But as I turned toward the corridor, Lucian rose and stepped in front of me, blocking my way.
“Selene,” he said, his voice hardening. “What is the meaning of this?”
I lifted my eyes to look at him.
There was a time when his face alone stirred warmth in me. A single glance from him used to be enough to brighten my entire day.
Now, I felt nothing.
“What do you mean?” I asked calmly.
His expression darkened. “You refused to come for us, and now you return home at this hour. What exactly are you trying to do?”
Before I could answer, a soft voice drifted from the guest room.
“Selene… have you been drinking? The scent is making me uncomfortable.”
I turned sharply.
Rosalie stood in the doorway, pale beneath the lamplight, one hand resting lightly against the frame as though she needed support.
For a heartbeat, I simply stared.
I had thought Lucian had settled her elsewhere after bringing her back from the healer’s den.
I had not expected him to bring her into the Alpha house.
Into my home.
Absurd did not begin to cover it.
I looked at Lucian calmly.
“Would you like me to stay at an inn tonight?” I asked. “Or would you prefer to take Rosalie there yourselves?”
“Selene!” Lucian’s voice rose immediately. “How can you think so filthily?”
I almost laughed.
“Do not raise your voice to cover your guilty conscience,” I said coldly. “Am I the filthy-minded one?”
Then I turned to Rosalie.
“You fainted yesterday because I sealed my mindlink? Do not pretend to be so fragile. I sealed him out as well. And if the scent of wine bothers you, then close your door and sleep.”
Rosalie’s eyes reddened instantly.
Tears gathered with practiced ease.
But instead of replying to me, she turned to Lucian, her voice trembling.
“Perhaps I should leave… I do not want to upset Selene or make the two of you quarrel because of me.”
“It’s late,” Lucian said immediately, his tone softening. “Where would you go in weather like this? It isn’t safe outside. Go rest.”
So he did know that.
He did know a woman might be unsafe outside at night.
A bitter smile tugged faintly at my lips.
Once, when I lived far from the hall, I had walked home alone many nights. Rain or moonlight, it made little difference. One evening, I asked him to come for me.
He had laughed lightly.
There are people everywhere in the territory. What is there to fear?
He had been right.
Even deep into the night, the territory was never truly empty.
What was there to fear?