Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 77: Together.

The shift came easier this time.

Selena felt it the moment it began, not as pain or resistance, but as something natural, something that moved through her like a quiet, steady current.

Her body did not fight it. It welcomed it.

Bone and muscle realigned with a fluid grace she had never known before, and when her paws touched the forest floor, there was no disorientation, no weakness, only strength.

She stood still for a moment, breathing it in.

The night wrapped around her, alive in a way she had never fully sensed before. Every sound carried meaning. Every movement in the trees spoke to her. The earth beneath her felt steady, familiar, as though it had always known her.

She felt... whole.

A low sound drew her attention, and she turned.

Her mates had already shifted.

Three of them stood not far from her, their presence commanding, their forms strong and unmistakable. But they were not moving toward her. They were watching.

The way they looked at her made her pause.

Edris was the first to move, slow and deliberate, his gaze fixed on her face as though he were trying to understand something that should not be possible.

Kael circled slightly to her side, his movements sharper, curiosity clear in the tilt of his head, while Ronan remained still, his focus steady and unreadable.

Selena shifted her weight, confused by the intensity of it.

Then she noticed where their attention rested.

Her eyes.

Edris stepped closer, his voice calm but edged with quiet awe. "Your eyes..."

Kael let out a soft breath, almost a laugh, though there was no humor in it. "They’re glowing."

Ronan’s voice came last, lower, steadier. "Purple."

The word settled between them.

Selena stilled, something in her chest tightening, though she could not see it herself. The way they looked at her told her enough. This was not normal. This was not something they had expected.

For a moment, the forest seemed to hold its breath with them.

Then Kael moved suddenly, brushing past her with a light, teasing nudge that broke the tension before it could take root.

"Come on," he murmured, his voice lighter now. "Let’s see what you can do."

Selena huffed softly, the sound almost a laugh, and then she ran.

The world opened beneath her.

She moved faster than she ever had before, her body responding without hesitation, without strain.

The wind rushed past her, carrying the scent of trees and earth and her mates, close behind.

She could hear them gaining.

Kael reached her first, his presence sharp and playful as he bumped lightly against her side, trying to throw her off balance. She swerved, quick and precise, pushing ahead, only to feel Edris match her stride moments later, his pace steady, controlled, urging her forward without a word.

Ronan came last.

Silent.

But when he moved, it was sudden and powerful, cutting between them, forcing all three to adjust at once.

Selena felt something wild rise in her chest.

Belonging.

They ran for what felt like hours, through shadows and open clearings, weaving through trees, chasing and being chased, their movements blending into something effortless and alive.

There was laughter in it, even without words, a kind of release she had not allowed herself in a long time.

For a while, there was nothing else.

No Silas. No past. No fear.

Only that moment.

By the time they slowed, the forest had grown quiet again.

Selena came to a stop first, her breathing heavier now, her body humming with the aftermath of the run. One by one, the others followed, their presence closing in around her.

The shift back came just as easily.

The cool air brushed against her skin as she returned to her human form, her breath still uneven, her pulse not yet settled. She became aware of them immediately.

Close.

Closer than before.

Kael stepped forward first, his eyes darker now, the playfulness gone, replaced by something deeper.

Ronan followed, his presence quieter but no less intense, while Edris moved last, steady as always, yet there was something in the way he watched her that felt different.

They formed a loose circle around her.

Not trapping.

But there was something instinctive in it, something that made her pulse quicken again for reasons that had nothing to do with the run.

The air between them shifted.

Heavier.

Charged.

Selena felt it in the way her breath caught, in the way her body responded before her mind could catch up. She looked from one to the other, her gaze lingering just a second too long each time.

Kael’s lips parted slightly, like he was about to say something, then didn’t.

Ronan’s hand flexed at his side.

Edris held her gaze, steady, controlled, but only just.

For a moment, no one moved.

Then Selena did.

She stepped closer.

It was a small movement, but it changed everything.

Kael didn’t pull back when she reached him. His eyes searched hers for a brief second, as if giving her time to stop, to reconsider, but she didn’t.

She leaned in and kissed him.

It was not rushed. Not uncertain. Just enough to feel it, to let the moment settle between them.

When she pulled back, she did not step away.

She turned to Ronan next.

He exhaled softly when she came close, his restraint thinner now, but he did not reach for her. He let her choose. Let her close the distance.

She kissed him too, slower this time, lingering just a second longer before pulling back.

Edris was last.

He did not move when she stepped toward him, but something in his eyes shifted, something deeper, something that had been held back for too long.

Selena lifted her hand slightly, brushing it against his arm before she leaned in.

The kiss was quiet.

Controlled.

When she pulled away, the silence that followed felt different.

No longer uncertain.

Something had changed.

The space between them felt smaller now, the air thicker, harder to ignore.

Kael let out a slow breath, dragging a hand through his hair as he looked at her.

Ronan’s gaze had darkened completely.

Edris’s control was still there, but it no longer hid what was beneath.

Selena felt it all at once.

The shift.

The want.

The tension that had been building finally finding its shape.

Kael stepped closer again, his voice lower now, rougher. "You don’t make things easy, do you?"

There was no real complaint in it.

Only heat.

Ronan glanced at Edris briefly, then back at her, something unspoken passing between them.

Edris held her gaze for a long moment before speaking, his voice calm, yet something in his gaze was no longer as controlled as before.

"We want you Selena. We have missed you."

Selena’s breath caught slightly.

Then, she smiled.

"I have missed you too. So much." She murmured.

Kael’s lips curved faintly, his eyes never leaving hers.

"If we do this," he said quietly, "then we take you together. All of us. No holding back."

The words settled into the space between them, heavy with promise.

No one moved.

But the restraint between them was already breaking.