Serena opened her eyes, hazy and mind fuddled with the agonizing pain that pulsed through; She cried out, as the marking on her flesh surged like a second heart, an ever-present reminder of what had blossomed inside of her. Serena lay on the plush surface, looking up at the stone ceiling, still trying to understand the sensations swirling in her head. "You're awake!" A voice spoke from the side. It was Mira, coming into the cave carrying a tray filled with food and medicine. Serena tried to prop herself up, but the nausea and dizziness that crashed over her senses sent her back down, a low moan escaping her mouth.
“Easy,” Mira whispered, soothing. “You need to rest,” Mira said gently. "You've had quite a day." Serena looked away, turning her head to meet Mira’s eyes. She was so laced with concern; her black eyes so worried, her brow furrowed. "What... What happened?" Serena stuttered, her voice faint. “You collapsed,” Mira said gently, her voice tinged with a note of sympathy. “The marks on your skin are getting stronger but don’t worry—the Alpha, Lucian, will sort of something out.” Serena felt her breath catch, her stomach knot. “But maybe I’m a destroyer? she asked, her voice cracking beneath the burden of the terror that had been eating at her. In response, Mira could offer nothing more than a reassuring squeeze to Serena’s palm. “I brought you some food,” Mira said, attempting to pull Serena’s focus from the weighty topic. "You haven't eaten all day." “I’m not hungry,” Serena muttered as she turned away from Mira, the heaviness of her thoughts dragging her downward. She'd also thought of the pieces of her dream, the voice that called to her from the darkness. She tried to make sense of the fragmented images and feelings that brutalised her. Just then, the faint echo of raised voices reached the cave, sending Serena’s heart thudding in her chest. And then came one voice: Elias. Even during the deepest part of the night, she would always remember the tone of his voice. Serena shucked the furs draped over her without thinking, and ran for the door. But Mira was quicker; she stepped in her way, the exit. “Lucian isn’t going to like this,” Mira warned quietly, tensely. "I don’t care. “Let me through,” Serena growled, her eyes glowing with defiance. Mira paused, frowning in protest for a long second before she finally stepped aside. Serena did not wait for another word. In an instant, she was over the threshold and tearing into the fraught space of Lucian’s office. The tension was palpable the moment she walked in. Lucian squared his shoulders, arms tight across his broad chest, an unyielding look on his handsome features. Elias, for his part, was staring at him with a tight jaw and eyes fixed in barring confrontation. Neither appeared willing to give ground. “I’m not leaving without her,” Elias growled, the words laden with frustration and raw emotion. Lucian’s lips curled with a sneer and he held Elias’s gaze. “You’ll listen to me, Elias” Lucian snapped, his tone not faltering. “She is within the Night Fang territory now. That means she’s under my protection. Elias’s eyes darted to Serena, locking onto hers. Her breath hitched in her throat. For a long moment they just looked at each other, the world around seeming to dissolve. Elias stepped forward but Lucian stepped in first, positioning himself in front of Serena like some sort of shield. “You weren’t fighting the connection, Lucian,” Elias said, voice gravelly, eyes still blazing with that certain intensity that couldn’t be denied. "She’s still mine." Those words ran through Serena’s mind and her body fell cold. It was there, too, that bond between them, deep in her. The word mine echoed in her head, awakening all sorts of feelings, some she didn’t fully comprehend, along with a primal sense of wanting to be claimed. But Lucian stood strong with his commanding, protective presence. “When you refused her, you surrendered your claim,” Lucian said. His tone was steady but firm. "She is now one of us." Elias’s face contorted with rage, his eyes shining with fury. For a second, Serena was scared he would retaliate, but he stood still, his fists balled at his sides. A thought flashed in Serena’s mind, a notion that could resolve the tension, for now at least. “Just let me talk to him,” she said, tapping Lucian quietly on the arm but firm, soft yet with force. “I will not let that happen,” Lucian said immediately, his tone not allowing for discussion. "Please," Serena whispered. "Let me resolve this." Lucian gazed into her eyes, his gaze softening just a smidge, but cursed, he was resolute. “You’re not getting anywhere near him, Serena. Don’t forget, you chose this,” he said, his voice a vow. Serena was looking into Lucian’s eyes and something new sparked up inside her, a flicker of loyalty, purpose. It was inarguable, and it had sunk into her bones the way an anchor does. “If you’re going to talk to him, then don’t expect privacy,” Lucian muttered before stepping out the way and giving Serena a path toward Elias. “Thank you,” she said her voice low as she turned to the other man. “Elias,” she whispered, the name slipping from her tongue like a puff of air. The second was significant, too, though, because he turned to her even as he kept repeating those words and, for the first time, there was concern written all over his face. "Yes, Serena?" It was a voice full of pain and conviction. “Just say the word, and I’ll take you out of here.” She heart twisted from the sincerity in his voice. After all of that — after the betrayal — she still trusted him. “Elias, I…” She fumbled for words. “You’re not a curse,” he interrupted her softly. "Come back with me, Serena. Your father won’t harm you. I’ll protect you." Her stomach dropped at the mention of her father. Her bloodline had betrayed her in a way nothing Elias did could have. She could never go back to that life. “You were not able to keep that promise the first time,” she said, her voice quaking with repressed emotion. “The time you needed me the most.” Elias’s expression faltered. “I was dewy-eyed over the lies they showed us, Serena. But now I know the truth." Serena’s heart hurt. She wanted to trust him, but she wasn’t prepared to be hunted again. “I’m sorry, Elias,” she said, choking on the words. "But I’m a Night Fang now." “We were like, ‘What the hell? Is this really happening?’” “I, Serena, the last of the bloodline of the Onyx Wolf, reject you, Elias Storm, Alpha of Silver Ridge. She spun away from him without another word, unable to bear the look of heartbreak on his face. Elias did not speak, did not plead. He just stared at her, a last flicker of hurt in his gaze before he turned and left her there, walking out of the cave.
