"Yes!" She squealed in excitement, throwing her arms around me. "You're the best."
I held her tightly for a moment, inhaling the scent of wildflowers and pine in her hair, as I surrounded myself in the warmth of her small, but reckless heart.
Hours went by and soon it was dark.
After dinner, Elira and I slipped from the pack through the back gate to avoid some of the guards seeing us.
Barefoot and breathless, we crept past the sleeping halls, through the rear gate where the guards dozed too heavily to notice.
"Hold on Elira." I called out to her in a whisper as I was afraid that we might get caught.
The night air was sharp and damp, and the earth was soft with waterlogged beneath our feet.
"Isn't this exciting?" Elira giggled in joy as we kept running.
We ran beneath the canopy of trees, giggling between gasps of breath, hearts pounding like war drums.
"We have to slow down." I said to Elira who only nodded but didn't stop.
Moonlight laced through the branches above us, casting silver patterns on Elira's hair until she looked like something out of an old myth, some forest nymph spun from starlight and laughter.
"Do you think they'll notice we're gone?" she asked breathlessly, ducking under a low branch.
"They'll notice I'm gone," I said with a smirk. "You could vanish into a puddle and father would probably call it character building."
She chuckled.
"Then we'd both better be back before dawn," she said, grinning.
We reached the cliffs overlooking the sea. From there, the forest dropped away into jagged rock and sheer descent. Below, the ocean churned, dark, endless, and alive. Waves crashed like beasts clawing at the earth, hungry and wild.
Elira edged closer to the ledge, her eyes wide with awe. "It's beautiful."
"It's dangerous," I said, grabbing her hand. "We don't need to be so close."
She squeezed mine. "Where is the fun there if we can't be close?"
Elira stepped out onto the wet stone path, her feet sure and careless, twirling like the wind couldn't touch her.
"I don't like this, Elira, father will have my head for this."
"Come on, don't be such a chicken. We would be back in the pack before anyone notices that we are gone."
I didn't say another word but followed, slower, more cautious. The cliff path was narrow and slick with sea spray, and the sound of waves roared in my ears like the world was warning me. But Elira laughed, fearless, golden hair streaming behind her.
"Elira, please, be careful!" I called out.
"Relax!" she yelled back. "You worry too mu…"
I never heard the rest and suddenly, my foot slipped.
The edge crumbled beneath me, and I fell, weightless and breathless, air torn from my chest as the sea surged up to swallow me whole.
"Elira!" I screamed as water filled my mouth.
The cold hit like knives, salt burned my throat.
I was a terrible swimmer and my heart began to pound so loud to the thought of me drowning to death.
I kicked, thrashed, tried to scream but the water filled my mouth, my nose, and my lungs.
I couldn't see anywhere as the dark water covered me, and my breath was slowly leaving me.
Suddenly, I felt a hand trapped my arms and pulled my head to the surface of the water.
I gasped.
"Elira?" I choked.
"I've got you!" she screamed above the crash of waves, her hands finding mine. "Hold on!"
"No, Elira, get back!" I coughed. "It's pulling too hard, please go!"
But she didn't let go. "I can't let you go Selene, I am a better swimmer. Hold my hand, I can pull you out." She tried pulling me towards her but suddenly, she slipped and fell into the water. It was so dark that I didn't see where she fell, just like that, her fingers vanished from mine.
"Elira!"
I broke the surface, gasping, the air burning my lungs.
"Elira!" I screamed again, frantically spinning in the froth and dark, searching, and searching.
"Elira!"
There was no answer, only the sound of waves pulling me.
The moon had already disappeared behind a cloud and it was total darkness.
"Elira!" I screamed until my throat tore.
I began to struggle, I must not die, I need to save Elira, I can't die!
I swam until my arms went numb, until my legs gave out. I clawed at the surf, calling her name like it could drag her back to me.
"Elira!"
"Where are you?"
Tears filled my eyes as I pulled myself to the surface of the sea, I swallowed a lot of water that my stomach ached.
I coughed out loud, I didn't care about myself, all I wanted at that moment was to find my sister.
But she was gone, there was no sign of her and this time, the wave was silent and all I could hear was the chirping sound of insects from the woods nearby.
"Elira!" I cried out in pain.
I tried to get up but I couldn't, I just laid on the surface, my body soaked with sand all over my hair.
My chest cracked open.
A scream ripped from me, raw, primal, filled with every ounce of love and loss I had ever known.
My head began to spin and before I could raise a hand to get up, deep darkness engulfed me and I fainted.
*
The strong smell of boiled roots and garlic filled my nostrils.
Gently, I opened my eyes, at first I couldn't tell where I was. My eyes scanned around and my surroundings became familiar.
I gasped realizing that I was in my room and I was lying on my bed.
I looked at the window, rain tapping softly against the windowpane.
I sat up too fast, the world spinning.
"Elira?" My voice cracked, dry and desperate.
My eyes fell to the side of the bed and that was when I realized that someone was sitting close to me.
"Mother." I muttered.
Her face was pale, eyes red-rimmed and hollow, as though she'd been carved from grief.
"What happened? How did I get here?" I whispered. "Where is Elira?"
Mother didn't answer, suddenly, she burst out into loud sobs, and my heart dropped to my stomach.
The door slammed open and my father stepped in like a storm, eyes blazing with a tight jaw.
"Father, where is Elira?" I managed to ask, the silence and sobs from my mother was already driving me crazy.
He stared at me for a long moment, slowly, he walked closer towards the bed, his eyes shining with fierce anger.
"Why did she die, but not you?"
The words split me down the middle.
"What?" My voice was barely air.
"I wish it was you who drowned," he growled.
Tears welled in my eyes as my heart slammed against my ribs.
"Where is she?" I whispered. "Where is my sister?"
Mother met my eyes, her own full of saltwater and sorrow.
"Elira is gone," she said, her voice breaking.
"Elira is dead."