Chapter 3 (Seraphina's POV)

Margaret immediately bent at the waist, moving so fast it was like she'd been cracked with a whip.

"Alpha, this is my fault! I'll take her to the west wing right now. She will never disturb you again!"

She rushed over and grabbed my arm.

I struggled on instinct.

The two warriors at the door released their suppression aura at the same time.

That force slammed down from above like an invisible wall. My knees started to buckle, my spine bending.

Ember bristled inside me, letting out a sharp snarl—but she'd only awakened less than a day ago. These were the Alpha's personal warriors, ranks too far apart. She was like a match trying to burn through steel.

"Don't kneel!" Ember roared from deep in my chest. "Stand straight! Look him in the eyes!"

I clenched my teeth so hard they ached, nails digging into my palms, using the pain to stay conscious.

I forced myself to lift my head and look into his eyes.

"I didn't mean to come in here."

My voice was shaking, but I bit down hard on every word.

"The windows in my room were covered with silver mesh. Moonlight couldn't get through. My wolf couldn't breathe, I—"

I swallowed.

"I just needed moonlight."

He said nothing.

The silence lasted maybe three seconds, but it felt like three years.

Then he turned and strode out of the room.

I stood frozen, not knowing what to do. Margaret and the two warriors were frozen too.

"Follow him," Ember urged.

I went after him.

His strides were long. I had to jog to keep up. He cut through the corridor, pushed open my door, and walked straight to the window.

The moonlight was filtered through the silver mesh into a sickly gray. He raised his hand and grabbed the mesh—the instant his fingertips touched the silver thread, I heard a faint sizzling sound.

But he didn't let go.

One hard pull.

The entire sheet of silver mesh tore from the curtain rod like paper.

It fell to the floor with a soft sound. Moonlight finally poured in unobstructed, flooding half the room.

Ember sighed in contentment.

He turned and looked at Margaret in the doorway.

"Every room in the east wing. Remove all of them."

"...Yes."

Margaret kept her head down, shoulders drawn into a rigid line. She hadn't looked at me once.

No. She had.

In the instant he turned around, her eyes swept over me—quick, like a snake's tongue.

Hatred.

I didn't care.

"Thank you," I said, looking up at him, my tone light.

He looked down at me.

Moonlight fell across his face. The lines of his cheekbones and nose were hard, but his eyes weren't as cold as they'd been during the day. Maybe it was the lighting.

He raised his hand and ruffled the top of my head.

The motion was light and brief, like it was instinctive.

"Go to sleep," he said.

Then he left.

I stood there, the warmth of his palm still lingering on the top of my head.

Ember hummed.

I ignored her, climbed into bed, and pulled the covers over my head.

Moonlight streamed through the now-uncovered window and settled on the blanket. Ember finally went quiet.

I told myself I'd get a good night's sleep this time.

But the moment I closed my eyes, the silver blade came back. Grace's voice in my ear: "Hold still, dear sister."

I snapped my eyes open, staring at the ceiling, chest heaving.

"It's okay," I told myself. "You got out. You did great. You're safe."

Lying flat no longer made me feel secure. I sat up hugging my knees, forehead pressed to my arms, waiting for my breathing to slowly settle.

Outside the window, the sky was already turning pale.

Since I couldn't sleep, I might as well go downstairs and eat something.

I changed clothes, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and went downstairs.

Before I even reached the dining room, I heard a commotion at the front door.

A guard's voice: "Sorry, no outsiders are allowed in without the Alpha's permission."

Then a voice that was all too familiar—soft, edged with tears—

"Please, my sister was brought here yesterday. I didn't sleep all night. I just want to see if she's safe—"

I leaned over the railing and looked down.

Grace.

She must have dyed her ash-blonde hair golden overnight. I could smell the hair dye from the second floor.

She was wearing a white dress, holding a fancy pastry box.

Why doesn't the Moon Goddess just strike her down, I thought.

"Seconded," Ember said.

Grace looked up and spotted me. Tears spilled instantly.

"Sera! Thank God you're okay!" She reached out, blocked by the guard. "I was so worried about you—you left in such a rush yesterday, Dad's been going crazy too—"

I walked toward her, step by step, watching her.

In my past life, I would have softened.

When she cried, the tip of her nose would turn pink, teardrops clinging to her lashes, looking more fragile than anyone. Ever since we were little, every time she cried, I thought it was my fault.

But now, looking at her tears, what I saw was a different face—under the basement light, calm, focused, carving into my face one cut at a time.

Ember growled low inside me. "Bite her! Rip her throat open!"

But I smiled.

Grace's expression froze for a second. She took half a step back.

"Sera...? That smile is... you're scaring me."

I tilted my head, mimicking her usual sweet, innocent tone.

"Sis, I'm marrying my mate. What's there to worry about?"

I put extra weight on the word "mate."

Not very loud, but enough—the guards nearby, the maid carrying a breakfast tray down the hall, the young warriors who'd just walked out of a side room—every wolf ear in range caught it.

An eighteen-year-old girl had just claimed the top Alpha of the West as her fated mate.

Grace stared at me. Something churned behind her eyes—shock, rage, then something deeper. Envy.

But she recovered fast. Her technique was flawless.

"Sera..." She took my hand. Her palm was cold. "I know you're ambitious, but you can't just say things like that."

She raised her voice, her gaze earnest.

"The three girls who got close to him before—you can't not know about them, right? One died, one went mad, one vanished. The strongest one—her family was ten times more powerful than the Wrens—didn't even last a month."

Her eyes swept over everyone present, making sure they all heard.

"I'm just worried about you, sis. You're so young, so... ordinary. What if you end up..."

She didn't finish. Just shook her head.

I heard it clearly.

The tone said concern. The content said threat.

Every person who heard it would have the same thought planted in their head: This girl is in over her head. She'll be the next one.

I was about to respond when footsteps came from the staircase.

We both looked up at the same time.

Caelan appeared at the far end of the second-floor corridor.

Black shirt, sleeves rolled to his forearms. His hair was dry now, not damp like last night. Gray-blue eyes swept down from above.

Grace switched expressions instantly.

Tear tracks still on her face, but her posture shifted from "desperate sister" to "harmless visitor" so fast I almost admired it. She dipped her head slightly, baring the side of her neck—the posture of submission to a higher-ranking wolf.

He didn't look at her.

"Seraphina." He said my name. "Come up for breakfast."

My heart skipped a beat.

"Coming," I said, and headed up the stairs with a light step.

Ember was cackling inside me. "I can hear Grace grinding her teeth! Crrrk crrrk crrrk—"

I held back a laugh.

When I reached the second floor, he was standing right at the top of the stairs. I was almost beside him when—

"Alpha Ashworth!"

Grace's voice exploded from downstairs, sharp and loud, echoing through the entire hall.

"If I were you—I'd check her neck first for another man's marks!"