The Luna's Second Chance

Chapter 30: Unraveling Secrets

**Selene's POV **

Selene's head throbbed as she slowly regained consciousness, the dull ache spreading through her limbs as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was fighting off Kian, Isla's brother, and his allies. She had been outnumbered, the force of their attack too overwhelming. And now, she was somewhere unfamiliar.

As her vision cleared, she realized she was no longer in her home. Instead, she was being dragged through an old, crumbling forest path. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and decay, the trees overgrown and twisted, as if the land had been left to rot. Vines covered everything in sight, ivy climbing over abandoned buildings and once-proud pack structures that had long since fallen into disrepair.

Selene's breath hitched in her throat as she realized where she was. This place, these ruins-they were the remnants of a pack she thought had been destroyed long ago. Isla's father's pack. Her sister's pack.

But something was off.

As she was led deeper into the heart of the territory, her captors moving swiftly beside her, the sight that greeted her was even more unsettling. The once-abandoned structures, choked with vines on the outside, were pristine on the inside. The walls were clean, the floors swept, and the scent of fresh wood lingered in the air as if someone had been living here... recently.

Selene's heart pounded in her chest as dread curled in her stomach. Someone had restored this place. And that meant someone had been waiting for this moment-for her, for Isla, for everything.

"Welcome home, Selene," a cold voice echoed through the vast hall they had entered.

Her blood ran cold as she looked up and saw him standing at the center of the room-**Malachi**, Isla's father's brother. The man who was supposed to be dead. The man who had been consumed by jealousy and ambition years ago.

Malachi's lips twisted into a cruel smile as he clapped his hands, the sound echoing off the stone walls. "Dumbfounded, are we?"

Selene's heart raced as she stared at him, her mind struggling to make sense of the impossible. "Malachi... you're alive."

"Of course I am," Malachi sneered, stepping closer. His eyes gleamed with triumph as he looked down at her, as if he had been waiting years for this moment. "You didn't really think I'd disappear so easily, did you? My brother always underestimated me, just like the rest of you."

Selene's jaw clenched, anger mixing with the fear that gnawed at her. Malachi had always been obsessed with power, envious of his brother's strength, his leadership. And now, after all these years, he had somehow risen from the shadows, orchestrating everything. He was the mastermind behind the attacks, the one pulling the strings.

"You were always jealous of your brother," Selene spat, trying to hold onto her composure. "But this? This is madness."

Malachi laughed, a cold, hollow sound that echoed through the room. "Madness? No, Selene. This is the beginning of a new era. My brother's legacy was weak. He cared too much about loyalty, about his pack, about family. But me? I understand what true power is. And now, I'll take what should have been mine all along."

Selene's stomach churned as she stared at him, her thoughts spinning. "You can't possibly believe that you'll succeed."

"Oh, I don't just believe it," Malachi said with a twisted smile. "I know it."

Before Selene could respond, she felt cold iron wrap around her wrists, the weight of the chains dragging her down. She was shoved to her knees, and for the first time, she noticed the others-captives chained along the walls. Her heart sank as she recognized them.