Chapter 7 A Bargain of Healing

The morning after the rescue felt like walking through smoke—thick, heavy, and impossible to escape. Aiden woke with the memory of Selena’s silver eyes burned into his mind. The way she had watched him care for that wounded pup, silent and unreadable. The Luna of the Silver Moon Pack, so feared and untouchable, had looked human for a moment.

He tried to push it away. An Omega didn’t think of his Luna. An Omega kept his head low, his voice quiet, his heart locked. But that morning, his heart refused to listen.

By midday, the training field buzzed with noise. The higher ranks sparred and laughed, their power filling the air. Aiden kept to the shadows, cleaning weapons, when her scent—crisp moonlight and lilac—drifted through the air.

Selena had arrived.

The warriors straightened immediately, their mockery replaced by awe. She carried herself like frost personified—beautiful and untouchable. Yet when her eyes swept over the field, they stopped on him.

Aiden froze.

“Come,” she said simply.

Every head turned. Even the Beta blinked in disbelief.

“M–Me, Luna?”

“Yes,” she said, not breaking gaze. “You.”

No one dared question her. Aiden followed her into the forest, his pulse wild, the scent of earth and pine thick around them. She walked in silence, graceful as a shadow. When they reached a clearing, she stopped and faced him.

“I’ve been thinking,” she said, voice low, controlled. “About last night.”

Aiden’s heart stuttered. “I… I didn’t mean to overstep—”

“You didn’t.” She turned away, exhaling. “You reminded me of something I lost.”

“What was that?”

Her lips curved in a humorless smile. “Peace.”

Aiden frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to.” Her tone softened, almost weary. “The Alpha before Damian—he wasn’t kind. He left scars no one can see.”

Aiden’s chest tightened. “I heard rumors, but I didn’t—”

“Don’t.” Her voice was sharp now, then broke into something brittle. “Rumors are kinder than truth.”

The wind rustled through the trees. She stepped closer, and for the first time, Aiden saw it—the loneliness beneath her power, the cracks beneath the silver.

“I need something from you,” she said quietly. “Something simple.”

“Anything, Luna.”

Her eyes flicked up. “Don’t call me that. Not when we’re alone.”

He hesitated, unsure. “Then… what should I call you?”

“Selena.”

Her name on his tongue felt forbidden. Dangerous. Real.

She nodded slightly, as if confirming a silent deal. “I don’t need loyalty or pity, Aiden. I need distraction. You… calm the noise.”

He blinked. “Me?”

“Yes.” Her gaze didn’t waver. “You make me forget.”

He didn’t know what to say. He wanted to ask what that meant, what she wanted him to do—but she stepped forward and pressed her palm against his chest. The touch was gentle, yet her energy thrummed through him like lightning.

“When I’m near you,” she said, “the ache dulls. It’s not love, don’t mistake it for that. It’s a bargain.”

He swallowed hard. “A bargain?”

“You give me peace,” she whispered. “And I’ll give you protection. No one will touch you again.”

His breath caught. The offer was everything an Omega could dream of—and yet, it came wrapped in pain.

“And when you don’t need me anymore?” he asked quietly.

Her expression flickered, like a shadow across the moon. “Then I’ll let you go.”

For a heartbeat, he imagined refusing her. Telling her he didn’t want to be a tool for her grief. But then she looked at him with those eyes—eyes that hid storms—and he couldn’t speak the word no.

“I’ll do it,” he said.

Selena nodded once, her walls snapping back into place. “Good. Then our bargain is sealed.”

She turned to leave, but stopped when his voice broke the silence. “Selena?”

She looked back, the faintest question in her gaze.

“I don’t want your protection,” he said softly. “I want to help you heal.”

For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, a sad smile ghosted her lips.

“You don’t understand, Aiden. I can’t be healed.”

Her words lingered like frost in the air as she disappeared into the trees.

That night, Aiden couldn’t sleep. Every word replayed in his mind. You make me forget.

Was that all he would ever be—a bandage for her broken heart?

As he lay awake, the moonlight filtered through the small window, bathing him in pale silver. Something deep inside stirred—an ache older than fear, stronger than reason.

No, he thought. I won’t just be her shield. I’ll be her reason to hope again.

Outside, a wolf howled—a sharp, angry sound that cut through the night. Then came another, deeper, dominant, filled with power. Damian’s.

Aiden rose, drawn to the window.

In the distance, two silhouettes clashed on the training ground—Selena and Damian, their energy flaring like lightning and storm. It wasn’t training. It was war in disguise.

Aiden’s pulse quickened. His Luna was fighting the man who had once claimed her.

And before the night ended, something told him this bargain of healing would cost far more than his heart.