Selene woke into pain.

Darkness filled the room. Not a hint of light was detectable. She raised her head slightly, only to have spasms of pain shoot across her upper back. Fighting the pain she left her head up and looked around. She couldn't see anything in the black darkness. She moved her wrists, finding that they were chained to the wall, as were her ankles.

"Comfortable?" A voice in the dark said. The voice bore a familiarity with distaste.

"Kraven." Selene hissed in return, "What lie did you tell to get back into power?"

"I was expecting a warmer welcome, Selene." Even in the darkness she could feel him smirking.

"Go screw yourself."

His hand stroked the side of her face and traveled down her chest, "I don't believe that was Victor's wish."

"His wish would to have your head on a plate." Selene spat back.

"But the Vampires don't know that, do they? They still obey me, not a detail of my alliances leaked out."

"Lucky you. If you are going to kill me, hurry up. I have no interest in conversation with the likes of you."

Kraven chuckled, "I'm not going to kill you. I would prefer my queen to be alive."

"I will never be your queen you piece of scum!"

The lights snapped on. Selene hissed at the sudden brightness.

"Then who is your king? That animal!" He yelled at her, his voice layered with envoy. Hate burned in his ice blue eyes. He moved his head so they were millimeters apart. "He is not fit for you."

In a swift movement Selene smashed her head into his skull. Kraven yelled out in surprise.

"He is better suited that you." Selene hissed; her eyes as bright as Kraven's. Kraven slapped her, slamming her head into the wall, "You will be my bride, Selene. It was arranged by you dark father on the night you took your first steeps into the Devil's house."

"I refuse to believe that." She replied in shock. Kraven thrust an ancient piece of parchment in her face, "Read it." He ordered.

"It is a forge. He would never do that to me."

"Well he did, my love. Kahn and Soren witnessed it."

Selene's gaze dropped to the floor and ruby tears gathered in her eyes. "It can't be." She whispered. "It can't."

"My lord, the hybrid is approaching the building." A Death Dealer's voice came over the p.a. system.

"Kill him." Kraven answered.

Selene looked up, "Michael."

Michael sprinted down the halls of the Lycan den. One thing circulated his thoughts; Selene. He had been unable to locate her at the site, no one had. It was like she had disappeared of the face of the earth. He had rushed back here, hopping that he had returned.

Bursting into their room he looked around frantically. The room was the same as he had left it, except this time Selene wasn't asleep in their bed.

His worry doubled. There was only one other place she would be; the armory.

The armory had as much of Selene's presence as the bedroom. The only people in there were the lycans, who were coming back from the hunt and returning the weapons to their racks. Michael spied Geo over in the far corner. He was a short and stout man; his hair was a dark shade of red and hung messily around his face. He had replaced their scientist after Victor had killed their previous one.

Geo had obviously seen him because he yelled out, "I ran some tests on the bullets that you pulled out of the blood. They were specially formulated to stun vampires."

Michael rushed over to him, "Have you seen her? Did she return?" His voice was frantic and his cool disappearing.

"Who?" Geo answered, "All lycans that left returned."

"What about Selene. Did she come back with them?"

"The blood? Not to my knowledge." Replied Geo. He turned to the lycan that was standing next to him. "Did the blood return?"

The lycan growled, "No."

"Then where is she, she wasn't at the site, she's not here. Where the hell is she?" Michael yelled, his eyes transforming into black.

"Calm down, Michael. You need to keep your head. Panicking will not do anything to help." Geo snapped.

"It's half an hour until dawn. She's a vampire the sun will kill her!"

Sonja, the child that had address Selene earlier, came rushing up to them, a piece of paper in her hand. "It's a letter for you." She said happily as she rushed off again, feeling like she had accomplished a quest. Michael looked down at her and took the letter.

She would not be happy if she knew what the content of the letter was.

Michael read the letter twice. His panic was turned to human heartbreak. He had only felt like this once before, when his wife was killed in an accident.

Now his mate was been taken from him too, his world was crashing down around him.

"What is it?"

Michael looked at Geo, his eyes deep pools of sorrow, "She was promised to Kraven. The wedding is tomorrow."

Michael dropped the letter and slunk off to their bedroom.

He didn't bother to turn on the lights, the light would just darken his already depressed mood. Thoughts of the time they had spent together played in him memories, most of them dark and of fighting. But the couple of ones that contained the moments of happiness and love, he held onto. Clinging to them, as if they would bring her back and fill the growing emptiness that was haunting him. For the first time he had realized that he had not once said, "I love you." He had held her and comforted her, he had thought the words. But never had they slipped out. It was them he knew that would be his one regret.

He would always love her, even if she belonged to someone else.

Across the night, Selene was thinking the same thing.