Chapter 5 The “Ghost” Of The Black Forest

• 【Selene POV】
• Pain.
• It felt like every bone in my body was ripped apart and put back together—that was the price for forcefully breaking the Pack bond.
• But compared to the suffocating nightmare of the past two years, this pain actually felt like sweet relief.
• I was finally no one’s puppet.
• No longer that “useless Luna” trapped in a fancy cage.
• The moment I said, “I’m leaving the Silver Moon Pack by my own choice,” I felt that heavy chain shatter for good.
• I lost the Pack’s protection, but I got my soul back.
• Even if now I’m just a homeless Rogue.
• Even if the world outside is full of unknown dangers…
• Those dangers are mine to face.
• As long as I’m alive, I’ll settle the score with Damien.
• That fake-ass Alpha, that venomous Hecate, and all those who laughed and trampled on me…
• When I come back with my fangs bared, I hope you’re still laughing.
• I took a deep breath.
• The cold air burned my lungs like fire.
• But in this air…
• There was only the taste of freedom.
• I’m a Rogue now.
• Free, but… damn weak.
• “Pfft—”
• My throat went sour, and I spat out another mouthful of blood.
• That witch’s brew Hecate forced down my throat for two years!
• That poison was still crawling through my veins like a swarm of bugs, gnawing at my insides, blocking the link between me and my wolf spirit.
• “Bang!”
• My legs gave out, and I crashed hard into a pile of rotting leaves.
• “There! I heard something!”
• Damn it!
• Gritting my teeth, I summoned every ounce of strength and rolled into the hollow trunk of a fallen giant tree nearby.
• I curled up in the darkest corner, covering myself with rotten dirt and leaves, holding my breath.
• “Shh… shh… shh…”
• Footsteps were getting closer.
• Two pairs of muddy army boots stopped right outside the trunk.
• “Where is she?”
• “She was just here… damn, that bitch’s slipperier than a rabbit!”
• “Search! The Alpha said if we don’t find her, we’re all screwed!”
• A fiery, stabbing pain shot through the torn depths of my soul.
• I bit down hard on my lip, forcing myself to stay silent.
• Cold sweat soaked through my ragged clothes.
• I could smell that disgusting stench—Damien Alpha’s scent—coming off them.
• They were less than three feet away!
• As long as they bent down and peeked into the tree hollow...
• I was as good as dead.
• Time dragged on, second by second.
• “Forget it, she must’ve run ahead! She’s poisoned by wolf venom, she can’t get far! Go after her!”
• “Move!”
• The footsteps faded away.
• I collapsed inside the hollow, gasping like a fish out of water.
• Safe.
• For now.
• I leaned against the damp tree trunk and slid down, completely drained.
• In the darkness, I stared at my trembling hands.
• This was me.
• A free rogue, barely hanging on.
• The wolf venom was still raging inside me.
• I could feel my wolf spirit—the once mighty, silver giant wolf—howling in pain deep inside my mind.
• It was trapped by the venom, unable to shift, unable to call on its powerful Alpha strength.
• If I couldn’t get rid of this poison...
• I wouldn’t last three days.
• Damien didn’t even need to catch me; I’d die from the venom all on my own.
• No.
• I couldn’t die.
• Not before I saw Damien and Evangeline pay for what they did!
• How the hell could I die now?
• I struggled, my mind racing to find a way out.
• Wolf venom...
• That nasty, poisonous curse was brewed by Hecate.
• If she could make it, there had to be an antidote!
• But Hecate was Damien’s pawn; she sure as hell wouldn’t save me.
• Who else?
• Who else knew about this ancient curse?
• One name flashed through my mind like lightning.
• Corvus.
• My heart jumped.
• Corvus.
• The man who taught me for just six months but changed me completely.
• He was my father’s best friend back in the day, a Beta so powerful it was scary.
• When I was sixteen, my dad brought him in to train me in fighting.
• Unlike the others in the Pack, who treated me like some spoiled Alpha princess,
• he trained me like a real warrior.
• I’ll never forget what he told me:
• “Selene, drop that Alpha arrogance! Strength isn’t in your bloodline—it’s in your claws and your heart!”
• “Your talent is the strongest I’ve ever seen. But your heart? It’s too soft.”
• Later, because he stood up to Damien’s father, he was kicked out of the Pack for disrespecting the Alpha.
• He became a rogue, hiding deep in the mountains.
• He studied all kinds of ancient herbs and curses—he had to know the cure for wolf venom!
• I had to reach him!
• But... how?
• When I started the rejection ritual, I left my phone and everything else back at Damien’s mansion.
• Wait!
• I remembered!
• When I was seventeen, I snuck out to find Corvus.
• He gave me something.
• A burner phone that couldn’t be tracked.
• He told me, “Kid, this world’s darker than you think. If one day you’re really backed into a corner, use this to call my only number.”
• I hid that phone somewhere absolutely safe.
• A mailbox only I know about.
• — Downtown, Greyhound bus station, locker B-13.
• I have to get there!
• I took a deep breath, fighting through the soul-crushing pain, and crawled out of the tree hollow.
• Dawn was breaking.
• I had to slip in before Damien’s people caught on and locked down the city!
• ...
• Two hours later.
• Wrapped in an oversized hoodie I “borrowed” from someone’s clothesline, head down, I blended into the Greyhound station.
• Pretending to be just some hungover nobody, I tried not to look at anyone.
• But I could feel it.
• Wolves.
• More than one.
• Were they Damien’s spies? Or from some other pack?
• My heart pounded like crazy.
• I dared not stop.
• I walked up to locker B-13, punched in the code I’d memorized long ago, and opened the door.
• There it was—the black, old-school phone—just sitting there quietly.
• I grabbed it and rushed into the farthest bathroom stall, locking the door behind me.
• Powered it on.
• Thank the moon, it still had battery!
• My hands shook as I pulled up the only number saved—no name attached.
• I didn’t dare call.
• I could only text.
• With everything I had, I typed:
• “Corvus. It’s me. Wolfsbane. Save me.”
• Sent.
• Message... sent!
• I exhaled hard, the tension snapping like a frayed wire.
• A wave of dizzying weakness hit me like a freight train.
• “Wolfsbane”...
• It was fighting back!
• The world in front of me started to twist and darken.
• I slid down against the cold stall wall.
• “Corvus...”
• Clutching the phone, my consciousness began to fade.
• Then, from outside the stall, I heard the nasty whistles and laughter of a few men...
• “Hey, guys, looks like there’s a chick passed out in that stall?”
• “The door’s locked... kick it open!”
• *BANG!*
• The door was kicked open!
• ```