Did you know what it felt like being awake but you had no control over your body? Like you're just a passenger in your own body and someone else was in the steering wheel, calling the shots and making your body move? It felt like that right now.
I opened my eyes and sat up.
I was in my dim room. It was still dark out. But I couldn't be sure because the curtains were drawn and the layers of thick towels I placed on the window were still in place.
Cat was on a chair beside my bed. She was slumped over and fast asleep.
I could feel the dull pain on my shoulder and see the gauze peeking from my collar. I was only wearing a white button down over my underwear and nothing else.
Where was everyone else?
Was Zayn okay?
I could hear people talking from downstairs and realized that all alphas were there.
All five.
"Why the fuck did you even have to bite him and turn him into a werewolf in the fucking first place?" Mikhail's exclaimed. "Now we have a rogue alpha? What the fuck are we supposed to do with him?"
Rogue alpha? Who-?
The thought was interrupted when I caught sight of myself in the mirror. I still looked pale but almost luminescent this time, like there was a soft glow emanating from my skin. But what struck me the most were my eyes.
The moon was on my right eye.
Marked by the moon
"Holy shit," I thought as I felt the corners of my lips pull up into a smile.
I pulled the covers off slowly so that I wouldn't disturb Cat. I placed my feet on the floor but didn't feel the cold wood against my skin.
I took a few steps towards the door, realizing that although I was walking, my feet weren't touching the floor at all. My eyes remained forward and, as I neared the door, it opened on its own.
Or was I doing that?
The slow creak of the door was enough to quiet down Mikhail's voice.
I walked, closer and closer to where the alphas were.
The air was thick with tension. Even as I stood at the top of the stairs, I could feel the breaths they were holding, their racing hearts, the cold chill that was running up their spines.
They were waiting for my arrival.
When I reached the last step, five pairs of eyes met mine.
Kevin's face paled when he saw me. Dylan remained passive. Mikhail gawked.
Harry's lips were a thin line.
Zayn smiled.
Harry was seated on the middle of the couch, still covered in my blood. He was clutching the pearl necklace he gave me, which was also caked with dry blood.
Zayn was leaning next to the wall of the front door. He was only wearing a pair of pants and his arms were crossed on his bare chest. There was no bullet hole visible, like it didn't happen at all.
Mikhail was standing in front of Harry, while Kevin cowered over my presence. He was folding his body inwards, like he wanted to disappear within the chair he was sitting in.
Dylan looked at me head on, always with that curious glint on his eyes. He was leaning on the wall farthest from where I stood.
A few silent moments passed as all five tried to process what was happening.
"Where's Selene?" Harry finally said.
I felt my lips pull up with another smile.
"She's here," my mouth said, every syllable thick with the commanding seer tone.
"Why are you here?" Dylan asked, standing tall.
My eyes swept along the room, landing on Kevin's widening eyes. "I know your secret."
My smile grew wider, almost menacing. My eyes made contact with Harry's green ones, "I know everyone's secret."
What secrets?
My eyes darted to Zayn, "Even yours, Alpha Zayn."
The smile on Zayn's lips disappeared.
"He's no alpha," Mikhail exclaimed. "He has no pack."
My eyes sharply turned to him and Mikhail was so surprised he took a step back.
"I-I mean..." he stuttered.
"You didn't answer my question," Dylan cut in. "To what do we owe the pleasure of the Moon Goddess' presence?"
The temperature in the room dropped even lower but I could feel her raging hot anger radiate through me.
"She's very angry," I remembered my Mom telling me in my dream.
The lights in the room flickered until it finally gave out. Five glowing eyes stared back at me, their werewolf eyes catching the smallest hint of light available.
I felt the room vibrate, humming along my body that was emanating powers beyond any of our imaginations.
"Every wolf is bound to one.
Spilling the blood of wolves,
Strips your will to choose.
Every wolf is bound to one."
My hands were outstretched as if reaching out to every wolf around the world, letting her curse stick to them. I could almost see the strings she was attaching to every werewolf, every string that connected the wolf to the one he or she was bound to.
She was very angry and this was her punishment to them.
I saw the strings of three alphas snaking their way towards me almost taking hold of my wrists but just barely.
In my head, I heard her voice, "To you, my Luna
I give you the choice
To be bound to the one
Your hearts calls."
With one last breath, I felt her presence lift from me. She was returning to the night sky and I finally felt in control of my body.
And the first thing I did is fall to my knees.
Harry, Zayn, and Dylan were next to me in a second. All three of them tried to catch me before my knees hit the hard floor but quickly released me as if touching my skin sent electric shocks over their bodies.
Harry was the first to recover as he placed his hand on my elbow to help me stand.
Dylan was staring at his hand with a frown, "What was that?"
I was panting, and hot tears started running down my cheeks.
"What's wrong?" Harry worriedly asked.
"Does your shoulder hurt?" Zayn added.
I couldn't stop the tears. I still felt her boiling anger coursing through me.
"What the shit was that prophecy about?" I heard Mikhail mutter.
I shook my head and sobbed, "That was not... it wasn't a prophecy."
My voice was back to normal too. I took a deep breathe and tried to compose myself but found it hard as the remnants of her anger wasn't anywhere near fading, "That was her punishment."
"What punishment?" Kevin finally spoke, his voice so meek and still scared like he was expecting her to come back.
"Don't you see? She's angry at what you're doing! All these sneaking around trying to be alpha king! She gave you power and strength more than any human can ever have but that still weren't enough," I exclaimed, releasing some of the anger. "So now she's taking away your will to choose who to love!"
"What?" Mikhail said, almost shouting at me but catching himself.
"There were strings... and now you can't choose," I cried.
"Calm down, Selene," Harry said, growing more worried at my hysterical state.
"Now all wolves are paying for your sins," I sobbed even harder.
Zayn gently placed his hands on my cheeks, "Elle, just follow my breathing, okay? You need to calm down or you'll hurt yourself. Follow my breathing."
Zayn inhaled slowly and I tried to copy him. But it was hard, I couldn't concentrate when the rage she left was still coming in waves.
I felt Harry take my hand and gently squeezed.
"Come on, Elle. Just like how we did before," Zayn said encouragingly.
I tried to match my breathing to his again, clutching Harry's hand as I did so.
When I somewhat calmed down, Harry led me to the couch to sit down.
Tears still trickled down my eyes but I could feel her anger finally ebbing. I stared at my hands. The strings were invisible now but I knew they were there, trying to tie themselves to me.
Was that how I was supposed to choose who becomes alpha king?
"This doesn't make any sense," Dylan murmured. "How could her acting as a matchmaker count as a punishment?"
"You'll see. You'll all soon know the pain of what she means when she said that," I whispered.
I looked at their naive stares, still oblivious to the pain and chaos this will cause to their kind.
"Every wolf is bound to one."